Australian Football Hall of Famer Terry Wallace has listed the ruckmen who he believes will take a “quantum leap” in 2020.
He has already gone through the 14 midfielders he expects to take the leap here.
“I think over a summer you can get players who take their game from one level to another major level,” Wallace told SEN Drive.
“Now, some of those are players around the edges who might have got a few games who really start to become good, regular players.
“Others are players who have been those good, regular players, or maybe even a little bit better, who I think can go to another level again.
“A couple of them, people will say they’re already at that level – I think that there’s another level in them again.
“These are the players that I expect in 2020 to take a quantum leap.”
As far as the ruckmen go, he only had a couple to name as he believes most of the primary ruck stocks around the league are “settled”.
“I went for the two improvers from this year to keep on improving,” Wallace said.
“That was Reilly O’Brien in Adelaide and Rowan Marshall for St Kilda.
“Marshall is the one that really fascinates me in that Paddy Ryder comes into the mix.
“Does that help Marshall, does that hinder Rowan Marshall. I’m sure it will help his ruck work and the way that he goes about his trade because having Ryder, who is such a good ruckman and has been brilliant at the ruck trade over the years, is only going to assist him to get better.
“Ryder is going to take ruck time off him and does that freshen Marshall up to be better when he goes into the ruck, can he make it as a forward as well, it’ll be interesting to see how that plays out.
“There’s some (ruckmen) that need to be the main man.”
On young Western Bulldogs ruckman Tim English, Wallace feels 2021 is more likely to be his year.
“I still think he might be another season or two away,” he said.
“I’m saying quantum leap. I don’t know whether it will come this year or whether it is still another 12 months away.
“He has got all the potential in the world.”