TO SET and forget, or to not set and forget? That is the ruck question facing Fantasy coaches this year.
After ruling it out in pursuit of value early in the pre-season, I’ve backflipped and will be paying up. Having said that, there are a number of ways you can navigate the big man department, so let's look at the options.
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Here is my current Rollin’ 22 Ruck setup, where I predict who will be the best two big men for the year.
Roy’s Rollin’ 22
Brodie Grundy (RUC, $893,000)
Max Gawn (RUC, $911,000)
This is the structure I will be starting with. The 'Ruck Pig' Brodie Grundy is under-priced after slowing in the second half of the season. He has had an excellent pre-season and covered the ground like the Pig of old in the scratch match. He is a must have. There has been a lot of concern about Luke Jackson taking too many centre bounces from big Max to justify his hefty price tag, but in reality, he is so good he only needs to be on the ground to score and his elite endurance allows him to float back and push forward to keep his score ticking over. They are clearly the best two, so save the trades to get there.
But there is some value available in the ruck department and here are some under-priced ‘bigs’ to consider:
Sean Darcy (RUC, $786,000): After averaging 94 last season, the Dockers big man cemented himself as the third best ruck in the competition. He put a few injury concerns to bed last year after managing to play every game from round two but unfortunately the woes have reared their ugly head again this pre-season, which all but rules him out as a starter for me.
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Rowan Marshall (RUC, $752,000): This is a tough one. If Patrick Ryder was missing for an extended period, that would open the door for Marshall to be No.1 ruck for the Saints and I think he is ready to dominate in that role, as we saw at the end of last year where he scored over 116 in four of his last five games. Ryder is set to miss the start of the year, but I don’t know if it is long enough to justify selection. Having said this, Marshall is also a more than capable scorer and will likely gain DPP at some stage throughout the season assuming Ryder plays consistent games.
Here are some bargain priced players to keep an eye on:
Jarrod Witts (RUC, $572,000): The big Sun is heavily under-priced after succumbing to an ACL following an impressive start to 2021. Despite being priced at 68 which is 36 points below his best, I think it may be a slow start by his standards given the timing of his return and the expectation he will be eased back into it.
Brayden Preuss (RUC, $367,000): There was a lot of hope the former Roo and Demon would finally hold down the No.1 ruck mantle at his third club and be a bargain as a result. Unfortunately, it appears he may have fallen behind Matthew Flynn in the pecking order following a year marred with injury which makes this play a huge risk given the uncertainty.
The best bottom-priced option for your bench:
Sam Hayes (RUC, $190,000): If injury strikes in the ruck department at the Power, Hayes looks ready to go after averaging 87 in the SANFL. With Peter Ladhams gone, he might get a look.
Here is my current defender line-up:
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