On the eve of the AFLW's milestone 10th season, it's time to reflect on the strategic evolution of the women's game. Over four weeks, AFLW analyst Gemma Bastiani will take a look at how the AFLW has evolved over its nine-season history, looking at how tactics, players and techniques have changed the game. This week, Gemma looks at how the role of the ruck has developed.

It is the most specialised role in footy. AFLW rucks are hugely important, particularly due to the 16-a-field nature of the League, but are often undervalued. Above all, it is the role that has arguably developed the most across the first nine seasons.

Playing for Collingwood, Emma King was the very first All-Australian ruck. Adelaide's Rhiannon Metcalfe was the first premiership ruck. And Greater Western Sydney's Erin McKinnon was both the youngest, and tallest player in that inaugural season.

But as the role has evolved, height alone is no longer enough to earn a No.1 ruck position, and a new generation of rucks have made it their own.

Most interestingly, compared to other parts of the ground, this is the role that is still most controlled by individual personnel over system and tactics.

The role of a ruck

Early on, rucks were undervalued for the broader impact that they could have, typically being used in the air at stoppage, and then providing extra aerial coverage behind the ball. They largely became inconsequential once the ball was in play, outside of offering an aerial presence as a pressure reliever.

At stoppage, ruck craft was about the physicality players had to body and tap the ball, without a whole lot of other movement.

Teams typically boasted one genuine ruck, and then used another player with a modicum of height to offer some relief. This was the way for teams like Collingwood, who had defender Ruby Schleicher (175cm) supporting No.1 ruck King, and Melbourne, with Maddie Boyd and Harriet Cordner (both 178cm) chopping out for Lauren Pearce.

One of the things that makes a ruck effective, or not, is their connection with their midfield group. Due to limited time together in those early days, this was something that wasn't immediately apparent across the competition outside of Pearce's work at Melbourne.

The Demons were aided by very specific recruiting strategies, where the starting midfield around Pearce – Elise O'Dea, Melissa Hickey, Paxy Paxman, and Daisy Pearce – had all played at her feet in their time at the Darebin Falcons before the AFLW was even announced.

But with the benefit of time, many clubs have established a strong connection between ruck and midfield, allowing both to be more powerful than the sum of their parts. Adelaide's link between ruck Jess Allan, and midfielder/forward Danielle Ponter and centre stoppage is the clearest example of this growing connection.

Rucks can heavily influence games in important moments, however, and it is that individual players' game sense that can make or break results. Choosing how to approach a contest – tap in close to create repeat stoppage, spike into space to create quick attacking movement – can be vital in the throes of a close game.

Not a pure ruck, Roxy Roux showed this power in Fremantle's round seven win over Carlton in 2021. Late in the game, as the Dockers were on the surge after trailing all day, Roux made a decision to punch the ball into space to make the most of the momentum.

It was a choice that allowed the Dockers to move in space away from elite Carlton midfielders Maddy Prespakis, Katie Loynes and Lucy McEvoy, and instead created the opportunity for the Dockers to send the ball forward to Gemma Houghton, who ultimately kicked the matchwinner.

To increase their impact, different rucks have developed very clear styles in how they choose to play. Some, like Ally Morphett, Mim Strom and Matilda Scholz become an extra midfielder once the ball is on the deck, offering slick hands and clearance ability. The likes of King and Caitlin Gould offer goalkicking prowess, becoming forward/rucks more than ruck/forwards in recent seasons. And others like Alice Edmonds and Poppy Kelly are physical tap rucks who then present as reliable contested marking options around the ground.

Based around the skillset of their respective rucks, teams are now able to establish specific ruck setups, whether that be a one-out ruck, with a supporting option, or two genuine rucks.

What is clear across all types of rucks, however, is just how vital it is for them to have a second string to their bow, adding something around the ground outside of simply tapping the ball. Having that other part of their game is no longer just a bonus, but an expectation.

Physical development

Finding that second layer of impact as a ruck has largely come as a result of increased strength and fitness.

With a growing fitness base, rucks are now able to cover a lot more ground than they initially did in the 2017-2018 seasons, allowing them to compete across more lines. This is particularly important in the AFLW given the fact that there are only 16 players on the field per team, compared to 18 in the men's competition.

In addition, fitter rucks don't simply lend themselves to more ground covered and more dangerous positioning, but it allows the player to more consistently execute their skills. With exhaustion comes poorer skill, but as rucks have established better tanks, they have had greater opportunity to hit targets with the footy, or compete better in aerial contests.

Aerial sophistication

A ruck's influence is being coached with more nuance now than it was in the early days. This is via a combination of pure ruck craft, growth in fitness, connection with midfield units, and contest strategy as a whole.

Sabrina Frederick has arguably shown the most development in her ruck craft across the course of the nine seasons. In 2017, Frederick was moving through the ruck and forward line for Brisbane. Over time, and throughout her move to Richmond, then Collingwood, she became known as solely a contested marking key forward.

Through necessity at the Pies in 2023, Frederick went back to her roots and became the side's No.1 ruck option for the duration of the season, and excelled. Outside of the tank she has built to bring her impressive aerial presence on both the defensive and attacking lines, it is her strength to create space in ruck contests that has really allowed her craft to shine.

With her non-tapping arm, Frederick has established the ability to hold space at the contest, giving her the best chance to find a hitout to advantage, then following up once the ball has hit the deck.

Ruck styles

Establishing a strategy that best suits the team means each ruck's influence will look very different. Each ruck's specific style of play can dictate the ruck setup clubs choose to run with.

