Fremantle are on top of the AFL ladder. Peel are on top of the WAFL ladder….

Everything’s smelling like roses down at Cockburn.

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Here are just a few of the points worth knowing this week:

A ruck for the Brownlow?

Here are just some of Luke Jackson’s performances in the past couple of months:

28 disposals, three goals, six clearances, 25 hit-outs v Geelong

19 disposals, three goals, four clearances, 22 hit-outs v North Melbourne

22 disposals, seven clearances, 21 hit-outs v St Kilda

22 disposals, seven clearances, 10 tackles, 22 hit-outs v Hawthorn

Just to be clear, those are crazy numbers. Jackson has been at the heart of Fremantle’s dominant form this season. He starts the scoring chains with his ruck work, follows up with aggression once the ball hits the deck, then runs forward to help finish off the side’s work in front of goals.

He’s one of a kind. He’ll be nudging the lead of the AFL Coaches’ votes this week. And he could legitimately be a Brownlow Medal chance, something we’ve not seen from a ruck in decades.

Image Credit: Daniel Carson/AFL Photos

More on the way too

For some reason WA has become really good at producing ruckmen.

Jackson and Tim English are two of the best ruckmen in the AFL, and in the WA U18s there are two more who are earmarked for big things.

Benji van Rooyen and Axel Walsh teamed up to get the better of No.1 draft pick contender Harry Van Hattum on the weekend as Vic Metro finished stronger to defeat WA in the second round of the National U18 Boys Championships.

Van Rooyen is eligible for this year’s draft and is more of a traditional ruck, although a high-end one. Walsh on the other hand is already earmarked as a pre-draft selection for Tasmania. He is nimble and athletic and can beat you in several ways. Remember both their names.

A teenage terror

WA’s U18 girls were also beaten by Vic Metro in the National U18 Girls Championships, but unearthed a 15-year-old star.

Caitlin Boss was one of WA’s best at the U16 champs earlier this year and couldn’t have been more impressive in her U18s State debut. The Subiaco product had a team-high 23 disposals and a game-high six inside 50s.

She’s still two years away from being drafted, but expect big things from Boss.

Image Credit: Paul Kane/AFL Photos