Samson Ryan | PUNT ROAD END | Richmond Tigers Forum
  • IMPORTANT // Please look after your loved ones, yourself and be kind to others. If you are feeling that the world is too hard to handle there is always help - I implore you not to hesitate in contacting one of these wonderful organisations Lifeline and Beyond Blue ... and I'm sure reaching out to our PRE community we will find a way to help. T.

Samson Ryan

Can anyone come up with an example where a player who could not naturally mark and was taught how to and improved?

I thought he was ok today and was at the ground.

Overall I reckon he is a 2/10 for marking. Can he be taught to get to a 6/10.

I am struggling to think of a tall that was hopeless at marking and was taught and became a servicable mark.

If he cant get to a 6/10 for marking he doesnt make it in my opinion as a Number 1 ruck if thats what we want him to be.

Nank in the side today and I reckon we run them close. Real close

Good question. Have posted this loads that the ability for tall guys to one grab mark (which is what you are talking about) can take time for years.

Of all the juniors seen, the Riewoldt's were the most natural at taking the ball at it's highest point as young footballers. Not many could.

Richo couldn't. He was a two grabber for years and got by on athleticism and reading the flight until he got his confidence and timing right to become one of the best high one grab marks we have seen. Benny Gale was the same. Couldn't one grab a beer passed from his brother Butch at the Star Bar on a Sunday night until he was mid 20's (or later).

Stephen Kernahan, Aaron, Sampillands, Buddy Franklin, Josh Kennedy, Max Gawn etc etc. The same.

Look at their contested mark numbers, they were largely two grab numpties until they were 25.

Now before anyone jumps on this post, gets ready to quote it, and says Leysy is comparing Samson to them (which happens all the time) - he aint.

Just saying, that replying to the Wriggly Worms question, that overhead contested one grab marking for big guys often and can take time. It's not unusual, like the examples above, to come in your mid 20's or so.

And that doesn't guarantee it will come, it could end up like Shaun Hampson and it never comes.

But to answer your question - there are some examples to your question Wriggles. It is an attribute that can come with time, perseverance and patience.

It's why so many ruck's shuffle from clubs in their mid 20's and suddenly elevate performance. It's when size and un-coordination meets strength, co-ordination and then confidence.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: 10 users
Nank was the same age as Samson when we won the 2017 Premiership.
Age not an excuse

When Nank was a baby, he wiped his arse with a footy.

He was All-Aus under-18 ruckman.

Samson came late to the sport, didn't know which way to hold a footy at that age, and is 10cm taller.

Will he get to Nanks level - very unlikely - But they are different types with different backgrounds.

Not a good comparison development wise.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 3 users
When Nank was a baby, he wiped his arse with a footy.

He was All-Aus under-18 ruckman.

Samson came late to the sport, didn't know which way to hold a footy at that age, and is 10cm taller.

Will he get to Nanks level - very unlikely - But they are different types with different backgrounds.

Not a good comparison development wise.
Not according to his wiki page:

Ryan grew up in Merimbula, a coastal town on New South Wales' far south coast.[1] He played football with the Pambula Panthers and the Merimbula in the Sapphire Coast Australian Football League as well as cricket in his pre-teen years, before focusing on cricket in his early teen years.[1] Around that time, he was offered a cricket scholarship to Toowoomba Grammar School, prompting his family to move to Queensland to accept the scholarship.[1][2]

Ryan returned to football while in Toowoomba and became an impressive prospect, joining the Brisbane Lions Academy program and later representing Queensland at the Under 17 National Championships in 2018.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
Not according to his wiki page:

Ryan grew up in Merimbula, a coastal town on New South Wales' far south coast.[1] He played football with the Pambula Panthers and the Merimbula in the Sapphire Coast Australian Football League as well as cricket in his pre-teen years, before focusing on cricket in his early teen years.[1] Around that time, he was offered a cricket scholarship to Toowoomba Grammar School, prompting his family to move to Queensland to accept the scholarship.[1][2]

Ryan returned to football while in Toowoomba and became an impressive prospect, joining the Brisbane Lions Academy program and later representing Queensland at the Under 17 National Championships in 2018.

Yep so he played primary school footy/cricket then focussed on cricket until turning to footy just before drafted. :confused:
 
Yep so he played primary school footy/cricket then focussed on cricket until turning to footy just before drafted. :confused:
No, not quite.

He played 16’s at Toowoomba:

“We hadn’t been there (Toowoomba) too long, and cricket had just finished up, so Dad and I went to the local footy. We sat down and this guy asked if I wanted a game in the 16s,” Ryan recounts.
He responded, “why not” and quickly he rediscovered his love of football.”

