Training 2024 training updates.

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Apples said:
Jen has attended all training sessions (excluding today I presume), and is in a far better position than me to comment, but from where I sat, Beau McCreery was the tearaway of preseason training. This time last year he was still not cemented in the 22, at least not for me, heck a couple of posters, I wish I could recall who you are, suggested he was "soft". Twelve months on he is a premiership player who looks ready to progress to the next level. He displayed an intensity and ferocity this week that I loved. Sitting on the fence I could hear the crunch of his tackles. So Beau gets my 5 stars.
My partner in crime selected Ash Johnson. Ash worked hard and looks to be really invested. That's been my question on him. I hope for our sakes that he can go the next step.

Of the newbies, the coaches will name those that have an upside yet to be seen due to lack of opportunity, or perhaps through injury. Jack Bytel looks like a footballer; he is strong, has endurance, pretty good on both sides and has developed his pace - he led or was close to leading, all of the 50 metre sprints I watched. Does that make him one of our selections? It does to me - I penciled him in on Monday. As a quick, big-bodied inside mid, he could be the Tay Adams replacement

Of the others hoping for a pick-up, Campbell Hustwaite would have to be in with a chance. We already know his game, personality and peccadillos. It would look a bit odd to know him so well, invite him in, and then not pick him up wouldn't it? I can't see a spot for him though.

Eyre: I didn't see enough from him, except that he looked pretty mobile and took a few contested grabs. Do we need him? We picked up Billy last year and Billy is just as mobile and appears stronger and more aggressive. Eyre is probably stronger overhead.
Brynn Teakle: on paper he's a chance because of his versatility, but he didn't stand out to me. Mr Apples reckons he's in though.
Do we pick a possible McStay replacement?
Sam Sofrinidis: I can't comment on this bloke. He gets wraps from outsiders, but even with binoculars, I just didn't see him do anything. What did Jack Dyer say? "He seems to go where the ball 'aint'". Well that's my take on Sam. The talk though is strong.
Lachie Sullivan: 25 and not picked up by the Bulldogs. Not a great sign. On the positive side, he's a real leader and had a great season in the VFL. He's a big bodied mid and so I reckon it's him or Bytel. We only have Mitchell in that mould and if he goes down we would be in trouble now that Adams has gone.

I'm assuming we have 4 picks, but will keep one for midseason. We didn't get to see any real match play. It would have been great to be a spy at Wesley today as I reckon we would have tried out a few boys and a few game modifications. Why else would we go the secrecy route?

If I were to take a guess, it would be Bytel, Teakle/Eyre and Sofrinidis.
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Lol. I couldn't get past the sentence where there were supporters suggesting Beau was "soft". Seriously? People actually said that?
 
Apples said:
Jen has attended all training sessions (excluding today I presume), and is in a far better position than me to comment, but from where I sat, Beau McCreery was the tearaway of preseason training. This time last year he was still not cemented in the 22, at least not for me, heck a couple of posters, I wish I could recall who you are, suggested he was "soft". Twelve months on he is a premiership player who looks ready to progress to the next level. He displayed an intensity and ferocity this week that I loved. Sitting on the fence I could hear the crunch of his tackles. So Beau gets my 5 stars.
My partner in crime selected Ash Johnson. Ash worked hard and looks to be really invested. That's been my question on him. I hope for our sakes that he can go the next step.

Of the newbies, the coaches will name those that have an upside yet to be seen due to lack of opportunity, or perhaps through injury. Jack Bytel looks like a footballer; he is strong, has endurance, pretty good on both sides and has developed his pace - he led or was close to leading, all of the 50 metre sprints I watched. Does that make him one of our selections? It does to me - I penciled him in on Monday. As a quick, big-bodied inside mid, he could be the Tay Adams replacement

Of the others hoping for a pick-up, Campbell Hustwaite would have to be in with a chance. We already know his game, personality and peccadillos. It would look a bit odd to know him so well, invite him in, and then not pick him up wouldn't it? I can't see a spot for him though.

Eyre: I didn't see enough from him, except that he looked pretty mobile and took a few contested grabs. Do we need him? We picked up Billy last year and Billy is just as mobile and appears stronger and more aggressive. Eyre is probably stronger overhead.
Brynn Teakle: on paper he's a chance because of his versatility, but he didn't stand out to me. Mr Apples reckons he's in though.
Do we pick a possible McStay replacement?
Sam Sofrinidis: I can't comment on this bloke. He gets wraps from outsiders, but even with binoculars, I just didn't see him do anything. What did Jack Dyer say? "He seems to go where the ball 'aint'". Well that's my take on Sam. The talk though is strong.
Lachie Sullivan: 25 and not picked up by the Bulldogs. Not a great sign. On the positive side, he's a real leader and had a great season in the VFL. He's a big bodied mid and so I reckon it's him or Bytel. We only have Mitchell in that mould and if he goes down we would be in trouble now that Adams has gone.

