Resilient Witts merits All-Australian nod
FORMER premiership-winning Geelong ruckman Steven King says Jarrod Witts deserves an All-Australian jersey this season after what he believes is “the best return from an ACL of any individual” that he has seen.
Gold Coast co-captain Witts, 29, has played every game in 2022 since returning from the ACL injury he suffered in round three last year.
He boasts almost 100 more hit-outs than any other ruckman while also leading total clearances and ranking third for tackles within the position group.
Melbourne skipper Max Gawn has become the big-man benchmark in recent years, earning four consecutive AA selections and five in the past six seasons.
Champion Data has the Dees star ranked first among rucks averaging 113 ranking points per game, ahead of Tim English (112) and Witts (111).
Gawn and West Coast star Nic Naitanui have held a monopoly on the team since 2020, though the latter’s injury-impacted 2022 campaign will rule him out of contention for this year’s honour. Young Western Bulldogs ruck English has racked up midfielder-type numbers this season and is another whose name has been floated, though he has played just 11 of a possible 18 games.
A man who knows English well is former Western Bulldogs assistant coach King, who left the Whitten Oval after 10 years to join the Suns as their midfield coach this season.
King believes Witts’s continuity and level of influence within his team should have him “right in the thick of the conversation” for AllAustralian honours.
“In our eyes he’s by far one of our most valuable players,” King said. “I think now the outside footy world is starting to understand how important (Witts) is.”