Toby Nankervis has been 4th in line at the Swans in the ruck pecking order, sitting behind Tippett, Sinclair and Naismith. He has a 7-5 record (58%) in his 12 games at the Swans, across a period when the Swans won 70% of their games (with 4 of the 15 losses being in finals). His highest hitout count of 24 came against St Kilda this year, he’s kicked 3 goals in his career, gotten 15 disposals a couple of times, taken 6 contested marks.
In short, there’s nothing to suggest he has tremendous value above any other random replacement-level ruckman Richmond could have targeted to complement Hampson and, ideally, gradually displace Maric as his back-up.
Nankervis is being valued here as a discounted former pick 35. The trade of pick 46 for him is pretty bang on the money for that, especially considering the low value he has to the Swans as anything other than depth. If Nankervis exceeds his output so far, it must be borne in mind that he would not have had a chance to do so at the Swans.
The hope for Richmond is that Nankervis is a slow developing big, and develops either his forward or ruck skills to AFL-average levels over the next few years. Nankervis is 199cm – tall but not a towering monster, and doesn’t have that natural height advantage over most ruckmen. If Nankervis shows signs of life down at Tigerland this might be a good deal, but paying too much for a fourth ruckman is a fraught game.
Verdict: A seemingly fair trade for both sides.
Hurling People Now 