How Will Minson has shot to No. 1 with a bullet

[bornadog]

link (http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/afl/how-will-minson-has-shot-to-no-1-with-a-bullet/story-fni5fazt-1226656464902)

http://i202.photobucket.com/albums/aa198/mmsalih/464816-7f7ad606-cc2d-11e2-8018-aff37e6e4f70_zpse8872e48.jpg (http://s202.photobucket.com/user/mmsalih/media/464816-7f7ad606-cc2d-11e2-8018-aff37e6e4f70_zpse8872e48.jpg.html)

The question posed in frustration by then Western Bulldogs coach Rodney Eade three years ago now only serves to magnify the rise of a player who was once much maligned.

Here's a statement: Will Minson is the best ruckman in the AFL.

The man who used to get more attention for knowing German and playing the saxophone is now letting his football do the talking.

Minson has launched 16.7 per cent of the Dogs' scores - 3.9 points more than any other player.

Minson has been the first link in 34 of the Bulldogs' scores.

In raw numbers he ranks second behind Dean Cox, but the Dogs have scored a lot less than West Coast.

Put simply, when Minson gets his big hands on the ball, good things happen for Brendan McCartney's mob.

He is the top-ranked ruckman in the AFL and the fifth-ranked SuperCoach player overall, up there with names like Gary Ablett, Scott Pendlebury and Jobe Watson.

Minson has been involved in 787 ruck contests - 35 more than any other player - and his 417 hitouts are a whopping 44 more than the next best.

His 130 hitouts-to-advantage are 25 more than his nearest rival.

When the All-Australian selection committee meet for the first time in two weeks, Minson should not only be in the conversation, he should be the topic starter.

When it was suggested to Dogs skipper Matthew Boyd last month that Minson was "half a chance" to become All-Australian, Boyd's response was: "Half a chance? I think you're being a bit harsh on him.

"I'd honestly say, and I'm not being biased, that he is the best ruckman in the game at the moment.

"I get to see the sort of work he does up close each week, but he has been outstanding for us.

"Without Will we might have had a few worse results. He's taken his game to a new level in the last two years."

Bulldogs 1992 Brownlow medallist Scott Wynd described Minson's rise as "spectacular".

"He's just grown and grown. I know 'Rocket' wasn't big on playing him and Ben Hudson in the same side and three years ago Will was doing exactly this in the VFL, but just couldn't get a gig," Wynd said.

"He has shouldered a hell of a lot this year with the Bulldogs struggling in most games and going in with no legitimate second ruckman most of the time."

"Doing it with a young midfield, a learning midfield, they are certainly heavily reliant on him getting his first hands on it.

"All he had to do was to see himself as the legitimate number one ruckman and I always believed he would take the next step."

[LostDoggy]

I'll fess up — I had doubts. S owonderful watching him prove us wrong.

[Bulldog Joe]

Well I can simply say well done Big Fella. Just keep it going.

I have noticed the last few games, that other coaches are really aware of Will. Even in the game against West Coast, they are regularly trying to get a third man up situation to curb his influence and even to the extent of having both opposition ruckman against him at ball ups and throw ins.

I can also say I never doubted his ability as a true ruckman.

[Axe Man]

On Footy Classified last night Caro said she thought Mike Pyke was in front of Will as the best ruckman for the season to date.:eek:

[bornadog]

On Footy Classified last night Caro said she thought Mike Pyke was in front of Will as the best ruckman for the season to date.:eek:

She would.:mad:

[Twodogs]

On Footy Classified last night Caro said she thought Mike Pyke was in front of Will as the best ruckman for the season to date.:eek:


That's exactly why Caro doesnt do match reports or analysis. She has impeccable contacts and she isnt afraid to express an opinion but she knows 3/5s of FA about how the game is played.

[LostDoggy]

Well Done William! Outstanding effort this year - passionate believer too.

