Training 2016 Training Blog - *Training Reports only - NO DISCUSSION*

[Aphrodite]

Same as the Bluemour File, this thread is for TRAINING REPORTS ONLY!
No discussion is to take place at all in this thread.

It makes it so much easier to reference training reports without having to sift through pages & pages of posts.

You can copy and paste training reports from this thread using #TrainingBlog hashtag which can be referenced back for discussion in the 'Pre-Season 2016 - Training reports, pics etc' thread:-

http://www.bigfooty.com/forum/threads/pre-season-2016-training-reports-pics-etc.1117126/


Hoping this thread will be a valuable reference tool for those of us that love reading training reports and can't make it to training sessions whether it be to due to work commitments, living interstate etc.

The time and effort some of our posters put in attending training sessions and keep us up to date on how our players/new recruits are tracking is invaluable and we all love reading their informative training reports.

 

[Blugazi]

Popped along to training for this first time with Bolton in charge, a huge difference from what the Malthouse regime dished up as their idea of an open training session.

The small scale match simulation near the end made for engaging spectating. Weitering was controlling from full-back which was rather impressive. The entire team rushing Korcheck after he scored a goal was great to see.

Ed Curnow was dominating in all facets of training, looked really good in the simulation - he even racked up some intercept marks.

I really liked the look of Galluci. In a smaller match like simulation activity he showed superb agility, and I won't be surprised if he's named in the forward pocket early on in the year.

 

[The Facepainter]

Also called in today for the first time this pre season and was happy with the effort and energy.
The only player I was disappointed with was DVR who in the 12 minute walk, jog, run and Sprint exercise fell off the pace. He also regularly missed targets by foot and I believe he has a lot of work to do to stay on the list beyond 2016.
Loved seeing both Curnow boys racing each other to a mark looking like they could have been in the back yard.
Impressed by Wright, Galluci, Gibbs and Thomas who was a front-runner all session.

 

[bigdog43]

I went down this afternoon to have a look at Bolts and all the new players and really enjoyed what I saw. The first thing I noticed was just how many new blokes we have, I seriously had no idea who so many of the blokes were from at a distance because they weren't wearing numbers. I also spent way too long working out whether I could sit on the other wing which was closer to the action. The boys started with some general kick to kick before breaking in to some strides and warm up activities. There was some interval running where a lot of guys ran in pairs to push each other, straight after this they had to go and take shots at goal while they were tired. They then went in to a variety of drills which really focused on ball movements in tight spaces. Then they did some sort of game simulation in a tight space again (the tight space was wing to wing across the ground and probably as wide as the centre square). I left after that to avoid getting a parking ticket but anyway here's some thoughts....

- During the interval running Clem and Jones were paired together and Clem completely burnt him. I don't know if that suggests Clem is in good shape or whether Jones is in really bad shape.
- During the interval running Bolts ran over to Rowe and told him his heart rate wasn't high enough, I found this pretty interesting.
- Bolton was yelling at Simpson as he was about to take a shot at goal saying 'that's good leather, we don't waste good leather.' I loved hearing this haha
- Daisy looks really fit, he burnt off Docherty and was using the ball well during the drills. What I did notice was that he played behind the ball during the simulation so maybe he might play back this year.
- Dylan Buckley's talk was really good, he didn't shut up which I loved hearing. I think he'll be a really good leader for us in the future.
- There was 3 minutes worth of clangers during this drill on the wing that almost gave me a migraine. We hardly hit a target and it reminded me of last year so I looked at my phone for a minute until the nightmare ended.
- During this same drill Phillips played forward and he looks really nice, I think he'll play a fair bit of footy for us.
- There was a tall bloke taking set shots for a while and he kept kicking kicking them. I didn't know who it was so I got a bit excited about this tall prospect, then I realised it was Cameron Wood and lost all excitement.
- Weitering was running pretty slowly to position at one point and I think it was Bucks who yelled '******** run Weitering!' And Weitering immediately put his head down and sprinted. Weitering looked really good in the simulations, he's so poised and I think he'll play a lot this year as that third tall back.
- Charlie Curnow looked a little slow at times but I really think that this time next year we'll be talking about how fit he is, he just needs time in the system.
- Gallucci looks really nice, I already like him more than Tutt.

 

[HARKER]

9/12/2015

The pace really stepped up today and just when you thought it may have slowed down after 2 hours, half ground and then full ground drills came into play.
There was more focus on tackling today and plenty of running alongside some of the same drills, but there were a couple of of new ones also.
Ball movement was generally quite good and it was great to see the guys finally extend their legs.
Strong focus on ground positioning as has been the case in recent weeks. You have to know where to go under given situations and why you're going there.
Bolton will stop drills and put a harsh spotlight upon you, if you fall out of line. Several got some good sprays today with Tuohy possibly getting the best one.
The 'F' word is in vogue and again Bolton uses it to great effect. It must have rubbed off when even Jones is using the term with team-mates.
'Reset' is king though.....reset....reset....reset.....

Rehab/Management group: Kreuzer, Casboult, Murphy, Armfield (No arm brace) , Silvagni, Byrne, Sumner, White (No knee bandages) & Wood ......................and Jaksch. Can someone tell me what Jaksch was meant to be doing today? Walked around the ground casually, had a couple of shots at goal (torpedoes) and just............I don't know. What was he up to?
Sumner also looked as though he should have just stayed home. May be unfair but just seems to want to disappear. All too casual for me.

Newbies:

Weitering looks professional enough but just seems to be running in second gear. That may well be under instruction and may well be his way but he just doesn't scream "look at me" even though he does have an aura about him.
McKay really showed up today. I liked what I saw and he was much faster than I though he would be and moves around through the drills with purpose already. Just looks as though he belongs and even though his marks weren't contested, they were very good along with his goal-kicking. Impressive.
Reckon he's taller than 200. Maybe closer to 202......Hampsons height.
Curnow is going to give Ed the shits if he keeps wanting to race him at every call.
Like McKay, he really looked like a senior player and displayed good nouse through ball movement drills.
Cunningham again looked terrific. Sliced through traffic with ease and displayed good vision although drills weren't at game-day pace.
Several eye-opening passages of play and hit up team-mates by foot very well.
Glass-McCasker largely in the rehab group and doing plenty of running on his own. We know he's a nice size but just thought to throw it in again

Over-age newbies:

Kerridge is just good. Pretty confident for a round one start for this guy.
Lamb finally stood out to me today and especially so in the half & full ground drills. Pretty slippery customer and knows what Bolton is teaching him.
Wright also looked O.K. when allowed to run. Made good position and found space regularly.
Gorringe just doesn't stand out to me and I don't know why. Looks terrific in his first few steps and in running drills and then I just lose him. It may be me.
Phillips. Same story, different day. Very impressive tall. Now just to see whether he can ruck.
Korchek is great. Likable giant and was involved in one passage of play that had the whole team rush to him. Took the mark in front of the pack, moved the ball to McKay who fed it straight back to Korchek................GOAL. Looked good but I wouldn't expect that too often for now.

The regular crew:

Cripps: Once the stoppages started, the king came to the fore. He's incredible and his first few steps are quicker than last years. God help his opponents.
Sheehan just does everything right and along with Byrne, has to be a nominated rookie. Surely Sumner goes onto the LTI and the two Irish guys are in.
Tutt was very active again today and did break some lines, nicely.
Smith.....Smith....What have you done young man? I can't bevel this is the same guy I watched last year.
Simpson looks as sharp and fit as I've ever seen him. Big year ahead at best guess.
Gibbs & Thomas have stepped up and will clearly start making some serious impact.
Boekhorst out of the re-hab group and looked good. Finished the day with a little limp but has stepped up well.
Rainbow much better than last week and engaged with all again. Running still not great but looked quality through the drills.
Whiley. I haven't mentioned him to date and even though he doesn't stand out he just seems to be everywhere and his running has clearly improved. Could surprise.

Best session by far this year to date and the last hour was quality.
Bolton working the guys hard but no-one seems to be complaining and I haven't seen the group so close before....even after all of Malthouse's efforts.

 

[zeeCFC]

Beautiful day for it.

I made it down again too and a much different session from last week. Much more match simulation type stuff with the whole area between the 50 arches being used in drills.

Rehab/Modified program group were doing some congestion and close in defensive shape work again, SOS joined them and without Bolts running the drill it wasn't too interesting to watch.

Most notable moment with this group was a chain handballing drill trying to beat a certain time and with Levi at the front there was a chain reaction that just resulted in Jack being smacked in the face by several footballs when Kreuze was trying to fix the mess Levi made, laughs all round.

Back to the main group though and I didn't take away as much this week because a lot of the work was about running from the sidelines to get into the structure and positions as quick as possible. Great for the team to learn and a beneficial exercise but as a training spectator not much to take away.

The full midfield length match simulator (but only allowed to kick) was good for some like Gallucci and Lamb that weaved between their team mates and gave a brilliant highlight for Korcheck who took the ball out of a pack situation, dished it off and received it back for a goal and a heap of applause from teammates.

