Training Training reports 2024

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Giving everyone a pass for disposal today, was blowing a gale towards one wing and really no point breaking it down.

My standout, Tom Powell. Dominated the middle and was clean around the ground. Think he finished with a goal too. At stages went head to head with LDU. Looked levels above in conditions others struggled in.

Some thoughts on individuals (ask away on ones not below):
• Wardlaw - Heavily involved. Kicked plenty of floaters but as mentioned above giving them all a pass.
• Chom - played the first half and was really solid.
• K.Dawson - I will say again, I think he’s the first picked alongside Corr rd1. He was great, lot of praise from teammates and coaches.
• Stephens - Had a heap of it and provided heaps of run.
• McKercher - Had his fair share of moments the dash through the middle to set up the goal in the 3rd qtr was very exciting. (maybe 2nd?)
• LDU - got more involved as it went on, was nice and clean in tight.
•Hardeman - Looked good when he got going. Huge work rate, every time he’d dispose of it he’d bust his arse to get on the end of it again.
• Finnbar - Nice dukes, stuck just about everything. Few really nice pack marks.
• W.Dawson - few nice intercepts. Plenty to work with there.

From the vfl lads:
  • Watkins, held his own against the listed players, was solid.
  • Downie was solid again
  • Capperllari was really nice on occasions, used the ball well a few times in crap conditions.
  • Sellers, competed well but the delivery inside 50 from both sides was ordinary.
  • Deakyn Smith, looked pretty good again today. Nice pickup for the vfl team.

Whole squad minus the first years from what I could see, were going through repeat sprints when I left.
 
I'm depressed. A mate of mine (non-north) was there taking pics and called me to say the team looks very ordinary and we are in for another year of being the easy beats. Said he could see the semblance of Clark's game plan developing but the players skills are just poor and although the weather didn't help, he has never seen so many players consistently unable to hit a target by hand or foot. I thanked him for the good news.
 

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backtothedraft said:
North Training 26.01.24

Rehab group: Luke McDonald, Eddie Ford, Zac Fisher, Tristan Xerri, Jackson Archer, Taylor Goad, Curtis Taylor - off at the start of the session doing running. Transitioned into some light ball skill work and returned roughly at half time of the match sim. McDonald, Fisher and Goad continued running laps thereafter. Didn’t see Logue of Shiels.

Started with some group running and warm up than split up into line groups pre match sim for further running and some drills focusing on clearance work, pressure on the ball, getting the ball to the outside and kicking inside and exiting 50.

Midfield: Sheezel, Wardlaw, Simpkin, Tucker, LDU, Stephens, Simpkin, CCJ

Defenders: Dawson, Nyoun, Goater, Bergman, McKercher, Scott

Forwards: Zurhaar, Stephenson, Curtis, Duursma, Greenwood, Larkey

Yellow Team (possibles): Phillips, Powell, Drury, Comben, W. Dawson, Free, Hansen Jr., Pink, Maley, George, Hardeman, Harvey, Taylor (joined 1/2 time)

Blue (probables): Wardlaw, Duursma, Scott, Stephens, Simpkin, Zurhaar, McKercher, Stephenson, Curtis, CCJ, Sheezel, Lazarro, Tucker, K.Dawson, Nyoun, Bergman, Goater, Greenwood, Larkey, Stephenson, LDU

Match Sim:
Q1
  • Powell and Phillips involved in some good play for the yellow team out the gate.
  • Scott’s run and carry a standout and covering some serious ground. Give, get and go. Sets up a number of scoring opportunities early
  • Greenwood playing as a hybrid forward in first rotation
  • Players noticeably sticking tackles
  • Wardlaw a touch shakey by foot at times but heaps of the footy
  • 5 minutes of scrappy play. Conditions are difficult. Theme of the day
  • Comben looks noticeably knackered playing as the deepest defender for yellow team. Wins a free kick in a good one on one with Greenwood
  • Q1 finishes Blue 1.4.10 - Yellow 0.2.2
Q2
  • Maley has great hands, awkward kick.
  • Sellers outmarks Nyoun and Dawson though was favoured by the kick. Converts. Nyoun gets knock to the leg but would return
  • Coaching staff would be disappointed with Blue team being beaten on transition a number of times this quarter
  • The conditions make it really difficult to assess skills. Wardlaw continues to get a heap of the footy but hasn’t hit a kick.
  • Mckercher relies heavily on his left. Beautiful kick. Looks identical to Merrit. Would hit a nice pass on his right later in the game..
  • Comben a couple of intercept marks
  • Q2 Blue 2.5.17 - Yellow 2.3.15

