Training 2017 - Preseason Training

[Wally Walpamur]

That we didn't actually draft a mature B-Grade ruck makes me think the club doesn't have serious finals aspirations in 2017, which is fair enough. Pretty happy that we got Strnadica to develop, but again, he won't be useful for awhile.

I also don't have much confidence in how we will be positioned for 2018, unless Sandilands does in fact prove to be immortal. My expectations are that Griffin and Clarke are gone, and Darcy still not ready. I think he is not an ideal combo with Sandilands, both having below elite mobility, to be generous. Neither seeming to be forward weapons or having clear second strings to their bows.

Apeness and Strnadica do project as possible relief rucks, but it is all in the realms of fantasy at this stage.

Taberner training in the ruck is fine by me. He could compete with some of the part-timers that get put up. We had Deboer at one stage......

I have no problem, based on our expectations next season, not recruiting a B grade ruckman. I would prefer Darcy get games for his development than handed to a B grader. B grade ruckmen are dime a dozen and available every trade period pretty cheap, so if worse comes to worse we can pick one up at the end of next season.

 

[meima]

I have no problem, based on our expectations next season, not recruiting a B grade ruckman. I would prefer Darcy get games for his development than handed to a B grader. B grade ruckmen are dime a dozen and available every trade period pretty cheap, so if worse comes to worse we can pick one up at the end of next season.

Also this year draft predict to be a lot of talent in the area of forward/ruck, with a clearer picture where Clarke and griffin at in mind interm of trade or retirement end of 2017 season.

 

[DannyTheDoorman]

Does anyone know where Brad Hill used to come in the Hawthorn 3k time trials?

They don't run a 3K but a 2.? something and Hill I understand had won the trials for the past few seasons.

 

[DannyTheDoorman]

He sat out training on Monday. He may have done laps later, but missed the entire main session.

Could be being managed, but we're one Sandi injury away from Darcy leading the ruck division.

What you need to understand with Pre-Season is that players are on individual programs so Sandi not running on Monday or Dawss being in the rehab group on that day is not a tragedy. We are weeks away from the season and there is a lot of time for Grif to be ready Apeness is back with the main squad but ran the 3K on Monday and that was his workload for the day.

 

[theGav56]

What you need to understand with Pre-Season is that players are on individual programs so Sandi not running on Monday or Dawss being in the rehab group on that day is not a tragedy. We are weeks away from the season and there is a lot of time for Grif to be ready Apeness is back with the main squad but ran the 3K on Monday and that was his workload for the day.

Yes of course. It is quite possible we end up with too many rucks to choose from by the start of the season, and Peel Reserves gets both of Strnadica and Darcy.

 

[Belnakor]

No, Croz seems to be the designated kicker. I must admit I haven't noticed Spurr too much at all.

for the training watchers how is Croz looking on the kicking out of defence. He seemed to find a bit of a niche last season (the ball was down there alot so he had alot of practice...)

What i like about Croz is he isn't afraid to make a mistake and will back himself. He reminds me a little bit of Ryce Palmer from a confidence level.

 

[Freo]

for the training watchers how is Croz looking on the kicking out of defence. He seemed to find a bit of a niche last season (the ball was down there alot so he had alot of practice...)

What i like about Croz is he isn't afraid to make a mistake and will back himself. He reminds me a little bit of Ryce Palmer from a confidence level.

Except Croz can kick the footy, Palmer struggles to hit the side of a house.

 

[theGav56]

Except Croz can kick the footy, Palmer struggles to hit the side of a house.

Palmer did however eke out a reasonable career as an AFL player, and is in fact still eeking. Crozier is very much a work in progress, and I can't say that I have ever felt like he has got games based purely on merit rather than potential.

 

[meima]

bennell/mundy/Sandi not spotted on the ground today, uber walking lap when other train . nothing much to report.

 

[dockerfemme]

No sign of bennell/mundy/mundy on the ground today, uber walking lap when other train . Sorry not much to report today.

I was there today Meima. Do you think we sat near each other? Also Mundy was out there so I am confused by what you mean.

I watched a short, but fairly intense, session this morning from under the Morton Bay Figs, maybe sitting just along from Meima.

There was a small number on the track (maybe 25) and a lot of drills that were new to me. The drills seemed to cover a wide range of things, tackling, competing for the ball, kicking, etc.

The good was that Mundy's kicking looked good (after his horrible 2016) and Shill was looking very sharp. Michael Johnson took part in some drills and did some running. He looks very fit but how that relates to a football season who can say.

The bad was that the skills were largely poor (kicking and marking) and there was no Sandi. I am starting to think Sean Darcy might Bradbury his way into Round 1.

Other than that, as Meima said, not much to report.

 

[meima]

I was there today Meima. Do you think we sat near each other? Also Mundy was out there so I am confused by what you mean.

I watched a short, but fairly intense, session this morning from under the Morton Bay Figs, maybe sitting just along from Meima.

