Training 2024 Pre-Season

[Dr Spaceman]

Happy to say badges are coming for the track watching folk

So far I have

saintmike65
Mavefromdelburn
Saint Watto
kick it lace out

Also, who's actually on that Brains Trust crew apart from Mike that post here?

Cheerio

Word is the badges have just left the factory in China.

Should arrive in time for the recipients to wear them during the 2026 pre season

 

[stavro#4]

Yep we've got

1. two current AA players (Sinclair & Wilkie),
2. Marshall (pretty much on a par with last years AA ruckman Tim English),
3. a 28 yo two time AA player (Steele),
4. a solid group of second tier players of the likes of Membrey, Battle, Hill, Wood Higgins, Butler etc etc etc
5. an exciting group of youngsters (including potentially at least one genuine superstar in King)

but yeah lets wait for a few years

No one said anything about waiting.

But the youth movement is designed to provide us with a list that is challenging when Tasmania enter the league.

We currently don’t have enough without some serious luck.

Which is why we should see another season of significant games into youth

 

[Otiman]

I can see two 'performance windows'. One right now with a group of 26-28 year olds in their prime, and another in 5 years when the current under 22's hit peak performance. Whether either are good enough for a flag is anyones guess.

 

[George]

Word is the badges have just left the factory in China.

Should arrive in time for the recipients to wear them during the 2026 pre season

Badges might be the pinnacle of ones time on BigFooty tbh. Separate the wheat from the chaff xx

 

[stavro#4]

I can see two 'performance windows'. One right now with a group of 26-28 year olds in their prime, and another in 5 years when the current under 22's hit peak performance. Whether either are good enough for a flag is anyones guess.

We only challenge now if 2-4 of those U22s/King make the jump at the same time.

Thats realistic.

There is always leagues within leagues in the top 8. We didn’t beat any of the top 4 last season - close a few times though! Just couldn’t go 120 minutes.

Top 2 showed they are abit infront of the chasing pack.

which is why those in charge are trying to position this list to be ready to go when TAS lands in the comp

 

[SaintsSeptember]

Word is the badges have just left the factory in China.

Should arrive in time for the recipients to wear them during the 2026 pre season

Is there a special one that the IDK's will be wearing?

 

[Palantine]

Nothing definite about training today? I was going to head over.


Sent from my iPhone using BigFooty.com

 

[Saint Watto]

Nothing definite about training today? I was going to head over.

There's no training today Palantine.

Their back on deck Monday morning.

 

[George]

Hopefully they are out there before the Superbowl so I can get down and provide a report

 

[gringo2011]

Probs only room for one of Hammer or Coops but that's fine since both would still benefit from VFL. Members will be gone within the foreseeable future.

Coops plays more like Membrey, Phillipou or Owens with more licence to roam as a high HF. Hammer is more a true KP forward who leads. It will be interesting to see how we structure up. Lyon has always played 2 KPFs or at least a tall spiller and a mobile tall for structure.

 

[stavro#4]

Coops plays more like Membrey, Phillipou or Owens with more licence to roam as a high HF. Hammer is more a true KP forward who leads. It will be interesting to see how we structure up. Lyon has always played 2 KPFs or at least a tall spiller and a mobile tall for structure.

I think he will go for round 1…


King as the genuine power tall

Sharman and Membrey as mobile talls who roam - even Wood at times

Owens and Pou to rotate - potentially both at the same time

Then genuine smalls for pressure and goal sense.

 

[gringo2011]

you get a badge, he gets a badge, EVERYBODY gets a badge!!
Gotta love the primary school feels...

Shut up, I want a reading the track watcher's reports badge.

 

[George]

Shut up, I want a reading the track watcher's reports badge.

You read it at an insane level, Dard Ball Get can vouch xo

 

[gringo2011]

Yep we've got

1. two current AA players (Sinclair & Wilkie),
2. Marshall (pretty much on a par with last years AA ruckman Tim English),
3. a 28 yo two time AA player (Steele),
4. a solid group of second tier players of the likes of Membrey, Battle, Hill, Wood Higgins, Butler etc etc etc
5. an exciting group of youngsters (including potentially at least one genuine superstar in King)

but yeah lets wait for a few years

Well we can still play finals but it really depends on what other teams are doing around you. Other lists will also improve. Sides have won premierships earlier than predicted and sides have lost them when they should have been a certainty. I doubt the club is planning on not trying but to bridge the gap we probably need the core to be those younger guys with those current best players more of the senior experience.

We could end up top 4 this year but could also improve while going backwards on the ladder. Rushing the process hasn't got us anywhere in the last 15 years. Having a solid plan and working towards it is responsible. If we nab one against the tide in the meantime -happy days.

 

[Palantine]

Just heard someone say they’re at a community camp at Mornington Peninsula


Sent from my iPhone using BigFooty.com

 

[True Believer]

Shut up, I want a reading the track watcher's reports badge.

Oooh, I want one of those.

But mine has to have pictures on it, given that I read it at a remedial level..........

 

[SaintsSeptember]

I can see two 'performance windows'. One right now with a group of 26-28 year olds in their prime, and another in 5 years when the current under 22's hit peak performance. Whether either are good enough for a flag is anyones guess.

