THE REQUIREMENT for Max Gawn and Brodie Grundy to adjust their games in 2023 to form a genuine partnership has come with individual sacrifices for both in the first half of the season. 

But the value of having two genuine No.1 ruckmen in the team has also been on display at times as the microscope goes onto the pair ahead of Grundy's first clash against former team Collingwood. 

Gawn and Grundy will take on Magpies duo Darcy Cameron and Mason Cox in Monday's King's Birthday blockbuster at the MCG, with Grundy entering the match with a point to prove after his exit from Collingwood last year. 

So how exactly has the high-profile Demons duo performed, and do they hold claims to being the AFL's best ruck pairing in 2023 as they were expected to be? 

Champion Data stats show Gawn and Grundy – who have each been recognised as the game's best big man at different stages of their careers – have slid to No.12 and No.10 respectively among ruckmen for AFL Player Ratings points. 

The need for both to split their time between the ruck and forward roles has played a significant role in this, with the pair each taking a big hit in their individual clearance and hitout numbers. 

With a combined 15 goals from the first 12 games (of which Gawn missed three), they are both hitting the scoreboard at career-high levels as a pay-off for their ruck sacrifices. 

So how big is the sacrifice they are making when comparing 2023 to their individual peaks? 

Grundy produced the best of his 10 seasons with Collingwood in 2018, while Gawn was arguably at his peak in 2019. Both were selected in those two All-Australian teams alongside each other. 

When placed in the same AFL team, however, it has proved impossible to get near their peaks. 

The ruck/forward split for Gawn this season has been 65-35, while Grundy has operated at 78-22, with his ruck time increased by three games as the Demons' sole big man while Gawn was sidelined. 

Gawn, who has booted 7.7 from his nine games and averaged career-high contested marks (2.6) and marks inside 50 (1.1), has proven to be the more effective forward. 

The six-time All-Australian has been targeted for 24 one-on-one contests and marked six, while Grundy has taken one mark from nine contests. 

In attack, Gawn has been targeted for 31 inside 50 contests, retaining the ball 32 per cent of the time. Grundy has not retained any of the five inside 50 contests where he has been the target. 

It is clear that Gawn has been the better forward this season, as suspected, while the pair have been comparable as ruckmen. 

Grundy's elite attributes as a ruckman were on show between rounds three and five when Gawn was sidelined because of a knee injury. It was also a period that displayed the value of having both on the list.  

Without Gawn, Grundy produced his best performance this season against West Coast in round four, winning 22 disposals (13 contested), 33 hitouts, and seven clearances.

Across the three games, he lifted his average Player Ratings points to 19.3, which ranked No.4 in the AFL for that period and sat behind only the Western Bulldogs' Tim English (19.5) for ruckmen. 

Fremantle, which has its own formidable ruck partnership in Sean Darcy and former Demon Luke Jackson, is now experiencing the value of having two genuine No.1 ruckmen on a list. 

With Darcy sidelined because of a hamstring injury, Jackson stepped up against the Demons in round 11 and will do so again against Richmond at Optus Stadium on Saturday. 

Stats back up the assertion that the Dockers' pair has been more effective than the Demons' across the first half of the season, with Darcy staking his claims for a maiden All-Australian blazer and Jackson coming into his own over the past month.    

Using Player Ratings points, Gawn (11.7) and Grundy (12.4) have combined for an average 24.1, while Darcy (13.3) and Jackson (11.9) edge them with 25.2. 

The Demons' pair, with their experience and class, could easily reverse that in the second half of the season and become a dominant force as they learn more about playing alongside each other. 

Judging the move to acquire Grundy after the loss of Jackson should also consider the potential it has to extend Gawn's career as he carries less of a burden in the crash-and-bash stoppage world. 

Then there is the long-term benefit of retaining a premier ruckman when Gawn, 31, does eventually retire and extending the quality service the Demons' midfielders have had under Gawn. 

If the move works long-term, the individual sacrifices for Gawn and Grundy in the first half of this season won't matter.