Re: The Ruck Division .... Is It Really Competent Enough ??
Reply #157 –
That is your interpretation of it and not the official statistical definition of it.
It's like people talking about the theory of relativity. It's 'only a theory'.
Different contexts, different interpretations.
....but for the sake of argument, let's go with what you think.
Would pitto, tdk and soj not be hitting to the same.midfielders anyway. So that variation on how good the midfielders are is balanced out amongst our own players.
The official definition is "A hit-out that reaches an intended teammate." There's certainly a lot of grey there and one stats taker may credit hitouts to advantage where another will mark them as just hitouts ... just like many other footy stats.
When Jack is rucking, our midfielders set up defensively with the intention of either sharking the opposition ruck's tap or tackling the opposition midfielder who takes possession. They may also do that when our rucks are losing the hitouts or they may run a set play at selected stoppages. Different factors come into play at centre bounces, ball-ups and throw-ins, particularly throw-ins close to goal. The only common factor is that two rucks compete for a ball in the air. It's an indicative statistic rather than a definitive statistic.