For Those About To Ruck, We Salute You
The game could be won by the team with the best ruckmen. Lade and Brogan versus Ottens and King.
Lade is one of the underrated superstars of the AFL. One of the best at directing his hitouts to the smalls, he can also go forward and kick goals and there have also been times when he stationed himself at half back and marked everything that came his way.
Ottens was always supposed to be great, he went at pick 2 and was expected by many to go first overall, but until this year Ottens has been far from great. More time in the ruck has made him an important player for Geelong,
He couldn't hit people when he played basketball, so Brogan is having a lot more fun as a footballer. Very good around the ground, his marking around the wing can be something that gets Port Adelaide out of trouble.
King went to Geelong when he was very young, probably too young. Now he is at the end of his career, not very mobile and less of a physical presence than he should be, King can still be effective playing a kick behind play.
The Power could start the game with a big advantage if they use this strategy, start both their ruckmen on the ground. Lade taking the centre bounce, with Brogan placed on the back of the square at centre half back. There might be a few Geelong players who are making sure they know where Brogan is, which means they won't be looking for the ball.
For the first 10 minutes, Lade goes forward, with Brogan as the ruckman. Geelong will be a bit short if they have to cover Tredrea, Lade and Westhoff. Brogan would then go to the bench after a while, returning to the field for the last 7 or 8 minutes to give Lade a rest and get him ready for a big second quarter. The Power might go with their usual tactic, of Lade starting in the ruck for the first 15 or so minutes and then going forward with Brogan coming on the ground as the ruckman, nothing wrong with that.
The Cats might not have too many options, as Ottens will play in the ruck for most of the game and King will replace him for some short spurts. Ottens will push forward when he can as a ruckman, but he may not stay as a forward for extended periods of time. Geelong do have one idea they could turn to, Mooney in the ruck. If Geelong need to shake things up, Ottens could go forward and Mooney could try to outrun the Power ruckman.
Lade is one of the underrated superstars of the AFL. One of the best at directing his hitouts to the smalls, he can also go forward and kick goals and there have also been times when he stationed himself at half back and marked everything that came his way.
Ottens was always supposed to be great, he went at pick 2 and was expected by many to go first overall, but until this year Ottens has been far from great. More time in the ruck has made him an important player for Geelong,
He couldn't hit people when he played basketball, so Brogan is having a lot more fun as a footballer. Very good around the ground, his marking around the wing can be something that gets Port Adelaide out of trouble.
King went to Geelong when he was very young, probably too young. Now he is at the end of his career, not very mobile and less of a physical presence than he should be, King can still be effective playing a kick behind play.
The Power could start the game with a big advantage if they use this strategy, start both their ruckmen on the ground. Lade taking the centre bounce, with Brogan placed on the back of the square at centre half back. There might be a few Geelong players who are making sure they know where Brogan is, which means they won't be looking for the ball.
For the first 10 minutes, Lade goes forward, with Brogan as the ruckman. Geelong will be a bit short if they have to cover Tredrea, Lade and Westhoff. Brogan would then go to the bench after a while, returning to the field for the last 7 or 8 minutes to give Lade a rest and get him ready for a big second quarter. The Power might go with their usual tactic, of Lade starting in the ruck for the first 15 or so minutes and then going forward with Brogan coming on the ground as the ruckman, nothing wrong with that.
The Cats might not have too many options, as Ottens will play in the ruck for most of the game and King will replace him for some short spurts. Ottens will push forward when he can as a ruckman, but he may not stay as a forward for extended periods of time. Geelong do have one idea they could turn to, Mooney in the ruck. If Geelong need to shake things up, Ottens could go forward and Mooney could try to outrun the Power ruckman.
