Who will ruck this year given the reduced bench?

[R-1]

With the rule changes redicing the bench and adding a substitute, a lot of discussion suggests that many clubs will only play one specialist ruckman this year, resting them at one end of the ground and using other non-specialist ruckmen to fill in.

Good news for Aaron Sandilands I suppose, but what about us, given that Seaby will be fit and Mumford and Pyke really stepped up last year? Should we still play two, relying on both to contribute enough in general play to justify it? I can't see clubs using ruckmen as substitutes, since that perhaps limits the ability to cover injuries.

Is Seaby still the first choice at this stage, or has Mumford relegated him with last year's performance? And I guess Pyke just misses out...

Perhaps most importantly, will either Seaby or Mumford get consistent enough gametime to be worthwhile second ruckmen in Supercoach!?

[swansrob]

Is Seaby still the first choice at this stage, or has Mumford relegated him with last year's performance? And I guess Pyke just misses out...

Mumford was runner up in the B&F and selected in the 40-man AA squad. I'm pretty sure he's ahead of Seaby.

[ShockOfHair]

There's a lot of discussion about whether the sub will be a utility type, midfielder or something else, but with the number of stoppages we play I'd be inclined to think we'd continue to use one of the bench positions for 2nd ruck.

I'd assume the sub player will be used in the NAB Cup, so we'll get a sense of how over the next two weeks of how teams will approach it.

[GongSwan]

I would suggest that Mummy will be the pick as ruckman. The advantage for us is that Seaby, when fully fit can play a number of roles, in the forward line and up to the wing. we also have Jese White who can chop out in the ruck if necessary. All three are big mobile athletic men, which puts us in a position to rest the ruckman in the forward line instead of taking him off to the bench. I think the rule, for us will affect our midfield rotations more, with the major running men needed to be kept on the field for longer periods, so fitness and endurance will have to go up a notch. Also, all teams willl want to be playing away from stoppages to keep the ruckman injuries to a minimum, if we can keep all our talls healthy, we may just have an advantage here

[liz]

I suspect the demise of the second ruckman has been overplayed. If you've got two good'uns, I think teams will be at an advantage against teams that have a substandard pinchhitter rucking for periods of a game. Midfielders will expend far less energy if they get good service from their rucks and win first possession than if they spend time chasing tail.

I think smallish forwards / half-forwards who aren't capable of playing at least short stints in the midfield are going to be more at risk. I suspect clubs will be able to play one such speciialised forward but if midfielders are going to spend a little longer resting in that small/mid forward role, will many teams be able to carry more than one specialist in their teams.

[Nico]

I would suggest the return of the rotating forward pocket rover will once again be in vogue. When you only had a 19th and 20th man on the bench before the interchange was invented, it was what happened. Skilton had superior stamina so the 2nd rover Brian McGowan spent most of his time as a forward pocket. Nowadays though you would expect very frequent changes throught he forward pocket and half forward flank (some clubs already do this). The merry go round will be harder to pick than ever.

[ShockOfHair]

Good point Nico - forgot we'd been here before.

But I'm thinking the equally challenging thing for coaches will be not just who is the sub but when he's brought on and how to use him. I guess most likely is as midfielder or run and carry defender, but maybe also as impact forward. Yet another thing for AFL coaches to think about.

[Rabid Mongrel]

I think it's likely that sides will play 2 ruckman.

They will 'rest' ruckmen in the forward line and the bench to a lesser extent as required. Most sides already do this so it won't be a massive change from 2010.

The rucking versus resting period will be shortened and the rotations increased.

I expect Sydney will start with Mumford in the ruck and Seaby in the forward line. Pyke will rotate into the ruck combination in the event of injuries. I expect they will also try and develop Pyke into a tall utility filling gaps in the forward line and defence if there are injuries or players rested.

[Matt79]

Will be great to see the return of the 'resting' ruckman in the foward line on a more regular basis again!

Remember Doyle and, "Plonk the Donk!" ?

[BSA5]

We have two very capable ruckmen in Seaby and Mumford. It would not surprise me to see us play both, and develop a game plan for our ruckman that involves one of our ruckmen running the opposition ruckman dead to the point that they need more time to rest, so that our other ruckman can take greater advantage against the "pinch-hitter".

[royboy42]

Back in the days of 19th and 20th man with no rotations, sides used to rest the 2nd ruck in the fwd pocket...his mate in the ruck would indicate when he needed a break, and the swap would happen. Plenty resting rucks would score, obviously the better quality guys would score more often.
This may be an attractive option from this season on..one reason to keep both in the rotation and not subbed is the old chestnut that tall guys dont get shorteer as the game gets into the last 30 mins or so.
However the NBL or NFC or whatever the pre season is called will indicate the thinking of senior coaches th this change>> I may be completely off base.

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[Nico]

My thinking is that the sub, barring injuries, would be someone who would have a big impact with fresh legs where the game might be in the balance. Someone who is quick and breaks the lines. A sharp midfielder who can win quick clearances and run to space against wearied legs of the opposition taggers.