Melbourne has decided to go into this weekend’s clash with Essendon without a ruckman, selecting Harrison Petty to replace the injured Max Gawn.
The Demons came into 2024 shallow in the ruck department after trading Brodie Grundy, with former Lion Tom Fullarton brought in seemingly as Gawn’s backup.
However, they have opted against picking Fullarton this week and have instead gone with the utility option in Petty.
David King is concerned about this call, wondering if the Demons have already lost this game at the selection table.
“Don’t lose a game on a Wednesday has been one of my sayings,” King told SEN Breakfast.
“You can’t get it wrong at match committee. In the cool clear light of day early in the week, you can’t set your team up to fail.
“They have the opportunity this week to play without Max Gawn and have gone without a recognised ruckman.
“They got Tom Fullarton down to the club on the sell that if Max needs a rest or Max is out for any reason, it is your time. It is you that will get this role.
“They moved on from Brodie Grundy, but this is a big decision, going in against Sam Draper without a recognised ruckman is almost game changing for me.
“I don’t mind what they do. There are some things you can concern yourself with pre-game, and this is one of them.
“So, we’ll watch it. We’ll watch it with fascination. These guys are forever telling us they know their lists better than us and they know the tactics. Let’s wait and see and watch how this unfolds.”
Kane Cornes agrees, but is putting the onus on Petty to compete and make the most of the role.
“Can you believe this? After Opening Round we debated trading Brodie Grundy for nothing and I said what they’ve done giving him to a premiership contender for free and leaving themselves exposed,” Cornes said.
“Did they not go and watch Harrison Petty against Fremantle when they got smashed. He was uncompetitive in the ruck.
“If you’re going to suggest that Petty is going to ruck against Draper – he’d want to perform better than he did against Luke Jackson and Sam Darcy not long ago.”
Jacob Van Rooyen and Tom McDonald are also options to ruck for the Dees on the weekend depending on how they structure up.