McRae admitted his likely first choice now would be moving key forward recruit Dan McStay into first ruck with Ash Johnson as second ruck,as the club did in the last quarter against Richmond after Cameron’s injury.
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Logically,Collingwood would bring Reef McInnes back in place of Cameron and to play McStay’s forward role. McInnes was the sub in the first two games,booting three goals,but was dropped to the VFL to get full game time at the weekend. He kicked another two goals.
“We are lucky,on Friday night we got a little sample size;we played a quarter without a ruck and had to be creative. We’ve got some things up our sleeve,” McRae said on Monday.
“We are not going to say one person,I think we will have to carry the load. I like being creative. We’ll get to match committee and look at some options. We might ... play some minutes with Bill[Frampton],some minutes with Dan and some others.”
McStay attended 22 ruck contests in the last quarter against Richmond winning just three hitouts and none were to advantage. However,of the three centre bounces that quarter Collingwood won two of the three clearances. Of 22 ball ups that quarter Collingwood got first hands on the ball 13 times.
That was the Jordan De Goey and Tom Mitchell factor. De Goey had nine clearances on Friday night. Mitchell ranks equal fourth in the AFL for first possessions and fifth for clearances across the first three rounds.
This point speaks to why Collingwood embraced the Brodie Grundy trade last year,preferring to invest in the midfielder who gets first hands on the ball rather than a ruckman.
The Magpies could look to a mobile competitor in the ruck - the Shaun Grigg model Richmond won a premiership with. McRae was a former Richmond assistant coach so well appreciates that dynamic.
Against two strong rucks in Oscar McInerney and Darcy Fort at the Gabba going in with mobile short rucks would be bold indeed.
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Frampton is also an option to ruck,given he was a ruckman before he was a forward or back. This is made problematic by the tall Brisbane forward line of Joe Daniher,Eric Hipwood and Jack Gunston,and withJeremy Howealready out with a broken arm.
Nathan Murphy was excellent against Richmond and competes well in the air against taller players.
At least Frampton could be asked to do the ruckwork in the Brisbane forward line.
Teenage ruckman Oscar Steene was recruited in the supplementary list period this year but is raw and unready.
“I just want to make it really clear,we are rapt with how he’s going. He has come in and really shown what he is capable of. We’ve got a player for the future,no doubt in that,” McRae said.
“I’m not keen to put people to the wolves as you put it. I want to make sure we set them up to succeed,so we’re just going to make sure that’s the right time.”