The Generic - Age group analysis is flawed. We have a number of players who are under that "peak performance" stat, who are already above average AFL players.
We don't need to wait another 5 years to get great output from the likes of Windhager, Nasiah, Owens, etc.

There are multiple ways our list can improve significantly in 2024, and that's without any coaching input.
If Ross is worth his weight as a coach , we should see an improvement in the way the players play.


Jack Higgins should be close to peak now, hopefully its a bit more than what we've seen so far. Turns 25 in March.
WIndhager turns 21 in May. Had 100 more disposals in 2023 than 2022. We could see a similar step up.
Jones may explode in a mass of hamstrings, but if he holds it together he's helps improve us.
Crouch will be 30, but the last two seasons had his highest average disposals since 2019, and 23 was a career high number of games.
( it may be his high point , and he starts to drop off, or he could keep rolling on ).
Ross seems to have peaked in 2017 or 2018. Can still play well, but probably won't improve the side.
Wanganeen-Milera turns 21 next week. He's already at a very high level and should have more to come.
( He had the 36th most disposals in the AFL last year, he's not a kid waiting to break out ).
Hill has probably plateaued. If we get what we got the last couple of years we're ok.
Jack Steele has put weight back on, and training reports sound promising. If he plays like 2021 we're a better side.
Mitch Owens is 20, last season he was putting out stats that wouldn't embarrass a 25 year old. Expect more.
Hunter Clark 24, should be hitting his prime, but injuries have stopped him delivering. If he pushes someone else out we are better.
Max King 23. Kicked 28 goals in half a season, if he can stay on the park he's good for 50-70.
Ryan Byrnes 22. Hard to be average when there are others outstanding, but he might be the one to push Seb out.
Stocker will turn 24, but his career had been stunted at Carlton. May well be better in 2024.
Dow 24 , seems to be able to win a handy amount of clearances, will hopefully make up for the loss of Gresham.
Marshall 28. Last year he was fifth in the AFL for hitouts, and his around the ground work was excellent.
Liam Henry 22 : Can only make us better.

Those who haven't played yet are an unknown so far, but we still have potential to improve significantly without them.

 

[SaintsSeptember]

Coops plays more like Membrey, Phillipou or Owens with more licence to roam as a high HF. Hammer is more a true KP forward who leads. It will be interesting to see how we structure up. Lyon has always played 2 KPFs or at least a tall spiller and a mobile tall for structure.

Lyon played 3 talls, Kosi, Gehrig and Riewoldt.
When Gehrig retired , he played 2 talls, because he only had 2 talls. ( Michael Gardiner might have been around for some games ).
Kosi was always a tall spiller because he wasn't great at marking it.
When one of Riewoldt or Kosi was unavailable he played just one tall.
I'm sure there were games where they were both injured and Milne and Schneider were our forward marking targets.

 

[Saint Watto]

Badges might be the pinnacle of ones time on BigFooty tbh. Separate the wheat from the chaff xx

George...........you certainly have stirred up an absolute Hornet's nest with the badges.

Badges/requests for badges are flying left,right and centre!!!!!

Posters are getting quite emotional about the whole thing.

It's possibly a case of FOMO.....fear of missing out......on a badge!!!!!

I'm going to call it........this could develop into "Badge-Gate"

And to very loosely quote from one of the all time classic movies:

"Frankly George........I don't give a badge"

 

[FQFjt]

Jeez - I hope that's your opinion and not the clubs.

I'm not sure I can wait around for years hoping that this round of young players become superstars rather than another collection of Billings, Coffield and Greshams.

Couldn't agree more. The track record of clubs that take their eye off the present for the sake of some ellusive future is very bad.

 

[FQFjt]

It seems I am not aligned with the consensus around here, but my view is that if our list stays healthy, we should be able to achieve what all Ross Lyon teams have achieved in year 2 of his coaching (a prelim).

 

[Otiman]

For age analysis, you always get a small number of players who impact early in their careers, and also a similar number of players who can impact late into their careers.

However, for most players this means a 50 game improvement ramp up, and a 50 game drop off either side of their 'peak'.

 

[The Jack]

The context was you disagreeing about my statement re an easy draw in 2023 so if we are debating that point on its own, I think it's universally accepted last years draw was more favourable than this years especially the early parts of each season.

It wasn't easy, as explained. I'll leave it there.

 

[George]

George...........you certainly have stirred up an absolute Hornet's nest with the badges.

Badges/requests for badges are flying left,right and centre!!!!!

Posters are getting quite emotional about the whole thing.

It's possibly a case of FOMO.....fear of missing out......on a badge!!!!!

I'm going to call it........this could develop into "Badge-Gate"

And to very loosely quote from one of the all time classic movies:

"Frankly George........I don't give a badge"

What can I say, Watto. I look over this forum like Zeus on Mt. Olympus - a flick of the wrist or a raise of the eyebrow and the villagers congregate - whispering, murmuring, pontificating on what I'll do next

 

[SaintsSeptember]

Couldn't agree more. The track record of clubs that take their eye off the present for the sake of some ellusive future is very bad.

Try to get up there , and try to fluke one i reckon.
Otherwise its like trying to win a lottery without a ticket.