Tough nut Rupert Wills averaged seven tackles per game last season, the most of any Collingwood player. His problem was that he was only selected for seven senior games late in the year when needed to fill form or injury voids left by others. Wills competes directly with Brayden Sier for the last-selected, big-bodied midfielder. The bull has proven that he can score with a five-round average of 85 in his debut season but we can't pick him unless we see a lift in job security.
Let Wills skate
Tough nut Rupert Wills averaged seven tackles per game last season, the most of any Collingwood player. His problem was that he was only selected for seven senior games late in the year when needed to fill form or injury voids left by others. Wills competes directly with Brayden Sier for the last-selected, big-bodied midfielder. The bull has proven that he can score with a five-round average of 85 in his debut season but we can't pick him unless we see a lift in job security.
Still no way for Wills
When Rupert Wills broke into the Pies’ senior lineup in round 19 of 2016, he laid more tackles in his first four games than any in VFL/AFL history. However, soft tissue injuries to hamstring, quadricep and calf, plus Collingwood’s midfield depth, have conspired to prevent him added more than a single match to his career tally. Collingwood’s depth will make it difficult for Wills to break into the squad. The similar Brayden Sier is currently above him in the pecking order, so Wills looks like he’ll spend a majority of his time in the VFL. If given the opportunity at the senior level, he could be a rewarding pickup in the free agent pool.
Wills must find a way
A calf injury interrupted Rupert Wills's VFL season, then he rebuilt his form to earn a call up for round 18 before the recurrence of a preseason quadricep injury. Tackling is the major feature of his game, sometimes rivalling his disposal count, and he is extremely inside with a skewed kick-to-handball ratio. Wills was used as a defensive forward in his one senior appearance in 2017, and that might be his fate if he makes his way back in as Collingwood are desperate to find someone to provide frontal pressure. He would loom as a candidate to gain forward eligibility mid-season, so keep an eye on him in the JLT.