After the first two quarters completed you can see the investment in the midfield is going to pay off. It’s bottomless, and the contested work in tight is great. Conditions and skills aren’t allowing for the ball to go inside/outside quickly. Looks like the side will be stacked behind the ball with players that can kick, run and carry. McKercher, Bergman, Sheezel, Goater, Scott all got a decent amount of ball through there hands. Hardeman and George the primarily distributors for the Yellow team and you’ve got Fisher on the sidelines. Hard to get a read on forward and defensive structure, but it’s obvious that personnel in those areas continues to be the biggest point of concern.

Q3.
  • Comben and George done for the day. George with knock but body language suggests not too serious. Curtis Taylor joins the yellow team
  • Curtis and Zurhaar have had bursts in the middle and have both had an impact, with Curtis converting on the run
  • Yellow go up the other end and score with Hansen Jr involved a few times
  • W. Dawson has spent time playing on Larkey. Plays AFL this year. Nice intercept mark. Capable at ground level and seems confident with ball in hand. Great frame.
  • Mckercher burst through the middle two bounces and hits Stephenson who converts.
  • Stephenson has another couple of shots and converts after a nice 40m pass into the corridor by Tucker who summed up the situation well
  • Zurhaar has really come into the game. You can tell a few of the boys are in 3rd gear but putting in effort where required. LDU might still be in 1st.
  • Wardlaw in tight my goodness
  • Comben running laps for the whole quarter
  • Q3 finishes Blue 6.10.46 - Yellow 3.4.22
Q4.
  • Greenwood starts in ruck against Free
  • Ball slips out to Drury who snaps and converts for Yellow
  • Drury has had a few nice moments and gets it out to Powell who kicks a banana from 40m
  • A couple of transition plays for the blue team have been broken by poor linking hand passes, positively through players getting their hands in the lane in the yellow team to stop the run.
  • Both forward lines not showing much ability to retain the ball inside 50m
  • Yellow kick back with the wind and the game end tight with Blue just getting over the line

Best: Powell, Wardlaw, Scott, Phillips, Stephens, Mckercher

Overall Observations
  • The midfield will carry the team to some victories this year, and that will be required. In saying that, the midfield mix is still up in the air. You could tell Wardlaw, Phillips, Lazarro and Powell were really pushing themselves
  • Darcy Tucker and Dylan Stephens are the starting wingman in round 1 with Scott settling into the backline.
  • The conditions made skills and game style hard to assess, but transitioning the ball and stopping the transition remain a challenge
  • There are a number of player that can run carry and break the lines now, but will have to work on their composure.
  • The backline has some potency offensively that will do well under the roof of marvel. The presence of Corr, Logue and McDonald will be important to make sure it’s balanced with players that can negate the opposition. K.Dawson looked most likely, and I’d probably have Pink ahead of Nyoun personally as performed better with tougher opponents throughout the day.
  • I think the forward line is relatively settled. Whether Duursma plays R1 will be dependent on the health of Ford I’d imagine. With Xerri back, CCJ plays the forward ruck role played by Xerri today.
Questions:
  • Ruck Situation: CCJ rucked and was good, with Free getting the better of him when wrestling heavily at times. Greenwood used as ruck sparingly
  • Sheezel positioning: Was apart of the midfield when they split into groups for running. First rotation midfielder in match sim. Setting up behind the stoppage as sweeper but then later moved into backline. Think his position will remain fluid.
  • Forward line structure/personnel: in the main group was Zurhaar, Stephenson, Curtis, Duursma, Greenwood, Larkey. You’d imagine CCJ apart of this group but can’t see it changing much before R1
  • Dylan Stephens: Great in space carrying the ball but probably struggled with finished touches. Found himself in some difficult positions when in tight, particularly trying to handball over the top of opponents. Plenty of the footy, and runs hard both ways
  • Defence, Is it worrying?: It’s hard to get a read without all the personnel that will be there in R1 but it’s definitely not worrying. I think we’ve got the right players to hurt opponents offensively from defence but whether we can stop them from scoring remains an issue
  • Robert Hansen Jr: had some moment playing as a high half forward. Work rate and fitness has improved dramatically but he still probably doesn’t get his hands on the ball enough to stand out. He isn’t a Prototype small forward, rather a half forward who pushes up high.
  • How are players who’ve had interrupted preseasons progressing (Comben, George, LDU, CCJ, Taylor)?: Mostly covered in other notes. LDU looked great but took it easy. Still played four quarters
  • Tom Powell: Dominated early and continued to be in the game. Was the most composed player with ball in hand. If he’s not playing senior with us this year he’s a starting midfielder somewhere else next year.
I left at the end of match sim. Hopefully that gives some insight to anyone that wasn’t there. My opinions obviously won’t always reflect others that were there, but questions are welcome.
Click to expand...
Thanks - great review. Did Sheezle look fit? Still rumours around he is carrying an injury.
 
