Welcome Welcome to Hawthorn : Lloyd Meek

[KermitJagger]

I actually feel that out of all of our recruits this year (including Amon) Meek has the potential to make the biggest immediate improvement to our side.

Like when the Tigers got Nankervis from the Swans. All of a sudden they had a big, feisty unit in the middle who was also a decent player who their mids could feed off and the rest is history.

We should’t underplay just how bad we were in the ruck this year, we were being obliterated on a weekly basis. Adding Meeks and a fully fit Reeves (fingers crossed) should help our team a heck of a lot.

Though I agree we were bad in the ruck it was really shit luck that we were, not so much an issue with the players we had. At the least Meek doesn't appear to have any durability problems which means that we'll likely see him in tandem with Reeves from Rd 1 pending pre-season form.

I like that configuration because I think Reeves has scope to a menace for us up forward. Reliable kick of the footy, decent enough forward nous and learning from the best decoy forward/ruck of the past 2 decades in Hale.

Having two of the tallest guys on the field at either end, forward and working back in defence, will flip the script on the last couple of years every time we've played a team with a dominant ruck.

 

[Simon Crawshay]

Though I agree we were bad in the ruck it was really s**t luck that we were, not so much an issue with the players we had. At the least Meek doesn't appear to have any durability problems which means that we'll likely see him in tandem with Reeves from Rd 1 pending pre-season form.

I like that configuration because I think Reeves has scope to a menace for us up forward. Reliable kick of the footy, decent enough forward nous and learning from the best decoy forward/ruck of the past 2 decades in Hale.

Having two of the tallest guys on the field at either end, forward and working back in defence, will flip the script on the last couple of years every time we've played a team with a dominant ruck.

Injury was 70% of our issues in the ruck this year but I still think that a ruck group of Reeves/Lynch/Big Boy was going to struggle against the dominant rucks most weeks (Lynch is too small to go against the likes of Gawn, etc and Big Boy couldnt jump over a jam jar by the end).

Reeves and Meeks on the other hand looks the shiznit in my humble opinion as like you say we will have (most weeks) the two biggest guys on the field who have different but complementary skill sets.

If course time will tell!

 

[Bugs1977]

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A number of clubs are now scrambling for back up rucks. I feel we have our ruck department sorted now. It's actually a strength of ours.

Yeah but time will tell if we have the right mix and we won't know if Reeves and Meek will make a good pairing at least until half way through next season. Reeves seems to be able go forward and get a couple of snags which is great so hopefully that's something that Meek can add to his game too. One things for sure is that our ruck stocks couldn't have gotten any worse and at least with Meek now on board we have someone that can make the opposite ruckman earn with more physicality.

 

[KermitJagger]

From this season - highest rated rucks 24 and under. Three of the top 10 ain't bad.

 

[HawthornHawk]

A number of clubs are now scrambling for back up rucks. I feel we have our ruck department sorted now. It's actually a strength of ours.

Agree it looks like a strength but i'd prefer if we added a mature ruck from a state league for insurance. Really don't want to see the likes of Nash or Kosi in there anymore.

 

[KermitJagger]

Agree it looks like a strength but i'd prefer if we added a mature ruck from a state league for insurance. Really don't want to see the likes of Nash or Kosi in there anymore.

Anything less than 10 rucks is just asking for trouble

 

[HawthornHawk]

Anything less than 10 rucks is just asking for trouble

3 isn't enough considering Lynch's concussion issues

 

[KermitJagger]

3 isn't enough considering Lynch's concussion issues

We have Lynch, Reeves, Meek and Ramsden. It would be ridiculous to waste another list spot on a ruck just in case we have 4 injured all at once.

 

[Brant]

We have Lynch, Reeves, Meek and Ramsden. It would be ridiculous to waste another list spot on a ruck just in case we have 4 injured all at once.

Exactly.

If we have those 4x injured, having another State-level Ruckman on the list isn't going to help much.

 

[Judd2Sewell]

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A number of clubs are now scrambling for back up rucks. I feel we have our ruck department sorted now. It's actually a strength of ours.

None of them are proven as yet. Reeves has looked good mind, but Meek and Lynch haven't really had a chance to take the next step in their development.

 

[Judd2Sewell]

I think a large part of it is due to the absolute obliteration we suffered in the ruck department this year.

