Rhys Stanley gets to play in a genuine ruck tandem today for the first time in a long time, partnering Jonathon Ceglar who came across for Hawthorn in the off season. While Stanley has often shared ruck duties with the likes of Marc Blicavs and Esava Ratugolea, Ceglar's primary job is in ruck unlike those others, which makes an interesting mix for Geelong as they search endlessly for the right mix in ruck. Stanley's job security has never been strong, and if Ceglar shows a bit he could conceivably go past the incumbent and become a viable fantasy option.
Rhys Stanley gets to play in a genuine ruck tandem today for the first time in a long time, partnering Jonathon Ceglar who came across for Hawthorn in the off season. While Stanley has often shared ruck duties with the likes of Marc Blicavs and Esava Ratugolea, Ceglar's primary job is in ruck unlike those others, which makes an interesting mix for Geelong as they search endlessly for the right mix in ruck. Stanley's job security has never been strong, and if Ceglar shows a bit he could conceivably go past the incumbent and become a viable fantasy option.
Searching for Stanley security
While Rhys Stanley takes the number one ruck reins when fit and firing, the ex-Saint suffered a mid-season adductor injury and battled with ongoing team imbalances, causing him to miss multiple strings of matches. Due to injury, form and an ever-changing team structure, Stanley has never played more than 20 games in a season. A lack of consistency meant that it wasn't a phenomenal year even though he averaged career highs of 14 disposals and 29 hit outs. Zac Smith has moved on, which suggests that Stanley is a walk up for the first ruck spot. The injection of Josh Jenkins as full forward gives another option for Chris Scott to experiment with the dreaded ruck tandem, and given his history Stanley will always be a handful of sub-par games away from being dropped. With too many question marks around Geelong's ruck division Stanley should be drafted in the later rounds, ideally as bench cover.
Stanley discovers gold
Calf issues at multiple stages throughout Rhys Stanley’s 2018 hampered his rhythm, but it was a career-best showing in tackles, hit outs and possessions as he lead the club from the centre bounces and followed up his own work. Stanley spent most of his time as the preferred ruckman, especially after Esava Ratugolea went down with injury. Geelong’s ruck battle is tantalisingly competitive in 2019 including Zac Smith in a long depth chart, meaning coaches should be hesitant in selecting Stanley as a first ruck option. His eligibility as a forward is an extra bonus, so drafting the agile ruckman in the later rounds is a good choice for roster flexibility.
Rhys Stanley has quietly started putting in some very startable fantasy performances, after spending time in the VFL before the byes while the club figured out whether they wanted him or Zac Smith as lead ruck. It appears Stanley has won that positional battle for the moment, though there are no guarantees in this situation and exotic stats suggest it's still not a war that has been won decisively as he can get touched up by decent opposition. For now, he's a solid play in draft leagues as the Cats gear up for a finals push.
Stanley in the jungle
Geelong decided fairly early in 2017 that they wanted Rhys Stanley to play support for Zac Smith in ruck after two forgettable games to start the season, and he spent three stints in the VFL before returning for finals with little result. Stanley is under severe threat of losing his spot in the Cats team for 2018, especially with Wylie Buzza able to play a more constructive role up forward while pinch hitting in ruck. He should not be drafted for scoring and job security issues.