Graham, Kerridge and Buckley were probably my picks of the bunch while Thomas, Rainbow, Zach and Simmo did their best work distributing the pill. Tutt and Cripps also caught my eye for both good use of the ball and defensive pressure. You really can't fault Tutt on the training track.

Of the newbies, Cuningham and McKay stood out. Cuningham looks to be closest to the level of training to the senior players while McKay showed a real hunger for the contest that Carlton fans haven't seen much in their KPP prospects. Glass McCasker was also prolific but he needs time and I hope he didn't injure a groin in that last part of the session.

Curnow deserves a special mention as the All Blacks trainer of the week and he is just an absolute jet on the training track. Again though, kicking on the run is his issue that he needs to work on, not much else wrong but that's a big question mark. I'd probably say he and Bucks were my top performers of the day which takes into account effort and voice.

Plowman was nowhere to be seen and saw Sumner shirtless as I walked past the gym and the fat must be somewhere other than his upper body because he looked pretty ripped. He obviously can't do much running with his foot issues.

 

[omdd]

Went down today as well, most of what I wrote down has already been said, however ill see if i can add a bit more.

The new rucks at one stage (Gorringe, Korcheck and Phillips) were all working on centre bounce clearances with curnow not sure if it was random they got curnow to receive the ball or if hes going to be less of a tagger next season and more of a clearance player.

As some said before Jaksch walked the field about 5 times and helped set up some drills but apart from that did nothing, the only thing i saw was he had a few of his fingers strapped together so I'm not sure what happened there.

Bolts was pushing Rowe through most of the day. It's also the second time ive seen Rainbow get completely smashed in running with Daisy easily in front of him.

Weitering will probably play round 1, he was a general down back in some of the drills and hes already helping players with their positioning down back. I noticed they they always left weitering to control the defence never really saw jamo or rowe in the same position, the coaches must already know he'll be taking over the number 1 defender spot soon.

Someone asked about Gallucci, he got don't argued to the ground by jones in one drill and bolton was filthy with him, he singled him out and showed him how to tackle properly for a guy his size coming up against a bigger opponent. Bolts said something like 'dont ever get embarrassed like that again'. It was harsh and he probably felt like crap but he learnt the lesson as the rest of the tackles stuck. Bolts pulled him aside after the drill, put his arm around him and had a few kinder words, good to see that as i think if Bolts had left it Gallucci probably would have dropped his head for the rest of the day.

Huge focus today on really fast football movement in tight spaces. Players had to quickly mark and release to another player whilst getting barraged by the other team, the space they had to work with was tiny and if they stuffed it up it was reset. Weitering and curnow were very good here.

Few other minor points, - I liked what Charlie did today I think he'll lead our forward line in a few years time. Cripps and Gorringe look the exact same height to me its insane, throw cripps in the square and let him kick 100 goals next year.

We wont be finishing last next year.

*Also Everitt, Tuohy and Weitering are amazing kicks of the footy, didnt miss a single target all day between them.

 

[Henderlenko]

FIRSTLY EXCUSE MY NAME AND PICTURE! (anyway it can be changed?)

I went down to training today also for the first time this year.

Never written a report before but hopefully I can give some insight.

As mentioned before the session was run in quarters as a normal game would be.

The first thing I really liked was that during drink breaks the team would have to run out to Bolton, who would be waiting for them somewhere on the field, and set up a stoppage situation around him. It was evident that this is something different to what they are used to, as you could clearly see players counting numbers and accounting for one another after they got into position. This could happen twice every drinks break.

It was great to see how involved Bolton is with the players, despite delegating training to the other coaches, he would sometimes kneel next to the action (not that he needed to get any lower) and observe keenly until he needed to stop the session jump in to spray or praise. As others mentioned before his voice was clearly evident on multiple occasions especially during shots for goal.

There are a whole host of new faces and very easy to lose track of the new faces without numbers and with hats on but there was still plenty to see and plenty to be happy with. At risk of being a broken record the "culture" does look to be on the up, obviously they haven't lost any games yet and it's only pre season but the boys are clearly happier and enjoying themselves

The players that jumped out for me where:

Smith: As has been said before and I can now testify to, he is a smooth mover. He is clearly growing in confidence and showing his ability, all a matter of if he can show it on game day.

Gibbs: Trained as he usually plays, never looking like leaving 3rd or 4th gear without doing anything wrong.

Thomas: Was good to see him burn off Docherty, who is no slouch, in the running drills. Let's hope he can contribute this year, so far so good!

Gorringe/Phillips: Trained together through one of the drills, both Big guys and great size, Gorringe in particular is super athletic looking forward to seeing if he can put it all together. No doubt however that Phillips will be playing AFL this year.

Kerridge: What a unit. Can't wait to see him out there, exactly the size of player we need to add to our midfield.

Jones: I had to pot the bloke, and I held high hopes for him, but he was put to shame in the running drills by Smith and was called on it by the coaches quite audibly.

DVR: Does need improvement on his running but his foot skills are there to see, would hope to see him on the park at some stage.

BB: Has great size about him now and I noticed a couple of times that the coaches made a special effort of praising his workrate, another one we could hope of improvement from.

Walker, White, Kruez: All in rehab had a small shots for goal competition from tight on the boundary line, seemed to be enjoying themselves and thankfully were actually hitting the target more often than not.

Simmo/Buckley/Irish Trio/Jamo: As per usual with this lot, can't ask for more.

Charlie Curnow: I can see why everyone is super excited by him, he's got great size and great attitude. Let's hope we se plenty of him in years to come, he's one hell of a big lad.

Long way to go before he play the tigers, and even though most reports are positive, there were still occasions were Bolton stopped drills because they weren't going right and players were stuffing it up. I'm sure it's not quite what he was used to at Hawthron just yet, but we are only 3 weeks into our re-build. I'm happy with the direction it's taking and even more rapt with how many members are getting on board so early after such a bad year.Can't wait for Round 1!

 

[HARKER]

Concise summary of players - Pre Xmas
Some of these observations would have come through strongly already but this is just a quick rundown of how I've seen the individuals to date.

1st year players (18 year olds):
Their first week showed them up as being relatively quiet as one would expect but things can change very quickly.
You can often tell who the newbies are just by the way they carry themselves, or by the way things register through skills.
You wouldn't pick any of our first 4 picks as having been in the AFL system, for only a couple of weeks.
These guys feel comfortable and/or have been made to feel so as they go about the program with professionalism (Big tick for Bolton & co.)
They don't trail through running drills and don't let anyone down by way of skills. They genuinely come across as just one of the boys, out there.

Cuningham has surprised me most, although he may have been suited to many of the drills but you always look out for players that do things others can't
and his run and 'give and receives' should gain a lot of metres for us. He's doesn't hold onto the ball long and weighs up options well through training drills.
Keep up what he's doing and the banging noise on Boltons door may be too difficult to ignore. So far, so good.
Weitering comes across as the Mr. Cool of the group. At this stage he doesn't really get out of the low gears and that may well step-up.
He won't take your eye through sprints or even the way he moves but I think that's just part of the package. He'll do what he has to where it counts.
McKay: I know you need more than one week to make calls on anyone and McKay did look a little ho-hum early but the last session really showed up why
we took him at such an early selection. Everything smacked of potential quality.....his marking....his movement....his vision....his goal-kicking and his speed.
All the tools are there and given we're talking about a 17y.o. there's plenty to get excited about. I think he may have grown as he's a little taller than 200
Curnow: Competitive animal that should thrive in an organised system. We know about the tank but I was pleasantly surprised for some of the close-in work.
Hands are good and kicking looked of a fair standard. His brother may kill him though if keeps trying to run him down at every call.
Silvagni: Not as developed as the rest but there are good signs. The courage was evident from the first session, that had him putting his body on the line.
Kicking was fine at times but rather sloppy at other times. Won't play Senior games this year but may well have a Buckley type of curve.
Glass-McCasker: Big lad and his body doesn't give him away as an 18 year old. The little I saw of him I liked. Unfortunately the last session had him in the rehab group and doing laps, solo. His speed and kicking seemed O.K. to me at this early stage. He's hard to ignore and I'm more than happy to have him.

