Training 2024 training updates.

Remove this Banner Ad

Status
Not open for further replies.
sam_e said:
FWIW, refer “Strengths” p/Eyre’s Draft Rookie Profile.

central.rookieme.com

Joshua Eyre Draft Profile

central.rookieme.com central.rookieme.com
Click to expand...
Equally as valid is the Essendon thread about him (if you have a spare 30 mins).
Plethora of comments around how he makes good position, reads it well, gets hands to it.....drops it.
By the end of his time there, they were very scathing of his hands. This was by some notable VFL watchers over there too.

It may well have been a strength thing at Essendon. Who knows.
But they were pretty clear on his weaknesses.

If he plays in defense, we need him to intercept and mark the footy. Its our aerial defensive one wood.
From all reports on here and other places, he looks set to get his shot.
If that eventuates, we'll find out pretty quickly.....
 
manicpie said:
If Reef and AJ can find form we will still be the most versatile forward line in the comp. Our forward line strength is that we have small players who are all really hard to match up on.
Click to expand...
The good news is that reports have them both showing very good signs this pre-season.
 
TheVillageIdiot7 said:
Equally as valid is the Essendon thread about him (if you have a spare 30 mins).
Plethora of comments around how he makes good position, reads it well, gets hands to it.....drops it.
By the end of his time there, they were very scathing of his hands. This was by some notable VFL watchers over there too.

It may well have been a strength thing at Essendon. Who knows.
But they were pretty clear on his weaknesses.

If he plays in defense, we need him to intercept and mark the footy. Its our aerial defensive one wood.
From all reports on here and other places, he looks set to get his shot.
If that eventuates, we'll find out pretty quickly.....
Click to expand...

From our vfl games he played last year, he has no trouble marking, saw him some take some contested marks.
And it’s clearly something he wants to work on. But he is pretty strong in the air.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

Log in to remove this ad.

TheGreatGrundy said:
Although if he is only 21 and has come from a stint at Essendon, he could hardly be called a late starter. Actually, if he is only 21 and 198cm, I am very surprised Essendon did not persevere with him. Seems unusual to not allow a tall KPP time to develop.
Click to expand...
Probably because they picked Nik Cox and Zach Reid in the same draft, who are a similar size.
Neither of those two have done much due to injury.
 
Apex36 said:
I think they intend to play Frampton in the same role he played round 1 last year, in the VFL, assuming our key defence stocks are healthy.
I believe it’s been established that Reef is also competing for McStays spot. I know he’s not like for like (neither is AJ), but I think we’re going to have to accept that there will be a different dynamic to the forward line this year, and the coaches are obviously preparing the team to play as such.
Click to expand...

Well we really didn't have McStay much last season, so we went with the medium to small F50 setup, with Cox/ Cameron resting forward at times.
With the inclusion of Schultz, we will be even more versatile, with plenty of options in terms of goal-kickers.
I think our setup will be pretty much the same in terms of how we want to play, and have Mihocek/Johnson ( Hopefully AJ can have a breakout season) as our marking targets, with Cox/ Cameron drifting forward, and the small forwards going to work with their F50 pressure and locking the ball in, presenting opportunity to score. Schultz will be a huge inclusion, and he may well be the best of the small forwards for us this season.
 
Dead Eye Didak said:
Well we really didn't have McStay much last season, so we went with the medium to small F50 setup, with Cox/ Cameron resting forward at times.
With the inclusion of Schultz, we will be even more versatile, with plenty of options in terms of goal-kickers.
I think our setup will be pretty much the same in terms of how we want to play, and have Mihocek/Johnson ( Hopefully AJ can have a breakout season) as our marking targets, with Cox/ Cameron drifting forward, and the small forwards going to work with their F50 pressure and locking the ball in, presenting opportunity to score. Schultz will be a huge inclusion, and he may well be the best of the small forwards for us this season.
Click to expand...
I agree that Schultz will be a big plus for us - he brings far more defensive pressure than Ginnivan ever did and he's an accomplished goalkicker. He could rotate through the midfield as well.
We'll have a bunch of marauding forwards - imagine opposition defenders like rabbits in the headlights when they see Sarge, Bobby and Beau closing in!
 
Last edited:
JuniorB said:
I agree that Schultz will be a big plus for us - he brings far more defensive pressure than Ginnivan ever did and he's an accomplished goalkicker. He could rotate through the midfield as well.
We'll have a bunch of marauding forwards - imagine opposition defenders like rabbits in the headlights when they see Sarge, Bobby and Beau closing in!
Click to expand...
I really like the idea of both Beau and Reef rotating through the midfield / forward line
Gives us many diff set ups

I think Ed Allan also poses as fascinating prospect by being able to play so tall and fast off the wing and moving forward as well
 
JuniorB said:
I agree that Schultz will be a big plus for us - he brings far more defensive pressure than Ginnivan ever did and he's an accomplished goalkicker. He could rotate through the midfield as well.
We'll have a bunch of marauding forwards - imagine opposition defenders like rabbits in the headlights when they see Sarge, Bobby and Beau closing in!
Click to expand...
all while needing to be tall enough to combat a resting Cox or Camreon in the forward line! Delightfull!!
 
