‘That’s bulls**t’: How great defied feared AFL shift as lid lifts on what iconic role is really like

As Max Gawn pondered the change in ruck rules midway through February, the Melbourne captain realised that change was necessary if he was to thrive.

The State of Origin clash in Perth had caught his eye and, as he told Fox Footy, he feared younger rucks with more spring in their steps would be advantaged by the change.

Watch every match of every round of the Premiership Season LIVE and ad-break free during play on FOX FOOTY, available on Kayo Sports | New to Kayo? Join now and get your first month for just $1.

“It really was just a test case for us,” Gawn said.

“There’s going to be a lot of jumping. I think some of the guys who can jump are really going to excel and some of the older guys, like me, are potentially going to have to come up a different way.

“There’s a few guys like myself, Jarrod Witts, Reilly O’Brien, Darcy Cameron, Darcy Fort, guys who have been around a while, who don’t necessarily jump as high as Tom De Koning, so we’ve got to come up with something.”

Almost two months on and a couple of emerging ruckmen have risen in prominence by virtue of their leap and tap work.

Adelaide, a strong winner over Carlton to open Gather Round, has preferred Lachlan McAndrew to O’Brien, who was dropped for the clash with the Blues.

After more than 1000 days on Collingwood’s list, Oscar Steene impressed on debut for the Magpies in a Friday night triumph over the Giants, which earned him a crack against reigning premiers Brisbane on Easter Thursday at the Gabba.

READ MORE

‘Poorer look for our game’; AFL greats call out rule flaw as Blues left ‘irate’ by brutal decision

Voss flags little wins; Why Patrick Cripps was benched during 10-minute blitz

But the status quo in terms of the league’s best rucks largely remains and Gawn has been superb leading a revitalised Melbourne under new coach Steven King from the middle.

The premiership captain leads the AFL Coaches Award in the infancy of the season and is on track to secure a record ninth All Australian honour, with the caveat being there is still a significant amount of the season to go.

But the premiership skipper, Swan Brodie Grundy and Kangaroo Tristan Xerri, at least until his suspension, were demonstrating that old dogs can learn new tricks, while stars including Luke Jackson and the injured Tim English remain highly valuable.

Geelong great Tom Hawkins, who was a superb exponent of the ruck craft in the forward half, is far from surprised and said outstanding players always find a way to adapt to rule changes.

The Fox Footy expert analyst spoke to Gawn at a function later in February and said it was clear the champion ruckman was dissecting ways to ensure that his pre-eminence in the position continued.

“I think it slightly changes the ability for the jumping, more athletic ruckman to hit the ball to the outside, which I think tends to open up the game from a centre bounce point of view,” Hawkins told foxsports.com.au in a recent chat.

“But as the ruckmen have become more used to the rules … we are seeing them think about this issue more. I love it from a ruckman’s point of view.

“Too long in our game have we labelled ruckman dinosaurs who turn the ball over around the ground or go for a long run and bounce and (get ridiculed). But I spoke to Max Gawn at length and the amount of detail that he went into when talking about the specifics of the centre bounce and how that has changed, we are getting a great insight into how much of a thinking man’s position it is.

“Long has the uneducated supporter who sits in the crowd thought that ruckmen simply run and jump. Well that is bullshit. They think about what they are doing at length. So I love it. I love it from the craft point of view. We are going to see ruckmen think more and more.”

Gawn is averaging 22.5 disposals and 5.5 clearances per game, which are career-highs, while notching 38 hit outs per game, second only to Witts.

It is the star’s highest mark since 2019 and the Demon, who will lead Melbourne against Essendon Adelaide Oval today, tops all comers when it comes to player ratings.

After a stunning performance against high-priced St Kilda recruit Tom De Koning to start the season, Fox Footy analyst David King said Gawn deserved to be rated among the best ruckman ever.

“We are too quick to write off the ageing champions (and) Max Gawn is one of a kind,” King said on SEN Radio.

“I hear all the guys that have watched footy for 40-50 years and they all talk about Simon Madden, what he was able to do as a ruckman. I can’t recall how good he was (but) if Max Gawn is not challenging that, I couldn’t believe Simon could be in another stratosphere to Max. When you talk about leadership and great captains, you have to have the guy that will lead like Max.”

Although the competition’s best ruckmen seem to have adapted to the change in rules, not everyone is convinced the AFL has got it entirely right with the alteration.

Speaking the day after the Kangaroos Good Friday win over Carlton, Kangaroos coach Alastair Clarkson said he was not convinced the right balance had been found and believes it has made life even harder for ruckmen.

The Kangaroos will play reigning premiers Brisbane in the Barossa on Saturday and, just as North Melbourne’s improvement can only be accurately assessed later in the season, so too the impact of the change to the ruck rules.

“My concern is that it has gone from one end of the spectrum to the other,” Clarkson told ABC Grandstand.

“I didn’t like the fact it was too much favouring the wrestler at the centre bounce, but now it has flipped the other way. I think the whole idea of it, really, is to just get the ruckmen jumping so they can use their craft.

“But (the fact) they are not allowed to cross the line now, it is like a cricketer with a no-ball rule. It is hard enough for ruckmen to be looking at the ball and trying to concern himself with what the opposition is going to be doing with his ruck craft to be worrying about a line that you have to step over.

“As long as the ruckmen are jumping, if they step across the line and try to body their opponent away, pay a free kick. But if they are jumping at the footy, let them play.

“It is the most difficult position to play, the most courageous position, because you have to have your eyes on the ball and you can’t see what is going on underneath your feet. And now they have added another dimension by adding a line where you have to pull yourself up before jumping at the footy.”