In some football conversations, giant Fremantle ruckman Aaron Sandilands could be headed to breaking a 22-year Brownlow Medal drought for the AFL’s big men this season; others say the work he does is overrated.
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Two of the sport’s elite coaches have backed comments by AFL legend Leigh Matthews that hit-out statistics are overrated, and one of them is Dockers coach Ross Lyon.
Matthews stated recently that because hit-outs were all that Sandilands brought to the game, he could be classified as the most overrated player in the competition.
The 211-centimetre three-time All-Australian has clearly dominated the ruck at the start of this season, again proving a tough hurdle to jump over. The Dockers have enjoyed a 225 to 90 advantage in hit-outs in the four games to start 2014.
But Fremantle is behind in clearances, 151 to 159. It won in that statistic for the first time this season on the weekend against Essendon, which didn’t have a recognised ruckman in its line-up. With Patrick Ryder and Tom Bellchambers out of the side due to injury, Jake Carlisle (198 centimetres and 98 kilograms) and Joe Daniher (201 centimetres and 90 kilograms) were forced to knock up against Sandilands' imposing 120-kilogram frame.
Fremantle won the hit-outs 63 to 14 and clearances 39 to 31 against the Bombers – and won the game by 53 points.
Essendon coach Mark Thompson said if given a choice, he would usually choose a key position player over a ruckman, but agreed it would have been nice to have Sandilands in a Bombers jumper on the weekend.
''I've never placed a great emphasis on ruckmen either,'' Thompson said. ''But when you haven't got one, you're playing two young kids against someone like Sandilands – it does make a difference.
''In saying that, normally you'd have a ruckman on your list that's not injured who can play and compete, and it wouldn't be as big a problem.
''I like watching him [Sandilands] as a player. He gets a lot of hit-outs to advantage; he helps the Fremantle Football Club, no question.
''If I had a choice if I'd want someone like that, I'd say yes. But if you had a pick to pick someone like Sandilands or [Matthew] Pavlich, I'd pick Pavlich every day of the week. [He's a] key position player.''
The last ruckman to win the Brownlow Medal was Footscray’s Scott Wynd, in 1992. Melbourne’s Jim Stynes beat him to the accolade one year earlier.
Wynd averaged more than 18 touches and almost six marks a game in 1992. In ’91, Stynes had midfielder-like statistics, with more than 24 disposals and almost nine marks a game, and he also kicked 15 goals.
In the first four games this season, Sandilands has averaged more than 43 hit-outs a game, but is averaging just 13 possessions and 3.8 marks a game. He has kicked one goal.
After Sunday’s win over Essendon, Lyon agreed that hit-out statistics can be overrated, but he doesn’t believe Sandilands’ importance is.
''I wouldn’t have thought Leigh said he was overrated. Leigh said hit-outs are overrated,'' Lyon said.
''Everyone wants to make kingmakers out of players. At the end of the day, Aaron has got a role to play and he does it pretty well.
''Leigh is pragmatic ... it is a collective effort. I thought it was absolutely accurate.''