To get a better a gauge of Eyre from those watching training, because he has been hyped a lot which is exciting.

But how is he looking vs Murphy as a comparison? Like a genuine rival for No.2 key defender? Which has caused a Murphy v Howe, hence Howe training up forward to be a swingman/Mr fix it type effect.
 
Dead Eye Didak said:
Well we really didn't have McStay much last season, so we went with the medium to small F50 setup, with Cox/ Cameron resting forward at times.
With the inclusion of Schultz, we will be even more versatile, with plenty of options in terms of goal-kickers.
I think our setup will be pretty much the same in terms of how we want to play, and have Mihocek/Johnson ( Hopefully AJ can have a breakout season) as our marking targets, with Cox/ Cameron drifting forward, and the small forwards going to work with their F50 pressure and locking the ball in, presenting opportunity to score. Schultz will be a huge inclusion, and he may well be the best of the small forwards for us this season.
Click to expand...
We played AJ every game from round 3 until McStay returned last year, and for the bulk of that time we had no rucks available either, so I’d say that’s not a completely accurate reflection on how we set up.
I’d say that we’ll likely be running a similar system this year to what we had while McStay was injured, with the change of Frampton in the ruck, to Cox/Cameron as rucks. The big difference will be that we’ve spent a whole preseason running said system rather than having to adjust to it on the fly.
 
Apex36 said:
The big difference will be that we’ve spent a whole preseason running said system rather than having to adjust to it on the fly.
Click to expand...
This is a really great point. As shit as McStay’s injury is, and it is legitimately shit; it happened at a time when we can do a significant amount of preseason preparation to mitigate for it. We can change our gameplan early if needed, trial different guys or different set-ups, and the opportunity is there for players to make it their own if they’re good enough.
 
Pie thon said:
To get a better a gauge of Eyre from those watching training, because he has been hyped a lot which is exciting.

But how is he looking vs Murphy as a comparison? Like a genuine rival for No.2 key defender? Which has caused a Murphy v Howe, hence Howe training up forward to be a swingman/Mr fix it type effect.
Click to expand...

Murphy prob has him physically at this stage. As you’d expect. But eyre holding his own in the air.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

(Log in to remove this ad.)

Pie thon said:
To get a better a gauge of Eyre from those watching training, because he has been hyped a lot which is exciting.

But how is he looking vs Murphy as a comparison? Like a genuine rival for No.2 key defender? Which has caused a Murphy v Howe, hence Howe training up forward to be a swingman/Mr fix it type effect.
Click to expand...

Different Type players where Eyre is a Tall while Murphy is more of a General Defender
 
Jen2310 said:
Skipworth said all the candidates have fit in well and shown they can play at the level. Also closer to the deadline, they'll look at their list needs and go from there.
Click to expand...

So Mostly go Tall then
 
1st training report of the day on FB Side by Side. We are waiting for Jen's.

Under heavy, slate-grey skies training commenced around 9.30. The ground was wet and water pooled on the track abutting the oval. The only player missing from the action today was Josh Daicos who is managing a foot injury but he’s expected back within a few weeks, according to Hayden Skipworth who spoke with Sarah Olle in a press conference shortly after match simulation – which is the longest we’ve witnessed this pre-season. Interestingly he praised all those on trial for a last minute list spot and singled out Lachlie Sullivan and Jack Bytel because he focusses his attention on the mids. He was also laudatory of the next group of youngsters vying for a spot such as Reef and Fin. The list hopefuls were joined by some young academy boys again. It was raining for the entirety of the session, save for a break at 10.46, only to force umbrellas up again. The lights illumined the gloomy setting, though it was still relatively humid and the dismal weather did not deter the faithful. There were hordes of autograph hunters bothering the players every time they took one of their frequent water breaks. The drills were conducted at high intensity and many of the players were blowing hard when they gratefully guzzled the liquid to rehydrate. Once the players had literally whet their appetite, the sated bunch listened to various instructions from a range of coaches. Once Pendles briefly addressed the group. Fly also enjoyed rapt attention when he issued some specific directions, whilst the board was displayed before the match simulation and this seemed to stimulate some raucous applause. Before one of the drills in which there four groups, captains were named for competing teams within the group and this activity was particularly competitive with a some verballing going on between teams and some healthy affirmation of good performances evident. Some players decided they would do some umpiring here and Kreuger even indulged in some gestural mimicking as he indicated a push in the back etc.



