In
Australian rules football
Australian football, also called Australian rules football or Aussie rules, or more simply football or footy, is a contact sport played between two teams of 18 players on an oval field, often a modified cricket ground. Points are scored by k ...
, the followers are the players in the three positions-
ruckman, ruck rover, and rover. These three players are known as followers because they have traditionally been used as players that follow the ball all around the ground, as opposed to playing in a set position. In recent years, there has been a decreased emphasis on set positions in Australian football. Followers still cover more ground than any other player on the field.
Ruckman
The ruckman's job is to contest with the opposing ruckman at centre-bounces that take place at the start of each quarter or after each goal, and at stoppages (i.e., boundary throw ins, ball ups). The ruckman usually uses his height (typically players are over 195 cm tall) to palm/tap the ball down so that a ruck rover or rover can run onto it.
Notable ruckmen in Australian football over the years include:
*
Graham "Polly" Farmer (, and , 1953-1971),
[Pascoe, 1995, p. 38] Sandover Medallist 1956, 1957, 1960; Named first ruck in AFL Team of the Century (1996)
*
John Nicholls (, 1957-1974),
Named back pocket in AFL Team of the Century (1996)
*
Jack Dyer
John Raymond Dyer Sr. OAM (15 November 1913 – 23 August 2003), nicknamed Captain Blood, was an Australian rules footballer who played for the Richmond Football Club in the Victorian Football League (VFL) between 1931 and 1949. One of the ga ...
*
Roy Wright Brownlow Medallist 1952, 1954
*
Carl Ditterich
Carl Robert Ditterich (born 10 October 1945) is a former Australian rules footballer who played for the St Kilda Football Club and Melbourne Football Club in the Victorian Football League (VFL). He also coached Melbourne for two years, as a ...
( and , 1963-1980)
*
John "Sam" Newman (Geelong, 1964-1980)
*
Gary Dempsey ( and , 1967-1984),
Brownlow Medallist 1975
*
Don Scott (, 1967-1981)
*
Graham Moss
Graham Frank Moss (born 14 May 1950) is a former Australian rules footballer who played for the Essendon Football Club in the Victorian Football League (VFL) and for the Claremont Football Club in the West Australian Football League (WAFL).
A ...
( and , 1968-1983),
[Pascoe, 1995, p. 39] Brownlow Medallist 1976
*
Barry Round
Barry James Round (26 January 1950 – 24 December 2022) was an Australian rules footballer. He played for and South Melbourne/Sydney in the Victorian Football League (VFL) between 1969 and 1985. He played 328 games (135 for Footscray and 19 ...
(Footscray and , 1969-1986),
Brownlow Medallist 1981
*
Rick Davies
Richard Davies (born 22 July 1944) is an English musician, singer and songwriter best known as founder, vocalist and keyboardist of the rock band Supertramp. Davies was its only constant member, and composed some of the band's best known songs ...
(, Hawthorn and , 1970-1986)
*
Simon Madden
Simon Madden (born 30 December 1957) is a former Australian rules footballer who played his entire 19-season career with the Essendon Football Club from 1974 until 1992. Madden is one of the most decorated players in the club's history and wi ...
(, 1974-1992),
Norm Smith Medallist 1985
*
Peter Moore ( and Melbourne, 1974-1987),
Brownlow Medallist 1979, 1984
*
Justin Madden
Justin Mark Madden (born 31 May 1961) is a former Australian rules footballer and state politician. He played for the Essendon Football Club and the Carlton Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL). After his retirement in 1997 ...
(Essendon and , 1980-1996)
*
Paul Salmon
Paul Salmon (born 20 January 1965) is a former Australian rules footballer who played in the Australian Football League for Essendon and Hawthorn. Recruited from North Ringwood, Salmon had a prolific career, with many accolades such as being ...
*
Jim Stynes
James Stynes OAM (23 April 196620 March 2012) was an Irish-born footballer who converted from Gaelic football to Australian rules football. Playing for the Melbourne Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL), he went on to become o ...
(Melbourne, 1987-1998),
Brownlow Medallist 1991
*
Scott Wynd
Scott Wynd (born 25 January 1970) is a former Australian rules footballer who played in the Australian Football League, playing with Footscray.
AFL career
Debuting in 1988, the 201 cm ruckman was the winner of the 1992 Brownlow Medal ...
(, 1988-2000),
Brownlow Medallist 1992
*
Peter Everitt
Peter "Spida" Everitt (born 3 May 1974) is a former Australian rules footballer who played for the St Kilda Football Club, Hawthorn Football Club and Sydney Swans in the Australian Football League (AFL). He played for St Kilda from 1993 to 2002 ...
