\u201cIt\u2019s not the year where you can just cruise into the top four like Hawthorn have done before, you\u2019ll have to absolutely bust a gut to get there.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"Dermott](\"https:\/\/cms.fiveaa.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/roughead.jpg\" "\\"Dermott")
<\/p>\n
Roughead will be sidelined for five months<\/h6>\nRalph said Roughead was crucial to Hawthorn\u2019s premiership chances.<\/h3>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s the cumulative effect if another player goes down,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s the ability to chop out in the ruck, to play forward when Jack Gunston goes down back during the last ten minutes of quarters.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is five months. This is absolutely massive. Can they still win the flag with him missing some games? Of course it\u2019s possible, but it\u2019s still a huge blow.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ralph also raised questions over Hawthorn\u2019s ruck stocks.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019ve lost four players in positions Roughead is able to reinforce,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere were times when their ruck stocks weren\u2019t that great, he was able to chop out a David Hale. Brian Lake was there at times and they still wanted to reinforce the defence with Gunston who just rolled back just so fantastically. This year though, (Hale and Lake) aren\u2019t there.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are yet to see whether their ruck stocks are weak. Yes we know they have (Jonathon) Ceglar there and yes we know they have Ben McEvoy. We are yet to see whether Frawley can do what he did in the Grand Final, go forward and back and be a very valuable contributor.\u201d<\/p>\n
When Ralph spoke with Rowey and Bicks on FIVEAA, he dished the latest on Essendon\u2019s appeal over the guilty doping verdict handed to them by the Court of Arbitration for Sport.<\/p>\n