Opinion Number 1 ruck in 2019

[The rabbi]

Smith has zero aggression. Mr nice guy. Needs to put down his bible and harden up.

That never stopped Ablett Sr from knocking an opposition player into next week.

 

[Stocks_go_Up]

Stanley and daylight between the next best. Stanley's 1% off the ball even when he is getting dominated around the ball is more than what Smith offers. Abbott pops up and does some good things and also shows grunt, but not sure that's really enough when Stanley can turn it on for 1 qtr and almost have more influence than Abbott's whole game. Given how highly the club rates Stanley and the potential he's shown, Smith and Abbott won't be getting a game ahead of him as long as he's fit and not the worst player on the ground every week. Fort is the unknown.

Lol at Stanleys potential

 

[Down at K Park]

That never stopped Ablett Sr from knocking an opposition player into next week.

When was ablett ever mr nice guy?

 

[Vdubs]

That never stopped Ablett Sr from knocking an opposition player into next week.

or GAJ being the MVP year after year
or Shaun Hart winning a NS

 

[autimcx]

Lol at Stanleys potential

what's there to laugh about? he's clearly showed that he can make up for his deficiencies with other areas of his game. His run of form this year was proof of that, he rated as one of the best ruckmen outside of Gawn and Grundy, even had the better of Gawn for large parts of the game. He's always had times throughout his career where he's dominated a quarter, but drops off significantly after it. Those strong performances are evidence of his potential ability if he gets his act together.

Anyone saying he doesn't have potential is being blinded by his consistent lack of form. Whether the way he plays when he's playing well is suited to Geelong is another question.

 

[Gazza Greatness]

what's there to laugh about? he's clearly showed that he can make up for his deficiencies with other areas of his game. His run of form this year was proof of that, he rated as one of the best ruckmen outside of Gawn and Grundy, even had the better of Gawn for large parts of the game. He's always had times throughout his career where he's dominated a quarter, but drops off significantly after it. Those strong performances are evidence of his potential ability if he gets his act together.

Anyone saying he doesn't have potential is being blinded by his consistent lack of form. Whether the way he plays when he's playing well is suited to Geelong is another question.

It'd hard to believe, even for me but Stanley definitely has it in him to be one of the 'better ruckman in the league' if he can back up his strong rucking performances prior to getting injured this year against some of the 'better ruckman' including Gawn...... anyhow let's hope upon hope for us diehard Cat supporters that this is the case and NOT the 'other Stanley' of whom we all know to well.

 

[ShaunWDT]

Darcy Fort if Scarletts opinion matters

Think its pretty obvious hell be right in the frame, is clearly the best forward of all the rucks on the list and can more than hold his own in the ruck.

 

[Stocks_go_Up]

what's there to laugh about? he's clearly showed that he can make up for his deficiencies with other areas of his game. His run of form this year was proof of that, he rated as one of the best ruckmen outside of Gawn and Grundy, even had the better of Gawn for large parts of the game. He's always had times throughout his career where he's dominated a quarter, but drops off significantly after it. Those strong performances are evidence of his potential ability if he gets his act together.

Anyone saying he doesn't have potential is being blinded by his consistent lack of form. Whether the way he plays when he's playing well is suited to Geelong is another question.

Potential is overrated. Those that place any value on it are destined for disappointment most of the time. (Stanley included).

 

[Mr Blicavs]

Think its pretty obvious hell be right in the frame, is clearly the best forward of all the rucks on the list and can more than hold his own in the ruck.

Never played a game of AFL.... but apparently its pretty obvious

 

[The rabbi]

When was ablett ever mr nice guy?

What does that have to do with anything?

 

[Stig_90]

I'd like to see Stanley start in the ruck to begin the season and Fort work his way in if he's in form. Fort is the future and will do more around the ground than Smith or Abbott. He's also got that extra bit of height and reach over Stanley and Abbott.

 

[Down at K Park]

What does that have to do with anything?

Smith is a bible basher and mr nice guy. Ablett is a bible basher and was never mr nice guy on the field. See my point? Smith carries mr nice guy onto the field and plays like it. Ablett didn’t.

 

[Vdubs]

Horses for courses.
It should depend on who we are playing, and the current form of who we have at that time.
Making any predictions about #1 is just one ankle, hamstring etc away from being irrelevant.
I said Smith, but that's on pure ruck work alone, and we haven't seen much of that for a while.
Those saying it's obvious Fort is the most likely, why is that so obvious?
Stanley was in rare form this season, but he has a definite use by date every year.

 

[Landgraft]

Smith is a bible basher and mr nice guy. Ablett is a bible basher and was never mr nice guy on the field. See my point? Smith carries mr nice guy onto the field and plays like it. Ablett didn’t.

Maybe the takeaway should have been that their religion is irrelevant... it is only how they play that matters.

