Training 2017 Preseason

[Lace Out]

Thank you mate
Great effort there
Some good shots!

Forum not all bad Robbo

 

[snooplions]

How about now?

Very nice use of the focus in this one.
But seriously, good job on the photos.

 

[LongLion]

Full album from training today. Enjoy!

Close is a huge unit nowdays. Freeman also got a bit of size about and even Lewies got some arms now.

 

[Quigley]

Close definitely looks the goods
Could you play Hipwood, Schache and Close all together though?


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If Close was going to back up ruck you could. Otherwise the only way I see them all playing together is if Hipwood is moved back.

 

[Quigley]

Freeman reminds of Jenkins. Will take a while for him to fill out and become a consistent player but well worth persisting with for a few more years.

Good to see him rucking. There is a spot for someone to take as the second ruck and Freeman does have nice size and the way he pops in to games and goals but does not offer consistent impact is more acceptable in that third target role. There will be competition for that spot though especially with Ballenden coming through the ranks.

 

[xplo]

Hard to see how we don't have one of Hipwood or Close start back. But gee, if those two were switchable, that would give us some flexibility. Totally different strengths.

 

[chopperduck]

Competition for spots across the field is what we need, that is a sign of depth and it is something we've struggled with for awhile. We havent been light on injuries either which doesnt help.

It is good to have Schache, Close, Hipwood, Walker, Freeman all competing, chances are at any given time 1 will be injured and another maybe just doen on form. Only takes an injury or 2 in the rucks or defenders and suddenly we need a couple of those guys to plug holes and depth is back at waffer thin levels.

Certainly not concerned about having too many forwards. As a group they are also still young, wouldnt hurt to be able to rest and rotate them a bit as well if we dont have injuries. We burnt Schache out last year. Even if Close couldnt break into the side, having the ability to rest Schache for 4 weeks mid season and give Close a spell would be nice.

 

[WA Lion]

Good to see him rucking. There is a spot for someone to take as the second ruck and Freeman does have nice size and the way he pops in to games and goals but does not offer consistent impact is more acceptable in that third target role. There will be competition for that spot though especially with Ballenden coming through the ranks.

Do you think Ballenden is a legitimate top pick (at this stage)? Would be nice to have a genuine top 10 academy kid (although Andrews and Hipwood might be top 10 picks if other clubs had their time again)

 

[Leemas]

Anyone else heard there could be some match simulation goin on this week?

 

[Brett C]

I wonder if it's because he did his knee during a warm-up IIRC. Not sure what he was doing at the time but I doubt you'd be going 100% during a pregame session so maybe the stress wasn't at the extreme end of the scale. Either way he is definitely back a lot earlier than I would expect from a knee injury like his.

Its been more than 5 months since he had surgery so being back running is good sign his rehab has gone well. The rehad for a reco is much more agressive nowadays, he would have been back running at 4 months. Second time around for a young kid speaks volumes and I hope he becomes a mainstay when he is fit.

 

[dlanod]

Do you think Ballenden is a legitimate top pick (at this stage)? Would be nice to have a genuine top 10 academy kid (although Andrews and Hipwood might be top 10 picks if other clubs had their time again)

Not Quigley but I can't help but feel Ballenden has been strongly overrated to date. All he's really shown is prototypical size and an occasional highlight. That's definitely a good start when you're talking about a kid who's only of draft age this year, but some of the labelling of him as a can't miss or a sure top 5 pick is crazy.

If he continues at his current level of production, I'd suggest he wouldn't even be a first round pick. It's only if he actually takes his game up several notches that he'd be considered at that top level. The top projections are based off the assumption he will make that transition, but so many kids don't.

 

[WA Lion]

Not Quigley but I can't help but feel Ballenden has been strongly overrated to date. All he's really shown is prototypical size and an occasional highlight. That's definitely a good start when you're talking about a kid who's only of draft age this year, but some of the labelling of him as a can't miss or a sure top 5 pick is crazy.

If he continues at his current level of production, I'd suggest he wouldn't even be a first round pick. It's only if he actually takes his game up several notches that he'd be considered at that top level. The top projections are based off the assumption he will make that transition, but so many kids don't.

Yeah that's why I was curious. So many times (Keays, Allison in particular) they have been seriously talked up prior to draft year only to then not eventuate as very early picks. That said Keays in the 20's still wasn't a late pick as such but you get my drift.

Having watched a bit of Ballenden I like what I see, but I'm hardly a draft expert! Given that for the first time though, external names such as Anderson and Twomey are actually including Ballenden in the conversation for early selections, it would at least appear he is starting high in the eyes of not just Lions fans but more neutral types. Will be an interesting year to see if/how he develops.

 

[WhiteLionFeva]

How about now?

Thanks for the pics. Any idea who the guy wearing the no.29 maroon jumper is? Long blond hair (it isn't Richy). A top-up/academy maybe?

 

[Dalions]

Thanks for the pics. Any idea who the guy wearing the no.29 maroon jumper is? Long blond hair (it isn't Richy). A top-up/academy maybe?

