Rd 21: Pre Game Speculations: Carlton vs Brisbane

[crashlander]

Exactly!  And Bolton gets that better than some supporters apparently.

BTW, Phillips, who is allegedly the better mark of our two, took no marks against the Saints while Kreuzer took 3.  They should be nullifying the opposition ruck(s) at a minimum and that means clunking more and spoiling more.

Just on that, you are right, Kreuzer took 2 more than his average marks last game. Phillips took less than his average and did nothing around the ground. That was a big loss for us.
When our rucks play like that I can understand why Iaj wants only one ruckman in the side. It is a source of frustration for everyone.

One person who did the job you mention, DJC, was Robert Warnock, before his injuries basically immobilized him. He new he was not fast, but he did stay with his man and usually spoilt, as he was also not the strongest mark. He was actually good at making his opposition ruckman not get many marks, especially around 2010 - 2011.
What hurt him was that he didn't take marks going the other way. As a result he was always on the defensive and thinking defensively. His opponents knew that he would not try to get the ball himself. That wasn't so bad as his motor was much better than was generally expected. But later on, in the last year or 2 of his career, he lost that. The results were not good.
About the only mark I can remember him taking in the forward line was against Geelong. He was knocked out in the process and missed the kick as a result. Hence we lost a game we should have won.

We could use our rucks better and use them as a more mobile target, especially Kreuzer, who is better below his knees than most of his opponents. Unfortunately our rucks go to the pack and don't get the ball.