Next: The new recruits

 

[HARKER]

New Recruits (including over-age draftees)

Plowman: Hard to gauge what he may bring to Carlton given he's largely been in the side-group but that's unfortunately got worse as he's now gone under the knife. Hip surgery will see him out of the mix for the best part of 12 weeks now. Hard to see an early start.
Lamb: I didn't see much early but he really stepped up through the ground drills. Good lateral movement and seems to be pretty sharp and composed when in traffic. Gave off some very good passes and executed with precision. I now, wouldn't be surprised for him to keep going and putting hand up for round 1.
Sumner opened up his innings with the CFC, overweight. No doubt about it. Puffy, no definition but happy. He seems to be happy.
Looked much better recently but just moves around somewhat casually, for me. Chilled is fine but you have to look as though you're mind is in the right place.
Only time will tell, but he is coming from a long way back given another one of these serious foot injuries. No round 1 for Liam.
Phillips: I didn't expect anything so to view what Phillips is capable of, was a real eye-opener. This guy is an athlete and a competitive one at that.
It already seems as though we'll be shaking our heads for what we saw in Warnock when guys like this are running around in other teams' seconds sides.
O.K. it may be a little premature because we haven't yet seen the value of his ruck-work but he's a terrific mover with a good football IQ. Impressed.
Kerridge: Probably the stand-out of this group and little question he's in line for a round one start. Cripps will need support and this guy has the good-to-go body alone with the good-to-go attitude. Everyone loves him, or so it seems to be the case.
He'd likely have welts on his arse, and a bruised shoulder for the amount of pats he gets from all around the club.
A running machine that came second in our time trial behind the "going to be hard to catch" Ed Curnow. Great effort and pencil him in for round 1
Wright: Not standing out in the way others may be, but his go is kicking goals and we haven't seen much of that at training yet.
Looked good in the ground drills accepting the ball and heading goal-wards and it's a little early to make judgement either way.
Gorringe: We know the good qualities and maybe I'm just not in a position to write too much about him for now. Just doesn't catch the eye in general play.
Korchek: We know from where he's coming from but in the five sessions I've seen, he's progressively got better and also more prominent.
Size has nothing to do with that but presence has and he has plenty of presence..........for now at least. His first few steps are really quick and he doesn't mind the tough stuff either. His kicking through his first session was nothing short of comical and even though it's now far from AFL standard the step-up is quite evident. From limited viewing, I think he 'gets it' whereas someone like Hampson will never 'get it' Want make any wild calls for now, but I like the boy.
Gallucci is lively. No doubt about it, although whether that translates into AFL quality tricks, we'll just have to wait and see.
Moved well in traffic and it's probably unfair of me and I know he's come from the VFL but I just see a lot of Northern Blues coming up for him.
It is very early though and he has every chance to make good as a small forward for us. We'll see.

 

[PumpyChowdown]

TRAINING REPORT - 2015-12-14
Gold Coast

Headed down to the Sharks club to watch the boys go around this arvo. Today's session was a very light one, only lasting just over an hour. Not a huge amount to report to be honest. Mostly just some light kicking and running drills, and a bizarre drill involving a kind of soccer game in a tight space with handballing and dribble kicks. The session finished with set shot kicking for goal under pressure, with all players lined up either side of the kicker (same as the David Cuningham video from a couple of weeks ago).

The overall focus really seemed to be on quick and precise movement in confined spaces. Lots of short passing drills and quick handball drills. I think that the really serious stuff will kick off tomorrow. Training every day this week.

Players to note:

Daisy Thomas - real leader, very vocal, absolutely all-in with the re-set.
Sam Kerridge - this guy is a beast. Just loves working hard. He'll be in our best 22 every game next year.
Ed Curnow - like Daisy, Ed is now one of the true leaders of the club. First to the drinks every time, very vocal and leading most of the drills. Dare I say it, he's captain material.
Clem Smith - after his indiscretion, it was great to see Clem right in the thick of everything and showing heaps of pace and silky skills. I hope we see a lot of him in 2016.
Patrick Cripps - didn't see a great deal of him, except for right at the end. His shoulders and upper body are HUGE. He may actually kill someone on the field next year. He does though have ridiculously skinny calves. They're practically non-existent!

Notable absentees:
Marc Murphy - No Murph, at all. Anyone know why? He was the only absentee that I can think of.

Light / Restricted duties:
Kade Simpson, Andrew Walker, Jayden Foster (I think??), Dennis Armfield, Levi Casboult, Michael Jamison, Matthew Kreuzer.

The New Draftees:

Jacob Weitering - Impressive, looks physically ready, didn't have much of a chance to stand out.
Charlie Curnow - Needs to grow into his body and get some definition, seems a very 'playful' character, always keen for a laugh.
Harry McKay - Beast. He's huge and looks about 23. I didn't think he'd be a chance to play next year, but he looks physically ready and from what I saw of him his skills were great.
David Cuningham - Silky and fast. This kid could be an absolute steal for pick 19. Clean hands below his knees and hit his targets constantly by foot and by hand. Will really be watching him closely next year, and I think he'll be the first of the new kids to really impress.
Jack Silvagni - Still has a boy's body. Needs a couple of years in the gym and to grow into himself. Beautiful, classic kicking action. Was taking a lot of set shots for goal.

Interesting moments:
Korchek was picked to do the set shot for goal drill with everyone standing either side of him. Slotted it from about 40m with a kick that went about 80m in the air! Everyone went off and jumped all over him. He seems like a really popular guy.

SOS and Andy McKay running laps the entire session. I can't believe how weird SOS's bandy legs look in real life.

All in all it was a good, fun session in perfect weather. Will be keen to hear other reports during the week if any others get to some sessions.

Charlie Curnow

Jack Silvagni

 

[Matty411]

Hard to follow PCD's report, but here's my first crack after heading down to my first ever open training (thanks to their trip to the Sunshine state).

Blues Training – Southport Sharks – 15.12.15



I came in around 10:30 thinking they’d nearly be finished – ended up going for another 90 minutes (some even stayed out after the boys started going into the rooms. Bolts is working them hard, and that sun was testing even the fittest of them.

Had a bit of a chat to Lachie (Plowman) who was on crutches. Nice guy who didn’t stop smiling – even after having his surgery on Monday. He was optimistic about next year despite being out of full training for 10 weeks. He hoped to be rid of the crutches very soon.

Weitering and Sumner were boxing for most of the last half, with Kerridge, Charlie and Jamo joining them at times.

Dennis was on a bike for almost the entire time I was there – no arm guard or tape so not sure what was going on. Wood joined him on the bike for around half an hour at one point, too.

Gee Casboult is one huge man – but such a top bloke (said not to expect any double cobras in 2016 – might leave it in the past). Spent most of training standing around by himself with his right leg/knee strapped. He didn’t seem to be in much discomfort but maybe just a precaution.

They spent a large part of each quarter in groups, splitting off into backs, forwards and mids – with the four rucks then pairing off for 1v1 contests.

Kreuz and Korcheck were paired up and the American more than held his own. Kreuz didn’t look bad but I was impressed by ‘Paycheck’ in his competitiveness – he also won as many contests, if not more v Kreuz which was great to see.

Phillips and Gorringe then went at it. Phillips looks controlled and confident in the contest, whereas Gorringe seemed to have to try a bit harder.

I got a decent look at the defenders, who were working on zones/closing space. Sheehan and Tuohy were in control as White was kicking into the D50 who struggled to find a target cleanly. Thought that may’ve been the point (kick to contest) OR they were just doing well. Otherwise, he looked pretty fit and is a top bloke.

To me, the whole flavour of the day seemed to be pressure. In everything they did - it was all about putting on as much pressure as possible to simulate game-day.

The last quarter saw most of the side in a game-style match practice between the arcs as has been reported recently. There was A LOT of voice and intensity – was surprised by how much talk there was among the group during the match simulation stuff.

Gibbs, Daisy and Ed impressed from what I saw and all have incredible voice/leadership – they just never stopped instructing/talking. Doc, Tutt, Wright and Whiley also got a bit of the action, too – good to see with Doc as it shows he may see more mid time during 2016.

The last session was a 1v1 forward/defender exercise whereby the forward had to break away to collect/dispose of the ball before stepping their opponent and racing back to the line. Rowe and Foster were first cabs off the rank – was good to see ‘Fozzie’ burn away, showing nice agility and desire.

The other one of notice in that drill was where Jones took on Tuohy and got owned. Tuohy is just so good defensively – wore him like a glove, visibly annoying Jones (to my amusement).

Side notes:

Bolts is so small but boy does he have presence. All eyes are glued to him when he speaks – just commands so much respect but also seems such a likable guy. Was lucky enough to hear him talking in a group drill towards the end of the 1v1 scenario – was talking about controlled aggression, and I found myself hanging off every single word. Definitely made the right choice here Carlton.

Glass-McCasker – seemed to be getting work on a hip injury when I got there then didn’t partake in much else… interesting to see how bad it was.

Smith – Didn’t see much of him out there but he was training with the forwards when they split off.

Jones just isn’t going to make it in my honest opinion. He looked lethargic and just sort of wandered around for most of the drills. Did well with his burst speed to get the ball a few times in the simulation but I don’t think I saw him dispose of it correctly once. He did try and bust a few tackles and get free but it failed on numerous occasions – getting wrapped up and brought to ground completely.

Daisy moving very well and just has a great presence. Was impressed by his kicking, too – think this could be his year, though I still have doubts over whether he can return to his best.

Gibbs has really stepped up leadership-wise, bringing the young blokes in and taking on a big brother type role. Suffice to say, if he was telling me something, I’d bloody do it.

