DERMOTT Brereton has rated his Top 10 ruckmen in the AFL so far in 2023.
The Hawthorn champion takes into account the amount of ruck contests the players are involved in as well as their contested work around the ground and their clearance game.
Brereton has Fremantle’s Sean Darcy as his highest rating ruckman due to what he does all around the ground as well as in the middle.
The 24-year-old leads the league for hit-outs, is the 19th rated player for contested possessions and ranked first for ruckmen, and equal ninth alongside Adelaide’s Reilly O’Brien in the AFL for contested marks.
“The one who really jumps off the page and I have as my number one at the moment is Sean Darcy,” Brereton said on SEN’s Dwayne’s World.
“He goes to 71 contests a game. He wins 53 per cent of his tap outs.
“He’s taking 1.8 contested marks around the ground and he’s just a huge presence for his team.
“He now has the support of Luke Jackson who is a very capable ruckman.”
Brereton also spoke of the Dockers’ duo of Darcy and Luke Jackson, as well as that of Melbourne’s double act of Max Gawn and Brodie Grundy, as the best ruck pairings in the AFL.
“The two teams that have that big capability in the middle of the ground at any stage, so there’s no let off for the opposition, is Melbourne with Grundy and Gawn, and Fremantle with Darcy and Jackson,” Brereton said.
“They’re probably the two best double tandem centre square ruck (combinations).”
Brereton’s Top 10 ruckmen of 2023 so far:
10 – Reilly O’Brien (Adelaide)
9 – Todd Goldstein (North Melbourne)
8 – Rowan Marshall (St Kilda)
7 – Sam Draper (Essendon)
6 – Tim English (Western Bulldogs)
5 – Oscar McInerney (Brisbane)
4 – Jarrod Witts (Gold Coast)
3 – Max Gawn (Melbourne)
2 – Brodie Grundy (Melbourne)
1 – Sean Darcy (Fremantle)
– BY ANDREW SLEVISON/ SEN