Geelong big men Zac Smith, Rhys Stanley and Mark Blicavs have rewritten the ruck rules

GEELONG’S three big men Zac Smith, Rhys Stanley and Mark Blicavs – brought together by a club so used to modern success – are daring to dream but they're not looking beyond Friday night.

Geelong ruckman Mark Blicavs, Zac Smith and Rhys Stanley picture: Glenn Ferguson

ZAC Smith went along to his first AFL final last week – it just so happened that he played in the game as well.

Rhys Stanley had been an emergency in a Grand Final six years ago, but last week’s nail-bitting qualifying final win over Hawthorn was also the first AFL he had actually played in.

When compared to Smith and Stanley, Mark Blicavs would have been excused for feeling like a finals veteran, even if he isn’t.

It was the 25-year-old’s sixth final, but the Cats’ 2015 best-and-fairest winner said the game was the most challenging physically and mentally he had played in.

Smith and Stanley were on the goal line watching nervously as Isaac Smith took his after-the-siren kick.

Blivacs couldn’t bear to look. Exhausted, he watched it – with his back to the moment – on the MCG’s big screen, unsure of exactly what was happening, until he saw his teammates jumping for joy when the ball missed.

“It was unbelievable,” Blicavs said this week. “It was unlike any other game I’ve played in, and I’ve played in a few close ones before.”

“When it all sunk in, I just went over to my teammates and it was a really good feeling. We had the chance to enjoy the win and now we’ve had the chance to reset for what comes next.”

Geelong ruckman Mark Blicavs, Zac Smith and Rhys Stanley picture: Glenn Ferguson

What comes next could yet be Geelong’s fourth premiership since 2007, an astonishing return given there had been none in the previous 44 years.

But as the trio of Cats’ ruckmen were at pains to point out this week, there is still a lot of water to pass under the Barwon River bridge before that happens.

For a start, there is Friday night’s MCG preliminary final, and, if successful, the Cats will be into their first premiership playoff since the 2011 Grand Final.

Back then, Blicavs was still pursuing his dream of competing as a middle distance runner/steeplechaser in the London Olympics, and beyond that, Rio.

Smith had just finished his first season with Gold Coast and was considered a young ruckman on the rise. And Stanley had endured a frustrating season with injury, playing only two games for the year with St Kilda, desperate for a change of luck.

Fast forward to 2016, and these three big men – born within 13 months of each other and recruited specifically for the roles they are currently playing – loom as one of the big variables required if the Cats are to push for that 10th VFL-AFL premiership.

“I think we’ve got a really good dynamic,” Blicavs said of the connection. “When it is done right, it can be a big advantage for us.”

“It’s just getting the mix of onball and forward structure right. It’s taken a bit of time for us to do that, but we’ve really enjoyed working on that.

“Personally, I get on really well with Rhys and Smithy. We’re all different personalities, but come game time hopefully it all works out well.”

Geelong pair Zac Smith and Mark Blicavs try to stop Ben McEvoy in last week’s qualifying final. Picture: Colleen Petch

Stanley agreed: “The competition was always going to be on for spots, but we all embraced that, and worked together. We drove each other.

“And what it has given us is something that is pretty unique. We all bring something different to the tables as individuals, and hopefully that’s something that has worked well.”

Geelong’s three premierships (2007, 2009 and 2011) came with one dominant ruckman in Brad Ottens, along with back up support respectively from Steven King, Mark Blake and Trent West.

But if the Cats can win this season’s flag, it will come from a much more even contribution in terms of their big men.

The manner in which Geelong and its recruiting guru Stephen Wells recruited Blicavs, Stanley and Smith – one rookie and two trades – deserves high praise.

And their differences has made it hard for opposition teams to combat — Blicavs being a tall, exceptionally mobile midfielder with the best third-man up record in the game (142 third-man up hit-outs, 77 more than any other player); Smith being a good tap ruckman who has surprised a little with his ability to go forward; and Stanley being a tall, running machine who is proficient in the ruck as well as hard to match-up on in attack.

Injuries to others, and circumstance, meant Blicavs had to play predominantly as a sole ruckman last year, and did a brilliant job.

Rhys Stanley takes a strong grab against the Lions last month. Picture: Getty Images

This year the Cats have had the luxury of being played him as a midfielder, spending only three per cent of his game time in the ruck.

“This time last year Rhys was done for the year, we didn’t have Smithy, Mitch Clark was battling some injuries and we didn’t have ‘Vards’ (Nathan Vardy) playing,” Blicavs said.

“I had to play the majority of the second half in the ruck. But this year the depth (in the big man stocks) has been unbelievable.”

The decision to trade for Stanley at the end of 2014 – giving up pick 21 – has paid dividends this season, and giving up two picks in the 40s late last year for Smith, whose career looked to have stalled due to injury at Gold Coast, has been just as successful.

Stanley has finally found “continuity” with his body, heaping praise on the club’s medical staff: “It’s an amazing club, they have been fantastic for me ... I had to find some continuity in my body, and that has come from a strong group of players and medical staff.”

Smith counselled his good friend and former Cats star Gary Ablett about his football future last year.

The dual Brownlow Medal winner had little hesitation in recommending Simonds Stadium.

“We’re close friends, so Gary was always going to give me advice on big decisions,” he said. “I trust his opinion. He still loves Geelong and he wants me to succeed as well.

“It was like, ‘if you want to bloom, this is the club to go to’.”

Blicavs and Stanley also have a great connection, and with their partners, they will travel to Africa in the off-season – including the Cotton On foundation in Uganda, as well as Botswana and Zimbabwe.

“Hopefully, we have a few more exciting things to come before then,” Stanley said.

But while the Cats’ three big men – brought together by a club so used to modern success – dare to dream, none of them is looking beyond Friday night.

Originally published as Geelong big men Zac Smith, Rhys Stanley and Mark Blicavs have rewritten the ruck rules