Met him in his draft year in Darwin (when we were going through another pretty rough time) and I asked if he felt we would have a flag tilt in 3 or 4 years.

Looked me in the eye and said "why would I want to wait 3 years. We are going to give it a go now"

Been a fan ever since even through the brain fades. A truly great story just proving himself day after day in the right way.

[Dazza]

Big fan of Will ever since he started.

[bulldogtragic]

He's come along way from behind the shadows of Ben Hudson. Despite the issues with the Kornes, and how much I love Griff and young Wally, this guy should be captain in my book.

[Twodogs]

That's exactly why Caro doesnt do match reports or analysis. She has impeccable contacts and she isnt afraid to express an opinion but she knows 3/5s of FA about how the game is played.


And a big shout out to Will Minson.


Anybody thnk he is a chance to take Charlie home this year?

[Bulldog Joe]

And a big shout out to Will Minson.


Anybody thnk he is a chance to take Charlie home this year?

An emphatic NO.

But Griff might be more than a sneaky chance.

[bulldogtragic]

And a big shout out to Will Minson.


Anybody thnk he is a chance to take Charlie home this year?
He's been excellent, but I'm not sure it's as good as Scott's 1992, and were a bottom team.

[AndrewP6]

That's exactly why Caro doesnt do match reports or analysis. She has impeccable contacts and she isnt afraid to express an opinion but she knows 3/5s of FA about how the game is played.

That's a bit generous to her IMO.

[LostDoggy]

On Footy Classified last night Caro said she thought Mike Pyke was in front of Will as the best ruckman for the season to date.:eek:

Couldn't care less. Her opinion holds no weight with me at all.

[Remi Moses]

Paul Sydney Swans ( sorry Roos) thinks Pyke should be as well.
Minson's a mile ahead

[Greystache]

Couldn't care less. Her opinion holds no weight with me at all.

She's the only football journalist in the world who goes home when the game starts.

[LostDoggy]

She's the only football journalist in the world who goes home when the game starts.

It's a pity, because when she should be flying the flag for female journalism in football, she instead spends her efforts looking like a clueless, bitter gossip queen. Her campaign to have Hird stood down is amongst the most cringeworthy “journalism” I've ever seen.

Emma Quayle — best female journalist in football.

[Twodogs]

She's the only football journalist in the world who goes home when the game starts.


Unlike Greg Denham who doesnt even bother to go in the first place.

[Sedat]

Unlike Greg Denham who doesnt even bother to go in the first place.
He only goes to the West Coke games - I bet he's one of those douche bags that holds the 'Message on Hold' signs in front of the goal square.

[comrade]

Well I can simply say well done Big Fella. Just keep it going.

I have noticed the last few games, that other coaches are really aware of Will. Even in the game against West Coast, they are regularly trying to get a third man up situation to curb his influence and even to the extent of having both opposition ruckman against him at ball ups and throw ins.

I can also say I never doubted his ability as a true ruckman.

You must be enjoying Will's form, BJ. You have always flown the flag.

He has a massive heart and he's bloody good at the rucking caper.

[Twodogs]

He only goes to the West Coke games - I bet he's one of those douche bags that holds the 'Message on Hold' signs in front of the goal square.



What's that all about anyway? And what's with the 'Chicken Salt' sign behind the goals at Adelaide games as well? Surely they havent just discovered chicken salt in Adelaide.

[Sedat]

What's that all about anyway? And what's with the 'Chicken Salt' sign behind the goals at Adelaide games as well? Surely they havent just discovered chicken salt in Adelaide.
Chicken Salt is the Adelaide equivalent of Red Rooster I think.

'Messages on Hold' is the physical embodiment of the soulless franchise that is West Coke. The franchise whose supporters get delirious over a mis-directed Nic Nat ruck tap to the opposition, supporters who were happier to see Judd win the Norm Smith in 2005 than their club win the actual match.

[Twodogs]

Chicken Salt is the Adelaide equivalent of Red Rooster I think.