There was a small number on the track (maybe 25) and a lot of drills that were new to me. The drills seemed to cover a wide range of things, tackling, competing for the ball, kicking, etc.

The good was that Mundy's kicking looked good (after his horrible 2016) and Shill was looking very sharp. Michael Johnson took part in some drills and did some running. He looks very fit but how that relates to a football season who can say.

The bad was that the skills were largely poor (kicking and marking) and there was no Sandi. I am starting to think Sean Darcy might Bradbury his way into Round 1.

Other than that, as Meima said, not much to report.

Yes we do , umm my mind must be somewhere else regarding mundy.
add on the players still do running after the session finish as compare to last year . fyfe is superb today , cam Mac let the bf hype get into him not that good today .

Sean Darcy - like the potential in him
Strnadica - gym gym and gym . A poorer version of cam mac that can ruck and without tat.
Edit: MJ impressed me also today

 

[theGav56]

Yes we do , umm my mind must be somewhere else regarding mundy.
add on the players still do running after the session finish as compare to last year . fyfe is superb today , cam Mac let the bf hype get into him not that good today .

Sean Darcy - like the potential in him
Strnadica - gym gym and gym . A poorer version of cam mac that can ruck and without tat

What is the Strnadica/Cam McCarthy reference? Physically fairly different aren't they? Or is it more about both being forwards? I think there is a silent majority on here hoping that Nads can make it, but probably not a lot of confidence that it will happen.

 

[Dockernut]

Yes we do , umm my mind must be somewhere else regarding mundy.
add on the players still do running after the session finish as compare to last year . fyfe is superb today , cam Mac let the bf hype get into him not that good today .

Sean Darcy - like the potential in him
Strnadica - gym gym and gym . A poorer version of cam mac that can ruck and without tat

The **** you just say about my Buddy?

 

[meima]

The **** you just say about my Buddy?

Heheheheh he will be great once he add size like fyfe . . less mobile than cam Mac .

 

[meima]

What is the Strnadica/Cam McCarthy reference? Physically fairly different aren't they? Or is it more about both being forwards? I think there is a silent majority on here hoping that Nads can make it, but probably not a lot of confidence that it will happen.

Body shape , both really thin but good footballer with great hand in term of marking.cam Mac more mobility. Strnadica will made it , both not athletic type but footballer.

http://www.fremantlefc.com.au/news/2017-01-11/coach-embraces-defensive-haul

 

[Unique Name]

Beautiful sunny day. I got there around 9:30 and it was already 30 degrees.... 35 degrees by the time I left at 11:30 so a hot day for training.

To be honest it was a bit of a meh day today. The match sims were of a higher quality than the training drills that I saw. At one point I saw Fyfe then Mundy then Tucker then Langdon all drop uncontested marks one after the other (Mundy was definitely out there).

They did a narrow lane match sim that required accurate kicks and quick handballs to move the ball along. Crozier twice took the more dangerous longer kick down the centre and pulled it off. Both Croz and Weller again playing down back so I think we can be certain of their starting positions come round 1. Sherro again working in the midfield and did some good work providing solid options and willing to get in there himself, also very vocal during the drills.

Our better players shone today. Fyfe, S Hill, Walters, McCarthy, Mundy, Walters, B Hill. Mundy kicked some beautiful bullets to advantage.

S Hill was the most vocal I've ever seen him and probably gets my TTHD award. A few times I watched him reevaluate seconds before kicking the ball, spotting up a better target and kicking it to advantage, very smooth. He was constantly running providing solid options for the others. Fyfe took full advantage and hit SHill up numerous times.

Fyfe comes in close 2nd for TTHD. Some great field kicks and is just soo comfortable in tight situations. Great evasive skills to go with his bullocking strength. Made some great decisions in the narrow lane sims with where to handball and where to run.

Walters and Brad Hill were on the same side for a few of the drills and you can see a good bond between the two of them. They look for each other regularly and obviously trust one another to get it done. Walters was his usual self, good at everything. Unfortunately he hurt himself in the narrow ground sim, I think his lower left leg. It didn't look too bad. He got up with a few expletives and walked with a slight hobble to the trainers. I didn't see him in the full ground sim so I guess that was his day done.

Sean Darcy stood out for me today during the drills. He's more mobile than I thought, in one of the drills you had to take a mark on the lead, pivot then kick 30m to the next player. He did it with great fluidity and nailed the mark and kick each time it was his turn. For reference he looks quite alot more mobile than Sandi and Griff (Not saying much I know). I think the Mumford likeness is on point. Hopefully Mumford with better tap work

I know the drill doesn't sound too hard but this was just after the drill that Fyfe, Mundy, Tucker and Langdon all buggered up right in front of me.

With the rest of them no one really stood out which is why I thought it was a bit of a meh day. Just our better players being the better trainers with a few others doing well (Sherro, Croz, Darcy).