One thing i forgot to mention, for those who went along and that was their first glimpse into things today, don’t walk away too disheartened by the level on show today. Been to 3 match sims before today and this was by far the worst. Plenty of positives in other hit outs. Conditions were awful today and won’t get much of that during the season apart from down Tassie.
 
gokangas said:
I'm depressed. A mate of mine (non-north) was there taking pics and called me to say the team looks very ordinary and we are in for another year of being the easy beats. Said he could see the semblance of Clark's game plan developing but the players skills are just poor and although the weather didn't help, he has never seen so many players consistently unable to hit a target by hand or foot. I thanked him for the good news.
Click to expand...

I was there and disposal by foot was severely impacted by wind. Kicking for goal to one end you had to put the ball outside the point post to have a chance.
 
gokangas said:
Thanks - great review. Did Sheezle look fit? Still rumours around he is carrying an injury.
Click to expand...
Played 4 quarters. If he’s carrying something minor I wouldn’t have any concerns. He’s already put in the work and looks fit. Can at times reach for his legs and his gait can be a bit proppy but he’ll be there R1
 
Awesome to hear how well Dawson is going, I have big hopes for him. Reckon he could be a real find.
 
gokangas said:
I'm depressed. A mate of mine (non-north) was there taking pics and called me to say the team looks very ordinary and we are in for another year of being the easy beats. Said he could see the semblance of Clark's game plan developing but the players skills are just poor and although the weather didn't help, he has never seen so many players consistently unable to hit a target by hand or foot. I thanked him for the good news.
Click to expand...

Bit like me leaving the Dogs preseason game last year. Hopeless

But then a couple of weeks later I had the biggest cheer in years on the siren v Eagles in Round 1
 
pipe dream said:
Adrian Dodoro filming from his car behind the goals
Click to expand...

Scotts and * are heading up here in a couple of weeks for their Community Camp

Scotts is doing a Coaching Seminar on “the inner workings of a high performance environment “
 

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backtothedraft said:
North Training 26.01.24

Rehab group: Luke McDonald, Eddie Ford, Zac Fisher, Tristan Xerri, Jackson Archer, Taylor Goad, Curtis Taylor - off at the start of the session doing running. Transitioned into some light ball skill work and returned roughly at half time of the match sim. McDonald, Fisher and Goad continued running laps thereafter. Didn’t see Logue of Shiels.

Started with some group running and warm up than split up into line groups pre match sim for further running and some drills focusing on clearance work, pressure on the ball, getting the ball to the outside and kicking inside and exiting 50.

