YOTC
Brownlow Medallist
Blake back in the team next week. Hawkins in the ruck is a waste of time. Did nothing.
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The Importance Of A Tap Ruckman.
- Thread starter YOTC
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mwt5150
Team Captain
Didn't look fit. Don't know why they bothered with a few tonight. Hunt and Travis the only consistent ones. Still a lot of tinkering up front I reckon, not much out of any big guys tonight.
Yep. If Hawkins is to play, he now has to out perform Pods to stay in the side.
It's good that it happened now and not in the finals.
It's good that it happened now and not in the finals.
- Aug 16, 2006
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I agree completely. People whinge and moan about Blake but the fact is he breaks even on ruck duals, and often comes out ahead. One of the major reasons we lost tonight was that we were completely killed in the Ruck.
Bring Blake back in, and make a decision between Hawkins and Pods for the second tall forward role. At very least we learnt this from tonights game.
Bring Blake back in, and make a decision between Hawkins and Pods for the second tall forward role. At very least we learnt this from tonights game.
i_need_a_pencil
Club Legend
- Oct 16, 2009
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Serious BUT important lesson learnt tonight regarding all of this.
Will be really interesting to see team selections for next week.
I want Hawkins to have more game time, and I genuinely want to give Pods one last go in a serious game against serious competitors - but we need Blake to come back in.
Will be really interesting to see team selections for next week.
I want Hawkins to have more game time, and I genuinely want to give Pods one last go in a serious game against serious competitors - but we need Blake to come back in.
- Aug 16, 2006
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I understand this, but it is not possible to have Hawkins, PODS, and Blake all in the same team. If Blake comes back (and he pretty much has to given how caned we were in the Ruck tonight), then Hawkins keeps his spot by going forward. And if Hawkins is going forward, then one of PODS or Mooney has to go. Mooney is the better footballer, so it may be back to the twos for PODS. Or, keep PODS up forward and demote Hawkins.
i_need_a_pencil
Club Legend
- Oct 16, 2009
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No doubt... I don't think they all can be in either.
Thats why the selections will be interesting next week, and thats why I'm glad I'm not doing them!
We got smashed with the turn-overs (and not all forced errors either). I don't think Blakes tap work would have made that big a difference.
FWIW, Geelong won the hitouts tonight, 43 to 40. Not bad with Hawkins playing below par.
Ottens 30
Jolly 28
Hawkins 9
Brown 8
Only 6 disposals for Hawkins, but his 6 tackles tonight, compared to Blake's 9 in total for the season, shows he's more willing to put his body on the line. Would take Hawkins over Blake any day of the week personally. Just need to get his fitness up before finals.
Ottens 30
Jolly 28
Hawkins 9
Brown 8
Only 6 disposals for Hawkins, but his 6 tackles tonight, compared to Blake's 9 in total for the season, shows he's more willing to put his body on the line. Would take Hawkins over Blake any day of the week personally. Just need to get his fitness up before finals.
- Aug 16, 2006
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Yes, but we consistently did not get first use of the ball. We lost clearances by a fair margin.
For all Blakes problems he is, at least, a decent tap ruckman. I personally believe he is needed.
SJ
Premium Platinum
Mate who cares if a ruckman can bloody tackle or not. We have 21 other people on the ground that can do that. What we do not have is a decent ruckman anymore. Ottens has been a great player for us but he is not at peak fitness nor peak age. He did well tonight but will probably be beaten by most number one rucks these days.
Blake brings something to the table that no one else in the team can. We lost the clearances 29 to 45 tonight. The 2009 Champion Data Prospectus showed that Blake was in the top bracket of ruckman at hitouts and hitouts to advantage. We didn't lose tonight because of the defenders or forwards, we lost because we got spanked in the middle and went inside 50 half the amount of times Collingwood did.
- Aug 16, 2006
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We win more clearances than we lose with Blake in the ruck. Tonight we lost more clearances than we won. This had a real affect on the outcome of the game.
SJ
Premium Platinum
Do you even watch the ruck contests? Or just think it's luck that certain players get the footy from a stoppage a lot more than others?
MushroomRocket
Club Legend
You had one ........ aaaand now he's with us, thanks for the donation 
And clearly playing two half cooked ruckman together was a big mistake, there were contests were we didn't even have a ruckman present to contest.
SJ
Premium Platinum
Yep. This experiment has to stop now.
- Aug 16, 2006
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Agree, the Hawkins in the ruck experiment is done and dusted. Nothing wrong with experimenting. That is what these Home and Away games a for. But you have to learn from it. In a pressure game like this we need an experienced ruck division, and that is that.
According to the AFL site, Geelong won the hit outs 43-40 FWIW.
Clearances? Well that's another matter.
Clearances? Well that's another matter.
My point was, that outside of ruck contests, with Blake in the team, those 21 other people are all we have got. I would rather 22 players for the full game.
Blake has had 6 years to get to his level of ruck work - how long has Hawkins had? A handful of games this year. The last game Blake played, I believe he had the same number of hitouts as Hawkins did tonight, and Hawkins was clearly unfit.
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From watching the game, there ware a few times when guys like Bartel had to pinch hit in the ruck, because Hawkins didn't make it to the contest.
Is it usually like that when he's in the ruck.
Also, how come ottens comes off to rest instead of going up forward? I was just wondering,because Jolly goes up forwards whenever Leigh Brown's in the ruck.
Is it usually like that when he's in the ruck.
Also, how come ottens comes off to rest instead of going up forward? I was just wondering,because Jolly goes up forwards whenever Leigh Brown's in the ruck.
- Aug 16, 2006
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- 6,695
- AFL Club
- Geelong
The issue isn't how many taps Hawkins gets compared to Blake. It is how many find a Geelong player. Blake gives our followers first use more often. That is a fact. Our number of clearances with him in the team are very good.
Hawkins might be a better ruck option in the future. He will absolutely provide more around the ground than Blake. But that is the future. We are trying to drain one more premiership from a team whose window will close at the end of this year. With that in mind, i'd rather see GEE go with an experienced ruckman at this point. Let Hawkins run around in the ruck next year when we start rebuilding. We have given Hawkins some time in ruck. Great. Now back to tried and true system.
Ottens has played like 5 games this year and isn't match fit.
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