Your Starting Squad 2014 – The Rucks

Written by Motts on August 20 2013

Who you planning on starting with and benching in the tall timber dept in 2014?

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56 thoughts on “Your Starting Squad 2014 – The Rucks”

  1. Nic Naitanui will come under serious consideration if proven to be fit and firing during preseason. He’ll be priced at an average of 96.2, which is seriously below what we know he’s capable of producing. Same goes for Ivan Maric. Both started this season at around $600k, but will be more attractively featured at around $500k next year.

    Aaron Sandilands will also be a tempting proposition at a never before seen price. By my reckoning he’ll come in around $350k after an average of only 61.7 this season.

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  2. Definitely think there will be some ‘value’ options in the ruck.

    Some others who may be ‘unders’ in 2014 are Jacobs, Mummy, Sandi and McIntosh. It’d obviously take a big set of kahunas to pick some of them after what they’ve delivered this year but if it were to come off, then ka-ching.

    In all reality i’ll probably pick a gun at R1 (Goldy) and a discounted type at R2(Nic Nat, Maric) and cross your fingers on a couple of younguns to get games at R3 and R4.

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  3. Will try and get whoever is the least injury prone players and try avoiding wasting so many trades in this position. Will be premo premo, rookie, rookie though

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  4. funny this post should go up as I just started looking at next year on monday after a very embarassing exit from most of my leagues.

    at this stage I am looking at nic nat and sandi to start with maybe grundy at R3 depending on $$…..will be looking at McBean at R4 at this stage unless a 2014 rookie unearths themselves as a starting ruck for the year.

    will be keeping an eye on McIntosh as well. If he looks the goods then nic nat will go forward…..

    Alot will depend on preseason for the ruck particularly……

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  5. Big Dawson Simpson and Looneyberger (or maybe Kreuzer, 50/50 on that one). NicNat a lock in my forward line.

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  6. Not sure why anyone would be picking Sandilands – have proven over the past 3-4 years that he can’t play more than 12 games a year. He is getting older (now over 30), so likely his best games are behind him. Whilst he might be priced low, you are asking for trouble and likely to burn trades when he gets injured. For me, the ruck position is where you want to go safe and reliable options – this year I picked Cox and Goldstein as my two premiums, haven’t had to worry about them all year.

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  7. I will almost definitely be running Naitanui in my 2014 side, but I plan to do that in the forward-line, so I haven’t looked at him for the rucks. My R1 is a race in four and will basically be done through an elimination process.

    The Full-Pre-Season-And-Player-Number-One-Ruck Plan: Aaron Sandilands

    That old adage that the big guys don’t get any smaller is even truer when you are 211cm (if that is even possible, which it probably isn’t). He will be 31 for all of season 2014, but the bigger issue is that he hasn’t played 20 games since 2009. That being said, the three years prior to this he has averaged 114, 110 and 111. No other ruckman has scored consistently like that except the exalted figure that is Massive. Assuming that cheekbone injury keeps him out for the last two rounds he will be priced at an average of 61 (or less is he receives a discount for playing only six games). In the three seasons prior to this he has only scored less than 90 (not including injury games) on seven occasions. He has to be fit and playing number one ruck, but if he fits that description then he will be R1 for me.

    The Bellchambers-Is-Traded Plan: Patrick Ryder

    I have a feeling that Essendon is a chance to lose one or two of their key-position talent. Just look at the list. There is a lot of big man talent there. Bellchambers has been dropped this year and there are sides (most prominently GWS) screaming out for a talented ruckman. If Bellchambers is squeezed out, Ryder is the clear number one at Essendon. As a man who has just turned 26 at the beginning of the season, he is right at the perfect age to be at his best. He averaged 104 last year and I can see him doing that again if given the responsibility.

    The Bounce-Back-To-Star Plan: Ivan Maric

    He will be 28 all through next season so, like Ryder, is right in his prime-time. He has struggled with injuries a bit this year, but if he can put that behind him, Richmond definitely want to run a Maric-Vickery ruck combo and he is every chance to bounce back to his 113 2012 average.

    The No-Reason-He-Won’t-Do-It-Again Plan: Todd Goldstein

    Brad Scott clearly loves him. He turns 26 mid-way through next season. He has averaged over 110 in two of his last three seasons. Should be able to do it again and if you have had him this season (or played against him regularly) you don’t really need to be told how good he is.

