I keep reading we are planning to trade for Stef Martin.

I don't get it.

Setting aside his pretty ordinary year (he was injured) and his age (it's not like dynamic athleticism is his go AND he was pretty lightly raced in his first few years at Melbourne), if we recruit a player who can pretty much ONLY play in the ruck then he WILL NOT PLAY.

If Martin plays, he would need to do 70% in the ruck - because if he is not rucking he needs to be on the pine. That's simple facts. If he was going to make it as a ruckman forward, he would have done it before now. He hasn't, so he wont. Playing him forward would be like playing Easton Wood forward - an interesting experiment and talking point but one where you are pretty much guaranteed a negative result.

OK - fine. So English plays 60% forward, 30% ruck, 10% pine. Interesting. His best attribute would seem to be taking defensive marks in a kbp role (sorry - kick-behind-play). We have just taken that away from him. He is officially in Naughton's way, it also means Bruce prob cant get a game and - nor can Schache or Young.

I'll be honest - I don't get it. If we recruit a ruckman who is a 'ruck only' player, they are going to play in the VFL (or whatever T2 competition exists post COVID). I would kind of understand someone like Mason Cox because he can ruck (yeah, yeah, snicker snicker - being not as good in the ruck as Brodie Grundy doesn't mean you are terrible at it) and he can also play forward. McEvoy interested me because he can obviously play back and has taken marks forward in the past. McInerney from Brisbane would have interested me (forward) likewise Blicavs, Sinclair from Sydney, Ladhams from Port...but the likes of Draper, Goldstein, etc - well...they are ruckman and ruckman only.

If you want a ruck-only ruckman, well - to me you are saying the days of playing English are over...I just can't see it.

Please explain to me how Martin (or Goldstein, or Draper etc) fits in the same side as English in 2021.