Oh OK. Did it used to be called Chicken Shack or something? I've got a vague memory of it.



'Messages on Hold' is the physical embodiment of the soulless franchise that is West Coke. The franchise whose supporters get delirious over a mis-directed Nic Nat ruck tap to the opposition, supporters who were happier to see Judd win the Norm Smith in 2005 than their club win the actual match.

Sums them up so well. Word perfect mate.

[Bulldog Joe]

You must be enjoying Will's form, BJ. You have always flown the flag.

He has a massive heart and he's bloody good at the rucking caper.

Probably fair to say that I have appreciated Will's efforts more than many.

He has always been terrific with hitouts to advantage, which are as effective as any disposal.

Many supporters/posters think ruckmen should get plenty of possession and do not value hitouts in the same way. A hitout straight to Cooney at his peak (remember that Brisbane game in 2005) or Griffen/Libba currently is probably more of a scoring opportunity than many possessions he could have.

I do see weakness and wish he could be a better mark, but if he knocks the ball down to a team mate from a marking contest that would be ok (and he does do that as well)

Yes I am loving his form and seeing him grasp the No 1 ruck position.

[azabob]

It's a pity, because when she should be flying the flag for female journalism in football, she instead spends her efforts looking like a clueless, bitter gossip queen. Her campaign to have Hird stood down is amongst the most cringeworthy “journalism” I've ever seen.

Emma Quayle — best female journalist in football.

Carolyn is anything but clueless.
In my view she is a very easy target. I don't always agree with what she says, but at least she has the courage and the convictions of her opinions.

On Essendon, why shouldn't Hird be stood down? They stood Dean Robinson down without any evidence what so ever. What is the difference?

On Emma Quayle not sure why you need to put female in that sentence, surely she is one of the best football jurno's period?

[immortalmike]

It's a pity, because when she should be flying the flag for female journalism in football, she instead spends her efforts looking like a clueless, bitter gossip queen. Her campaign to have Hird stood down is amongst the most cringeworthy “journalism” I've ever seen.

Emma Quayle — best female journalist in football.

Why qualify that with female?

As for Will, somehow I went from absolutely hating him in his early years (I mean I could give a couple of the Gia haters a run for their money here), to begrudging respect, to (starting a couple of years ago) loving the big guy. He was huge last year and the media are finally catching on this year.

[ratsmac]

I've always loved Will. I have had friends who have laughed at the dogs for retaining him on our list for so long. I had to go in to bat for him many times and I'm glad I did. His true talent has finally come to fore. Who's laughing now boys. I am meeting with some of these friends this weekend and I WILL (pun intended) be bringing up the subject again.

I loved the commentary a couple weeks ago when Dermitt Breraton (I think) called him a bully ruckman. He has really been an intimidating figure on the field the last couple years. He is like the big brother for our young brigade.

His position on the field is one that I am confident that we will win each week these days.

Keep up the good work Will.

[jeemak]

Carolyn is anything but clueless.
In my view she is a very easy target. I don't always agree with what she says, but at least she has the courage and the convictions of her opinions.

On Essendon, why shouldn't Hird be stood down? They stood Dean Robinson down without any evidence what so ever. What is the difference?

On Emma Quayle not sure why you need to put female in that sentence, surely she is one of the best football jurno's period?

Quayle is a fantastic journalist.

Wilson has her pet topics, and lets herself down through going too far with issues she's seemingly not completely across when a moderate approach would be better (I wish the broader media landscape allowed for this type of approach!). However, she is a very well connected journalist and has some fantastic insights into the business side of football. A good journalist keeps their sources and finds new ones because they represent them properly.

She's also right to be going after James Hird as well. How such a clear lack of diligence spanning such a risky area can be forgiven by a football club is beyond me.

[LostDoggy]

Carolyn is anything but clueless.
In my view she is a very easy target. I don't always agree with what she says, but at least she has the courage and the convictions of her opinions.