Ed Curnow leads the way with everything he does... Has been said before but I think he'll be one to step up next year - taken over Carrazzo’s role in the midfield and as a leader definitively. Has great voice as well – always encouraging the boys to ‘keep it simple’ and ‘do it right’. Would not at all look out of place in the leadership group.

Boekhorst was rocking a Whiley-style mo and when I asked whether it would stay for the proper season, I could not get a straight answer #mogate #willheorwonthekeepit

Got a quick glimpse of Cripps at the end after looking for him during to no avail. Is very fit and seems to be oozing leadership in everything he does - not just in his actions, but whether that be a quiet word or encouraging pat. He's the real deal and (I said to a fellow supporter) will win a Brownlow in the coming years, no doubt at all.

Of the new draftees…

Harry is huge but will take a good few years to grow into that massive frame. When he does though, look out. Seemed to be a good kid as well after talking to him.

Charlie is such a likeable character – was sparring with Jamo for a good while. Love the pairing but I did ask Jamo after training whether it was intended in a ‘mentor’ capacity (which it’s not) but he does rate both Curnow boys very highly (had glowing words for Ed).

Cuningham is so quiet – hardly noticed him around the group, but his speed and agility will be a welcome addition to our side.

I can see Charlie and David (as well as Weitering) playing a good number of games this year.

SOS didn’t really do much today – ran some repeat sprints with Tutt at one point, then spent a bit of it just watching.

Overall, was a tough session out in the heat but it was good to see most of the side in full training and giving it 100%.

Also, very pleased with how welcoming and nice the guys were when they were heading to the rooms. Andy Phillips, Casboult, Doc, McKay, Bucks, Jamo and Gibbsy are all legends.

 

[Doro]

I went along to both sessions yesterday and this morning- PCD and M411 covered it all really well, so I'll just add a few observations:

BOLTON - you can't help but notice the influence of the Little General. There is such a variety in the drills, with a bit of fun added to keep the boys interested. Chipping away at all those little game day skills and decisions, this is what development is all about. There was an interesting structure drill this morning where each unit would sprint to their zone and set up with an eye on the space surrounding, then sprint off again after a minute or two. Quite perplexing to watch, but great to see these guys being taught. Rapt in our choice of coach.

CLEM SMITH - for all the talk of off field indiscretions, I think he looks in terrific nick. Running well, clean hands and a really pure kick- I hope he gets his chance this year, he seems to be building the tank and we have lost quite a bit of the X factor he might be able to bring to the table.

CRIPPS - as soon as there is a drill involving congestion and contests, this guy just comes into his own. Has that magnetic lure for the pill, frees the arms, hits target by hand in any of the 360 degrees. Gun.

SOS - was impressed with his movement in the forward group drills this morning, found space well and hit up his targets. Plenty to work with here.

McKay - I can't wait to see this guy play, moves well, really neat skills and seems to keep his composure in the pressure drills. He's one of those million dollar yearlings, fingers crossed he can race.

WEITERING - very unobtrusive trainer, goes about things with a minimum of fuss, but does it well each time. I don't think we'll talk about him much until the real stuff starts.

CUNINGHAM - looks the likely type. Really good toe and a nice kick of the footy in my observations.

KORCHECK - super competitive and getting his hand to the ruck contests really well. It's a question of how long the disposal and game awareness takes. Will be an interesting one to watch develop.

PHILLIPS- missed quite a few targets by foot this morning, though my sample size is small. Hard to call the winner of the number 2 ruck slot between him and Gorringe and Wood at this stage.

DAISY- Looking super. Begone cursed injury gods.

That'll do for now. Long post fatigue..

 

[Blues_fest]

Headed down today after missing Tuesday. Turned up at 10.30, but still got to see a good hour and a half. Bloody hot and a solid session if they started at 8.30!

STANDOUTS / IMPRESSED BY:
- Lamb and clem great goal sense
- Lamb in general: great across the ground, makes good decisions, leading everything
- Daisy: speed is definitely back, always makes great decisions, was in everything and execution a1. My tip for top 3 b and f if not injured
- Bolton: constantly educating and asking why they were in a set position, the asking why they weren't where he wanted them to be. Def not mr nice guy on the paddock, high expectations and both positively reinforces as well as kicking up the ass
- Cripps, kerridge, dre, kruz: all in rehab group but look hardened and in great shape
- Smith: looks twice as agile and fast off the mark as last year. Awesome ground skills and kicking
- simmo: just awesome to watch
- white: really thought he was a standout today, and although I'm not a fan of his decision making in games, during the drills today he was always in best position.
-Bryce: someone posted last week they think something has changed. I just saw 110% effort today and such great decisions. If he is fit, too 3 b n f.


NOT IMPRESSED

- jones: I'm sure it's just me, maybe it's his short legs, but he just doesn't have any presence and no endurance.
- tutt: looks good with ball when no one is in front of him, but as soon as pressure he has to think too much and either slows up the play or makes bad choice. Difference between say daisy and tutt in similar scenario's is light years. Not in my team. Pace is over-rated if it's not backed up
- sosos: years before he plays. Was only in rehab group but just no strength, no power, no fast twitch muscles... No strength through the hips. Will need a shit load of work, hopefully his footy brain is what sets him apart
- boxing coach working with sosos: no way he should be boxing. Shoulder is not working right, just reinforcing bad habits. For a trainer not to be able to see this stuff is really not good enough. I was shocked.
Rowe: lots of errors by foot.



DRILLS

1)
Looks like a lot of emphasis on improving our ground ball and forward 50 efficiency, and agree with other posters, we are protecting space much better. Expect contested ball stats down, but higher possession and teams won't get away so easily.

2)
Full ground drill. Working in the three groups, was great from back line to midfield,, but from midfield forward was not great.
I'm not sure if the goal was to kick away from the forward ( if it was then great), but if the goal was to hit them, it was v bad..

All in all glad I popped down. Definitely my fav part was Bolton. I couldn't be more impressed with the vids we are seeing, the reports from other posters and seeing him in person.

Was also impressed with comradery. I've seen a fair few sessions in Vic, over the last 10 years and this was by far the most voice at a Carlton training session I've seen

FANS

I don't do signatures, but was great to see the boys interacting so well with fans of all ages. Not just sign and move on, but actually talking and answering questions.

ALL FIT ROUND 1 TEAM

My team for round one at this point ( forgive spelling)

- touhy , jammo , simmo
- kj, bucks (white depending on match up), docherty

- daisy , Gibbs , kerridge
- kruz , murph, Cripps

- lamb , dre , walker
- clem, bolt , Wright

- curnow, graham, Phillips, bockhurst


* hopefully soon: weitering, plowman, curnow, Cuningham ,


LAST THOUGHT

Actually excited for 2016.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[passmark]

Ok.

Went along yesterday for a look while in Bris.
First up. Sorry Queenslanders your temp gauges are broken. It was ****ing hotter than 25-29 degrees while training was on.

There's not much I can add in terms of specific players as you just can't see enough of all of them but ....

Clem: I knew a kid growing up who used to say "if you want to get selected make sure (at training)you've always got the footy or are just about to get it. He was everywhere. Looked sharp and didn't fumble , which was rare. Got Rowey in one of the drills and boys went off.
Boek. was praised often and loudly by BB. Good pace good kicking to advantage he is easily in our best 22 if training is a true reflection. and he's strong.

Weitering : in the injury group with Plowman and Bucks and a few other. NTSH. But he is easily the worst boxer I've ever seen.
McKay : Had a leg bandage on. Bit of a hammy I think. As with GlassMcas I think they've tried a bit hard while still recovering and pinged something.
.
Curnow: Was in just about every drill . Seems they are seeing how he looks as a mid and a forward. Was against Doc a bit but didn't really shine . Looks a completely different animal when allowed to run though. Has excellent awareness and makes terrific decisions with the ball but just a touch off kicking wise.
Cunningham: Sorry. Nothing to report didn't notice.
Glass-McCasker: Has a slight hammy . Was doing some easy running . Heard him say "couple of weeks" when discussing with running coach.
Kerridge: Looks a pro. Nothing outstanding, just does everything right (even warm ups and recovery) and at full intensity..
Lamb : Sorry, didn't notice.
Wright" Like Kerridge . Looks a strong ****er and good skills.
Gorringe: Didn't see a lot, but he runs with such ease and changes direction so well and BUILT!..
Phillips. Saw a lot. Like him. Big, strong, loud and marked pretty well but rucked beautifully. Again, moves like a tall Dave Mundy.
Korchek. Struggling a bit. Got smashed in ruck drill and struggled with marking drills when the wind popped up a bit. Phillips is working with him and you can almost hear the gears in Korchecks head as he tries to take it all in. He might be a bit overwhelmed at the moment. I'm sure he'll be better after a while.
Jones. What I saw I liked. Good in the full ground drills. Didn't see any contested marking drills with him. Someone took a hanger near the crowd in one of the match dills, might have been him. I was on the other side of the ground.

Cripps: Didn't see much and really, what else can I add?. Did notice them changing the name on the clubrooms to the Patrick Cripps Pavilion as I left and heard the pope is here next week to bless a shrine . Business as usual for the young man.

