2012 Brisbane Lions Pre-Season (No DT/SC questions)

[patfullfankezz]

Re: The 2012 Brisbane Lions Pre-Season Thread

Thoroughly enjoyed training yesteday, except for my bratty sister. Reckon our defence is looking great (yes, I spent the whole time watching them).

The players look pretty tight too. Smiles everywhere. Makes you feel a tad more confident.

 

[Haso]

Re: The 2012 Brisbane Lions Pre-Season Thread

I was just reading on Geelong's board that Travis Varcoe is about to go under the knife for a stress fracture in his foot and will likely miss at least the first 4 weeks of the season. This is a huge shame for the Cats, as Varcoe is a super-exciting player who has really started contributing to the Geelong side, and is one of the reasons that they are such a special team to watch.

We have been able to relate to this situation in recent times, with players like Charmo, X and Drummo perpetually injured, and Brownie very rarely at 100%, etc. I think it is very exciting to think that this preseason we have only one long term injury group member in Stakes, and only Drummo and Docherty currently recovering from injury. Of course there are still a few weeks of preseason left and NAB to get through, but things are looking promising in the pre-season injury department finally.

 

[two team]

Re: The 2012 Brisbane Lions Pre-Season Thread

i agree with your comments ,we are much better situated this pre season with injuries. From this mondays training session only staker docherty longer zorko, polec, drummond, and sheldon were on restricted training. it appears that apart from staker, docherty and possibly drummond the others should be ready for the nab cup, , bartlett has joined the main group but still looks a little way off peak fitness. interested to see some of the players training with glasses fitted with mini cameras{another great training tool}.we seem to have picked up a great bunch of rookies this year,all of them have shown glimpses of talent at different times over the past 5 weeks. lisle has improved every week and looks good for a first up game in the forward line. jonathan brown was very vocal with the forwards and looks a coach in the making.

 

[patfullfankezz]

Re: The 2012 Brisbane Lions Pre-Season Thread

Is training still on this afternoon, because the date was pulled from the lions site.

 

[Hollow Knight]

Re: The 2012 Brisbane Lions Pre-Season Thread

Is training still on this afternoon, because the date was pulled from the lions site.

I doubt it would be on. So much rain has fallen.

 

[LION UP]

Re: The 2012 Brisbane Lions Pre-Season Thread

Michael Voss @voss03

Wow. What about this rain. Lucky we are low key this week in our training. Stay safe everyone

Jesse O'Brien also said a 3k this week - Thursday I heard so maybe they have today off instead of tomorrow. They are getting weekend off too apparently.

 

[whatboutbob]

Re: The 2012 Brisbane Lions Pre-Season Thread

Thanks for the report tt.

interested to see some of the players training with glasses fitted with mini cameras{another great training tool}

Wonder if the Club's following Richmond's lead and will put the footage up on the website?

 

[roostersgal4eva]

Re: The 2012 Brisbane Lions Pre-Season Thread

thanks for the reply. i know its helpful to keep people up to date with training through a supporters eyes

Your insight is invaluable when you live in another state - sounds promising and I'm looking forward to this year 10000x more than I did at the end of 2011

Im really really hoping we give Lisle a decent crack at it - I want to see what he will do he is out of Buddy/Roughead's shaddow now.

Reading that Luey has bulked up excites me no end as does a fit Browny!!!

And I'm wondering if Jesse might be able to be a permanent fixture in our side this year???

 

[lion_in_the_sand]

Re: The 2012 Brisbane Lions Pre-Season Thread

Jus wondering about polec, he is the young player im most excited about.

Im guessing he will be a lot fitter, but am wondering if he has put on any much needed bulk.

Also wondering if his knee injury last year has stalled his development in any way?

 

[whatboutbob]

Re: The 2012 Brisbane Lions Pre-Season Thread

Jus wondering about polec, he is the young player im most excited about.

Im guessing he will be a lot fitter, but am wondering if he has put on any much needed bulk.

Also wondering if his knee injury last year has stalled his development in any way?

I'm keeping my expectations low for Polec this year.

He has noticeably bulked up quite a bit, but he (understandably) still has a ways to go.

I can't speak for recently, but he certainly started the pre-season in the hospital group, so I'm not sure his fitness prep has been ideal either.

But who knows? He may come out in the nab cup and smash it.

 

[two team]

Re: The 2012 Brisbane Lions Pre-Season Thread

thanks for your comments, its nice to hear some feedback. i am just a fan not an expert. i do follow another melbourne team just as passionately as the lions, so i do rely on training feedback from the melbourne based supporters. As expected all teams report great improvement throughout the pre season. all i can say is that i am extremely confident that the lions will be a lot better this year based on seeing them train first hand. a super fit brown ,merrett, an explosive rich, bulked up karnezis,and massive improvement from most of the squad all goes well for the coming season.All the new additions including the rookies have impressed at different times through the seson, the only concern is the progress of drummond.{still in the restricted training squad} . unlike most experts, i feel that our forward line this year will be one of our strengths . coach harvey has been working very closely with the squad ,and we do now seem to have many options.