    You may have noticed that my R1 options get progressively more expensive. I’d like to spend as little on my R1 as possible, but I’m not going to sacrifice quality in that spot. If Sandilands doesn’t meet the two pre-requisites he’s out and I move onto Ryder. If Bellchambers is still there, it’s on to The Mullet. If he isn’t fully fit and firing I default to Goldstein. Sounds like a good theory, ey? Communism is good in theory…

    R2: Hamish McIntosh

    If fit, he is a no-brainer at R2 for mine. Geelong recruited him for a reason. He has had a horrid run with injuries, having played just eight games in three seasons, but when he does play he is good. He’ll be 29 next season, but for me the most compelling reason is that Geelong really need him. They are a super side, but have you see their ruck numbers in the last four weeks? They have lost the hit-outs (counting just the main ruckman, not those odd hit-outs from random players): 45-31 (Cox/Lycett), 59-23 (Lobbe), 55-26 (Goldstein/Petrie), 37-29 (McEvoy/Hickey). Their ruck line-up sounds a whole lot better as McIntosh with Dawson Simpson playing forward and backing him up, that it does as anything else.

    R3: *

    It will be that guy who none of us have heard of now, but actually plays most weeks come the start of next season. Blicavs, the Big O, there’s one every year. Maybe Currie if he gets a run at another side?

    R4: Cheapest R/F DPP.

    I started with McBean and have loved every minute of him. You don’t need your R4 to play. You have never needed your R4 to play in the history of SC (if you have nailed your picks properly). If the game stay the same in 2014, that won’t change. I hope Mr McBean can reprise his role in my side next season, but since he is actually playing well in the VFL, he may run the risk of being called up next year. Like I said, cheapest R/F will fill this spot. Captain loophole player early in the year and through his DPP will allow Naitanui to cover my injured/suspended rucks.

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  8. I am seriously considering a r1-r3 of blicavs, nicholls and dixon (assuming dpp) with a donut dpp rookie for loopholing.

    Late season form from mummy has been good, just as rougyy has died off.

    Of the premos I can only choose maric and goldy. Surely goldy cant keep it up next year. I can’t recall him ever going so long uninjured. ….

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  9. R1 – T.Goldstein (best ruckman in the comp, still young)
    R2 – Z.Clarke (showed that he is ready to fill the void left by Sandi)
    R3 – D.Currie (if the best ruck in the comp is injured, his cheap dept will be in)
    R4 – Some cheap RUC/FWD (ability to swing with other RUC/FWD)

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  10. ** Nic Nat will be an attractive price next season. Given he has a decent pre season under his belt, he’ll be in alot of teams next year.

    ** Brodie Grundy is a top prospect. I just hope he doesn’t go too large in the last two rounds and drive up his starting price for 2014. Anything over $350k would be a little awkward.

    ** Sandilands was a SC star over a number of seasons, averaging well over 100. Injury and age have caught up with him. Will he get a decent pre season into his body? If so, he’ll be an interesting choice for 2014.

    ** Dawson Simpson showed what he is capable of when given ruck duties. Went large a couple times before falling to injury again.Alot depends on that starting price

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  11. just wondering about the issue of DPP with a particular player:
    does anyone think that roughy will be DPP next next with him being playing predominately in the forward line. maybe being stripped of fwd/ruck and changing that to mid/fwd as he has spend a bit of time at centre bounces and around the ground.

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  12. Sandilands/Goldstein for me. Although Sandi has had a struggle with injuries over the past few years, he’s going to be at a price to cheap to pass up. Goldy has been consistently good this year, and unless Currie challenges for the R1 spot, there’s no reason he won’t play. Bench would most likely be McBean and another cheap Ruck with a chance of playing.

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  13. How much do you think people should spend on their rucks. This year I went left afield and didn’t pick good ruckmen at the start. 2014 i want to sort out my rucks ASAP and look at other positions to work on.
    I want to start with both
    R1. kreuzer
    R2. goldy/minson (depending on who is cheaper)
    R.3 mcbean
    R4. currie (though r3 + r4 can be whoever and just use them for cashcows)

    It will cost around $1.3 to $1.5 million.

    what do you think?

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  14. Liam McBean would be good as a RUC/FWD switch since he scored about 40 goals with Coburg with a couple of bags of 5 and 6.

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  15. Big Will Minson and Dean Cox are the best combination in the league.. you cant fail with these two! they play every match and will get you 200+ points between them nearly every week.

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  16. I really like P Ryder in the Ruck.
    His downside is, no dual position, which is to silly for words, as he plays a lot in the Fowards.

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  17. With the news on belchambers it really does start me thinking in a different rucking direction.

    Normally for supercoach I won’t touch 30+ year olds with a history of injury. The usual issue is games missed = wasted money.

    Obviously players like Sandi come with a huge name, but it is a lot of years since he played 20 games.

    If he (and hmac) weren’t by all accounts training the place down, I would be going a Ryder/Lobbe or Ryder/Grundy combo. Both young enough, both will improve by 10 points on last seasons scores, and both should get you through at least 20 rounds… meaning your R3 can be very cheap, especially if you have someone like dixon in your forwards (or blicavs and a trade down if need be).

    I was also seriously impressed with Nicholls last year, so if the word is good from preseason comp he will be in that mix.

    So, do I run one death or glory hmac/sandi team and one ryder/grundy? Or break them up?

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