Sheehan: Moon boot. Trainer says 10 days , just has a hot spot.
Tutt . Doing a Clem. Is in every drill, trying hard, still doesn't always make great decisions. Burnt Graham on one drill and Nicky gave him a bake and then another bake 15 seconds later.
Simpson:
Gibbs : Bigger. Not mirror muscles, looks like a bar room brawler. Love it. Did a fair bit of running on his own. Going to be boss.
Thomas Triple gold medalist at the vocal olympics. Moved well, kicked well and instructed well.
Rainbow Hmmm. Saw him a bit but he doesn't really scream "pick me!!". Neat
Whiley. . Doesn't seemed pressured by people trying to tackle but also gets caught a bit. Only saw him in the handball/walk drill so not 100% what his role will be.
Foster. I saw him and had to wait till he got closer to identify him. Looked a million dollars in some of the circle work warm up drills. Changing direction, marking, and kicking were sublime. When he goes tall He marks the ball at a point higher than anyone on the list that I could see and recovers really well at ground level. Didn't see him in the competitive drills but if you didn't know who he was and saw him having a kick at your local park you'd stick a rookie contract under his nose on ability alone. Looks very agile ATM, which is not something I would have said based on the other times I've seen him.
Gowers. Strong through the arse and can kick long and short. Not vocal. Looked competent. Kicking will be his salvation if he makes it, not many look as at ease with the ball as he.
Dick: Same as last year. Looks ok but he is a bit of a nervous soul. Fumbled a few in the backline drills.
White:
Byrne: Fast, moves well, chooses well and goes the next part of the play without thinking.
2E: mainly boxing. He can punch, probably wishes it was the 80's.
Wood: Very supportive and a real team guy. If he was anymore laid back though he'd fall over.
Cas: didn't notice.
Callucci: Looks to have lost 3 or 4 kilos already. Looks hungry, kicked really well, doesn't lack confidence. Not a lot of meat on those bones though. He's going to need to bring down some fair sized antelope as they stampede out of our forwardline if he wants to get a game as a small forward.
Jack: Sweet kid. everyone in the crowd looks at him and go all teary, nostalgic and proud all at the same time. 2 years away. Does everything right. Most even tan.
Army: On a bike.
KJ: Did some drills and some bike. Looked pretty good, but he's a pretty laid back cat.

There was an AFL academy kid there called Gooch. Terrific little player, in everything and walked through about 4 guys in one of the match simulation drills. Kicks well, built strongly . Bit short, but might be able to break into the comp. Small forward I would think.

General thoughts:
Big guys: No lumbering dinosaurs . All athletic, all move well. Kicking is an issue for these guys. Phillips easily the best ruck. Kruez the best at the other stuff.

KPP: Pity so many of the new talls are in the rehab group. Can't really add much except how much I liked Foster.

Mids and Smalls: We'll be well served by this group. Not all are A grade but all are having a dip.

Sessions: INTENSE. No room for complacency. Everyone is supported but they are also scrutinized. At the end of this process we'll have professional footballers, not FIGJAMs, pea hearts and sooks.
I remember watching MM training sessions and (even Ratten sessions) people (coaches, trainers and players) spent far more time standing around jawing . No time for that with the BB. He's not only putting the acid on the players he's putting it on the coaches. All drills, running or recovery sessions were run with purpose and precision. The only half casual part was the last 10 minutes of kicking for goals, even then the people involved were doing it with purpose. Apart from Clem, he was doing some Motlopy stuff.

The bad :

Kicking skills are pretty ordinary amongst some of the group, particularly mid range kicks.

Bit fumbly bumbly and not a lot of cohesion among the players. Pressure simulations really showed up the weaknesses, scrappy doesn't quite cover it. All to be expected given the newbies and new coaching and that everyone gets a go in these situations and so all weak links are exposed.

 

[Blues_fest]

Went down on Saturday, and agree with much of above. But just cause draft time and training report time is almost my fav time of year I will make another post in the hope that when they return to vic you melbournians will keep up the good work and just keep posting training reports

1_ AW
Nothing to report. Did a 30km ride on thurs with Kruz and is looking fit like normal. Be great to see him move past knee issues.

2_SOSOS
I gave him a smashing on Thursday, and still feel the same in those areas... But in the match simulation drill he was bloody awesome. Protected space, lead hard, marked cleanly at the top of this jump with arms outstretched. Made quick and smart decisions. Just needs to get out of his 14 year old body.

3_MURPH
Upper body is tiny, which we know is normal post shoulder issues until its all clear.. Great to see him out there encouraging everyone

4_Gibba
As above, he is running beautifully, he looks hardened and he along with Thomas think 2 plays ahead of everyone else.. Game on in 2016

6_Simmo
Just the best trainer without doubt for mine. Constantly kicking left then right (not sure why he doesn't use his right in games cause it is so clean), and is so good in the full ground drills and simulation. Doesn't make mistakes, always does the little things like shepherding, following up and instructing his fellow players

7_Bucks
Didn't notice him at all, except that he is great with the fans

8_Kreuz
Def the leader of the ruck team and its like he is the ruck coach at the same time. That said, as we know his weakeness is the leap and he got smashed by korchek in this drill. Not only in the air, but when the ball hit the deck. Im guessing he wasn't trying, but if he could just get another 10cm on his leap he would be my number 1 ruck in the comp... just doesn't get his hands on it first for mine.

9_ Cripps
Absolutely killing every drill. The full ground stuff, the match simulation and confined space drills. He is A1.. And i especially noticed in the full ground drills how much extra toe he has... This isn't just fluffy pre-season reporting.. Don't worry about him being burned by his opponent to often like last year in open space.. Kid is getting some wheels.. Maybe it was just grwoing into his huge body. My new fav player post Judd.

10_Mckay
Looks raw. Can't see any games this year, unless near the end. Was working with Weitering for a period and was very obvious the difference in how quickly both will be ready for business

11_Kerridge
Didn't really notice much at all. Loving hearing everyone elses training reports on him though

12_Boeky
Again, didn't notice much until the match simulation. He exploded past some would be tacklers on a couple of times and he definitely won't be tossed around like last year. He looks big, strong and with his speed, i reckon he will make the wing spot his own in 2016. Clean skills too

13_Lamb
One of my picks over the Thursday and Sat.. Everything at full pace, full intensity, moves so well, great skills, solid body.. Can't wait to see him in the first matches, but he has a spot on my HF every day of the week atm.

14_Jones
I have to admit he took 3 nice marks in the match simulation and 1 nice one in the full ground drill. But of the 4 only 1 was at the top of his leap (seriously caught the other three when he almost landed)... I can see why he is so frustrating, cause he CAN jump, he CAN mark and CAN kick, but he just has shit endurance, horrible timing and crap work ethic. Still on my delist list. Unless you want to die for the club on the field, you don't make my team.

15_Docherty
Seems to have taken KJ under his wing and is constantly in long discussions with him. KJ nodding, Docherty pointing as he talks. Didn't notice him in the drills etc, so prob means no highlights but no mistakes

16_Vovo
A poster the other week said he seems to be doing his own thing, and ive noticed that alot too. The good news is it is very obvious he is working on his endurance. He more than anyone runs straight over to the tent to get his numbers after every exercise he does. But it is weird how often they have him doing stuff by himself. I would be hoping he would be in the drill stuff. We know he has a great peg, and we know he needs to be fitter, but im guessing he also needs to know how to zone correctly, and that seems paramount to me.

17_Rowe
I don't know, he had good size and does nice things. Just makes to make silly errors for someone i want in my backline. Def one to be upgraded when the young ones are ready.

18_KJ
I don't think his size is an issue like everyone else. he certainly isn't big, but his frame is excellent. Question marks over his intensity for me.. I truly believe you play the way you train, and seems to have small attention span.. I love his highlights from GWS though, and that and his NAB stuff last year, tells me he has what it takes..

19_Sumner
Im not sure why, but even though he has only been boxing, riding and doing ropes etc, something about him screams explosive strength. His body reminds me of rioli. I would love to get this guy on the park to see what he can do.. He didn't stop either. Seems to be pushing himself v hard and was riding at much higher resistance to the other boys on bikes

20_Plowman
Such good size. WOrks bloody hard in the rehab group. Could be a monster.

22_Tutt
Sorry, he seems to be my whipping boy with jones (for totally different reasons). I normally love people that put in 100% and train with intensity. And Tutt does this.. I just got the feeling last year like he is soft, and on top of that he thinks sooooo slowly.. When he takes the game on its the wrong decision or direction, when he holds the play up, it feels like forever. Seems like a great guy though, is constantly smiling and interacting with everyone

23_Weitering
Wasn't impressed on thursday, but sat he was ridiculously focused and he looked ready physically already. Small upper body (but huge shoulders to grow into).. but if you are at training, check out his legs, hips and core.. The kid is so strong through their already, and i really saw it in the boxing, he has that explosion you want in a top line player.