 

[weevil]

Re: The 2012 Brisbane Lions Pre-Season Thread

I'm keeping my expectations low for Polec this year.

He has noticeably bulked up quite a bit, but he (understandably) still has a ways to go.

I can't speak for recently, but he certainly started the pre-season in the hospital group, so I'm not sure his fitness prep has been ideal either.

But who knows? He may come out in the nab cup and smash it.

Speed, run and carry, line-breaker, excellent disposal, will be fit and ready to go round 1.

Wouldn’t be surprised if he gets a run.

 

[chopperduck]

Re: The 2012 Brisbane Lions Pre-Season Thread

I think with injury players like Polec, they are looking to have them right to go by the time round 1 ticks over. They aren't rushing to get them up and try squeeze in a big pre season. It's more of a slower build up for those that carried injuries into the offseason this year.

Lots of bike work i've notice from reports for the hospital group, so doing what they can to try keep the endurance up, but minimizing the impact type training like prolonged running.

I'm sure they will ramp it up a bit with these guys leading into the NAB cup.

 

[Ironmonger]

Re: The 2012 Brisbane Lions Pre-Season Thread

Very interesting to look at the updated senior playlist, with new height and weight measurements.

http://www.lions.com.au/players/tabid/5184/season/2010/category/senior/default.aspx

Cheers once again to Grim for posting links to the Lions' site on Roster Watch.

It seems like pretty much all of our on-ballers, small defenders and small forwards are being conditioned to a weight of between 80 and 85kgs, depending on their height. Suggests we're more interested in flexibility than a hard break down between inside and outside midfielders. Some of the players I might have thought we'd develop into ball receivers (Beams, Bewick, Polec) now weigh in at 83, 83 and 85kgs, which makes them pretty sizable. Even Jesse O'Brien is heading in that direction (79kgs, up 8 from last season).

That's going to give us a very strong inside presence, but it might cost us a little speed around the ground. It probably won't help us run out games better than we did in 2011; it's hard to develop both strength and endurance in an off-season.

One that caught my eye was Ash McGrath, up from 82 to 86kgs in 2012. I wonder if that means anything for this role this season? That's a pretty big increase for a 28 year old.

 

[whatboutbob]

Re: The 2012 Brisbane Lions Pre-Season Thread

Very interesting to look at the updated senior playlist, with new height and weight measurements.

http://www.lions.com.au/players/tabid/5184/season/2010/category/senior/default.aspx

Cheers once again to Grim for posting links to the Lions' site on Roster Watch.

It seems like pretty much all of our on-ballers, small defenders and small forwards are being conditioned to a weight of between 80 and 85kgs, depending on their height. Suggests we're more interested in flexibility than a hard break down between inside and outside midfielders. Some of the players I might have thought we'd develop into ball receivers (Beams, Bewick, Polec) now weigh in at 83, 83 and 85kgs, which makes them pretty sizable. Even Jesse O'Brien is heading in that direction (79kgs, up 8 from last season).

That's going to give us a very strong inside presence, but it might cost us a little speed around the ground. It probably won't help us run out games better than we did in 2011; it's hard to develop both strength and endurance in an off-season.

One that caught my eye was Ash McGrath, up from 82 to 86kgs in 2012. I wonder if that means anything for this role this season? That's a pretty big increase for a 28 year old.

Awesome to see some of the gains there. I'm particularly happy about O'Brien, Redden and Retzlaff. Bizarre that Rocky's taller. Also, given Ash's off-season history I wouldn't assume that his weight gain is muscle.

On another topic, does anyone have an up to date Metricon seat map? Just tried to get tix to nab rd 1, but the seat sections for the tix (U08) don't seem to correspond to any section on the map...

 

[irel]

Re: The 2012 Brisbane Lions Pre-Season Thread

On another topic, does anyone have an up to date Metricon seat map? Just tried to get tix to nab rd 1, but the seat sections for the tix (U08) don't seem to correspond to any section on the map...

They obviously realized who you are and allocated you a fold up deck chair on the roof of the beer stand. Pretty handy realy you don't have to go far for top ups.

 

[whatboutbob]

Re: The 2012 Brisbane Lions Pre-Season Thread

They obviously realized who you are and allocated you a fold up deck chair on the roof of the beer stand. Pretty handy realy you don't have to go far for top ups.

Ta. I'll bring my binoculars.

 

[POBT]

Re: The 2012 Brisbane Lions Pre-Season Thread

That's going to give us a very strong inside presence, but it might cost us a little speed around the ground. It probably won't help us run out games better than we did in 2011; it's hard to develop both strength and endurance in an off-season.