Watching units like Witts, Nakverkis, Gawn etc destroy (and I mean destroy) our "rucks" at the time in Nash and Kossy (even Lynch to a lesser degree) was embarrassing (like watching the Year 12 kid join in the Year 7 kick to kick and take the p.ss with the smaller kids).

So when we get news that we are recruiting a man beast like Meeks I think we are excused a little excitement IMOH.

A strong bullocking ruck that throws his weight around is just what we need. Hopefully he can buy our mids an extra second during contests, along with him burying players when he gets the chance.

 

[Brant]

A strong bullocking ruck that throws his weight around is just what we need. Hopefully he can buy our mids an extra second during contests, along with him burying players when he gets the chance.

And if he's not busy, maybe the odd 'Hitout to Advantage'!

 

[HawthornHawk]

We have Lynch, Reeves, Meek and Ramsden. It would be ridiculous to waste another list spot on a ruck just in case we have 4 injured all at once.

Has Ramsden even played ruck at vfl level yet?

Anyway I hope i'm wrong and that Lynch is fine but it looked pretty bad for him at times this year

 

[Strapping Young Lad]

Has Ramsden even played ruck at vfl level yet?

Anyway I hope i'm wrong and that Lynch is fine but it looked pretty bad for him at times this year

We need to get the head around the fact that it could look bad for anyone at any moment with concussion protocols now set up the way they are, not just those who’ve had a concussion issue.

 

[KermitJagger]

Has Ramsden even played ruck at vfl level yet?

Anyway I hope i'm wrong and that Lynch is fine but it looked pretty bad for him at times this year

It's beside the point really. We've got more cover for rucks than we have for every other position on the ground, wasting a list spot on another ruck in case they all get injured is pointless when we're far more compromised if people like Lewis, Newcombe or Sicily go down.

 

[HawthornHawk]

It's beside the point really. We've got more cover for rucks than we have for every other position on the ground, wasting a list spot on another ruck in case they all get injured is pointless when we're far more compromised if people like Lewis, Newcombe or Sicily go down.

We'll be compromising the development of guys like Kosi and Nash though. I thought our lack of depth in the ruck this year really hurt those guys

 

[KermitJagger]

We'll be compromising the development of guys like Kosi and Nash though. I thought our lack of depth in the ruck this year really hurt those guys

Mate - we didn't have a lack of depth this season and we don't have a lack of depth now, we had one guy break his neck, another destroy his shoulder and the third had comically bad luck with concussions and anaphylactic responses to bee stings. How often does that happen?

 

[dermott]

Reeves, Meek, Lynch and Ramsden seems like an adequate ruck contingent to me.

 

[Ned Ryerson]

 

[TylerDurden]

Reeves, Meek, Lynch and Ramsden seems like an adequate ruck contingent to me.

Exactly. A strength now.

 

[HawthornHawk]

Mate - we didn't have a lack of depth this season and we don't have a lack of depth now, we had one guy break his neck, another destroy his shoulder and the third had comically bad luck with concussions and anaphylactic responses to bee stings. How often does that happen?

I hope you're right

 

[bigmaxi]

A strong bullocking ruck that throws his weight around is just what we need. Hopefully he can buy our mids an extra second during contests, along with him burying players when he gets the chance.

Bring on Mumford mk11 !

 

[Easy Slips Catch]

Has Ramsden even played ruck at vfl level yet?....

Max played 9 games and rucked in most games. His best game V the Dolphins in Round 20 is on the AFL site. If you don't get excited watching that change the batteries in your pacemaker!

 

[JZedd]

Basically we have a new midfield. Our mids this year were pretty average. Rated 18th this season re clearances, etc.
2023 will see us with Amon (close to the best wingman in the AFL). Newk, Meek Moore, Stephens, Ward etc.
Meek has the ability and physique to really make the opposition sweat.

I'd love to get pick 1 but it won't happen. I think we'll miss finals by a couple of games. I really believe our rebuild is going much faster than opposition clubs know or understand.

 

[eldorado]

Mate - we didn't have a lack of depth this season and we don't have a lack of depth now, we had one guy break his neck, another destroy his shoulder and the third had comically bad luck with concussions and anaphylactic responses to bee stings. How often does that happen?

Hawthorn rucks = Spinal Tap drummers

I'm waiting for Meek to choke on vomit...(which may or may not be his own)