In the third instalment of our 2023 positional rankings, we've dissected the ruck crop of the past season to name the 10 best big men of the competition.
The likes of Max Gawn and Brodie Grundy have dominated the top of these lists for the best part of the past decade, however the past 12 months have seen a shift among the highest echelon of ruckmen, perhaps due to the new combination of Gawn and Grundy at Melbourne this year.
The new age era of the ruckman sees the towering talls of the competition needing to widely expand on their games beyond hitouts and contests, with ground coverage, aerial impact and endurance among the leading traits for the competition's current crop of ruck stars.
After a season that saw ruck records shattered once again, we rank the best 10 ruckman of 2023...
SEE ALSO:ย THE TOP 10 DEFENDERS OF THE 2023 AFL SEASON
SEE ALSO:ย THE TOP 10 MIDFIELDERS OF THE 2023 AFL SEASON
1. Tim English
Claimed his maiden All-Australian selection to cap off a career-best campaign, surpassing the recent dominance of Max Gawn, Brodie Grundy and Nic Naitanui to be arguably the game's best ruckman.
Ranked second in the league for his hitouts-to-advantage rate among rucks who attended at least 1,000 contests this year while also rankings in the top six for average disposals (2nd), marks (1st), tackles (6th), goals (6th) and hitouts (6th) per game.
But it's English's work rate across the field that separates him from the rest of the pack, with the athletic Bulldogs big man covering the ground with ease while also offering clean ball movement for a player standing at 208cm.
Ruck
Hitouts
Marks
Disposals
English has been able to act as a fourth onballer at centre stoppages and adds to a lethal midfield ensemble under Luke Beveridge that should have the Dogs pushing for a top eight finish.
