Leigh Matthews has identified a recent tactic that AFL clubs could attempt to emulate in season 2022.
The VFL/AFL legend cited Melbourne’s Grand Final victory over the Western Bulldogs last year as the game which provided one major aspect for other sides to copy.
The ruck/forward combination of Max Gawn and Luke Jackson did some serious damage late in the season, particularly during the decider in Perth, and Matthews sees it as a trend for all clubs to follow this year.
“Often it’s follow the leader (in AFL),” Matthews said on Sportsday.
“When we look at the Grand Final last year, that’s the last game. Melbourne played the Bulldogs and Melbourne dominated the centre bounces from halfway through the third quarter and the Bulldogs failed to get their defensive sweeper in place.
“Melbourne charged forward out of the centre bounces and it was like a swarm.
“So every club will be making sure their defensive sweeper is in place at the centre bounces so that you can’t charge forward like Melbourne did.
“Part of that, and this is really interesting I reckon, because the big guy in there was not Max Gawn, but it was Luke Jackson.
“The combination between your two ruck options (is vital). Melbourne are the ideal. They’ve got Gawn, who is a really good ruckman, and they’ve got Jackson who is still only young but he looks like what Tim English was a couple of years ago.
“A good, big forward that can still be useful in the ruck contest.”
An intriguing trend which took place in the most recent trade period was the number of ruckmen and ruck-forwards who moved clubs.
That merry-go-round was certainly not lost on Matthews.
“These are the names: (Jonathon) Ceglar, (Darcy) Fort, (Levi) Casboult, (Mabior) Chol, Max Lynch, Tom Campbell, (Pete) Ladhams and (Callum) Coleman-Jones all changed clubs,” he added.
“So clubs know they’ve got to try and get a good ruck pairing.
“When I look at ruck pairings, when Paddy Ryder is fit and well, I reckon Ryder and Rowan Marshall as his forward/backup ruckman works really well, but Rowan Marshall is not capable of being the main ruckman.
“Luke Jackson couldn’t be the main ruckman at this point of his career, maybe in four or five years.
“Tim English is a really good forward/ruckman, but he’s not a good main ruckman either.
“Nic Naitanui is a terrific ruckman, Oscar Allen is pretty good backup, so that’s not a bad combination.”
The Hawthorn, Collingwood and Brisbane great feels Geelong is one club who will benefit greatly from recruiting a ruckman in the off-season.
“Every club is looking for them. The club that look most unsettled in the ruck combinations was Geelong, so they’ve recruited Jonathon Ceglar,” he said further.
“They’ve also let Darcy Fort go who the Lions think will be a pretty good backup. if necessary, to Oscar McInerney.
“I reckon Cegalr is going to be really good for Geelong and while Hipwood is unavailable, Darcy Fort might be a really good backup with McInerney up north.
“There’s certainly a lot of following the leader, but in terms of trying to find a really good combo, someone who can be a really good first ruckman, someone who can be a good backup and dangerous as a tall forward.
“It’s not that this is anything desperately new, but I reckon Melbourne emphasised it late last year that that combination is critical.”