Midfield: Sheezel, Wardlaw, Simpkin, Tucker, LDU, Stephens, Simpkin, CCJ

Defenders: Dawson, Nyoun, Goater, Bergman, McKercher, Scott

Forwards: Zurhaar, Stephenson, Curtis, Duursma, Greenwood, Larkey

Yellow Team (possibles): Phillips, Powell, Drury, Comben, W. Dawson, Free, Hansen Jr., Pink, Maley, George, Hardeman, Harvey, Taylor (joined 1/2 time)

Blue (probables): Wardlaw, Duursma, Scott, Stephens, Simpkin, Zurhaar, McKercher, Stephenson, Curtis, CCJ, Sheezel, Lazarro, Tucker, K.Dawson, Nyoun, Bergman, Goater, Greenwood, Larkey, Stephenson, LDU

Match Sim:
Q1
  • Powell and Phillips involved in some good play for the yellow team out the gate.
  • Scott’s run and carry a standout and covering some serious ground. Give, get and go. Sets up a number of scoring opportunities early
  • Greenwood playing as a hybrid forward in first rotation
  • Players noticeably sticking tackles
  • Wardlaw a touch shakey by foot at times but heaps of the footy
  • 5 minutes of scrappy play. Conditions are difficult. Theme of the day
  • Comben looks noticeably knackered playing as the deepest defender for yellow team. Wins a free kick in a good one on one with Greenwood
  • Q1 finishes Blue 1.4.10 - Yellow 0.2.2
Q2
  • Maley has great hands, awkward kick.
  • Sellers outmarks Nyoun and Dawson though was favoured by the kick. Converts. Nyoun gets knock to the leg but would return
  • Coaching staff would be disappointed with Blue team being beaten on transition a number of times this quarter
  • The conditions make it really difficult to assess skills. Wardlaw continues to get a heap of the footy but hasn’t hit a kick.
  • Mckercher relies heavily on his left. Beautiful kick. Looks identical to Merrit. Would hit a nice pass on his right later in the game..
  • Comben a couple of intercept marks
  • Q2 Blue 2.5.17 - Yellow 2.3.15

After the first two quarters completed you can see the investment in the midfield is going to pay off. It’s bottomless, and the contested work in tight is great. Conditions and skills aren’t allowing for the ball to go inside/outside quickly. Looks like the side will be stacked behind the ball with players that can kick, run and carry. McKercher, Bergman, Sheezel, Goater, Scott all got a decent amount of ball through there hands. Hardeman and George the primarily distributors for the Yellow team and you’ve got Fisher on the sidelines. Hard to get a read on forward and defensive structure, but it’s obvious that personnel in those areas continues to be the biggest point of concern.

Q3.
  • Comben and George done for the day. George with knock but body language suggests not too serious. Curtis Taylor joins the yellow team
  • Curtis and Zurhaar have had bursts in the middle and have both had an impact, with Curtis converting on the run
  • Yellow go up the other end and score with Hansen Jr involved a few times
  • W. Dawson has spent time playing on Larkey. Plays AFL this year. Nice intercept mark. Capable at ground level and seems confident with ball in hand. Great frame.
  • Mckercher burst through the middle two bounces and hits Stephenson who converts.
  • Stephenson has another couple of shots and converts after a nice 40m pass into the corridor by Tucker who summed up the situation well
  • Zurhaar has really come into the game. You can tell a few of the boys are in 3rd gear but putting in effort where required. LDU might still be in 1st.
  • Wardlaw in tight my goodness
  • Comben running laps for the whole quarter
  • Q3 finishes Blue 6.10.46 - Yellow 3.4.22
Q4.
  • Greenwood starts in ruck against Free
  • Ball slips out to Drury who snaps and converts for Yellow
  • Drury has had a few nice moments and gets it out to Powell who kicks a banana from 40m
  • A couple of transition plays for the blue team have been broken by poor linking hand passes, positively through players getting their hands in the lane in the yellow team to stop the run.
  • Both forward lines not showing much ability to retain the ball inside 50m
  • Yellow kick back with the wind and the game end tight with Blue just getting over the line

