Rowan Marshall has grown into one of the game’s best ruckmen across the last 12 months and Kane Cornes could not be more impressed by the St Kilda big man.
The 24-year-old played a more secondary role on Saturday night as the Saints beat Port Adelaide, staying forward while Paddy Ryder dominated in the ruck.
Marshall kicked two goals, laid five tackles and had 15 disposals in the win and Cornes feels he might just be the next captain of St Kilda.
“I was nervous (about St Kilda playing Ryder and Marshall together), I thought why would you move your number one ruckman who is so important to them because Paddy Ryder hadn’t embraced playing forward,” Cornes told SEN’s Whateley.
“Any thought that Ryder was going to come in and hold down a key forward spot was not what I’d seen from Ryder at Port Adelaide, but Marshall does have that forward craft and he seems to be embracing of the fact that if Paddy is on top at the centre bounce, he’s happy to play in the forward line and get a mismatch on someone like Justin Westhoff and try and expose that.
“I’m just so impressed by Marshall. I think he has captain written all over him.
“Yes he’s raw and in the media at times he does look a little bit nervous, but he’ll develop into that.
“I’m impressed by the way that he’s embraced having the help of Ryder.”
Cornes believes Ryder and Marshall’s dominance helped St Kilda control the stoppages against a Port Adelaide team that has been strong in the clearances this year.
“Set up around the stoppages (St Kilda) were harder, they were tougher and Ryder looks like a man on a mission,” he said.
“He looks like a player that is proud and was stung by being dropped earlier in the year and Marshall who I see as being the next captain, very rarely would you get two ruckman from the same team as the best two on the ground.
“I’m looking forward to seeing the coaches votes on that one, but those two in particular were great. They kicked eight goals from stoppages and Port Adelaide chucked some things around, but had no answers for how tough and how strong the Saints were.”