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
6. Jarrod Witts
The always reliable Witts comes in at No.6 in our rankings following another strong season for the Suns ruckman.
The former Collingwood tall averaged 39.24 hitouts per game in 2023 to rank No.1 in the competition, with that rate the second highest of his career.
Ruck
Hitouts
Marks
Disposals
Witts would also rank among the top five ruckmen for his hitouts-to-advantage rate this year among ruckmen who attended at least 1,000 contests in 2023, offering a silver service to his star midfield trio of Matt Rowell, Noah Anderson and Touk Miller.
