Carlton's in-form midfield is sure to have ruckman Marc Pittonet to thank for their strong start to the season, with the Blues tall leading the way this year for hit-out value among the most utilised ruckmen in the AFL.
Pittonet's omission from last Sunday's loss to the Suns with a back injury was strongly felt by the Blues in Round 4, with the emerging Tom De Koning forced to carry the bulk of the ruck workload.
While superstar midfielder Patrick Cripps' injury was a substantial blow for Michael Voss during the match, it may have been his first-string ruckman's absence that was the main factor in losing the clearance battle 43-27, Carlton's first minus differential so far this season.
Between the ruckmen to have featured in the most contests so far this year, Pittonet has amassed the highest percentage of hit-outs to advantage.
From his tally of 199 ruck contests (RC), Pittonet has recorded a total of 42 hit-outs to advantage (HTA), amassing a percentage rate of 21.11 from all contests.
That rating edges out Roos veteran Todd Goldstein (17.31%) and Gold Coast co-captain Jarrod Witts (17.04) on the podium.
Goldstein's partner Tristan Xerri, who at times this season has been favoured over his mentor, has amassed an HTA per RC percentage of just 11.97, ranking him 15th among the top ruckmen in the competition.
2021 All-Australian selection Max Gawn is placed 10th in the AFL for HTA per RC%, with the Demons skipper amassing a rating of 13.83%.
While Bulldogs tall Tim English has found career-best form across the opening month of the season, the 24-year-old has failed to give his star midfield ensemble the first use to the Sherrin, running at just 9.71% HTA per RC.
At the bottom of the 20-man list, Lions recruit Darcy Fort is trailing by some distance to the rest of the pack, conjuring a rate of 6.64% from his 211 contests for the season. That falls 2.51% lower than the next lowest on the list in Fremantle's Lloyd Meek (9.15%).
St Kilda's Rowan Marshall (9.45%) joins, English, Meek and Fort in failing to reach the 10% barrier, while the latter's teammate Oscar McInerney (10.39%) also features in the bottom five.
| Player | Total Ruck Contests (RC) | Total Hit-Outs | Hit-Out Win % | Hit-Outs to Advantage (HTA) | Hit-Outs to Advantage % | HTA per RC % |
| Marc Pittonet | 199 | 94 | 47.2 | 42 | 44.7 | 21.11 |
| Todd Goldstein | 156 | 81 | 51.9 | 27 | 33.3 | 17.31 |
| Jarrod Witts | 352 | 170 | 48.3 | 60 | 35.3 | 17.04 |
| Matt Flynn | 160 | 71 | 44.4 | 27 | 38 | 16.88 |
| Nic Naitanui | 168 | 89 | 53 | 26 | 29.2 | 15.48 |
| Ned Reeves | 230 | 110 | 47.8 | 34 | 30.9 | 14.78 |
| Sam Draper | 279 | 132 | 47.3 | 40 | 30.3 | 14.34 |
| Brodie Grundy | 331 | 149 | 45 | 47 | 31.5 | 14.19 |
| Scott Lycett | 249 | 96 | 38.6 | 35 | 36.5 | 14.01 |
| Rhys Stanley | 223 | 99 | 44.4 | 31 | 31.3 | 13.90 |
| Max Gawn | 253 | 127 | 50.2 | 35 | 27.6 | 13.83 |
| Tom Hickey | 175 | 73 | 41.7 | 24 | 32.9 | 13.71 |
| Reilly O'Brien | 368 | 148 | 40.2 | 50 | 33.8 | 13.59 |
| Toby Nankervis | 257 | 128 | 49.8 | 33 | 25.8 | 12.84 |
| Tristan Xerri | 284 | 116 | 40.8 | 34 | 29.3 | 11.97 |
| Oscar McInerney | 202 | 72 | 35.6 | 21 | 29.2 | 10.39 |
| Tim English | 309 | 110 | 35.6 | 33 | 30 | 9.71 |
| Rowan Marshall | 254 | 100 | 39.4 | 24 | 24 | 9.45 |
| Lloyd Meek | 164 | 60 | 36.6 | 15 | 25 | 9.15 |
| Darcy Fort | 211 | 74 | 35.1 | 14 | 18.9 | 6.64 |
Top 20 ruckman for total ruck contests attended ranked for HTA per RC%.