It's interesting to consider that Jamar was in a similar position at the same age though.
Fitz is playing some solid VFL footy though. If he improves this year again, he could easily be a handy back up ruck/forward.
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Playing two ruckmen
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It's interesting to consider that Jamar was in a similar position at the same age though.
Fitz is playing some solid VFL footy though. If he improves this year again, he could easily be a handy back up ruck/forward.
Topkent
Confirmed ITK Drafting King
I think fitzys work as a forward at afl level has been solid
The back end of 2013 he was quite good and the last couple games of this year
He can take a mark and he knows where the goals are, just really needs to add to his game so he can compete with pedo who is a more complete player
The back end of 2013 he was quite good and the last couple games of this year
He can take a mark and he knows where the goals are, just really needs to add to his game so he can compete with pedo who is a more complete player
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My two bobs worth. If Spencer is fit he is number one ruck. He is aggressive and has a crack when it's on the deck. Pederson can give him a chop out but he will be expected to ruck for two and a bit quarters.
Gawn as sub, coming in early in third quarter.
Pederson is like Steffan Martin was for us a couple of years ago, in that the more work he got the better he played. I wouldn't have Jamar in the side. He's timid and very predictable in his ruck work. His only trick is to overrun the ball and then drop it behind him in the space he's created. Every midfielder in the game knows this is his only play and it puts our onballers under massive pressure. We should have traded the Russian three years ago IMHO.
Fitzpatrick is the wildcard. Will be very interesting seeing how he goes this year now he has got his diabetes under control with this new paleo diet... If he comes good I'd swap Pedo for him, but I love pedersons toughness.
Gawn as sub, coming in early in third quarter.
Pederson is like Steffan Martin was for us a couple of years ago, in that the more work he got the better he played. I wouldn't have Jamar in the side. He's timid and very predictable in his ruck work. His only trick is to overrun the ball and then drop it behind him in the space he's created. Every midfielder in the game knows this is his only play and it puts our onballers under massive pressure. We should have traded the Russian three years ago IMHO.
Fitzpatrick is the wildcard. Will be very interesting seeing how he goes this year now he has got his diabetes under control with this new paleo diet... If he comes good I'd swap Pedo for him, but I love pedersons toughness.
If fit Spencer would be lucky to be fourth ruck, being aggressive is useless when you suck.
Topkent
Confirmed ITK Drafting King
Lol Gawn as sub, yes please
He could come onto the gladiator theme
He could come onto the gladiator theme
Dory_77
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Gawn as sub sounds pretty silly. I think Specil could make a run for 1st ruck though. He's a huge unit and physically was very good in the games he played last year. If he can sharpen the accuracy of his hitouts and improve his skills marking and kicking especially, so he can just hit 20-30m kicks he'd be a solid player.
So basically if he improves everything he could be number one ruck?
Yep.
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IMO we played our best football last year at the start of the season, which coincided when Spencer was rucking. I don't think it was just a coincidence. The attitude he brings to the contest makes up for any of the other short comings. In terms of the other two, Jamar and Gawn, Jamar kills us in the centre with his one trick technique, and Gawn has done very little yet at senior level. I still have faith that Gawn is going to be very good, but I think he's behind Spencer at the moment. And I think having a ruck as sub would be great for us. We have got very little out of our subs, to be honest we have got very little out of anyone for a decade, but it would mean that we could go flat out in the ruck for four quarters. Any advantage we can get in the middle we should take.
Dory_77
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Yes.
Srs though, he wins lots of taps, but is crap at directing them. Get that right and he'll be very handy at stoppages. His marking and kicking is ordinary, but if he gets that to a half decent position he'll be handy around the ground/resting forward too. Gawn is far from a finished product either, yet everyone is singing his praises like he'll be the next Cox. He's better than Spencer at this stage (not by much IMO), but has plenty to work on if he wants to be the number 1 ruck.
Gawn has proven a shitload more at senior level than Spencer.
- Can go forward, clunk marks, kick goals and isn't useless when the ball hits the deck.
- Ruck work is improving and still better than Spencers.
- Not useless when he gets the ball around the ground.
- Not stupid when he gets the ball around the ground, doesn't do anything he's not capable of.
- He's a passionate, aggressive player which you seem to ignore but praise Spencer for.
Also using a ruckman as a sub is just not a good idea, speedy impact players that can impact the game in more ways than a ruckman suit the sub role.
Nobody said Gawn didn't have things to work on, he does like his endurance mainly but he's already proven to be a more versatile and useful player than Spencer.
Spencer just doesn't have any attributes besides being big, Gawn is streets ahead of him.
Theseventhhamster
Brownlow Medallist
I liked Spencer's pressure work around stoppages, other than that if it wasn't for a bunch of rucks randomly unspudding themselves out of nowhere I think he would have been discarded by now. Tap ruck who can't direct the ball, useless.
Cannon82
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A little closer to the mark, I feel.
MFCforever
All Australian
If there's 1 thing you just cannot do on here is go against Gawn being our number1 ruck,EVER!
You can but like you've proven time and time again is that you've got an idiotic bias against Gawn.
Did he shag your someone in your family and never call? Run over your dog?
MFCforever
All Australian
My argument is just stating facts, nothing do with my dog or shagging someone in my family I used those jokes once when I was about 10. Gawn is never going to be this giant ruckman come forward you think he will become, he is too injury prone it's that simple really.
All you've said is he's injury prone, which is true but you haven't given anything else.
MFCforever
All Australian
Nah not doing it again, you can read my posts about him,but how many games do you think Gawn will play this season?
He's best 22 so I'm banking on him playing on a majority of our games if not all.
Health is the only thing that could possibly hold him back but that's the same as every player in the league.
MFCforever
All Australian
Please, is health the only reason he's played a maximum 13 games in a year? And he's not in my 22.
He's had health issues yes but I'm judging on footballing talent which puts him firmly in our best 22.
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MFCforever
All Australian
So is health the only reason he's played a max 13 games in a year? Gawn went backwards from his 2013 season. He's played 26 games in total over 5 seasons and he's done absolutely nothing at AFL level. I said it when we drafted him it was a mistake and to give him number 11 is a ****ing insult.