I'm assuming we have 4 picks, but will keep one for midseason. We didn't get to see any real match play. It would have been great to be a spy at Wesley today as I reckon we would have tried out a few boys and a few game modifications. Why else would we go the secrecy route?

If I were to take a guess, it would be Bytel, Teakle/Eyre and Sofrinidis.
Click to expand...
You’ve got to be mistaken about McCreery, he’s been a sledgehammer from day one, no way anyone would have accused him of being soft.

That aside, thanks for the insights.
 

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Apples said:
Jen has attended all training sessions (excluding today I presume), and is in a far better position than me to comment, but from where I sat, Beau McCreery was the tearaway of preseason training. This time last year he was still not cemented in the 22, at least not for me, heck a couple of posters, I wish I could recall who you are, suggested he was "soft". Twelve months on he is a premiership player who looks ready to progress to the next level. He displayed an intensity and ferocity this week that I loved. Sitting on the fence I could hear the crunch of his tackles. So Beau gets my 5 stars.
My partner in crime selected Ash Johnson. Ash worked hard and looks to be really invested. That's been my question on him. I hope for our sakes that he can go the next step.

Of the newbies, the coaches will name those that have an upside yet to be seen due to lack of opportunity, or perhaps through injury. Jack Bytel looks like a footballer; he is strong, has endurance, pretty good on both sides and has developed his pace - he led or was close to leading, all of the 50 metre sprints I watched. Does that make him one of our selections? It does to me - I penciled him in on Monday. As a quick, big-bodied inside mid, he could be the Tay Adams replacement

Of the others hoping for a pick-up, Campbell Hustwaite would have to be in with a chance. We already know his game, personality and peccadillos. It would look a bit odd to know him so well, invite him in, and then not pick him up wouldn't it? I can't see a spot for him though.

Eyre: I didn't see enough from him, except that he looked pretty mobile and took a few contested grabs. Do we need him? We picked up Billy last year and Billy is just as mobile and appears stronger and more aggressive. Eyre is probably stronger overhead.
Brynn Teakle: on paper he's a chance because of his versatility, but he didn't stand out to me. Mr Apples reckons he's in though.
Do we pick a possible McStay replacement?
Sam Sofrinidis: I can't comment on this bloke. He gets wraps from outsiders, but even with binoculars, I just didn't see him do anything. What did Jack Dyer say? "He seems to go where the ball 'aint'". Well that's my take on Sam. The talk though is strong.
Lachie Sullivan: 25 and not picked up by the Bulldogs. Not a great sign. On the positive side, he's a real leader and had a great season in the VFL. He's a big bodied mid and so I reckon it's him or Bytel. We only have Mitchell in that mould and if he goes down we would be in trouble now that Adams has gone.

I'm assuming we have 4 picks, but will keep one for midseason. We didn't get to see any real match play. It would have been great to be a spy at Wesley today as I reckon we would have tried out a few boys and a few game modifications. Why else would we go the secrecy route?

If I were to take a guess, it would be Bytel, Teakle/Eyre and Sofrinidis.
Click to expand...
I agree on Sofonidis, he came into this with a lot of hype... but I find he becomes the invisible man.. doesn't do anything that stands out, apart from being a good runner; and you forget he is there.

Eyre was rarely beaten in 1 v 1's today. Was very impressive. This wasn't even his best 1 v 1, the ones earlier this morning which was defenders v forwards was elite; but didn't record it.



Beggy comfortable beat Sofonidis in a 1 v 1

 
The poster didn't use the word soft but implied it well enough.
I'll put in a few quotes from early 2023.

"Mcreery was a bit further up the ground at times, he converted his chances and ran hard. I just wish he would run in straight lines, pulls out of too many contests for my liking. Dropped that mark in the first on account of perceived pressure. It happens every week."

I asked the poster if he was suggesting McCreery was soft.
A further comment was:

"I care that he doesn't go hard when the ball is in dispute."

I interpreted that comment as saying he was 'soft'.
 
Apples said:
You got to Wesley Jen?
Wasn't it a secret session? Wasn't it meant to be? Why else would it be way out in the boonies?:):p
Click to expand...
No idea why it was out there, but it wasn't a secret one. The media was there, and a few fans.
I felt sorry for those that went to vic park lol
 
Apples said:
The poster didn't use the word soft but implied it well enough.
I'll put in a few quotes from early 2023.