24_Whiley_
Much smaller than i expected seeing everyone says he will be one of our inside grunt workers. Did some nice things, but doesn't stand out to me. Seems a little one paced.

25_Clem
Lock him in for the forward pocket. His pressure is awesome, has great skill and just love the bounce and spring he moves with...

26_Foster
Passmark said it above, but i really had to look this guy up as i couldn't figure out who it was.. Was very impressive. Great mark and kick. ALso just researched that the knock on him is speed, but i thought his agility and movement was ok.

27_ Army
on the bike both sessions. Looks super lean. I didn't know how tiny he was. Great with the supporters

28_Cuningham
Again, was really hoping to see him on the track and get a glimpse of the judd like exposiveness but i didn't get to see anything. He is much smaller in person than i thought. Cant be more the 6ft.

30_Curnow
Love how thick he is through the chest, i think it would make him very hard to spoil. I don't want to say it but reminds me a little of fev.. Always joking and playing around. The thing i can see already is his competitiveness. I think when game day hits, he will kill you before letting you beat him.

31_Dick
In the tutt category for me. Can't see him being anything more than back up

32_Graham
100% in my midfield. He is our sam Mitchell. Makes such good decisions, runs to the right places, does all the little things and just gets a heap of it. Frsutrated the hell out of me when he wasn't getting games, cause even in 2014 nab i though he showed that ability to read the play straight away. Couldn't understand why he wasn't played. Seeing him up close the only thing i can think of is size.. he is small.. But seriously, when are coaches going to get over the fact that if a guy can read the play, if he has great skills he is twice as good as a fast, tall gumby...

33_Dre
Really stood out to me on thursday, but was a little disappointing today. Nothing wrong, but i was just excitied to see him throw his new bigger frame around a little. Will def be one of our starting forwards


34_Phillips
Looks the most impressive of our rucks around the ground. But i was suprised... He and gorringe were duelling and despite it seeming like phillips was constantly getting into the better position and using his body far more effective... It was gorringe who kept getting first hands on the ball. Im still going with phillips as my 2nd after Kruz, but was definitely interesting anyway. Maybe gorringe does have something to offer. He definitely has a very impressive rig.

35_Curnow
Has anyone noticed he may have picked up a yard or two? PLease no taggers in 2016 and lets see what Ed can do.. I think he is ready to prove he is a ball player too. Makes great decisions and is everywhere

37_Gorringe
Just doesn't stand out around the ground, but did some nice things in ruck duels against phillips


39_Thomas
I don't want to jinx anything, but its a very big possibility he could be our best player in 2016. Moving very very well, and IMO the best decision maker in the team. His low bullet passes don't miss either.

40_Jamison
Im a fan. Looks fresh.

41_Levi
Still the man with the most imposing physique in the team. Just walking around not doing anything though.. We really need him up and about.

42_touhy
Can box... Was v impressive in rehab group and made cuningham look like he was a teenage girl.. Was great to see him pushing and educating his teammate

43_White
Another impressive training display. WHo knows. I love his competitiveness. If the new system is clear to him and we can get rid of the dumb mistakes, this could be his year. Strong and powerful

46_Wright.
Straight into my forward line. Everything he is doing is at 110% intensity. he looks light on his feet, great skills. Only thing is i thought he might have been training with the backs on saturday in one drill. i hope not, and hopefully just my old man eyes playing with me.

21_Sheehan
Great build, but notgreat news... he is in a moon boot!

29_Gowers
Didn't notive

36_Wood
Gonna be bullants, unless we have injuries

38_Ciaran Byne
This guy MUST in the team.. Either HBF or shit just put him in the guts.. He takes the game on, he reads the play he has amazing skills and when he goes, he goes.. Top 3 in match simulation for mine... Get him fit and we have a gun on our hands..

45_Gallucci
Have no idea how we got him so low.. My smoky for some games in the forward line this year for sure. Massive agility and zippy as hell. Good skills and doesn't shut up.. Could be a livewire.

47_Glass-MCcasker
Nice height. Very skinny atm.. project player

48_
Possibly the worst handball and kick of anyone ever on an afl list.. I actually spat out some water i was drinking after one hand ball attempt... But holy hell, he is amazing in the ruch duels. Kills everyone and is so much stronger than them. His agility is ridiculous for someone that big and made Kruz look like a rag doll many times


________

BOLTON
Im loving these training sessions. Will try make monday too.
The setting up of random stoppages and the unstruction and the talk and each player working so hard to be in the right spot is so promising to see. They seem to all be taking ownership of their position and then talking too.
Also team comradery is A1... Every single time they come in for drinks, they get around the rehab group and give them drinks, encouragement etc


CLUB
Again, big ups to the club. At one point a guy came out and gave every little kid in the crowd a carlton footy. Was such a nice touch.. Those little things are soo small, but i hope they realise how big they are to culture and fan respect.

________

FINAL OPINION

Everyone is doom and gloom for carlton in 2016. But if we have no injuries and if we get a hold of this game plan (which i actually believe we will. The training and education from what i have seen is something completely different to what our players have experienced)...
I think on paper our midfield is one of the best going around (yes not great depth but not as bad as everyone makes out).

Im going to predict right now that we surprise many teams and its possible we have a port/bulldogs year.

Kreuz - murph - gibbs
Boeky - cripps - thomas
----- (6 first round picks) -----

Back up (all players who can go through midfield)

I rate highly:
Kerrige, curnow, graham, dochery, byrne (yes byrne), simpson
Have potential:
wright, lamb, whiley, plowman, buckley, walker, white


So yes our forward line is unknown and our back line is becoming quite settled.. But the game is really controlled in the midfield and for mine, ours (with the right plan, and with some success and a bit of a roll on and confidence [amazing what that does to a group]) we will be right cool.

 

[HARKER]

Not going to put too much together here for a few reasons and none more than I was so tired today and my mind wandered off on a couple of occasions.

Anyway:
Rehab group: Casboult, Kreuzer, Sumner, Plowman and Walker have been the mainstays.
Sheehan is still in moon boot and of course Murphy is somewhere around the place. Glass McCasker here and then there.
Must be some concern that several of these guys are still on a very small diet of training.
Plowman though looks 'beast' to me. I'm sure he's bigger than he was only a few weeks back...........if that's possible.
Oddly though and not in the rehab group bur Silvagni looked smaller today......may have been the angle I viewed him from. Looked 188/9

The drills were very cohesive, sharp and very well planned.
Too many for me to recall them all and groups were doing their bit at all quarters of the ground.
I may go into them in more detail but hopefully someone else will do a run-through as I can't be bothered right now.

Just on some of the players:
There's little point in reciting the same old, but what I'm just looking at things that may not have been there previously.

Weitering finally starting to stamp authority. This was easily the best session highlighting some of his attributes.
One on one, he was excellent and there was a drill where two players had their backs to a coach who would run the ball along the ground, call out and have the combatants run at the ball and posture for possession. Weitering was terrific as he beat most of his opponents over and again. Admittedly it was largely some of the younger guys but he did well even against Tuohy and the pick-ups off the deck were terrific.
Having said that though, McKay wasn't too bad either. Very clean hands at ground level. I was impressed.

Cripps: Other than the usual, this kid is getting quicker, no doubt. His ground coverage was outstanding and he spent a good ten minutes with Bolton doing sprints from positions a. Flat on his back and a 40 mt run. b. Laying face down and a 40 mt run. The longer this went, the quicker and smarter he got.

Boekhorst really stood out to me today. In the ground drills, no sooner had he ball in hand before he had it to boot executing sharp 30-40 mt passes.
Loved his work but more-so his intent and he's been better every week since joining the main group after his hip op.

Kerridge is an animal.....I know, we know......but we can peg him as a leader soon enough.
Was very animated with DVR at one stage. He looked scary to me even from where I was. He's serious and has accepted his position with us very quickly.

C. Curnow seemed a little lazy (?) to me today. Anyone else notice this or did I just get him at bad moments.
He just didn't seem to push himself as hard as earlier, butchered some kicks and got a spray from Bolton on another occasion.

Cunningham in open space is a delight to watch. In closed spaces his output dropped but that's not really his go.
These guys just don't look like first year players to me. They mix it up pretty well with the more senior guys.

Docherty: I love him......so what? Very classy individual on many fronts. Does everything right and is quite instructive also.

E. Curnow: He's everywhere.......No kidding. Look that way - Curnow. A second later look at the other end of the ground - Curnow.
There may be better trainers elsewhere but give me a name. Pushes himself past normal limits. Will be very important to Bolton...that I have no doubt about.

Byrne: I had to get him in, didn't I? If he doesn't make it I'll eat my socks, shoes and shorts.
Just love watching this guy take the ball and run. Poetry.

Gorringe: It must be me but I just can't get my radar onto him. Nothing seems to stand out. Maybe next time.

Lamb seems to have settled in quite well. Really seems to have good rapport with the guys and engages everywhere....although he's another player with shoulder bandaging. We've a few of them right now.