In 2017 Carlton, with Alison Downie and Breann Harrington (nèe Moody), and Fremantle, with Kelly Clinch and Alicia Janz, largely operated with a two-ruck setup. This was in direct contrast to Collingwood, who had King operating as the No.1 ruck choice, with support coming from Lou Wotton and Schleicher.

As with other parts of the ground, these decisions were very much personnel driven.

In its premiership season of 2019 Adelaide was thrown a curveball before the season began, with first-choice ruck Rhiannon Metcalfe cruelled by an ACL injury. This meant new recruit Jess Foley was forced to play the role alone, despite still being a raw prospect who had converted from basketball.

To support Foley through the year, it was then-defender Anne Hatchard (175cm) who took some stoppages around the ground. That season, albeit a successful one for the Crows and Foley, who was named in the All-Australian squad, signalled a need to develop genuine ruck depth.

This, however, was easier said than done, due to lists of just 30 players. There is little room to move, and many clubs can't afford to hide a longer-term development prospect away. Hence the need for rucks to excel in a second skill somewhere else on the field.

It was in 2022 (season six) where many clubs really bedded down two-ruck setups where there was a first-choice ruck option, with another genuine ruck also named who effectively played another position.

Adelaide established this with Montana McKinnon and Caitlin Gould, the latter playing as a key forward. North Melbourne did so with Kim Rennie, while King moved into attack. Melbourne opted to use Tayla Harris alongside Lauren Pearce in the role for its 2022 (season seven) premiership campaign. And Carlton has established a balance between Harrington's time up forward, and Jess Good's developing ruck craft.

Goalkicking

The seemingly natural fit for a ruck's second position is to go forward and become a tall target inside 50. The prevalence of rucks doing this effectively has steadily increased as the League has gone on.

There have been nine instances of players recording 20 or more hitouts and two or more goals in a game, with the first not occurring until 2021.

Players to record 20+ hitouts and 2+ goals in a game

Emma King	North Melbourne	RD1, 2021	30 hitouts, three goals
Emma King	North Melbourne	RD6, 2021	21, two
Breann Harrington	Carlton	RD7, 2022 (S7)	22, two
Caitlin Gould	Adelaide	RD7, 2022 (S7)	24, two
Breann Harrington	Carlton	RD3, 2023	24, two
Alice Edmonds	Western Bulldogs	RD5, 2023	35, two
Sabrina Frederick	Collingwood	RD9, 2023	39, two
Jess Allan	Adelaide	WK1, 2024	30, two
Alexia Hamilton	Sydney	WK 7, 2024	21, two

King has remained the constant when it comes to consistently winning hitouts and hitting the scoreboard, but others, Gould and Harrington in particular, have made it their brand.

Across the course of the League, the prevalence of the top 15 hitout winners across the season also kicking goals has increased. In 2017 just 10 goals were off the boot of the top 15 hitout winners, while there were 29 last season. This specific metric peaked at 32 goals in 2022 (S7), led by King's 10 goals.

It is an area of the ground where rucks have also been able to exert their height and strength. More rucks are opting to take the ball out of the air at forward stoppages and attempt shots on goal. It is a strategy largely led by Frederick in the women's game, and becoming a more realistic option for stronger rucks in the forward arc.

Extra midfielder

Arguably the most important second skill in the AFLW right now is a ruck's ability to cleanly transition from the aerial game into becoming dangerous on the deck. Fremantle's reigning All-Australian ruck Mim Strom, Port Adelaide's Matilda Scholz, and Sydney's Ally Morphett are the best current examples of this.

But before the three of them was Melbourne's Lauren Pearce. Often heading into contests undersized, Pearce's speciality was following up her tap work with athletic movement and ground coverage to rival that of many midfielders.

She was the first player in AFLW history to record 20 or more hitouts and 20 or more disposals in a game, and did it twice before any other player achieved the feat. Since then, it has been done 10 times, including twice by each of Morphett and Strom, and once by Scholz.

It speaks to the increasing ability of rucks to remain involved in the play long after the hitout has occurred. In fact, the average disposals of the top three hitouts each home and away season has grown from 5.4 in 2017 to 12.2 in 2024.

Complementing this, there has also been an increase in average clearances recorded by the top three hitout winners each season, growing from 0.9 per game in 2017 to a high of 2.9 in 2024.

Strom emerged in 2024 as, arguably, the most impactful ruck in the AFLW to date. Especially strong in both her tap work and ball winning ability, she became the first ruck in AFLW history to average more than 15 disposals and 30 hitouts per game.

Contested marking

With assumed aerial prowess given the height rucks tend to carry, contested marking is another area of the game where they can offer impact away from stoppage. Richmond's Poppy Kelly, and Alice Edmonds of the Bulldogs, have become particularly known for their aerial contested work in recent seasons thanks to their strength, along with Frederick and Harrington.

There have been 12 instances of rucks recording 20 or more hitouts and three or more contested marks in a game, all of which have occurred from the 2021 season onward.

Offering a reliable option in the air down the line as a relief measure exiting defence, or intercepting opposition forays forward, contested marking rucks allow sides to maintain possession and establish better transition down the ground.

It was in this way that Edmonds broke out in 2023, and has continued to be a target around whom the club has built its game plan.

On a broader scale, rucks have the first opportunity to influence games, given they start every reset of play, so their ability to connect with their midfield group, and set up game style in the air, can be one of the biggest factors in a team's success.

Next week, the final edition of R/EVOLUTION will look at the growth of midfield strategy across the course of the AFLW's nine seasons.