*
Dean Cox
Dean Michael Cox (born 1 August 1981) is a former Australian rules footballer and current assistant coach of the Sydney Swans who played for the West Coast Eagles in the Australian Football League (AFL). Originally from Dampier, Western Austr ...
*
Shaun Rehn
Shaun Jason Rehn (born 17 August 1971) is a former professional Australian rules footballer who played for the Adelaide Football Club and the Hawthorn Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL).
Early career
Rehn grew up on a f ...
(, and Hawthorn, 1990-2002)
*
Matthew Primus
Matthew Richard Primus (born 12 January 1975) is a former coach of the Port Adelaide Football Club and Australian rules footballer, captain and All-Australian ruckman. He was also previously an assistant coach at the Gold Coast Football Club.
...
*
Jeff White
*
Corey McKernan
Corey McKernan (born 19 December 1973) is a former Australian rules footballer who played for the North Melbourne Kangaroos and Carlton Blues in the Australian Football League (AFL). A dual Premiership player a one time All Australian at North ...
*
Aaron Sandilands
*
Todd Goldstein
Todd Goldstein (born 1 July 1988) is an Australian rules footballer playing for the North Melbourne Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL). Goldstein is a ruckman who wears the number 22, and was drafted from the Oakleigh Charg ...
*
Max Gawn
Max Gawn (born 30 December 1991) is a professional Australian rules footballer playing for the Melbourne Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL). A ruckman, 208 cm tall and weighing 108 kg, Gawn is capable of contributing in both ...
Ruck rover
Before the 1950s, the role of the ruck-rover was known as the ''follower''. His role was to assist the ruckman and rover at centre bounces by blocking and shepherding them from opposition players.
[Pascoe, 1995, p. 41] This position disappeared in the 1950s with the success of
Ron Barassi, Jr. in a role designated for him by Melbourne coach
Norm Smith
Norman Walter Smith (21 November 1915 – 29 July 1973) was an Australian rules football player and coach in the Victorian Football League (VFL). After more than 200 games as a player with and , Smith began a twenty-year coaching career, inc ...
.
The closest equivalent of the follower position in today's game is known as a
tagger.
The ruck rover's job is to be directly beneath the flight of the ball when a ruckman taps the ball down, allowing an easy take away, or clearance, from a stoppage. Typically players are not as tall as the ruckman, typically ranging from 170–190 cm in height.
Notable followers and ruck-rovers in Australian football over the years include:
*
Ron Barassi, Jr. ( and , 1953-1969)
*
Paul Bagshaw
Paul Lynton Bagshaw (born 22 August 1946) is a former Australian rules footballer who represented in the South Australian National Football League (SANFL) during the 1960s and 1970s. Bagshaw played 360 games for the Double Blues and 14 for So ...
(, 1964-1980),
*
Michael Tuck
Michael Tuck (born 24 June 1953) is a seven-time premiership-winning player, Australian rules footballer with the Hawthorn Football Club in the Victorian Football League (VFL) / Australian Football League (AFL).
His 426 career games was a VFL/ ...
(, 1972-1991), former AFL career games record holder (426)
*
Robert Harvey
*
Chris Judd
Christopher Dylan Judd (born 8 September 1983) is a former professional Australian rules footballer and captain of both the West Coast Eagles and Carlton Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL).
Widely regarded as one of the bes ...
*
Jobe Watson
Jobe Watson (born 8 February 1985) is a former professional Australian rules footballer who played for the Essendon Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL). Watson, the son of three-time Essendon premiership champion Tim Watson, w ...
*
Daniel Kerr
Daniel Alan Kerr (born 16 May 1983) is a former Australian rules footballer who played for the West Coast Eagles in the Australian Football League (AFL). He played 220 games for the club between 2001 and 2013, as a hard-running inside midfie ...
*
Garry Hocking
Garry Andrew Hocking (born 8 October 1968) is a former Australian rules footballer who played for the Geelong Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL).
Tough and skilled in equal measure, Hocking was an integral part of Geelong's ...
(, 1987-2001)
[Pascoe, 1995, p. 42]
*
Michael McGuane ( and Carlton, 1987-1997)
*
Brad Sewell
Brad Sewell (born 2 February 1984) is a former Australian rules football player who played for the Hawthorn Football Club in the Australian Football League.
Early life
Sewell played junior football at the Newlyn Football Club which is part of ...
*
Trent Cotchin
Trent William Cotchin (born 7 April 1990) is an Australian rules footballer who plays for the Richmond Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL). He is a Brownlow Medallist, an All-Australian, a three-time Richmond best and fairest ...
Rover
The rover is a player who lurks around centre bounces and stoppages to receive the ball from a ruck rover and complete a clearance. Rovers are typically the smallest player on the ground.
Notable rovers in Australian football over the years include:
*
Harry Collier
Harry Collier (1 October 1907 – 16 August 1994) was an Australian rules footballer in the Victorian Football League.