Just by way of comparison:

Bartel - 88kg
Chapman - 88kg
Corey - 89kg
Kelly - 88kg
Selwood - 86kg

I know those guys aren't outside runners but that is the core of the Geelong midfield and none of them weigh in at less than 85kg.

FWIW, I don't think a gain of 3-5kg over an off season for a young player is necessarily at the expense of running capability. In any event, we weren't just a side that couldn't run out games - we were a physically weak side too, We saw in 2011 some absolutely deplorable matches in terms of winning the contested footy. Part of that has to be strength related.

 

[Ironmonger]

Re: The 2012 Brisbane Lions Pre-Season Thread

Bartel - 88kg
Chapman - 88kg
Corey - 89kg
Kelly - 88kg
Selwood - 86kg

My point was really that there's a bit of uniformity in the physique of our midfield. Besides those five, the Cats have Varcoe, Stokes, Wojcinski, Christensen and Byrnes who I reckon would all come in at low 80s or less, and are all identifiably outside players.

I agree that a 3kg increase wouldn't necessarily come at the expense of running capability, but I disagree that lack of physical strength was the key ingredient in us not winning the contested footy. Simon Black doesn't suffer from his relatively slight build in that respect.

But I didn't really mean to criticse the club's approach. Just to note that on the face of it it seems like we may have prioritised strength over endurance in the off-season.

 

[Grimreepah]

Re: The 2012 Brisbane Lions Pre-Season Thread

FWIW it was reported two years ago that Redden increased from 74kgs to 83kgs.

 

[POBT]

Re: The 2012 Brisbane Lions Pre-Season Thread

My point was really that there's a bit of uniformity in the physique of our midfield.

As there would be at any club. The point that I was trying to make is that there is no harm being mid 80kgs. I would have thought that 82-88kgs would be the standard weight range for AFL midfielders with 2 or more seasons in the system.

I disagree that lack of physical strength was the key ingredient in us not winning the contested footy. Simon Black doesn't suffer from his relatively slight build in that respect.

I don't think it was the only factor but I think we were weak (due to youth) which was, in part, why we suffered at the coalface. You need muscle around the ball. While there are always lighter players who excel at contested footy (Black is one, Cotchin is another), generally speaking, physical size and strength is an advantage, particularly at stoppages where we we killed at times last year. I mean, you look at the best clearance players in the comp and, generally speaking, they have some sort of size, whether it is short and chunky (eg Ablett) or tall with some muscle (eg Pendlebury). As I say, it isn't the only factor but you need some size with your onballers.

But I didn't really mean to criticse the club's approach. Just to note that on the face of it it seems like we may have prioritised strength over endurance in the off-season.

I can see your point but I don't think that some weight gain by some players (particularly the youngsters) necessarily makes that true. I think that any club with a plethora of young players is going to have similar weight gains among some players. It doesn't necessarily mean a prioritisation of strength over endurance. For instance, O'Brien looked to be running quite impressively when I went to training - and was clearly bulked up. The club would have to be blind to reality if it didn't realise that we were sub-par in both endurance and strength. We need a balanced approach to the physical side of the preparation. Hopefully, the club has found that balance for most of the players.

 

[whatboutbob]

Re: The 2012 Brisbane Lions Pre-Season Thread

FWIW it was reported two years ago that Redden increased from 74kgs to 83kgs.

Nice pick up Grim. I was pretty surprised he could have been only 76kg a year ago.

 

[Grimreepah]

Re: The 2012 Brisbane Lions Pre-Season Thread

Nice pick up Grim. I was pretty surprised he could have been only 76kg a year ago.

I'm guessing that players' weights fluctuate throughout the year, and the media report is actually a bit misleading.

Maybe the comparison is done from the start of preseason to now, rather than this time last year to now.

 

[Fatcat08]

Re: The 2012 Brisbane Lions Pre-Season Thread

On another topic, does anyone have an up to date Metricon seat map? Just tried to get tix to nab rd 1, but the seat sections for the tix (U08) don't seem to correspond to any section on the map...

U just means Upper or corresponds to the 208 on the map.

sitting there myself, row E booked.

now just to get accom for the night. Recommend Broadbeach somewhere. We stayed at Meriton there right next to the bus stop that goes to Metricon. Shortest bus line after the game by a mile (literally by almost 1km)

 

[whatboutbob]

Re: The 2012 Brisbane Lions Pre-Season Thread

U just means Upper or corresponds to the 208 on the map.

sitting there myself, row E booked.

now just to get accom for the night. Recommend Broadbeach somewhere. We stayed at Meriton there right next to the bus stop that goes to Metricon. Shortest bus line after the game by a mile (literally by almost 1km)

Thanks FatCat. They make it rather more murky than they need to.