"Mcreery was a bit further up the ground at times, he converted his chances and ran hard. I just wish he would run in straight lines, pulls out of too many contests for my liking. Dropped that mark in the first on account of perceived pressure. It happens every week."

I asked the poster if he was suggesting McCreery was soft.
A further comment was:

"I care that he doesn't go hard when the ball is in dispute."

I interpreted that comment as saying he was 'soft'.
Click to expand...
Probably a bit of a long bow to draw. I've noticed that Beau does tend to let his opponent get the ball so he can then tackle, rather than fight for possession himself. I've, on more than one occasion, thought I'd rather see him contend than wait for the tackling opportunity. But then again, I'm old school and believe that the ball should be won. I take issue with the rules that tend to penalise a player who is willing to fight for the ball. Anyway, Beau is most definitely not soft because of his propensity to stand off to lay a bone-crunching tackle.
 
Even an enthusiastic Craig McRae got caught up in the battle to replace Dan McStay as Ash Johnson and Reef McInnes duked it out on Friday morning.
As the Magpies powered through one of their contest sessions at Wesley College, Glen Waverley – where each drill was designed to bring out the competitive instincts of the players – the coach gravitated to a forward-50 drill run by assistant Scott Selwood.

McRae, who returned this week from a study trip in the United States, was in full voice as McInnes and Johnson played side-by-side as attackers and aerial threats, against defenders like Billy Frampton.

One contest from McInnes brought a yell of “absolutely brilliant” from McRae.

The two forwards then played as deep targets with big man Oscar Steene in an expanded attacking drill, where both competed strongly and set up goals.

The two fringe forwards appear most likely to be given the shot to replace McStay as a deep forward when the season kicks off, after McStay ruptured his ACL last month.

Defender Nathan Murphy joined in the attacking drill and flew into a couple of marking contests as he continues to train despite a lingering decision about his future on the field.

The highlight of that attacking play was a hangar from Norm Smith medallist Bobby Hill over Oleg Markov that drew impressed responses from some students watching the session.


Skipper Darcy Moore and newly inducted club life member Jamie Elliott were not on track at Wesley College, with the pair both on their own programs leading into Christmas.

Veteran Scott Pendlebury was also absent after he posted on social media from Byron Bay on Thursday, while ruck Darcy Cameron took part in the entire session after being eased into training in recent weeks.

Brayden Maynard was more active than at previous sessions but largely worked through a hefty running block with Isaac Quaynor and Nathan Kreuger, with Maynard still only marking footballs with one arm after shoulder surgery post-season.


Draftee Tew Jiath led his group through a lengthy shuttle run exercise and fellow teen Harry DeMattia looked at home joining in full-ground drills.

One of a dozen players training with the squad in the hope of landing a spot on the club’s list, Josh Eyre fitted in seamlessly into a midfield role in some drills and has impressed the Pies so far through pre-season.

McRae finished off the 90-minute session by asking some Wesley students watching on to provide feedback to the players, with the competitiveness of the action noted by the youngsters.
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Training Report: Fri 15th Dec -Wesley College, G.W.