Best: Powell, Wardlaw, Scott, Phillips, Stephens, Mckercher

Overall Observations
  • The midfield will carry the team to some victories this year, and that will be required. In saying that, the midfield mix is still up in the air. You could tell Wardlaw, Phillips, Lazarro and Powell were really pushing themselves
  • Darcy Tucker and Dylan Stephens are the starting wingman in round 1 with Scott settling into the backline.
  • The conditions made skills and game style hard to assess, but transitioning the ball and stopping the transition remain a challenge
  • There are a number of player that can run carry and break the lines now, but will have to work on their composure.
  • The backline has some potency offensively that will do well under the roof of marvel. The presence of Corr, Logue and McDonald will be important to make sure it’s balanced with players that can negate the opposition. K.Dawson looked most likely, and I’d probably have Pink ahead of Nyoun personally as performed better with tougher opponents throughout the day.
  • I think the forward line is relatively settled. Whether Duursma plays R1 will be dependent on the health of Ford I’d imagine. With Xerri back, CCJ plays the forward ruck role played by Xerri today.
Questions:
  • Ruck Situation: CCJ rucked and was good, with Free getting the better of him when wrestling heavily at times. Greenwood used as ruck sparingly
  • Sheezel positioning: Was apart of the midfield when they split into groups for running. First rotation midfielder in match sim. Setting up behind the stoppage as sweeper but then later moved into backline. Think his position will remain fluid.
  • Forward line structure/personnel: in the main group was Zurhaar, Stephenson, Curtis, Duursma, Greenwood, Larkey. You’d imagine CCJ apart of this group but can’t see it changing much before R1
  • Dylan Stephens: Great in space carrying the ball but probably struggled with finished touches. Found himself in some difficult positions when in tight, particularly trying to handball over the top of opponents. Plenty of the footy, and runs hard both ways
  • Defence, Is it worrying?: It’s hard to get a read without all the personnel that will be there in R1 but it’s definitely not worrying. I think we’ve got the right players to hurt opponents offensively from defence but whether we can stop them from scoring remains an issue
  • Robert Hansen Jr: had some moment playing as a high half forward. Work rate and fitness has improved dramatically but he still probably doesn’t get his hands on the ball enough to stand out. He isn’t a Prototype small forward, rather a half forward who pushes up high.
  • How are players who’ve had interrupted preseasons progressing (Comben, George, LDU, CCJ, Taylor)?: Mostly covered in other notes. LDU looked great but took it easy. Still played four quarters
  • Tom Powell: Dominated early and continued to be in the game. Was the most composed player with ball in hand. If he’s not playing senior with us this year he’s a starting midfielder somewhere else next year.
I left at the end of match sim. Hopefully that gives some insight to anyone that wasn’t there. My opinions obviously won’t always reflect others that were there, but questions are welcome.
Click to expand...
Great write up, thank you!!!
 
I'd like to shout out the players for their interactions with the kids after training.

We have a bloody great group of young men at the club.

Happy to chat, sign, pictures and every single player thanked us for being there.

Larkey absolute king of the kids.
My youngest absolutely loves him and that 2 mins he took to chat to him today.... still hearing about it now.

Re Training.
Nobody is hitting targets in that wind.
Wind would catch the ball and just take it.
 

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backtothedraft said:
North Training 26.01.24

Rehab group: Luke McDonald, Eddie Ford, Zac Fisher, Tristan Xerri, Jackson Archer, Taylor Goad, Curtis Taylor - off at the start of the session doing running. Transitioned into some light ball skill work and returned roughly at half time of the match sim. McDonald, Fisher and Goad continued running laps thereafter. Didn’t see Logue of Shiels.

Started with some group running and warm up than split up into line groups pre match sim for further running and some drills focusing on clearance work, pressure on the ball, getting the ball to the outside and kicking inside and exiting 50.

Midfield: Sheezel, Wardlaw, Simpkin, Tucker, LDU, Stephens, Simpkin, CCJ

Defenders: Dawson, Nyoun, Goater, Bergman, McKercher, Scott

Forwards: Zurhaar, Stephenson, Curtis, Duursma, Greenwood, Larkey

Yellow Team (possibles): Phillips, Powell, Drury, Comben, W. Dawson, Free, Hansen Jr., Pink, Maley, George, Hardeman, Harvey, Taylor (joined 1/2 time)

Blue (probables): Wardlaw, Duursma, Scott, Stephens, Simpkin, Zurhaar, McKercher, Stephenson, Curtis, CCJ, Sheezel, Lazarro, Tucker, K.Dawson, Nyoun, Bergman, Goater, Greenwood, Larkey, Stephenson, LDU