Kind of looks abit like the bloke who got his 15mins of fame in the last cricket test. Haha.
Might be trying his hand at footy.

 

[Cockliff38]

Thanks for the pics. Any idea who the guy wearing the no.29 maroon jumper is? Long blond hair (it isn't Richy). A top-up/academy maybe?

Thought it was Mitch Hinge (rookie)?

 

[WhiteLionFeva]

Thought it was Mitch Hinge (rookie)?

Nope, Hinge still has short (light brown) hair.

 

[Panthera]

Not Quigley but I can't help but feel Ballenden has been strongly overrated to date. All he's really shown is prototypical size and an occasional highlight. That's definitely a good start when you're talking about a kid who's only of draft age this year, but some of the labelling of him as a can't miss or a sure top 5 pick is crazy.

If he continues at his current level of production, I'd suggest he wouldn't even be a first round pick. It's only if he actually takes his game up several notches that he'd be considered at that top level. The top projections are based off the assumption he will make that transition, but so many kids don't.

Well, if this is true - Kevin Sheehan, Emma Quayle, Brett Anderson, Cal Twomey are also overrating him as they have all said he's Top 10, if not top pick this year

But all will depend on his senior year. If he has one like Hipwood, he goes high; if he has one like Allison...well, potential slide down the rankings

 

[Kevvo]

Yeah that's why I was curious. So many times (Keays, Allison in particular) they have been seriously talked up prior to draft year only to then not eventuate as very early picks. That said Keays in the 20's still wasn't a late pick as such but you get my drift.

Having watched a bit of Ballenden I like what I see, but I'm hardly a draft expert! Given that for the first time though, external names such as Anderson and Twomey are actually including Ballenden in the conversation for early selections, it would at least appear he is starting high in the eyes of not just Lions fans but more neutral types. Will be an interesting year to see if/how he develops.

On that topic, I think Allison was in a similar (top 5) bucket in early discussions after his underage year. Certainly he was amongst BF draft watchers, though I don't recall how the professional draft watchers saw it.

I have no idea whether Ballenden really is in that very top handful of prospects, though he looked promising (to me) when I saw him play NEAFL. I hope he is, but our academy kids seem to drop more often than rise in their draft year.

 

[MacMum]

Thanks for the pics. Any idea who the guy wearing the no.29 maroon jumper is? Long blond hair (it isn't Richy). A top-up/academy maybe?

Was about to ask the same thing.......thought it was Richy with extra long hair, then saw the real Richy in another part of the photo.

 

[Fatcat08]

Thought it was Mitch Hinge (rookie)?

if the guernsey is anything to go by that's Alex Witherden however given BLK went under i'm not sure whether we got new training stuff in time with numbers on it in the right sizes for new draftees. Existing guys seem to be in thier numbers but new guys may not be.

However he did have long blonde hair in 2015 when playing for the falcons so i'd say its probably him

 

[WhiteLionFeva]

if the guernsey is anything to go by that's Alex Witherden however given BLK went under i'm not sure whether we got new training stuff in time with numbers on it in the right sizes for new draftees. Existing guys seem to be in thier numbers but new guys may not be.

However he did have long blonde hair in 2015 when playing for the falcons so i'd say its probably him

Not Witherden either. He still had short (brown) hair when at the cricket in late Dec. Besides, this kid is quite developed in the arms. Definitely not one of our draftees. Probably a top-up.

 

[Jivlain]

Thanks for the pics. Any idea who the guy wearing the no.29 maroon jumper is? Long blond hair (it isn't Richy). A top-up/academy maybe?

He definitely seems to be going for a Rich-like haircut! (but definitely isn't Rich). Looks pretty young, so academy seems likely?

 

[Leemas]

I think the drop off has a lot to do with the QLD school system. All our boys have finished school and therefore that school structure is gone. A lot more time on their hands the boys get on it a lot more than their VIC counterparts.

I believe once it changes over which it will soon I think there might be only a couple years left of the guys finishing at 17 rather than 18 (you school teachers would probably know exactly what year) I don't think we'll see the dramatic drop off from underage years as we have seen so far. The school footy balance in the final year is very healthy imo and I know of a lot of the guys drafted from the last 4 years who have hit it pretty hard once they finished school.

A lot of the top rated guys too who dropped off, I think it has a lot to do with it. Setting your own professional standards at 18 while all your mates are partying hard would be really really difficult.

 

[Dalions]

I was just checking out this weeks gallery on the lions website and saw that the kryofix recovery chamber runs at -150 degrees. Holy crap thats cold, you wouldn't want to stay in there for too long or else you will end up cryogenically frozen, literally.

 

[jackess]

I was just checking out this weeks gallery on the lions website and saw that the kryofix recovery chamber runs at -150 degrees. Holy crap thats cold, you wouldn't want to stay in there for too long or else you will end up cryogenically frozen, literally.

I think we're freezing D Beams for a few years to come back when the kids are more developed and we're a chance to play finals again.