There’s no one statistic that can define a great ruckman, however the primary role of the ruck has stayed the same since its inception - win the hitouts.
In overtaking Aaron Sandilands for the all-time hitout record, Todd Goldstein has cemented his place as one of the all-time great talls of the competition, with his 31 hitouts against West Coast moving him over 20 clear of the Fremantle great.
Such is the dominance and longevity of Goldstein, he is over 2000 hitouts clear of any active player, and former North Melbourne ruck Hamish McIntosh says Goldstein has redefined the position over the course of his career.
“When ‘Goldy’ was coming through he became known for, his ability to grind his opponents into the ground and ruck for 90 per cent of the game on minimal rest,” McIntosh told North Media.
“He has the ability just to work his opponent over and that’s due to the work he’s put in to get to this point in his career. It’s a credit to him.
“What’s amazing about Goldy’s career which I really respect myself is just the longevity. It’s pretty hard to play as long as he has in such a brutal position, but he’s barely missed any football.
“To have that hitout record is a pretty incredible effort.”
Selected with the 37th pick in the 2006 National Draft, Goldstein’s lack of football background saw him drop to North’s third selection of the day.
It took until Round 15, 2008 for him to get his first crack at the AFL, making his debut in a two-point win over a Port Adelaide side featuring premiership ruck Dean Brogan. He finished with 4 disposals and 13 hitouts.
McIntosh says the player Goldstein has become today is a credit to the hard work he out in over those first few seasons.
“He was pretty raw when he got to the footy club, he obviously came from a pretty different background in terms of his basketball background. He came to the club having not played a lot of football,” McIntosh said.
“The way he improved and really fast-tracked his career over those first three or four seasons, it’s pretty incredible to end up where he is now as one of the best rucks of the last 20 to 25 years.
“It’s a credit to him and the work he put in ... at the start he definitely needed a lot of work, but he put the yards in and look where he is now, he’s just a fantastic player.”
At the age of 33, Goldstein is obviously closer to the end of his playing career than the beginning, but the number-22 is showing no signs of slowing down.
Kicking the game-sealing goal against the Eagles was just reward for breaking the hitout record earlier in the contest, with Nic Naitanui often struggling to deal with Goldstein’s defining asset - his engine.
It was through those sessions in the late 2000’s though that Goldstein started the journey to becoming the era-defining club legend he is today.
There’s often a moment where everything clicks for a young professional, and McIntosh says Goldstein’s moment was one pre-season early in his career.
“I can’t remember an exact moment but there was a year, maybe his third or fourth year, that he (Goldstein) came back really fit,” he said.
“He all of a sudden went from a runner in the back third of the field to being top ten in the time trials and one of the best runners at the club.
“That particular year was the year it all hit him and he realised he could be a really great player at AFL level.
“It’s always good to see great North people go well and he deserves everything he gets. He’ll keep hitting those milestones flying and there’s no doubt he’s got plenty more in the tank.”
