Re: The Ruck Division .... Is It Really Competent Enough ??
Reply #215 –
That’s a different can of fish Shawny. My point is that a good ruckman should win more hitouts than their opponent, regardless of whether they’re hitouts to advantage.
I’m not too fussed about Pitto giving away frees in the ruck; ruck frees are as random as chooklotto.
I’m actually quite impressed with Pitto’s work in the forward line. He has been very good at giving Charlie or Harry an advantage by blocking the defender’s run. It would nice if he could clunk a mark when resting forward, or around the ground, but he’s not Max Gawn.
I think that the plan is for Pitto to do the bulk of the ruckwork and the more mobile De Koning to have a presence around the ground. Pitto gets a pass for his contribution but De Koning isn’t there yet. The calls to play Tom as a key defender probably reflect his lack of success both as a tap ruckman and an around the ground marking target.