Reading training reports and going on 2009 form I think it's an interesting dilemma who of Hampson and Jacobs should get the 3rd ruck spot behind Kreuzer and Warnock.

Hampsons athleticism is awesome according to reports while Jacobs is improving rapidly in all facets of ruckwork.

So who gets the nod?

It depend on the balance of the team.

Jacobs is a better tap ruckman than Hampson ATM and will help give us better drive from the midfield, but does not offer the agility and flexibility that Hampson brings. So if we plan on having Kruizer up forward then he could get the need dedicated ruck role.

Hampson is a better part time ruckman and would be first choice if he could take the tall marking forward position. He needs to improve his overhead mark in order to be an automatic selection, if he can then watch out because he has all the other attribute to mark him a fearsome forward - Tall, fast, accurate kick, great agility, big engine and good below his knees. If he keeps improving at the rate he did last year, he could be anything

I'm impressed with Jacobs as a tap ruckman; while I think Hampson in the forward line would be a powerhouse with his pace

and agility........it's just his marking that needs some work.....where's Swan McKay for some tuition?

_________________
No ones listening till you make a mistake.

I like the look of Jacobs, but I think he needs more experience. If Ratts has half a brain then he will play Jacobs throughout our entire NAB Cup/NAB Challenge period (provided Jacobs is physically right to play). As for Hampson, he shows signs of being a great footballer some day but what he needs to really work on is his marking...a bloke of his size could be very damaging with a good set of hands.

At the moment I'd go with Hampson purely based on experience. Jacobs' time will come though, and I hope it's this season.

_________________
Premierships: 1869, 1871, 1873, 1874, 1875, 1877, 1887, 1906, 1907, 1908, 1914, 1915, 1938, 1945, 1947, 1968, 1970, 1972, 1979, 1981, 1982, 1987, 1995.

"GIBBS."

IMO Hampson could be the best thing since i-Snack 2.0. Then again I thought the same about Robert Dutton when I was much much younger!!

AGREED 200%

_________________
Special K = Contraband

..voted for Sauce, purely cos yer asking who's the better Ruck option.... ..link-up, tall marking forward option etc etc is all well and good, but as a Ruck Sauce is better, hell could be our best tap ruckman.... ..if Krooze gets a run as a perm fwd, then it gets interesting..

_________________
..if you can't be good, be good at it..

Chose Hammer purely because of what he offers after the bounce.

Second efforts, athleticism, speed and pressure are a must in today's modern game and Hammer beats Sauce in these areas hands down.

Absolutely no slight on Sauce though as he is IMO the better tap ruckman and has a better set of hands,
more of a natural footballer.

Actually have Hammer as second option with Sauce slightly behind him, both in front of 206 as i just havent seen enough of him to judge where he is at ATM.

_________________
When you're a Jet you're a Jet all the way!

Warnock and Jacobs rucking, Kruuuuze and Hammer wreaking havoc everywhere else

_________________
Between our dreams and actions lies this world

The mantle will go to the best preseason performer... the other will be traded at years end, provided Warnock comes on as expected. We will get a great pick in a badly outnumbered draft and will probably recruit our next backup developing ruckman somewhere late in the ND or RD.... thats life.

_________________
R A D I C A L B R O T H E R S

Inspired by the One-Minute Sculptures of Erwin Wurm

"All in all is all we are..."

I think Warnock has some work to do to prove he's ahead of either Hampson or Jacobs.

I'd have Hampson ahead of Jacobs. His athleticism and ability to get around the ground will prove invaluable. There's much more scope for improvement with Hampson.

_________________
"The ability to speak doesn't make you intelligent." Qui-Gon Jinn 15-05-2005

"there’s more chance of me becoming the full forward for the [Western Bulldogs] than there is of any change in the Labor Party." Julia Gillard 18-05-2010

..for me, there's still question marks of Knockers durability.. ..so far his body has shown it's not able to withstand regular AFL action, though he's still youngish and so tall, takes a little longer for him to fill out, to then be able to take the battering of a ruck position.. ..we might still be 1 year too early to consider trading a ruck out just yet..

_________________
..if you can't be good, be good at it..

Hampson's tap work isn't that far behind Jacobs...

_________________
29 different attributes,
And only 7 that you like;
20 ways to see the world,
Or 20 ways to start a fight.

They are different players.

Sure they both exceed 2m, but they are different in many ways.

For the purpose of the exercise I chose Hampson on the basis that 1 of the 2 would have to miss out if Warnock and Kreuzer were selected.

No doubt in my mind that Jacobs is close to a master of the tap with his placement. This is a great weapon for the midfielders to take advantage of. I also am satisfied with the way Jacobs was positioning himseld early in 2009 games before he was injured. I didn't think he was big and lumbering. He is a footballer and he plays the foil well.

Hampson is an athletic freak. He gets to contests moreso than Jacobs because of this.
This athleticism gioves him the tools required for 2nd and 3rd defensive efforts. I don't think Jacobs could match that.

Then there's the leap. Wow.

My preference would be to play the 4 ruckmen if their form warranted selection. I know...too top heavy.

But, with Warnock and Jacobs sharing the ruck duties, I think Kreuzer can slot into the CHF position with Hammer at FF, and the 4 can swap around the ruck duties to create mismatch headaches for the opposition.

IMO, all teams should have 4 ruckmen on their list at a minimum.

_________________
Everyone looks good in Navy Blue

Either way it doesnt matter... i'm just happy that with these two blokes together with Kruez and 206, we've got a young emerging ruck division that will be the envy of the league in the future

_________________
James Hird and Essendon* FC - #FOREVERDRUGCHEATS

Kruezer and Hampson would be my ruckman for the majority of games...athletic pair who could be one of the best combos in a couple of seasons time.

Jacobs would be my backup ruckman when injuries occur, he is probably the best ruck technician out of the group but loses out on account of his lack of mobility and matchwinning ability.

Warnock would be a horses for courses player for me..against other lumbering giants where we need some extra height then I would play him ie Sandilands, King etc.....however vs a player like Dean Cox who would slaughter him around the ground in the wide opens spaces he wouldnt be playing.
Encouraging to read he is marking the ball well at training but his fitness at senior match level would concern me...he needs more game time to get fitter and hone his skills remembering in terms of games played he is still a novice..

_________________
"When you have the attitude of a champion, you see adversity as your
training partner."
- Conor Gillen

Jacobs ahead at this stage . Much better ruckman , good mark and is training the house down so far this pre-season .
Hammer's big plus is his mobility , but his football nous is way behind Sauce .

Both are a long way in front of Warnock .

_________________
Get the facts first.
Then you can distort them at your leisure.

The problem is pre-season training isn't a sufficient guide. The issue is how much both players have improved in the off-season, as they are both still very young, especially in 'big man' terms. I'd wait until we've seen a couple of NAB matches before a call can be made.

_________________
"The old believe everything, the middle-aged suspect everything, and the young know everything." Oscar Wilde

jacobs/warnock ruck combo for mine with a 4 tall forwards - kreuzer, hampson, waite, henderson - all of whom are fairly agile and mobile (ie wont play exclusively tall)

Jacobs is the better ruckman but not by much.

Hammer will be more useful as a forward especially if he starts to pull in a few marks.

I remember in the first Collingwood game in 09 he pulled in a speccy, played on and roosted a goal from about 50 out. Hopefully a sign of things to come.

_________________
Go Baggers...