When I read this morning that training would be at Wesley Glen Wav, I put off mowing the lawn and instead walked the 5 mins from home to Wesley College. Got there just on 10:00am and proceedings were already well under way. I stayed until they finished up at about 11:10.
The playing area at the school is enormous. Two full size ovals with vast spaces between and around them -one big, open space. The surface looks like a bowling green.
In the time I was there, we were taking full advantage of the space, with the squad split up into small groups/teams and mainly practicing a variety of competitive drills. As they were so spread out, it was tricky to keep an eye on all groups at once.
As far as I could make out, Pendles and Billy were absent. Billy maybe still celebrating his 'Life Membership' from last night! Most other veterans were present -Sidey, Howe, Mitchell, Crispy.
I.Q. and Kreuger were doing continual 100m run-throughs on the side of the area for about 20mins. De Mattia and Jiath didn't take part in any of the competitive drills I saw -they were working on their kicking skills with a trainer down at the Syndal station end of the field. Both seem to have fluent kicking styles and can cover a reasonable distance. They were joined by I.Q. after he had finished his running. The youngsters then joined Nath Murphy and (I think) Ned Long in marking practice with the marking bag. Murph looked very comfortable and assured, timing each jump and grab perfectly. De M and Jiath demonstrated that they both have a good spring. De M more prepared to use his hands and grab the ball at it's highest point, Jiath often jumped high, but grabbed it on his chest. Ned Long looked a bit less co-ordinated, sometimes mis-timing his jump and taking it after he had returned to the ground.
For about 20 mins, I watched one group practicing centre clearance drills up at the High St Rd end. Two teams of 8. It seemed to contain most of our key on-ballers and our 4 main rucks. Cox and Cameron in black v Begg and Steene in white, one on ground at a time. As expected, Cox and Cameron both out-bodied Begg & Steene in the hit outs, giving advantage to the black on-ballers (De Goey, Finn Mc, Sidey, Crispy, Bytel). Begg did fight hard in 'Grundy-like' fashion and won some secondary clearances on his own. Fin Mc seemed busy for the black side and got a fair share of the ball. The other one that impressed was Bytel. He was quite vocal and often giving directions to his teammates where to stand as they were setting up plays. He won a number of clearances and showed sharp skills in possession chains. Whenever a side lost possession, they had to drop to the ground and do a number of push-ups. At one stage, Nick D was tackled, resulting in him kicking the ball out of bounds. His white team (with Josh D, Mitchell, Allan and Schultz) all hit the deck and started their penalty, with Jordy giving Nick D a good-hearted verbal spray.
There were other match simulation drills a bit further away from where I was standing. Mostly they were starting from the backline and moving the ball forward. Those that caught my eye included Eyre, who got to a number of contests down back and took a couple of good intercept marks. Reef Mc was leading well from deep forward and held a couple of marks. Bobby H took another speckie -similar to his Grand Final effort. Johnny F Noble was noticeable with his dash from defence. He was the only one I saw take a running bounce during the simulation. Ed Allan won a bit of the ball out on the wing. He's now almost as tall as Begg. If his play can match his physique, he'll be in for a great career.
As they kept swapping jumpers and numbers (from black to white and vice versa) and also shifting groups over the large playing space, it was hard to spot all the newbies. I didn't notice Hustwaite, Sullivan, Sofranidis or Teakle. Hopefully someone else who was there can fill in those blanks.
Jakob Ryan showed a bit of dash on occasions, but finished the session with an ice-pack on his knee. It didn't look too serious, as he was walking freely and looked to be in good spirits.
 
Last edited:
Reckon out of those training, Josh Eyre would have to be the standout favourite for one of the spots at this point of the pre-season, as long as his body holds up.
The real standout this morning.
Come post xmas, he'll have 1 more month to prove his worth.
 

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Jen2310 said:
Reckon out of those training, Josh Eyre would have to be the standout favourite for one of the spots at this point of the pre-season, as long as his body holds up.
The real standout this morning.
Come post xmas, he'll have 1 more month to prove his worth.
Click to expand...
Just going on the list balance if we take 3. SSP choices and leave 1 for MSD, then I think 2 of the 3 need to be talls
We have pretty good depth in mids and flankers. Talls not so much, especially with doubts to some extent on Murphy, and durability issues with Kreuger and Dean

Would think that gives Eyre, Sofa and Teskle a good chance
 
Jen2310 said:
Reckon out of those training, Josh Eyre would have to be the standout favourite for one of the spots at this point of the pre-season, as long as his body holds up.
The real standout this morning.
Come post xmas, he'll have 1 more month to prove his worth.
Click to expand...
This - "Those that caught my eye included Eyre, who got to a number of contests down back and took a couple of good intercept marks" seems to be a common theme with those that are watching training - reckon he could almost be a starter all things considered with Dean, could be a different looking backline.

The other observation is in all the media clips posted here, Begg seems to be out muscling other big guys, could be a smokie for me.
 
Apex36 said:
You’ve got to be mistaken about McCreery, he’s been a sledgehammer from day one, no way anyone would have accused him of being soft.

That aside, thanks for the insights.
Click to expand...
I seem to remember someone did about this time last year, to be met by almost universal guffaws.
 
McOrist said:
Training Report: Fri 15th Dec -Wesley College, G.W.