It was one of those sessions where it was hard to state anything with real confidence as there was a lot of mix and match and the drills were run through very quickly for the viewer at least, although the coaches clearly know exactly what they're doing.
This was something that showed up again today as there was no 'fat' with the coaches. All fully involved and fully instructive although Neil Craig can sure be a bit of a prick at times.......in the nicest way.

There was a bit of fun at the end and the guys really seemed to enjoy themselves..........even punching up a coach, it seemed.

 

[HARKER]

13.01.15

Let's get this out of the way first.................It was damn hot.
I think it may have slowed down the tempo of the day a little, but not a lot until the end runs, where the 'fast run' wasn't exactly fast.

Key points:

1. Murphy moving really well and stretching the arms above the head now.
Looks very sharp on his feet but no doubt he'll be needing to pick up the pace a little from here on in.
2. Casboult has finally made his way into the main group and seemed to keep up very well.
3. Sheehan is out of the moon boot. Yay!!!! Didn't engage with the main group though.
4. Buckley was unsighted unfortunately. Maybe his ankle is a bit of an issue. I don't know.
5. Thomas was also a no-show today. No idea what the situation may be, if indeed there is a situation.
5. Jaksch......................let me tell you about Jaksch.........................He has dyed his hair.

Rehab/Management Group:

Kreuzer, Walker, Murphy, Sumner. Plowman, Graham, Phillips, Whiley, JGM, Sheehan, Foster and Wright.
Simpson & Jones worked alone for a short period of time on the ground but purely on their own, via various running drills.
For some reason though Smith just disappeared halfway through the day. No idea what happened there.
E. Curnow also spent a bit of time here and there without fully being asked to engage with the main group. Same for Armfield.

Drills:

Plenty of short drills today but the drills you really come to see, were a little disappointing. The half ground competitive drill had the ball on the ground as much as it was moving around. To be honest, it was quite sloppy but maybe the weather had some say in it. Too many passes that missed targets, overshot the targets, fell short or were just blind passes..............anyway.........
All in all, the drills (and the duration of them) didn't really give away too much but some players did shine for certain reasons.


Players:

Cripps was again Cripps today and when the centre bounce work started, he was unstoppable.
May be time I stop repeating this but boy, does he stand out when he attacks the stoppage just to take receipt of ball and find a team-mate.
SOS: First time I've put him in this grouping but of all of sudden he's showing aspects that may you sit up and take notice.
I didn't expect Silvagni to run as nice as he did today. Just glided over the turf and kept going all day. I know we don't like comparing to other players but the way he attacked the ball and marked it, had a bit of 'Gunston' about it. There was no pressure on him but that may not matter too much if he can mark them at any angle, in front of his body.
C. Curnow: Firstly I think he's a little taller than 191. I'm seeing 192.5 but more than his height, he really showed his aggression and want to take the game on today. He launched himself into packs a few times and even though the grabs weren't taken, the energy was terrific. He may be a beauty for us.
Korchek: He can take a mark.......seriously, he judges the ball quite well in flight and has no issues grabbing the ball. Kicking though........better, but.......
Cuningham: I'm liking him more and more each week. Still has tape on his knee but this kid can turn on a dime (?) and explode before you have any chance of tackling him. He's looking very lively to me. Looking forward to see how he goes, when the real stuff starts.
Tutt continues to look well but probably in a similar way to how well he looked last pre-season. It may be different this time around.
Docherty, Byrne & Gibbs looked wonderful in movement but Gibbs did make several mistakes through skills drills. Very unusual.

All in all we can fairly make excuses for the players today. The coaches may have before the session had even started.



ADDITIONS:

I feel guilty for not giving a mention to White. I swear he's somewhat quicker off the mark than before. Moved like a mid at times, exploding from contests.
Will also reluctantly repeat: Boekhorst looks terrific. Sure he's got speed but he seems to find the best option much quicker then he did, this time last year. We'll see where he sits soon enough but I'd be very surprised should he not easily be in our best 22.
Weitering also held ground from last week. Really seems to be part of the big boy group now. Looks very much a round one starter for now.

 

[Kreuuuzeurns]

I headed into training yesterday, first time this preseason. Boy did I pick the correct day to go

What stood out to me was simply how much more talk there is throughout the group. Even the rehab boys had a drill on the opposite side of the ground and boy were they loud. Even if we lack the talent, the feeling around the squad makes up for it tenfold. Awesome to see.

As for individuals,

Curnow will be superb for us. Tried to take a hanger in the match simulation drill. Will always pull out something new.

Murph, was running nicely alongside Kerridge but noticed his left shoulder wasn't moving that well. Hope that heals well in the next few weeks.

Korcheck is just a huge man. Is reading the ball quite well for a bloke so new to the game.

And last but not least, SOJ (Son of Jo they were calling him ). So much natural talent and smarts. Just the way he moves. Hope he can fill out in the next few years because right now I'm excited.

Those were just the main ones who stood out to me. Plenty of other good stories accross the ground.

Will 100% try and get back in the next few weeks. Bolts' methods are so much different to Mick's in that there's just so much going on. Always on the move and always learning. Just a different 'feel' about the place. The club was even handing out gatorades and water in the hot weather. Simple things like that wouldn't of been done 5 years ago.

 

[HARKER]

20.01.2016

Todays session was a little restrained compared to the last couple of weeks and it didn't help that so many didn't participate in the main group.
The session was a long one though with the guys out on the field for the best part of 3 hours
Silvagni & Docherty were no-shows with Plowman only sticking his head out for a couple of minutes.
Walker, Kreuzer, Sheehan, Armfield and Sumner are all still in the rehab group whilst several more joined them today whether for a niggle or just a rest.
Those players were Byrne, Gorringe, Weitering, Wright, Phillips and to some degree Glass-McCasker.
JGM's running was impressive though and his change of direction is quality. Good athlete that may just take a little time.

Great to see Murphy back in full action although he didn't particularly need to, nor did, extend himself too much.
Just easing back in but captain won't take long to be fully involved once again. He's looking pretty keen.

There's little point in repeating the same...........although I will a couple of times.......but best just to highlight anything that stands out from previous sessions.

Curnow: Today highlighted why the 'inside mid' talk was around Charlie 6 months ago.
His stoppage work was sensational.......not quite Cripps sensational but impressive nonetheless. Great to see all our kids showing no fear of their senior counterparts and today Curnow just read the ball to perfection off the rucks' hands to clear the ball over and again.
His ground work was also most impressive and if you didn't know better, you'd say he'd been around the club for a few years at least.

Cuningham had a mixed day, in that his kicking was somewhat wayward at times but his takes and breakaways were breathtaking.
The recruiters may just be pretty happy with themselves right now, having picked up someone with his cleanliness and speed in the mid twenties.
He will though need to clean up his kicking though. It may have just been a bad day for him in this department, as everything else looked quality.

Smith showed up today after deciding to cut short his session last week.
Very committed at the contest and looks dangerous the way he attacks the ball, at times.
Just a little disappointing though that the tank has some way to go yet.

Whiley is definitely quicker than last year and his work in tight was good. Great to see him breakaway from contests also. O.K. the drill wasn't AFL intensity but nonetheless, his work-rate was terrific.

McKay: Along with Curnow his attack on the ball was first class. I thought that Harry may have had a little fear for the contest but that notion was cleared from my mind today.
Held his ground well against opponents and doesn't mind launching himself at the ball either. Was half expecting him to head to the sidelines with an injury but he made it through the day unscathed

Jaksch although not dominant, looked very good today but was a little lazy with his kicks, which didn't particularly please his coaches. That aside he competed very well and looked very nimble and sharp.

Cripps...................Stoppages...............WOW.....................That's it

There really wasn't a lot of continuity through the session today, as instruction again took precedence, with coaches regularly stopping drills to assess players' start and end positions.
I'm starting to wonder whether guys such as Bell and Robinson would have been of much use to Bolton, as if you're not heading into the position Bolton wants you to be in, he'll let you know in no uncertain manner
Bolton will clearly want smart footballers above ability. Having both though would obviously be the ideal but at least he now has a relatively clean platform to launch from.

 

[Moe B]

Ok so I went to watch the boys today...

Firstly watching and trying to see who's doing what is really hard as many others have said because the boys are always moving and divided into different groups so I'll do my best!!

Let's start with the guy that impressed me the most...

Harry Mckay, This kid is going to be something special, his vertical leap is outstanding and although he dropped a few, he'll only get bigger and stronger to go with his ability to already read the flight of the ball well, Also I like the fact that he's hard on himself when he lets one go which shows a bit of passion and care, seriously like this guy.

Murphy was obviously limited in his shoulder movement and you could tell, still ran pretty well and doesn't look in too badder nick.

Gibba is flying, he was everywhere I looked and looks set for a biggie.

CRIPPA, what can you possibly add that everyone doesn't know already, Clearance after clearance and does it easy, Not sure what else to add, just so good to watch.

Kerridge has guns... Seriously they are guns, both he and Simmo look great when they run together and look really really fit.

