Is Dean Cox the greatest ever ruckman?

[cityslick1]

6 time All Australian and counting. There have been some greats over the years, but can't imagine this guy getting beaten by any of them.

If he had of been ours I dare say we would have won 3-4 flags over the past 5 years.

Makes me extremely excited about Grundy and his potential influence. I think he will leapfrog WItts and get some games this year. They will be looking to protect him, but can see him demanding selection at some stage.

[Pa Marmo]

Simon Madden would have destroyed him.

[tomoleary]

[sixpoints]

Cox the best ever? Well here's a list of Brownlow winning ruckman. It doesn't include Farmer, Nicholls, Madden or Dyer who never won it: Syd Coventry, Normam Ware, Roy Wright, John Schulz, Don Cordner, Len Thompson, Noel Teasdale, Graham Moss, Graham Teasdale, Garry Dempsey, Barry Round, Peter Moore, Scott Wynd, Jim Stynes.
My vote - Syd Coventry. A Brownlow medallist, the captain of four premierships and he played for the Pies, try and beat that!

[John Wren]

dean cox is one of the best for his era. comparing eras is difficult, using the brownlow as an indicator is unfair. cox is unlikely to ever win a brownlow by virtue of how the umpires vote these days.

[warburton lad]

[quote="John Wren"]dean cox is one of the best for his era. comparing eras is difficult, using the brownlow as an indicator is unfair. cox is unlikely to ever win a brownlow by virtue of how the umpires vote these days.[/quote

Good morning Mr John Wren,

Spot on. Comparing eras is difficult.

It is often said, correctly, that John Nicholls and Judd are the same height. One is a premiership mid, the other a premiership ruck an.

People should examine the ruck an who performed in grand finals. Don Scott was first ruck in three flags in 1971, 76 & 78. Terrorised opponents.

Keating from Brisbane was a big game player.

Thompson, Simon Madden and Polly Farmer are, rightly, acclaimed as all-time greats for the clinical way they could dominate their opponents. Ignore all his media stuff and John Newman was also a wonderful ruck man.

I wish we had Carl Ditterich in the 60's and seventies though. Working in tandem with Thommo we would have been unstoppable...

Gary Dempsey and Barry Round were also heroic ruck men for two clubs.

All we need to remember is that Natanui will always be a better player. Than Watts and let every Melbourne supporter we know, know about it!!

Floret Pica.

[raymond35]

My god. i hope this is a troll.
Len Thompson and Simon Madden would eat him for breakfast and wouldnt need his multiple free kicks either.

[stui magpie]

Madden would have slaughtered him, as would Peter Moore a ruckman of similar style to Cox.

Cox is a good centre bounce ruck, but his biggest strength is his around the ground play where he acts as an extra midfielder. Moore was very similar.

Jim Stynes would have probably conceded a bit in the ruck against Cox but more than matched him around the ground.

Cox has probably been the most consistently good ruckman of the last 10 years, but not the best ever.

[warburton lad]

[stui magpie]

[loki04]

A name that hasn't been mentioned and was a great ruckman and could play forward is P.Salmon.

[Piethagoras' Theorem]

Probably the best all round ruck I've seen as his ground level work is superb. All time? Impossible to tell. There's been ruckmen who've been better in certain areas of the game but Cox is pretty competent in all.

[stui magpie]

[Jezza]

[Sir Alan of Didak]

Champion Data will tell you that "statistically", Dean Cox is the greatest ruckman of all time. Not saying he is, although I rate him right up there...certainly the best since Simon Madden and clearly better than Jolly. That's not me selling Jolly short either. Remember, Coxy has been "elite" for 10 years. Jim Stynes was similiar in the amount of ball he got his hands on during a game, but big Cox kicks a lot more goals than Stynes did...a huge bonus for his club. Mind you, Naitanui is going to be the best ruckman the game has seen...since Cox.