Match Sim:
Q1
  • Powell and Phillips involved in some good play for the yellow team out the gate.
  • Scott’s run and carry a standout and covering some serious ground. Give, get and go. Sets up a number of scoring opportunities early
  • Greenwood playing as a hybrid forward in first rotation
  • Players noticeably sticking tackles
  • Wardlaw a touch shakey by foot at times but heaps of the footy
  • 5 minutes of scrappy play. Conditions are difficult. Theme of the day
  • Comben looks noticeably knackered playing as the deepest defender for yellow team. Wins a free kick in a good one on one with Greenwood
  • Q1 finishes Blue 1.4.10 - Yellow 0.2.2
Q2
  • Maley has great hands, awkward kick.
  • Sellers outmarks Nyoun and Dawson though was favoured by the kick. Converts. Nyoun gets knock to the leg but would return
  • Coaching staff would be disappointed with Blue team being beaten on transition a number of times this quarter
  • The conditions make it really difficult to assess skills. Wardlaw continues to get a heap of the footy but hasn’t hit a kick.
  • Mckercher relies heavily on his left. Beautiful kick. Looks identical to Merrit. Would hit a nice pass on his right later in the game..
  • Comben a couple of intercept marks
  • Q2 Blue 2.5.17 - Yellow 2.3.15

After the first two quarters completed you can see the investment in the midfield is going to pay off. It’s bottomless, and the contested work in tight is great. Conditions and skills aren’t allowing for the ball to go inside/outside quickly. Looks like the side will be stacked behind the ball with players that can kick, run and carry. McKercher, Bergman, Sheezel, Goater, Scott all got a decent amount of ball through there hands. Hardeman and George the primarily distributors for the Yellow team and you’ve got Fisher on the sidelines. Hard to get a read on forward and defensive structure, but it’s obvious that personnel in those areas continues to be the biggest point of concern.

Q3.
  • Comben and George done for the day. George with knock but body language suggests not too serious. Curtis Taylor joins the yellow team
  • Curtis and Zurhaar have had bursts in the middle and have both had an impact, with Curtis converting on the run
  • Yellow go up the other end and score with Hansen Jr involved a few times
  • W. Dawson has spent time playing on Larkey. Plays AFL this year. Nice intercept mark. Capable at ground level and seems confident with ball in hand. Great frame.
  • Mckercher burst through the middle two bounces and hits Stephenson who converts.
  • Stephenson has another couple of shots and converts after a nice 40m pass into the corridor by Tucker who summed up the situation well
  • Zurhaar has really come into the game. You can tell a few of the boys are in 3rd gear but putting in effort where required. LDU might still be in 1st.
  • Wardlaw in tight my goodness
  • Comben running laps for the whole quarter
  • Q3 finishes Blue 6.10.46 - Yellow 3.4.22
Q4.
  • Greenwood starts in ruck against Free
  • Ball slips out to Drury who snaps and converts for Yellow
  • Drury has had a few nice moments and gets it out to Powell who kicks a banana from 40m
  • A couple of transition plays for the blue team have been broken by poor linking hand passes, positively through players getting their hands in the lane in the yellow team to stop the run.
  • Both forward lines not showing much ability to retain the ball inside 50m
  • Yellow kick back with the wind and the game end tight with Blue just getting over the line