On Essendon, why shouldn't Hird be stood down? They stood Dean Robinson down without any evidence what so ever. What is the difference?

On Emma Quayle not sure why you need to put female in that sentence, surely she is one of the best football jurno's period?

Meh, opinions are like arseholes — everyone has one.

Wasn't qualifying, merely contrasting the two. I think Caro is a flog.

[SonofScray]

Will has been since day dot the one player I really wanted to succeed. Loved his aggression early and never really had an issue with the way he would give up free kicks. What I saw was a big kid trying to impose himself on the game, I don't think he stopped doing that either - but rather just applying some more mature decision making.

I thought Rocket was not a good coach for him. Was really disappointed by the "dumbest smart bloke" comment and the dismissal of his value an A grade ruck man. The way he battled away at Willy while out of favour was a sign of true character and leadership. He did everything that was asked of him, was patient and just went to work without any fuss. He won himself a place in my all time favourites list in that time.

The Cornes & Pearce stuff I had no issues with, in fact it strengthened my views on his leadership and character. While many saw a villain, a bloke prone to "brain farts," I saw a guy prepared to sacrifice everything to play his part and get an advantage. He put his personal reputation below the desire to get a result for our Club. Libba did that and we celebrate it. Minson deserved our full support. I was upset he never got it.

He is the best leader at the Club, has worked hard, been patient and we are now seeing him play terrific footy in a side that needs him to be.

[jeemak]

Meh, opinions are like arseholes — everyone has one.

Wasn't qualifying, merely contrasting the two. I think Caro is a flog.

Jeez, that's probably harsh even for me! :o

[The Bulldogs Bite]

I wouldn't mind seeing Minson as captain starting 2014.

Agree with much of what has already been said. I wonder how much of his progression can be attributed to King? Whilst Minson was always physically strong, he's become a very intelligent ruckman/player. He used to struggle with positioning, but now he absolutely dominates the opposition in getting to the right spots and using his frame to force his opponent out of position.

Either way, well done to Minson and the coaching group.

[jeemak]

Will has been since day dot the one player I really wanted to succeed. Loved his aggression early and never really had an issue with the way he would give up free kicks. What I saw was a big kid trying to impose himself on the game, I don't think he stopped doing that either - but rather just applying some more mature decision making.

I thought Rocket was not a good coach for him. Was really disappointed by the "dumbest smart bloke" comment and the dismissal of his value an A grade ruck man. The way he battled away at Willy while out of favour was a sign of true character and leadership. He did everything that was asked of him, was patient and just went to work without any fuss. He won himself a place in my all time favourites list in that time.

The Cornes & Pearce stuff I had no issues with, in fact it strengthened my views on his leadership and character. While many saw a villain, a bloke prone to "brain farts," I saw a guy prepared to sacrifice everything to play his part and get an advantage. He put his personal reputation below the desire to get a result for our Club. Libba did that and we celebrate it. Minson deserved our full support. I was upset he never got it.

He is the best leader at the Club, has worked hard, been patient and we are now seeing him play terrific footy in a side that needs him to be.


I didn't like Rocket's summation of Will and the fact he didn't play him in his last year as our coach when we were trying to work out how best to manage the sub and our team, but I reckon if you asked the big man who had the biggest influence in making him the player he is he'd nominate Rocket. Will's smart enough to know that words mean less than actions, and team imperatives (rightly or wrongly) equate to a greater sum than personal imperatives. That's probably what makes him the leader he's become.

Often I find it funny how we bemoan Will's input forward in 2008. He kicked 19 goals as a 23 year old second ruck and was lambasted for it. Clearly playing out of position.

A lot of what happened with Will and Port Adelaide said more about Port Adelaide and their small town culture than it did about Will. His words were not important or necessary, but they were pretty much harmless. The fact that somebody like Lucy Cornes found national prominence as a result of her distain for Will's actions demonstrated the severe dumbing down of the media and laziness of some journalists (not to mention the Australian public) just about as well as anything else could have.