When I read this morning that training would be at Wesley Glen Wav, I put off mowing the lawn and instead walked the 5 mins from home to Wesley College. Got there just on 10:00am and proceedings were already well under way. I stayed until they finished up at about 11:10.
The playing area at the school is enormous. Two full size ovals with vast spaces between and around them -one big, open space. The surface looks like a bowling green.
In the time I was there, we were taking full advantage of the space, with the squad split up into small groups/teams and mainly practicing a variety of competitive drills. As they were so spread out, it was tricky to keep an eye on all groups at once.
As far as I could make out, Pendles and Billy were absent. Billy maybe still celebrating his 'Life Membership' from last night! Most other veterans were present -Sidey, Howe, Mitchell, Crispy.
I.Q. and Kreuger were doing continual 100m run-throughs on the side of the area for about 20mins. De Mattia and Jiath didn't take part in any of the competitive drills I saw -they were working on their kicking skills with a trainer down at the Syndal station end of the field. Both seem to have fluent kicking styles and can cover a reasonable distance. They were joined by I.Q. after he had finished his running. The youngsters then joined Nath Murphy and (I think) Ned Long in marking practice with the marking bag. Murph looked very comfortable and assured, timing each jump and grab perfectly. De M and Jiath demonstrated that they both have a good spring. De M more prepared to use his hands and grab the ball at it's highest point, Jiath often jumped high, but grabbed it on his chest. Ned Long looked a bit less co-ordinated, sometimes mis-timing his jump and taking it after he had returned to the ground.
For about 20 mins, I watched one group practicing centre clearance drills up at the High St Rd end. Two teams of 8. It seemed to contain most of our key on-ballers and our 4 main rucks. Cox and Cameron in black v Begg and Steene in white, one on ground at a time. As expected, Cox and Cameron both out-bodied Begg & Steene in the hit outs, giving advantage to the black on-ballers (De Goey, Finn Mc, Sidey, Crispy, Bytel). Begg did fight hard in 'Grundy-like' fashion and won some secondary clearances on his own. Fin Mc seemed busy for the black side and got a fair share of the ball. The other one that impressed was Bytel. He was quite vocal and often giving directions to his teammates where to stand as they were setting up plays. He won a number of clearances and showed sharp skills in possession chains. Whenever a side lost possession, they had to drop to the ground and do a number of push-ups. At one stage, Nick D was tackled, resulting in him kicking the ball out of bounds. His white team (with Josh D, Mitchell, Allan and Schultz) all hit the deck and started their penalty, with Jordy giving Nick D a good-hearted verbal spray.
There were other match simulation drills a bit further away from where I was standing. Mostly they were starting from the backline and moving the ball forward. Those that caught my eye included Eyre, who got to a number of contests down back and took a couple of good intercept marks. Reef Mc was leading well from deep forward and held a couple of marks. Bobby H took another speckie -similar to his Grand Final effort. Johnny F Noble was noticeable with his dash from defence. He was the only one I saw take a running bounce during the simulation. Ed Allan won a bit of the ball out on the wing. He's now almost as tall as Begg. If his play can match his physique, he'll be in for a great career.
As they kept swapping jumpers and numbers (from black to white and vice versa) and also shifting groups over the large playing space, it was hard to spot all the newbies. I didn't notice Hustwaite, Sullivan, Sofranidis or Teakle. Hopefully someone else who was there can fill in those blanks.
Jakob Ryan showed a bit of dash on occasions, but finished the session with an ice-pack on his knee. It didn't look too serious, as he was walking freely and looked to be in good spirits.
Click to expand...
I don't think I've heard Ed Allen's name mentioned in dispatches here until now. He is certainly a big unit.
 
The Royal Sampler said:
It seems that we feel that with an experienced if not ageing best 22, we can afford to pick up seemingly talented cast-offs from other clubs whose development has been interrupted by injury, and give them time to reach their potential in a way their original club could not. We don’t necessarily need them to be best-22 yet.

Interesting strategy. Links in well with the train-on rather than rookie philosophy, and possibly is a bet on Wade at the same time.
Click to expand...

and us Being Premiers and not a Bottom Team
 
As reigning premiers it's great to ponder what the list would/will look like in 2024. The midfield battle between the SSP spots is an interesting watch. I had thought about going to a training session, but have only managed a glimpse of a group of players doing sprints/run throughs. Will try to get to a session in the new year.
 
legendstatus said:
Wrighty stepping down from March- September and expected to come back to a full time role post Sept according to HS. Interesting ( sorry wrong thread )
Click to expand...
Good move & well deserved break (& European summer hol). Will come back refreshed and raring to go for (hopefully) years to come at the Pies. Last thing we need is this guy burnt out and lose him altogether.
 
Ctracks said:
As reigning premiers it's great to ponder what the list would/will look like in 2024. The midfield battle between the SSP spots is an interesting watch. I had thought about going to a training session, but have only managed a glimpse of a group of players doing sprints/run throughs. Will try to get to a session in the new year.
Click to expand...
Get down to a session. It really is great to see them get to work and be fair dinkum about it. Some of the tackling sessions up close are like .. f#*k, these guys are serious, and it's a preseason session before xmas.

Can't help but be a proud supporter!
 
3066 said:
Get down to a session. It really is great to see them get to work and be fair dinkum about it. Some of the tackling sessions up close are like .. f#*k, these guys are serious, and it's a preseason session before xmas.

Can't help but be a proud supporter!
Click to expand...
Went to most during prelim and grand final week.
 
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