Ruckman (Australian rules football position)
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In Australian rules football, a ruckman is generally a tall and athletic player who contests at centre bounces and stoppages (such as boundary throw-ins and ball-ups).
The role of the ruckman in Australian Rules similar to second row forwards contesting a line-out in rugby union. The key differences are that with the exception of boundary throw-ins, the ball is almost always thrown straight up high into the air rather than horizontally. The ruckman must rely on his vertical leap and is not assisted by teammates. Unlike rugby Australian football rucking often involves physical mid-air collisions with the opposing ruckman. With no offside or knock on rules, the ruckman can tap the ball in any direction, which makes it difficult and requires teamwork to ensure that the ball does not end up to the advantage of the opposition team.
The ruckman is typically the tallest player on either team.
When a ruckman successfully beats his opponent by contacting the ball, it is called a hit out and measured as a statistic and performance indicator of effective ruckwork. Although the ruckman is the primary player to score hit-outs, sometimes tall key position players fill in for the ruckman around the ground if the ruckman cannot run the make the contest in time.
Rucking is one of the most physically demanding positions on the ground, both in terms of fitness and body contact. As a result of the high level of physical contact of clashing with opponents in the air, many ruckmen have large physiques or bulk up to prevent injury. As well, due to the use of knees when jumping, many ruckmen wear protective thigh and shin padding, whereas players in other positions rarely do. Coaches often field more than one ruckman and rotate them due to the physical pressure of the position and the endurance of having to run to ruck contests around the ground.
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[edit] Ruck Styles
Ruckmen are sometimes classified by their style of play, although many players alternate styles during a game based on strategy and the style of an opponent.
A tap ruckman or palm ruckman is the most skillful and high jumping of styles. Players using this style will deftly palm the ball directly down to the advantage of a smaller teammate or rover. WAFL and VFL great Polly Farmer is considered to be one of the best all-time ruckmen of this style. The AFL's Matthew Clarke is a good current example.
A mobile ruckman or mobile bigman often describes a ruckman that covers a lot of ground. Sometime this type of ruckman is not as tall, as big, or effective at hit outs, but may possess a high leap. Against less mobile ruckman, this type of player can compensate with an ability to take more marks around the ground. VFL/AFL player John Barnes pioneered this style in the late 1980s. The AFL's Dean Cox is another good current example.
A thump ruckman practices a more physical style of rucking. Typically, the player is of a larger and taller build and uses brute force to take their opponent out of the contest and punch the ball forward, typically going for distance and penetration into their attacking zone. These players are typically slower around the ground, and sometimes referred to as dinosaurs. This type of ruckwork is rarer in the modern game, but some players still use this style. The Brisbane Lions Clarke Keating and Adelaide Crows Rhett Biglands are such ruckmen.
[edit] Strategies using Ruckmen
Ruckmen are often used by coaches strategically.
[edit] Attacking Strategies
During kick-ins the ruckman can sometimes be a designated target. With extra height it is difficult for opposition players to take marks against them and they are an easier target to spot in a cluster.
Ruckmen are sometimes dropped into the goal square during an attack on goals from outside scoring distance. This way they become a tall marking target if a player decides to bomb a kick into the goal square.
[edit] Defensive Strategies
Some coaches instruct ruckmen to drop back into the hole, which effectively is the open space in which a full-forward might lead. This way the tall player can cut off a low pass designed to hit a full-forward. Standing in the road of a full-forward requires a lot of courage.
Ruckmen will sometimes be designated to stand the mark when an opposition takes a kick on goal. The extra height of the ruckman means that the player has to kick higher, meaning more chance of missing and even the possibility of actually kicking into the man on the mark (called a smother).
[edit] Ruck Rules
In 2004, a new centre circle rule was introduced to reduce the ruckman's run-up. The aim was to decrease the knee clashes and Posterior Cruciate Ligament injuries experienced by many ruckmen. The new rules favour taller players and those with vertical leap, and many mobile ruckman now find it difficult to contest.
[edit] Modern Ruckmen
Examples of ruckmen are in the Australian Football League include Peter Everitt, Dean Cox, Gary Dempsey, Matthew Clarke and Scott Wynd.
Aaron Sandilands, a current AFL ruckman, is the tallest in the history of the Australian Football League.
[edit] See also
| Positions on an Australian rules football field | |||
| B: | back pocket | fullback | back pocket |
| HB: | half-back flank | centre half-back | half-back flank |
| C: | wing | centre | wing |
| HF: | half-forward flank | centre half-forward | half-forward flank |
| F: | forward pocket | full-forward | forward pocket |
| Foll: | ruckman | ruck rover | rover |
| Int: | Interchange bench | Interchange bench | Interchange bench |
| Interchange bench | |||
| Coach: | coach | ||
