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
7. Max Gawn
It was an up and down year for the Melbourne skipper, who saw this numbers take an expected hit after the Demons welcomed the only man that has challenged for Gawn's title over the past several seasons in Brodie Grundy.
Grundy would play the first 16 games of the year before being dropped to the VFL, with Gawn's opening solo game of the season being arguably one of the best performances of the premiership captain's 200-game career.
Coming up against fellow flag aspirants Brisbane in Round 18, Gawn would collect 29 disposals, 39 hitouts, 21 contested possessions, 10 clearances and seven tackles in a thrilling comeback win.
Ruck
Hitouts
Marks
Disposals
From there, the Demons veteran was back to his best as the sole big man for Simon Goodwin, with Melbourne winning six of their seven games before a disappointing finals series.
