Leek Aleer’s New Role as Ruckman Offers Fresh Opportunity
Leek Aleer, a young talent in the GWS Giants lineup, is making the most of his transition to the ruck position. This change could be the key to breaking into Adam Kingsley’s best side, especially with the team looking to build on their recent success.
After only two games in the center square, Aleer has embraced the shift ahead of Sunday’s match against the Gold Coast Suns at People First Stadium. The decision comes as senior ruckman Kieren Briggs returns to the lineup following an injury to Nick Madden. GWS has now secured back-to-back wins for the first time this season after starting with a 3-4 record.
The Suns, who have a 4-3 record, will be without several key players, including big man Jarrod Witts and Brownlow medallist Matt Rowell. Zeke Uwland is also rested, with five changes made to their side.
On the Giants’ side, first-year player Ollie Hannaford has been replaced by Joe Fonti, who returns after serving a one-match suspension.
Ameer has shown promise in his role as a backup ruckman to Madden, scoring a goal while managing 12 hitouts against North Melbourne’s Tristan Xerri. This performance helped GWS secure a hard-fought seven-point win.
However, Aleer’s start to the season was not without challenges. He was disappointed by a failed trade to St Kilda last year, which derailed his plans. A groin injury further complicated his early season.
Before this year, Aleer had only played 25 games across four seasons since making his debut in 2022. He had been pursuing a move to Victoria, where he struggled to break into the Giants’ stacked backline, which includes injured players like Sam Taylor and Jack Buckley.
“I’m just very grateful, honestly, to be able to just play games and be out on the park,” Aleer told AAP. “Last year, I had a couple of things going on and wasn’t able to obviously do the full intense pre-season that a lot of boys have, but I still feel pretty fit.”
He added, “It’s (ruck craft) different, but it has a lot of fun aspects to it. And then there’s obviously a grind to it.”
Guided by assistant coach Shane Mumford and occasional viewings of Max Gawn highlights, Aleer hopes his transformation will make him a non-negotiable in Kingsley’s side should they make finals. So far, he has played just one post-season match — last year’s elimination final loss to Hawthorn.
“I’m just trying to do my best to be as much of a weapon as I can in that aspect of the game,” Aleer said. “It definitely does suit my game and that jumping side of it is definitely a big aspect of why I’m currently playing ruck.”
He concluded, “Obviously, I don’t make the final calls. That’s up to the coaches, but at the moment I’m just trying to do the best I possibly can.”
