Training 2023 Pre-season thread

[Mighty Lions]

But at the same time, last year that they rated a injured Lyons over Robertson as well and that’s a 100% wrong decision, which still boggles me how on Earth he wasn’t dropped/managed at all during the season and be replaced with players like Robertson and co, who were banging the door down every week in the reserves and getting limited time in the AFL.

Just hope Fages and the other coaches start to manage the older players (Zorko/Lyons/Rich) throughout the season much better in exchange for in-form players in the VFL, cause that was one of the reasons why we didn’t win the flag last year, as brutal as it sounds.

Can we all move on from that now or is this something that will linger all year?

 

[BangyBangy]

Can we all move on from that now or is this something that will linger all year?

Lol, you know where you are right?

 

[Cubs2Lions]

Can we all move on from that now or is this something that will linger all year?

I will linger on that decision for the rest of my life, just like the coaches decision to play CEY in that 2020 preliminary final at home and when they delisted Keays, Walker & Bastinac at the end of 2019 - absolutely outrage and shambles of a footy club and I demand a violent protest tomorrow at Springfield immediately to voice our anger

*- Don’t worry guys, I’m so very proud and thankful of what Fages and co have done for this footy club in the past 6/7 years and even though there might have been some minor bumps on the road with our team selection policy/etc, I’ll still take the situation that we are in now then 10 years ago (when the club was in a complete shamble in all aspects)

 

[Balony_pony16]

Jarrod could play more inside midfield but at the moment Berry is our only proven winger.
I prefer McCluggage on the other wing but that is not going to happen. But he will spend some time on the wing.

Don't see Berry as an inside mid with the addition of Dunkley and Ashcroft. However, Berry will get some inside midfield time when deemed necessary.

I see the engine room midfield as Neale, Dunkley, McCluggage, Ashcroft, Lyons. With F/M Rayner, Zorko, Bailey. That's an excellent midfield group.

We actually have too many midfielders to fit into a balanced team. McCluggage going to a wing would fix this issue but as i said it is not going to happen.
I will post a team with some gaps and will be interested in what players BF posters think will fill the gaps.

Problem with lugg inside is that opposition mids get off the chain easily against him

 

[Dalions]

Problem with lugg inside is that opposition mids get off the chain easily against him

He gets off the chain a bit himself too though doesn’t he.

 

[briztoon]

Sorry about your head.
Thanks, went back to page 55 and changed the 3 times i used both in the same post.
Getting older briztoon going to make some silly errors.

lol. I feel bad and lolz for this, but you still missed one in that post.

 

[martinson]

He gets off the chain a bit himself too though doesn’t he.

McCluggage is verging on elite and I live in hope that he reproduces what he did in that first quarter or so at Ballarat a couple of years ago when he just had the ball on a string and no one could get near him.

He has it in him to reproduce that more often now that we bat a bit deeper and I don't really think it matters much where or how we play him. He's a gun and he'll make it work.

He's 25 this year. This should be the year he cracks AA.

 

[briztoon]

Can we all move on from that now or is this something that will linger all year?

All year long baby.

 

[briztoon]

Lucky Big Footy Lions Supporters don't pick the best 22. Fagan & Co rate a fit Lyons in the midfield well ahead of several that are popular on here. Providing JL is fit and close to his best, I am confident he will line up so get ready for some melts on here.

If he’s fit and producing, I doubt there will be too many melts. But woe be tide Fagan if Lyons plays a stinker.

 

[martinson]

If he’s fit and producing, I doubt there will be too many melts. But woe be tide Fagan if Lyons plays a stinker.

To be fair there weren't too many melts last year when he was stinking it up , just arms outstretched saying wtf are we doing .

Jarrod's been a great servant of the club and everyone hopes he can get back near his best form which would be an asset to the team.

If he plays a stinker or two we have others who could step up.

 

[Section 5]

Lucky Big Footy Lions Supporters don't pick the best 22. Fagan & Co rate a fit Lyons in the midfield well ahead of several that are popular on here. Providing JL is fit and close to his best, I am confident he will line up so get ready for some melts on here.

So far only 4 posters have selected Jarrod Lyons.

Section 5, On the Quiet, Long Lion and AFL Freak (his/her very first post)

Do you want to make it 5.

However, you should read my post 1364 on page 55.
You may actually want to vote for someone else .

Total - Dev 15, Lyons 4, Tunstall 3

 

[martinson]

So far only 4 posters have selected Jarrod Lyons.

Section 5, On the Quiet, Long Lion and AFL Freak (his/her very first post)

Do you want to make it 5.

However, you should read my post 1364 on page 55.
You may actually want to vote for someone else .

Total - Dev 15, Lyons 4, Tunstall 3

I got suckered in to Dev because I thought we were talking about he and Lyons only.

So I'd like to change my vote to Ah Chee. Just to get him somewhere into the conversation.

