In the third instalment of our 2023 positional rankings, we've dissected the ruck crop of the past season to name the 10 best big men of the competition.
The likes of Max Gawn and Brodie Grundy have dominated the top of these lists for the best part of the past decade, however the past 12 months have seen a shift among the highest echelon of ruckmen, perhaps due to the new combination of Gawn and Grundy at Melbourne this year.
The new age era of the ruckman sees the towering talls of the competition needing to widely expand on their games beyond hitouts and contests, with ground coverage, aerial impact and endurance among the leading traits for the competition's current crop of ruck stars.
After a season that saw ruck records shattered once again, we rank the best 10 ruckman of 2023...
SEE ALSO: THE TOP 10 DEFENDERS OF THE 2023 AFL SEASON
SEE ALSO: THE TOP 10 MIDFIELDERS OF THE 2023 AFL SEASON
10. Toby Nankervis
The Richmond skipper loves to throw his weight around in the engine room and did so again this year on his way to averaging 5.5 tackles per game - the most for any ruckman in 2023 - to go with his 32.5 hitouts.
Nankervis was able to adapt to a number of shared roles in 2023, playing alongside both Ivan Soldo and Samson Ryan as the Tigers looked to find the best ruck mix to support their captain.
Ruck
Hitouts
Marks
Disposals
Suspension and injury would hamper Nankervis' campaign, but he remained a consistent performer in the middle of the field to record 27 or more hitouts in 12 of his 15 appearances in 2023.
