Trade deadline day on Wednesday was overrun late with movement in the ruck department, as three big men were shipped off.
Darcy Fort (Geelong to Brisbane), Jon Ceglar (Hawthorn to Geelong) and Max Lynch (Collingwood to Hawthorn) were given fresh starts, Peter Ladhams (Port Adelaide to Sydney) also made a move, while Tristan Xerri (North Melbourne to St Kilda) did not get his wish.
The movement of second choice ruckmen has been an integral part of the trade period for the last decade … with varying degrees of success. Since 2010 there have been 38 depth rucks moved from one club to another via trade or a form of free agency (including delisted free agency).
With that in mind, we’ve decided to rank the 10 best backup ruck moves since 2010.
To be clear, we define a backup ruckman as a player who was not the primary ruck option in the year that they were traded. So, Stefan Martin from Melbourne to Brisbane counts, but Martin from Brisbane to the Bulldogs does not, given he was injured in his final year with the Lions and still would have been a key contributor.
You, obviously, won’t see the likes of Scott Lycett or Paddy Ryder on this list given they were not backups when they were traded.
While some have moved clubs and simply continued their roles as backups, others have flourished and elevated themselves to the starting position.
Here are the top 10 backup ruckmen trades since 2010.
Note: We have not included the likes of Peter Ladhams or Jon Ceglar given they haven’t yet played for their new teams.
Note two: We’ve only factored in the performance of the player at their new club, not what was given up in the trade.
10. Tom Hickey (Gold Coast to St Kilda)
Spoiler: This is not the only time Tom Hickey will feature on this list. The 30-year-old has played for four clubs, but his first trade move from Gold Coast to St Kilda set up the bulk of his career.
Hickey spent six seasons with the Saints, featuring mostly as a backup behind Ben McEvoy and Billy Longer (another who could feature on this list), but had seasons as the main man in 2016 and 2018.
9. Jonathon Griffin (Adelaide to Fremantle)
Jonathon Griffin spent his years at Fremantle as the backup to superstar ruckman Aaron Sandilands. However whenever he was called upon, Griffin did the job ably.
Griffin spent seven years with Freo between 2011 and 2017, never playing more than 13 games in a season, but consistently featuring when required. Sandilands was a cheat code in the ruck at his best, but the Dockers sticking with Griffin for so long showed their trust in him.
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8. Marc Pittonet (Hawthorn to Carlton)
Marc Pittonet was a crafty depth pick-up by the Blues at the end of 2019, knowing Matthew Kreuzer was at the end of his career and Tom De Koning wasn’t yet ready. Pittonet had only played seven games in five years at the Hawks, but was ready to carry the load.
He has done that at the Blues, playing 13 games in both 2020 and 2021, bridging the gap between Kreuzer and De Koning. Pittonet may not be in Carlton’s best 22 going forward, but he can comfortably fill a gap when required going forward and at 25, could be around for another five years.
7. Nathan Vardy (Geelong to West Coast)
Nathan Vardy was rarely the number one ruck at West Coast, playing mostly as a forward who chopped out, but he filled a key role in a premiership season and frankly, that’s all that matters. With Nic Naitanui out for the season, Scott Lycett and Vardy carried the Eagles across the remainder of 2018.
Vardy played all 22 games in his first year at West Coast in 2017 and only played 30 more across the next four years, but as a premiership player, he makes the list.
6. Tom Hickey (West Coast to Sydney)
He’s back! Tom Hickey’s surge from journeyman ruckman to a player unlucky not to make the All-Australian squad in 2021 was one of the surprises of the season.
After moving from the Saints to the Eagles and filling the Naitanui void in 2019, Hickey joined the Swans and was an early-season phenom.
The 30-year-old statistically went through the roof at the Swans this year and is a lock to continue in that role in 2021, despite the arrival of Port Adelaide’s Peter Ladhams.
5. Ivan Maric (Adelaide to Richmond)
Ivan Maric sits in the middle at no.5, which is fitting because his presence in the AFL helped shape the top two members of this list. Maric lost his role as the Adelaide starter in 2011, but was exactly what Richmond needed when he joined the following season.
His toughness and cult presence carried the team for four seasons, before injuries finally caught up with him. However, there’s no questioning the impact he had, and still does have, at Tigerland.