Best: Powell, Wardlaw, Scott, Phillips, Stephens, Mckercher

Overall Observations
  • The midfield will carry the team to some victories this year, and that will be required. In saying that, the midfield mix is still up in the air. You could tell Wardlaw, Phillips, Lazarro and Powell were really pushing themselves
  • Darcy Tucker and Dylan Stephens are the starting wingman in round 1 with Scott settling into the backline.
  • The conditions made skills and game style hard to assess, but transitioning the ball and stopping the transition remain a challenge
  • There are a number of player that can run carry and break the lines now, but will have to work on their composure.
  • The backline has some potency offensively that will do well under the roof of marvel. The presence of Corr, Logue and McDonald will be important to make sure it’s balanced with players that can negate the opposition. K.Dawson looked most likely, and I’d probably have Pink ahead of Nyoun personally as performed better with tougher opponents throughout the day.
  • I think the forward line is relatively settled. Whether Duursma plays R1 will be dependent on the health of Ford I’d imagine. With Xerri back, CCJ plays the forward ruck role played by Xerri today.
Questions:
  • Ruck Situation: CCJ rucked and was good, with Free getting the better of him when wrestling heavily at times. Greenwood used as ruck sparingly
  • Sheezel positioning: Was apart of the midfield when they split into groups for running. First rotation midfielder in match sim. Setting up behind the stoppage as sweeper but then later moved into backline. Think his position will remain fluid.
  • Forward line structure/personnel: in the main group was Zurhaar, Stephenson, Curtis, Duursma, Greenwood, Larkey. You’d imagine CCJ apart of this group but can’t see it changing much before R1
  • Dylan Stephens: Great in space carrying the ball but probably struggled with finished touches. Found himself in some difficult positions when in tight, particularly trying to handball over the top of opponents. Plenty of the footy, and runs hard both ways
  • Defence, Is it worrying?: It’s hard to get a read without all the personnel that will be there in R1 but it’s definitely not worrying. I think we’ve got the right players to hurt opponents offensively from defence but whether we can stop them from scoring remains an issue
  • Robert Hansen Jr: had some moment playing as a high half forward. Work rate and fitness has improved dramatically but he still probably doesn’t get his hands on the ball enough to stand out. He isn’t a Prototype small forward, rather a half forward who pushes up high.
  • How are players who’ve had interrupted preseasons progressing (Comben, George, LDU, CCJ, Taylor)?: Mostly covered in other notes. LDU looked great but took it easy. Still played four quarters
  • Tom Powell: Dominated early and continued to be in the game. Was the most composed player with ball in hand. If he’s not playing senior with us this year he’s a starting midfielder somewhere else next year.
I left at the end of match sim. Hopefully that gives some insight to anyone that wasn’t there. My opinions obviously won’t always reflect others that were there, but questions are welcome.
Click to expand...
Outstanding and comprehensive analysis. Thanks for taking the time to write all of that up. Most likely at your own expense in truly immersing yourself in the game and being a spectator just for enjoyment’s sake.
 
gokangas said:
I'm depressed. A mate of mine (non-north) was there taking pics and called me to say the team looks very ordinary and we are in for another year of being the easy beats. Said he could see the semblance of Clark's game plan developing but the players skills are just poor and although the weather didn't help, he has never seen so many players consistently unable to hit a target by hand or foot. I thanked him for the good news.
Click to expand...
Was your mate's name Adrian and was he sitting in his car
 
Blowy as all get up - tough to get a park and no beer stand - but these are my positive takeaways:

* Stephenson will improve markedly when we're a sharper team.

* Sheezel and his zinc, cap wearing mate not only set a standard - they are the standard - and just babies.

* McKercher's speed stands out like a sore thumb in this group. He's slick.

* Powell must play in the guts. His hands and vision are elite inside the contest.

* Goater. An absolute V8 parked down back. Al, mate, get the lad up the ground for crying out loud.

* B George. Blew a tyre early but he's a specimen. He'll hit hard and they'll know it.

* Anyone who hasn't got Charlie L in their Round 1 team, better think again. Left plenty flat footed. Could be damaging on the outside of the contest if he just believes.

* K Dawson. He looks bigger in the upper body. Composed and neat. You'll knock me over if he ain't playing Round 1.
 
Last edited:
Tommy Powell was the big standout for me today. Always been a fan and hopeful he’d take the next step, but he was BOG today playing in the lesser yellow team, against the better midfield of the blue team.

His short haircut does help, but he reminded me of Cunners out there today. Seemed to have time slow down when he had it, sidestepped players and fended off just like Cunnington. Hope this form continues, should start on the bench round 1.
 
Good to see a decent turnout, maybe 500? or so. Like others have mentioned the howling wind in that big open space killed any chance of AFL standard disposal. But it was still concerning watching it. Not too many flowing passages of play. Powell has bulked up a bit and was really good I thought in the guts. Maybe he takes the Cunners role now. McKercher looks the goods however needs to be protected, he’s still an immature body. And Dylan Stephens looked ok. My major concern will be our leadership. It’s a very young list with no vocal and mature heads. Hopefully a few step up during the year. (The holidays are over, starting to think footy again).
 

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