Tutt was actually very impressive, runs all day at high speed and barely missed a target, unlike his mate Jones who absolutely stuffs up my mood, can't hit 25 metre passes ffs...

My boy Boekhorst is going to have a big year if his training is anything to go by, quick, slick and has a big appetite for the ball, see what I did there? On a serious note he looks really good and seems to be more involved in the clearance work.

Whiley also impressed today and was involved in everything which was pleasing to see, might have a year where he might get more game time like Graham, Different coach can do wonders so we'll wait and see on that one.


Korcheck has some really nice hands but man his kicking

Weitering I didn't see much of because he wasn't really involved with the main group, mainly running and not sure why that was.

Byrne also didn't do much today which was very disappointing.

Cuningham is a beauty... This guy is exciting to watch, love the burst and spin maneuver and knows how to use the don't argue, a year with Juddy would've been awesome for this guy as I see similar traits. Also kicks on both feet no problem.

Overall it was a pretty warm day out there which probably explains a few missed kicks and handballs but you can really feel something different to previous years, the group is way louder, when I say way louder I mean wayyyy louder, the boys feel closer and you can feel the love, Good on the coaching staff for turning things around...

 

[marleyblue]

Lifted this from TC with thanks to behindblueeyes

Sitting behind the goals today - didn't get hit by a high ball, so a good start to the day.

From my aspect, there are 4 main themes from this week and last week: quick/clean ball movement; transition; running, voice.

Players:
* Straight off the bat - I have to mention Clem. Looked a different player today. Energetic, switched on, enthusiastic. Full of cheek. Right to the end of training. Skills looked vastly improved from last week. Lost heaps of weight, someone beside me thought it was a different player. Keep it up Clem
* Cunningham, Cunningham, Cunningham. Watch out for this kid, this year. He absolutely eats up the work. Quick, composed, decent skills for a 1st year.
* Kerridge - A massive unit, with a massive tank and work rate. He struck me last week too - but I just couldn't nail down who he was. He is the Anti-Yarran.
* Harry - looked more at ease and at home this week. Saw him over the other side of the ground late in the session still putting in during a centre square drill. Contested then ran to the outside beautifully to receive the ball.
* Chaz - Like Harry - looked much more composed and confident today. Kicking improved incrementally.
* Jack - didn't see him today
* Boek - seemed to be on restricted duties last week but really stepped it up this week. Running, skills, leading the boys, vocal.
* Tuohy - one of the most vocal today. The group as a whole was much more vocal today.
* Phillips - again one who I noticed last week. Another really solid worker. I am impressed with everything I have seen him do.
* Tutt - saw him do some good things - looked a lot better than anything I saw him do last year.
* Rainbow - he adds a lot of colour to the club. Still commenting how far he has come from last year.
* Jamo and his barrels.

Drills:
* Fast Kicking and fast handball drills. In groups 2 teams against each other. Working from one side of the space to the other. Ball hits the ground, it is a turnover. Get out of traffic drills.
* Running to the next contest drill. Starts with a group of mids in close hand balling or stationary near coach. 40m away are 2 big men waiting for contest. Coach kicks ball to contest, mids run to the contest to get any spoils, then spread as soon as someone gets clean possession. There is a strategy as to where the mids need to run to for the contest. Now and again the whistle would go, and all would have to stand still and see where they stood. Coach would seemingly assess then discuss what was right/wrong. Replay from beginning. This drill probably impressed me the most.
* Kicking out drill. 3 coaches standing in a line. Full back holds ball until coach gives a number - 1,2,3, FB must immediately kick pinpoint to that corresponding coach. Rowe and Jamo looked great. Jacksh - not quite on song.
* Lots of work on transitioning across ground through the goal square, then downfield. Then reversed and also drilling transition and kicking to the advantage of a runner into goal square.
* Other kicking into forward drills. Stationary and running kicks into forward line over a defender to the advantage of a forward. Some impressive work here. Refreshing to see more thought to offence than just a long bomb to a contest. It really seemed like the players were thinking about where to kick to and where to run to receiving the ball.
* Transition in and out of the 50m arc with the whole group - 2 teams.
* The high flying marks drill added a bit of flair to the day with Cripps and Ed taking a couple of massive hangers.

Thats all I have to say about that...

 

[HARKER]

27.01.2016

The mobile LED scoreboard was out today, suggesting that there may be some match play and there was.............all 2 * 5 minute quarters where the green team won 2 goals to 1. The 'game' was limited to 16 players per side as we had a lot of players on the sidelines; Gibbs, Kreuzer, Jones, Walker, Sheehan, Byrne, Plowman, Sumner, McKay, DVR, Rowe, Gorringe and Armfield.
Gibbs wasn't anywhere all day whilst Kreuzer just stuck his head out at the latter part of the day. Unfortunately Byrne has been sidelined for a couple of weeks now, largely just walking the boundary. Sheehan though is starting to twist and turn in his running. His foot seems to be O.K.........for now.

I'll keep this short for reasons outlined previously and I can't really be bothered writing but am open to questions.

The full ground drill interested me most and even though there seemed to be little cohesion....there was some but you can't say that it was crisp...the fact that the young guys showed plenty was very encouraging.

Cuningham hasn't had a bad session that I've seen and is doing everything right for a round one start.
Cut through players with ease and even when he does get caught, his body is often forward enough of the attacker that he has time to move the ball on.

Weitiering is a very composed character and took some good marks where his reading of the ball was superior to the packs.
Nice kicking off a step that generally found it's target. Impressive lad....I mean kid....I mean guy....I mean man

Smith as with Cuningham have been the standard standouts of the under 20 year olds for me.
As with Cuningham he just danced through traffic and generally executed well, thereafter. His aggression doesn't hurt either.....I mean it does...you know.

C. Curnow started in the middle in the main drill and also in some of the side drills. He again showed that he can read the ball very well and could well make it as a mid as he's not shy at all. Not shy to the point he ruffles his captains hair just for a laugh.

Phillips continues to impress and his around the ground work was impressive. took a couple of nice contested marks and continues to run to position.

JGM looked to have hurt his foot through one of the match sim drills but walked off unaided. Fingers crossed but it was noticable that the big guy doesn't read the ball as well as the number one draftee. Will take time.

The rest you know but Docherty is just looking terrific to me and Casboult had the black shirt on today........well done Levi.

All in all it was a sloppy day where one could have been excuse thinking that the ball was wet.
Lamb just fumbled through stoppage drills and even Graham had balls just slip through his fingers. (That doesn't quite sound right)

 

[Mister Carlton]

MC: 27th January 2016: Preseason Photographs.

 

[ferrisb]

Beats me why, but some people apparently don't like reading through 10 pages of cheese gags and political arguments to read a training report. So here's one Funk prepared earlier

Went again today for first couple of hours - FWIW my observations below.

Seemed to a lot more game play simulation drills this week and less "fitness" type work.

Seemed to be a long drill where it focussed on marking the ball then quickly kicking 35m at 90 degrees to next player. Very much like Hawks in games in recent years.

Note re players:

JGM limped off after 1.5 hours.

Rowe - just running with Byrne - stayed out of drills.

Phillips - the more I see the more I like(and played Full Forward in game simulation). Also spent a lot of time practicing 1 on 1 competitive marking. Makes me think Bolts wants to play 2 rucks/FF like Hale/McEvoy combo at Hawks.

Boeky - put on some good size and looking good.

Wright - shows a lot of leadership and impressed in training drills.

Charlie and Cuningham - I have big wraps on these boys - hold their own in simulations and definitely look like they will play games this year.

Galucci - quick and evasive - looks promising.

KJ - invisible.

Ed - sets the example for all the others.

Doch and Lamb seemed to turn ball over a few times in drills - not impressed at all (and surprised - not what I expected to see).

Sumner and Kreuz - did nothing but walk around the ground.

Whiley - only time I saw him was chatting to SOS while watching training. Bit worried about this - had big hopes for him this year.

Daisy - very vocal and high energy.

Clem - looked much leaner and fitter than I expected.

Weitering - always seems to find himself in the right place/space.

SOSOS - not as tall as I expected relative to the other lads. Will be interesting to see if he keeps growing. If he doesn't he may end up as 3rd tall Gunston type. Seems to find space/read the play well.

I think the trainer of the week wears a black t-shirt. It was Levi as the "man in black" this week

Simon White looks in good shape - I really like his "team first" approach and I think the coaches do too.

Billy Gowers - very competitive in training drills. Really giving it (physically) to Cripps and others in stoppage drills - I could hear the smack of bodies from over the fence. Not sure why this was - is he training as a "stopper" or is it to prepare the MID's for the real games against EFC's new tagger??? Not at all what I expected so will follow this with interest.

Walker - did not take part in main training. Has either put on some real size or his teammates are much skinnier this year - cos he "looks" a lot bigger.

Harry McKay - light duties.

Cripps - dominated in the stoppage and simulation drills.

Other than these observations the other players were more or less doing what I expected.