4. Stefan Martin (Melbourne to Brisbane)
Stefan Martin is the blueprint for a backup ruckman moving clubs then breaking out and fulfilling their potential. Martin had some decent stretches at the Dees, but turned into a possession winning impactful player around the ground who could hold his own in the ruck at Brisbane.
He made the move at the end of 2012 and between 2014 and 2019, Martin was the man in the ruck for the Lions. In that stretch, he won a best and fairest in 2015 and was on the cusp of All-Australian honours on multiple occasions.
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3. Jarrod Witts (Collingwood to Gold Coast)
Jarrod Witts was stuck behind a breaking out Brodie Grundy at Collingwood and made the decision to try and ignite his career on the Gold Coast. It worked. Not only did Witts become the number one ruckman at the Suns, he became the club’s co-captain in 2019.
He won the Gold Coast best and fairest in the same season and if not for a torn ACL this season, Witts would have had five straight years as the club’s key on-ball figure. Hopefully the ruckman can get back to his best in 2022.
2. Sam Jacobs (Carlton to Adelaide)
Sam Jacobs was stuck in a crowded ruck room at Carlton in 2010, one that featured a young Matthew Kreuzer and a then-recently traded for Robert Warnock, as well as Shaun Hampson. He made the call to head back home to South Australia and join the Crows at the end of the season and what followed was the definition of consistency.
Between 2011 and 2018, Jacobs played: 19, 24, 22, 22, 23, 22, 25 and 22 games per season. He won three Showdown Medals and was unlucky to not make an All-Australian squad. Injuries and the emergence of Reilly O’Brien hurt him in 2019 and he ultimately finished his career at GWS, but Jacobs is what can happen when a talented young ruckman gets handed the reins.
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1. Toby Nankervis (Sydney to Richmond)
On paper, Jacobs has had the best season of any traded depth ruckman, but Toby Nankervis takes the top spot for different reasons. After 12 games at the Swans in three years, Nankervis moved to Richmond in 2017 and became a central figure in their drought-breaking premiership.
He helped define the club’s hard edge and gave them a reliable ruckman across what would become a triple-premiership dynasty. He has played 91 games in the yellow and black and at 27 still has years left to add to that, even if his body has let him down in recent seasons.
Here’s a year-by-year breakdown of the depth ruck merry-go-round
2010
Sam Jacobs Carlton to Adelaide
Jonathon Griffin Adelaide to Fremantle
2011
Ivan Maric Adelaide to Richmond
Brent Renouf Hawthorn to Port Adelaide
2012
Hamish McIntosh North Melbourne to Geelong
Angus Graham Richmond to Adelaide
Tom Hickey Gold Coast to St Kilda
Stefan Martin Melbourne to Brisbane
2013
Shaun Hampson Carlton to Richmond
Billy Longer Brisbane to St Kilda
Trent West Geelong to Brisbane
2014
Jonathan Giles GWS to Essendon
2015
Matthew Leuenberger Brisbane to Essendon
Dawson Simpson Geelong to GWS
Daniel Gorringe Gold Coast to Carlton
Zac Smith Gold Coast to Geelong
Daniel Currie North Melbourne to Gold Coast
Jonathan Giles Essendon to West Coast
Andrew Phillips GWS to Carlton
Jack Fitzpatrick Melbourne to Hawthorn
2016
Toby Nankervis Sydney to Richmond
Jarrod Witts Collingwood to Gold Coast
Nathan Vardy Geelong to West Coast
2017
Matthew Lobbe Port Adelaide to Carlton
2018
Tom Hickey St Kilda to West Coast
Braydon Preuss North Melbourne to Melbourne
2019
Ryan Abbot Geelong to St Kilda
Billy Frampton Port Adelaide to Adelaide
Zac Smith Geelong to Gold Coast
Marc Pittonet Hawthorn to Carlton
Andrew Phillips Carlton to Essendon
2020
Braydon Preuss Melbourne to GWS
Tom Hickey West Coast to Sydney
2021
Max Lynch Collingwood to Hawthorn
Jon Ceglar Hawthorn to Geelong
Darcy Fort Geelong to Brisbane
Peter Ladhams Port Adelaide to Sydney