He's a leader of our club, but probably not the best one we have. He doesn't have to be though.

[jeemak]

Looking at some raw stats for Will versus 2008, there's some interesting comparisons to be made, and the only clear difference I can find is hit-out advantage between now and then. In some areas he's behind (though not playing forward you could justify that - and some stats aren't recorded).

http://www.footywire.com/afl/footy/ft_player_compare?tid1=8&pid1=1421&tid2=8&pid2=1421&type=A&fid1=S&fid2=P&fopt2=2008

The interesting one for me is marks per game. For mine he doesn't take enough of them around the ground. Whether it's an ongoing prejudice I have against the adulation afforded to ruckmen for getting hit-outs or hit-outs to advantage, I think ruckmen by and large gain a bit of a free pass when it comes to responsibility around the ground.

If Will wants to be an improved and dominant ruckman, he needs to impose himself more around the ground and take more marks. We don't move the ball quickly or efficiently as a team, and quite often we kick to contests as a result of that. Whilst I will always defend his input into contested situations where the loose ball is up for grabs, it's the high ball coming out of defence or out of our forward line that he needs to show more presence in controlling.

There is a likelihood that he'll take more marks around the ground as we improve our ball defending and movement/transition system, and his marking might improve from that.

[Remi Moses]

Just wondering how much influence Stephen King is having on Minson?
Not sure if its the coach but whether the number 1 title had a bearing on his improvement
Pretty hard now to have 2 rucks only in your side, and us something Stkilda are finding out with Mcevoy and Hickey. Second banana now has to have a spot in the forward half ( Pyke )

[Remi Moses]

Looking at some raw stats for Will versus 2008, there's some interesting comparisons to be made, and the only clear difference I can find is hit-out advantage between now and then. In some areas he's behind (though not playing forward you could justify that - and some stats aren't recorded).

http://www.footywire.com/afl/footy/ft_player_compare?tid1=8&pid1=1421&tid2=8&pid2=1421&type=A&fid1=S&fid2=P&fopt2=2008

The interesting one for me is marks per game. For mine he doesn't take enough of them around the ground. Whether it's an ongoing prejudice I have against the adulation afforded to ruckmen for getting hit-outs or hit-outs to advantage, I think ruckmen by and large gain a bit of a free pass when it comes to responsibility around the ground.

If Will wants to be an improved and dominant ruckman, he needs to impose himself more around the ground and take more marks. We don't move the ball quickly or efficiently as a team, and quite often we kick to contests as a result of that. Whilst I will always defend his input into contested situations where the loose ball is up for grabs, it's the high ball coming out of defence or out of our forward line that he needs to show more presence in controlling.

There is a likelihood that he'll take more marks around the ground as we improve our ball defending and movement/transition system, and his marking might improve from that.

Agree ^^ and its bloody hard to take a mark when you bomb down the line .

[bulldogtragic]

On Footy Classified last night Caro said she thought Mike Pyke was in front of Will as the best ruckman for the season to date.:eek:
Ah well, Sunday FS has a rolling AA team, Minno is in ATM.

[bornadog]

Surely he will be announced as the All Australian Ruckman for 2013. He has had a fantastic year.

WOWt_Bf08fU

[Mofra]

Loved that last tackle - thought he might hold him a bit too long afterwards, but it was just enough to let him know all about it.

[Ghost Dog]

Bullet pass to Gia! Great skills Minno. Loved the 'press' on Dangerfield, squealing like a squashed mouse to the ump.

[KT31]

Great stuff from Big Will, thought he showed a bit of promise before we recruited the Bearded One, only to them be put back a peg.
Great he has resurrected his career and become the number one ruckman in the comp.
Even better he has done it with us and didn't move on.

[Hotdog60]

Suck sh#t Gold Coast......:)