 

[Section 5]

I got suckered in to Dev because I thought we were talking about he and Lyons only.

So I'd like to change my vote to Ah Chee. Just to get him somewhere into the conversation.

Done
You do realize by choosing Ah Chee, both Dev & Lyons do not make the team.

Total - Dev 14, Lyons 4, Tunstill 2, Ah Chee 1.

 

[martinson]

Done
You do realize by choosing Ah Chee, Dev & Lyons do not make the team.

Total - Dev 14, Lyons 4, Tunstill 2, Ah Chee 1.

Seems reasonable.

 

[Scubaveg]

Sent from my iPhone using BigFooty.com

 

[Mighty Lions]

Lol, you know where you are right?

JL has played some amazing football for our club but a lot of posters seem to forget about that but vividly remember the second half of last season where he obviously under performed while carrying an injury. I sincerely hope he gets back to full fitness and does a Teddy Whitten to all of the ones here who have written him off.

 

[BangyBangy]

JL has played some amazing football for our club but a lot of posters seem to forget about that but vividly remember the second half of last season where he obviously under performed while carrying an injury. I sincerely hope he gets back to full fitness and does a Teddy Whitten to all of the ones here who have written him off.

Haven't seen many writing him off. Not from my take reading the last few pages. Even those who think that Dev should get a run ahead of him this season acknowledge that a fully fit JL would probably be a nose ahead in the pecking order. It's a tight race, with a lot for the match panel to consider.

But why wouldn't the last half of the last season be vivid in supporters minds? Of course it would be.

 

[martinson]

JL has played some amazing football for our club but a lot of posters seem to forget about that but vividly remember the second half of last season where he obviously under performed while carrying an injury. I sincerely hope he gets back to full fitness and does a Teddy Whitten to all of the ones here who have written him off.

ML noone's writing him off . Everyone appreciates what he's done for the club.

I think most are just wondering whether he can get back to what he was considering what he's been through.

But we hope he does.

I don't think anyone wants a fight about it.

 

[mattsmob]

ML noone's writing him off . Everyone appreciates what he's done for the club.

I think most are just wondering whether he can get back to what he was considering what he's been through.

But we hope he does.

I don't think anyone wants a fight about it.

Just to add to this, from my reading a lot of the people leaving Lyons out of their teams are doing so on the basis of team balance rather than JL’s actual ability.

Nobody is bashing him and I don’t think it’s unreasonable to say that there is potentially 4 better pure midfielders at the club than JL. Originally I had Dev in the 22 for team balance reasons but realised if I’m doing that then I might as well have Tunstill instead as he’s more suited to the wing.

 

[Viceregal]

Can we all move on from that now or is this something that will linger all year?

While not as legendary as the infamous "No" thread there is a slight tendency around here to keep certain things in mind

edit - sorry to lioninthesand ... to anyone else new to said thread read to at least post #23

 

[morsie]

As long as all the mids improve their defensive running and positioning I don't really care who gets selected for the last couple of spots

 

[Section 5]

View attachment 1606408


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They could have used one of my other 2 photos.
At least the other 2 were easier to read.

 

[Cubs2Lions]

Just to add to this, from my reading a lot of the people leaving Lyons out of their teams are doing so on the basis of team balance rather than JL’s actual ability.

Nobody is bashing him and I don’t think it’s unreasonable to say that there is potentially 4 better pure midfielders at the club than JL. Originally I had Dev in the 22 for team balance reasons but realised if I’m doing that then I might as well have Tunstill instead as he’s more suited to the wing.

It just depends on the opposition we face that will decide who gets that final spot in our lineup now.

What I will say though is Ashcroft is 100% ahead of Robertson and Lyons already will his ability now and long-term potential as well cause it might only be 2 or 3 intra club games in, but my gosh we have a future legend at our club for the next 15-20 years.

 

[Viceregal]

The reason I don't have Lyons in my default team was that he was presented around here as him and Neale doing the same role and that was unbalancing the midfield mix. Given a choice between the two I would naturally go for Neale. With Dunkley being added and the, at least in words, greater emphasis on team defence his relative lack of defensive run made for a second strike.

There may be different ways to setup a midfield (of course there are) and we didn't spend all of those years taunting the Suns for letting us have Lyons because we thought he was a spud and without him we wouldn't have grown the way we did (and in all likelihood not gained the same trade-ins that that led to) and of course the recency bias of both Lyons limping and wanting Dev to get on both lead to a lower than previous chance of him being picked from a fan perpective.

I love our attack but I have always hated playing glass cannons in games so have a natural propensity towards a more balanced engine room.

I won't be melting if Lyons is picked but he is in that group of players that I will probably notice what he does wrong more than what he does right (actually I never really notice him at games and only know how he is going on the basis of comments on here)

 

[Mr Ripper]

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Section 5 Hope they asked permission and gave due acknowledgement.