Family
Collier was the older brother of former champion Collingwood player (and the 1929 Brownlow Medal winner) Albert. ...
(, 1926-1940),
[Pascoe, 1995, p. 40] Brownlow Medallist 1930
*
Haydn Bunton, Sr.
Haydn William Bunton (5 July 1911 – 5 September 1955) was an Australian rules footballer who represented in the Victorian Football League (VFL), in the West Australian Football League (WAFL), and in the South Australian National Football Le ...
(, and , 1931-1945),
Brownlow Medallist 1931, 1932, 1935; Sandover Medallist 1938, 1939, 1941; Named forward pocket in AFL Team of the Century (1996)
*
Allan Ruthven
Allan Gordon Ruthven (17 April 1922 – 14 March 2003) was an Australian rules footballer in the (then) Victorian Football League. He played his entire 222 game career with Fitzroy. In 1950, Ruthven won the prestigious Brownlow medal.
Playing ...
(Fitzroy, 1940-1954)
Brownlow Medallist 1950
*
Lou Richards
Lewis Thomas Charles "Lou" Richards, (15 March 1923 – 8 May 2017) was an Australian rules footballer who played 250 games for the Collingwood Football Club in the Victorian Football League (VFL) between 1941 and 1955. He captained the team ...
(Collingwood, 1941-1955)
*
Bill Hutchison
William Henry Hutchison (28 April 1923 – 18 June 1982), often referred to as "Hutchy", was an Australian rules footballer in the Victorian Football League (VFL) with the Essendon Football Club, who played 290 VFL games, from 1942 to 1957, an ...
(, 1942-1957),
Brownlow Medallist 1952, 1953
*
Steve Marsh ( and , 1945-1958)
Sandover Medallist 1952
*
Bob Skilton
Robert John "Bob" Skilton (born 8 November 1938) is a former Australian rules footballer who represented in the Victorian Football League (1897–1989), Victorian Football League (VFL).
Playing as a Football (Australian rules) positions#Foll ...
(, 1956-1971),
Brownlow Medallist 1959, 1963, 1968; Named rover in AFL Team of the Century (1996)
*
Bill Goggin (, 1958-1971)
*
Ross G. Smith (, 1961-1975),
Brownlow medallist 1967
*
Bill Walker Bill Walker may refer to:
Australian rules football
* Bill A. Walker (1886–1934), Australian rules footballer for Essendon
* Bill Walker (Australian footballer, born 1883) (1883–1971), Australian rules footballer for Fitzroy
* Bill J. V. Wal ...
(, 1961-1976),
Sandover Medallist 1965, 1966, 1967, 1970
*
Barry Cable
Barry Thomas Cable MBE (born 22 September 1943) is a former Australian rules footballer and coach. Considered one of the greatest rovers in the sport's history, he played in 379 premiership games in the Western Australian Football League (WAFL ...
(, and , 1962-1979),
Sandover Medallist 1964, 1968, 1973
*
Kevin Bartlett (, 1965-1983)
*
Peter Crimmins
Peter Crimmins (8 July 1948 – 28 September 1976) was an Australian rules footballer who played for the Hawthorn Football Club in the Victorian Football League (VFL). "Crimmo" was known as a lightly-built but courageous and skilful rover whose ...
(, 1966-1971)
*
Leigh Matthews
Leigh Raymond Matthews (born 1 March 1952) is a former Australian rules footballer and coach. He played for Hawthorn in the Victorian Football League (VFL) and coached and the .
Squat, short-legged and barrel-chested, Matthews earned the ic ...
(Hawthorn, 1969-1985),
Named forward pocket in AFL Team of the Century (1996)
*
Tony Liberatore
Anthony Liberatore (born 11 February 1966) is a former Australian rules footballer who represented the in the Australian Football League (AFL).
Liberatore is the only player to have won league best-and-fairest medals in all three grades of V ...
(, 1986-2002),
Brownlow Medallist 1990
*
John Platten
John Patrick Platten (born 17 March 1963) is a retired Australian rules footballer.
Platten's career began in the SANFL, where he won a Magarey Medal with Central District, and also with Hawthorn, where he played in four premierships as we ...
(Hawthorn, 1986-1997),
Magarey Medallist 1984, Brownlow Medallist 1987
*
Gary Ablett, Jr. (Geelong and , 2002-2020),
Brownlow Medallist 2009, 2013
References
Bibliography
*
See also
*
Football (Australian rules) positions
In the sport of Australian rules football, each of the eighteen players in a team is assigned to a particular named position on the field of play. These positions describe both the player's main role and by implication their location on the gro ...
{{DEFAULTSORT:Follower (Australian Rules Football)
Australian rules football terminology