Quite a few not on the oval today. They started doing laps as I was leaving. All in all a nice morning spent with my little girl watching on

 

[Unique Name]

Also good to see Johnson out there. Saw him up close as he was running laps at a decent pace. Looks bigger than last year, Especially through the legs.

 

[sherrif]

Palmer did however eke out a reasonable career as an AFL player, and is in fact still eeking. Crozier is very much a work in progress, and I can't say that I have ever felt like he has got games based purely on merit rather than potential.

Totally disagree. When he played as a defender last year he was an absolute gun. He averaged around twenty possessions and seven marks a game. He has also been given the kick in duties at training. In my view he is set for a big year. Looks stronger and fitter than ever before.

 

[meima]

Also good to see Johnson out there. Saw him up close as he was running laps at a decent pace. Looks bigger than last year, Especially through the legs.

Are you the guy with small little blonde girl?

 

[Unique Name]

Are you the guy with small little blonde girl?

Yeah, the little girl running up and down the steps collecting leaves. Haha

 

[freo1997]

How did kersten train today?. Hoping he plays rd 1, he should straighten us up a lot.

 

[WNo27]

I know the drill doesn't sound too hard but this was just after the drill that Fyfe, Mundy, Tucker and Langdon all buggered up right in front of me.

I noticed this also, but sometimes it did seem on purpose to add a little extra pressure.

Beautiful morning under the fig tree's!

 

[DudleyDocker]

I noticed this also, but sometimes it did seem on purpose to add a little extra pressure.

Beautiful morning under the fig tree's!

Geez, that must be really taxing running backwards and forwards like that in 31 degrees. I watched it for about 15 minutes and they seemed to keep up the same pace the whole time - how long did they do this drill for?

 

[sherrif]

Training today was brutal as it was extremely hot and the team did a ton of running to finish the session. I may have missed some things as I arrived around 9.30am and I was sitting on the other side of the oval (compared to some of the other training reporters) near the team store. I also stayed to see a very, very tall rehab group train.

It seemed like training in the heat got to a few today. Langdon, Ballaz, Igbo and Walters all came off before the session was over. Walters I think had a slight ankle injury as he was limping after training.

Some points of note from the training I saw included:
Some brilliant play from S.Hii. He seems to be training more as an inside mid from what I can tell.
Johno looking fitter than ever. Running lap after lap.
Cox taking some terrific marks in match sim play. Kicking looked fine to me.
Darcy is definitely a bloody good ruck prospect. His second efforts are fantastic. Both him and Stmadica also ran a ton of laps and seem more mobile that advertised in draft write-ups.
Kersten did some repeat sprint work with Grey and Johno, Kersten was the clear standout of the three. I really like what he could potentially add to the forward line. He is definitely key position size when you see him up close. His legs are massive. Will very hard to push off the ball in a marking contest.
Logue did a couple of terrific intercept marks and his kicking is fantastic in my view.
It was my first look at Luke Ryan and to me he seems a decent way off the pace in terms of making an early debut. He was infrequently involved in the play in match sims.
Ethan Hughes kicked the ball wonderfully today. I would love to see him play midfield for Peel in 2017.
Crozier for mine is a certain starter for round 1 even if everyone is available. His kicking today hitting targets with difficult kicks was superb. I really hope he takes the game on like he did today in season 2017.

They are definitely making up for lost time (compared to last year) in terms of running loads. Today the main group finished the session with a heap of all ground runs. When I say a ton I mean heaps and heaps of running the length of the oval in very hot conditions. The two stand-outs were De Luca and Connor Blakely. The improvement in both, in terms of their running and kicking skills since last year is gigantic. Balic seems to be pushing himself massively too and is definitely improving at a rapid rate in terms of keeping up with the main group.

The rehab group consists of Hamling, A.Pearce, Dawson, Griffin, Bennell, Neale and Sandy, with Clarke and Ueber nowhere to be seen. I am fairly certain Hamling and Sandy are doing individual programs and are not injured as they ran a ton at what appeared to be full pace. Harley has made progress and is now running slow repeat 100's. In my view it will be touch and go to see if he will be ready for Round 1. Neale looked fantastic and ran as well as anyone. Griffin too doesn't seem far off full fitness and he did some full speed running too. Ditto Dawson. Alex Pearce is becoming a beast and his speed is definitely terrific in sprint work.

With the amount of running at the end of the session today was some of the brutal training I've seen the players put through. Fyfe was so exhausted after the session he put his head straight into an esky of ice water. Compared to last year the players appeared to be pushed and extended more than Ive seen them before. I had a quick chat with Cam McCarthy after training and he said the training they were doing was a ton more intense training than what he did at GWS.

 

[beetz]

Geez, that must be really taxing running backwards and forwards like that in 31 degrees. I watched it for about 15 minutes and they seemed to keep up the same pace the whole time - how long did they do this drill for?

Keep watching until the end.