 

[splashwave]

Never played a game of AFL.... but apparently its pretty obvious

so you don't think the match committee will consider playing him round one? he's 25 and scarlett is on record as being a fan, don't think it's a stretch to say he'd be in the conversation.

 

[Down at K Park]

Maybe the takeaway should have been that their religion is irrelevant... it is only how they play that matters.

Depends if they follow their lords word and be kind to their fellow man. Smith plays like he follows that to the letter. Zero aggression. Mr nice guy.

 

[catswhiskers]

so you don't think the match committee will consider playing him round one? he's 25 and scarlett is on record as being a fan, don't think it's a stretch to say he'd be in the conversation.

I hope your prediction is correct but I have been at two training sessions (about an hour each time) and Fort was not involved in any match sim that happened while I was there. He did some running (not as much as others) and some boundary line ball handling drills on his own with a staffer.

Abbott was the only ruck in full training. Stanley and Smith running laps on one of the days.

Abbott was in the simulations but Fort did not join in. In fact all simulations were done without ruck contests.

Maybe they are holding Fort back but at this stage Abbott leads the field purely and simply because he is on the park (pretty much where we finished last year).

I hope to get to training early in Jan to see how the rucks actually measure up against each other.

Esava it seems is being held back too - saw him in the sims a couple of weeks ago, but he was not inside the boundary line on the last day they trained (the hour I saw anyway) .

 

[Max Milburn]

Depends if they follow their lords word and be kind to their fellow man. Smith plays like he follows that to the letter. Zero aggression. Mr nice guy.

Not necessarily. Religion doesn't determine someone's character traits.
Smith's lack of aggression is most likely just a product of his own nature.
Pope Julius I was called the Warrior Pope. He would have made Gaz Snr tremble with fear...

 

[The rabbi]

Smith has zero aggression. Mr nice guy. Needs to put down his bible and harden up.

What does that have to do with anything?

[QUOTE="Down at K Park, post: 59182544, member: 173051"]Smith is a bible basher and mr nice guy. Ablett is a bible basher and was never mr nice guy on the field. See my point? Smith carries mr nice guy onto the field and plays like it. Ablett didn’t.[/QUOTE]

Landgraft said

Maybe the takeaway should have been that their religion is irrelevant... it is only how they play that matters.

And that was my point. Why bother mentioning the "bible basher", crap when it is demonstrably irrelevant even by Down at K Park 's own post?

 

[splashwave]

I hope your prediction is correct but I have been at two training sessions (about an hour each time) and Fort was not involved in any match sim that happened while I was there. He did some running (not as much as others) and some boundary line ball handling drills on his own with a staffer.

Abbott was the only ruck in full training. Stanley and Smith running laps on one of the days.

Abbott was in the simulations but Fort did not join in. In fact all simulations were done without ruck contests.

Maybe they are holding Fort back but at this stage Abbott leads the field purely and simply because he is on the park (pretty much where we finished last year).

I hope to get to training early in Jan to see how the rucks actually measure up against each other.

Esava it seems is being held back too - saw him in the sims a couple of weeks ago, but he was not inside the boundary line on the last day they trained (the hour I saw anyway) .

that's interesting, fingers crossed abbott isn't our only match ready ruck come january.

 

[Mr Blicavs]

so you don't think the match committee will consider playing him round one? he's 25 and scarlett is on record as being a fan, don't think it's a stretch to say he'd be in the conversation.

Who said that? You don’t read too well... do you?

 

[splashwave]

Who said that? You don’t read too well... do you?

I read ok, the eye roll in your post just seemed to imply you think he's way off

 

[Mr Blicavs]

I read ok, the eye roll in your post just seemed to imply you think he's way off

Maybe try reading a few posts prior then

 

[splashwave]

Maybe try reading a few posts prior then

I had, your position wasn't totally clear to me though, hence my question.

 

[Stocks_go_Up]

what's there to laugh about? he's clearly showed that he can make up for his deficiencies with other areas of his game. His run of form this year was proof of that, he rated as one of the best ruckmen outside of Gawn and Grundy, even had the better of Gawn for large parts of the game. He's always had times throughout his career where he's dominated a quarter, but drops off significantly after it. Those strong performances are evidence of his potential ability if he gets his act together.

Anyone saying he doesn't have potential is being blinded by his consistent lack of form. Whether the way he plays when he's playing well is suited to Geelong is another question.

Thats the problem with too many here - you keep talking about 'potential'. Potential means absolutely **** all if the player cannot produce consistently good football and stay injury free. What good is having a player on the sidelines with great potential clogging list spots. Give them a chance - if they can't stay on the park and produce good football move them on. Simple. This club acts like a hospital and talks in fairy dust about potential - the amount of time/spots/money we have wasted keeping injury prone players with 'potential' is disgusting. Someone name some long term injury prone players we have kept on our list that had great potential who have turned out to be a big contributor. I have a very very very long list of those who contributed SFA but took up list spots for a long time.