He played under 17s in the national championships for Queensland in 2018 and the Lions Academy.
Then in 2019 he played NAB league and 2020 with Sherwood. Then we drafted him. So he’d returned to footy at least 3 years, maybe 4, before we drafted him.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 4 users
Shaded? Cameron had 33 hitouts from 58 ruck contests.
Samson 13 from 60.
Stats arent everything but I thought mostly Samson really struggled strength wise in the ruck. Apart from a few tackles his follow up work is pretty non existent at ground level. He doesn’t work anywhere near hard enough yet.

Agree with others. The bar is set extremely low.

We missed Nank enormously.
Hitouts are the most overrated stat in football. Samson wasn’t winning the hitout but his tangle of arms and legs was making it difficult for any advantage to be gained.
I don’t say he was Max Gawn but that he was serviceable. Cameron didn’t really have a major influence on the game and the yank was pretty comical.
Sure , Nank may well have done a lot better
 
  • Like
Reactions: 3 users
At the ground I thought he competed pretty strongly throwing his gangly frame into a lot of contests and he has two hands going up now.

It’s not yet serviceable because he couldn’t take a contested grab which you need a ruck to do. But he got hands onto a few so it’s not that far away. I’m hoping for that mid 20s ruck acceleration where we just becomes a first picked player. Still looks like a baby giraffe so think more chance he fills out than he doesn’t.

Surely this is the development cycle for a ruck. Albeit you would hope this was the year it started to turn hard.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 users
When Nank was a baby, he wiped his arse with a footy.

He was All-Aus under-18 ruckman.

Samson came late to the sport, didn't know which way to hold a footy at that age, and is 10cm taller.

Will he get to Nanks level - very unlikely - But they are different types with different backgrounds.

Not a good comparison development wise.
So it now looks like Samson missed U/9s & U/10s junior footy.
Explains everything
 
  • Haha
  • Like
Reactions: 5 users
Thought Sampson was better than I expected him to be with Nank out

Could have taken a few more marks, but the umpires seem to screw him over every week
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
I would be questioning the person who gave him another 3 years. Would’ve that been a Blair decision?
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 users
Did not see any of the game today, listened on the car radio, was suprised that Mick Malthouse gave him such a big wrap, said how brave of a footballer he is and how much better he will be in a year or 2.
Yeah, I was listening firstly 3Aw and Richo and a co commentator were critical of Ryan and how he should be holding on to those marking attempts. Switch over to ABC and Malthouse praising Ryan in how much he was trying.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
geez he gets held down a lot in marking contests with no joy from umps.

1/2 the reason he appears to go up 1 handed is beacause the other is being held
 
  • Like
Reactions: 12 users
Samson was poor in the first half, he showed character, and lifted in the 2nd half
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
At the ground I thought he competed pretty strongly throwing his gangly frame into a lot of contests and he has two hands going up now.

It’s not yet serviceable because he couldn’t take a contested grab which you need a ruck to do. But he got hands onto a few so it’s not that far away. I’m hoping for that mid 20s ruck acceleration where we just becomes a first picked player. Still looks like a baby giraffe so think more chance he fills out than he doesn’t.

Surely this is the development cycle for a ruck. Albeit you would hope this was the year it started to turn hard.
I presume he's been doing a weights program and strength diet for at least 4 years so his spindly arms are a bit disappointing. Perhaps some people with his build find it hard to add muscle but I'm no PT expert. Could this lack of strength be causing the dropped marks? We all saw him take a mark then have it knocked out of his hands...right in front of the ump.
 
Last edited:
I thought Grimes was one who was a poor mark early on in his career who improved dramatically to become very reliable in the air
 
  • Like
Reactions: 4 users
Million percent agree we missed the big Nank. He will walk the B&F in and is now arguably our most important player.

But there is more to rucking than winning a hitout, As posted earlier:

Samson:
14 disposals 10 efficient 6 marks 4 tackles (most) 13 hitouts 5 clearances (most) 6 contested 5 score involvements 0 turnovers

Cameron:
18 disposals 11 efficient 5 marks 2 tackles 33 hitouts 2 clearances 2 score involvements 2 turnovers

Thought he got rid of his bad habit of one handed marking attempts and more than held his own.

Lots still to develop and he will rightly get time to do so. A step forward after a middlng year.
Yeah, for a ruck who cant win a contest and doesnt get involved in general play, getting 14 disposals and 6 marks is pretty good. And 5 score involvements shows they were just cheap disposals. His best game for the year, and one of the better one of his brief career.
We did miss Nank a lot, but I wouldnt mind if he missed another game or 2 to give Ryan more ruck time.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 users