There were many drills and activities prior to the match simulation which went for a decent length of time. These included: extensive warm-ups when the group cleaved with the white tops limbering up first while the blacks honed their close-in hand and foot skills. There was some sprinting which involved players springing from a prostrate position before motoring to the other end. There were plenty of activities demanding that the players practise tackling and alternately being asked to elude a tackler. Others centred around one -on- one duels which were effectively a test of strength, as the trainer holding a ball aloft tossed it up and they competed aerially but also had to use their body to outpoint the other. Other contested situations were longer range with kicks travelling at distance to two competing players whose overhead and body manoeuvring prowess were examined. Quite often there were four groups operating on separate drills concurrently with alternate players within each donning either a blue, salmon, lime-green or yellow vest. During one of the more tackling drills, some of us held our breath as Reef felt and then massaged his shoulder region after being dumped by Jack Crisp on the sodden turf.



Following the main drills there was a whole ground ball movement session in which kicking skills became quite ragged. The irony here was earlier on, when the rain was more intense, the players appeared to have acclimated quite well to the trying conditions. The ball was certainly heavy as testified by the sound it made when in contact with players’ boots. Some of the more storied senior players still exhibited solid skills, but players had to stretch, quite often in vain to lay fingers upon the ball they were running to. Usually in the dry, the ball movement is slick and polished.



Carmichael, Checkers, Maynard eschewed the final drill and instead ran at the river end under the guidance of a trainer.



During one of the drills, our stoppage players were selected to simulate skills in this area. This group comprised: Mitch, Pendles, Sidey, Allan, Nick, Lippa, Crisp, with Cox and Cameron providing the ruck service. Generally a few of them would perform push ups on the sidelines, while the rest would go through their paces and then they would swap.



As alluded to it was the most protracted match simulation track watchers had witnessed this pre-season. There were some interesting match-ups, though as usual this was fluid as players rotated, sometimes under the instruction of coaches, and sometimes one suspects spontaneously, like the time Moore took himself forward for one centre bounce. It was black versus white tops and the designated colour meant nothing as there was a spread of senior regulars among each team.



Random observations of some players based on the match simulation and the drills/activities.



Eyre – was impressive again. He played as a key defender in the white team. He took the odd mark and chastised himself upon making errors, but most significantly he has a wicked weapon in his penetrating, flat and accurate left foot kick. If he can quell and opponent and hold his own, his left boot could instigate some attacks.

Crisp – he’s such a gun. He was superb in all the drills and was the only player in a large group who won every one on one, by dint of his body strength and positioning in every duel he was involved in. In the match sim he was prominent, bursting away from packs. He started on the wing opposed to Lippa. Nobody embodies our exuberant chaos style more than him.



Nick was sensational through the middle and at stoppages. He is deceptively quick but quite boldly elusive, while his skill is non pareil.



Begg – perhaps a bit of a surprise packet today as a ruck in the match sim. He beat Cox was dominating early. Not only was he winning but once he took the ball cleanly out of the air, powered forward and handballed to a teammate. My only reservation maybe is that he doesn’t cover the ground swiftly but he’s developing well and maybe he has a future as a ruckman. Steene did the odd good thing but appeared to be mistiming his leaps at centre bounces.



JDG – really dominant and impressive in the match sim and he used his powerful body to very good effect in some of the drills when pitted against direct opponents.



Sam S. – moved quite well at times but wasn’t prominent and it will be difficult to see him being at the top of the pecking order when the coaches are calling out the names of list additions.



Macrae – Fin looks AFL ready. In the match sim he was notable with his performance at clearances, stoppages and linking up around the ground. He reads the play well and so often sharks hit outs. In the one-on-one activity, his body strength held up all right against bulkier opponents.



Reef spent some time in the middle and in attack in the match simulation but wasn’t as noteworthy as in other sessions.



Ash moved well in the activities but as confirmed by Skipworth, his loads were managed today and he spent some time running on the pavilion side of the ground. He unlike many other players, relishes being in photos with fans and is always friendly and obliging for autograph seekers which endears him to our younger supporter base.



Carmichael – he flashed in and out of the play. He got a bit of the pill in attack and his boot can be a weapon at times. He also seems to have ball getting nous. He is still donning the blue non-contact cap as he recovers from concussion, and ran while some of the drills took place.



Bytel – appears to be confident as he is prepared to take on some of our seasoned players in drills and during the match sim. He got a bit of the ball but am still a bit agnostic regarding his chances of cementing a spot on our list, let alone in our team.



Noble – as per usual provided some drive and impetus from defence with his searching runs.



Harry – has blinding speed and competed well at times with his opponents but at this juncture, understandably still seems a bit light-bodied against the big boys despite not being like some of the callow youth who’ve looked well behind in their first year. Wouldn’t rule him out from debuting as he looks confident and quite impressive but it may come only in the case of injury. He wore the black top today.



Tew – played in defence for the whites. Got some ball and his languid movements suggest someone who has a bit of time when in possession of the pill. Will need to build his body up before senior consideration.

Allan – he played on the wing and a bit around the ball. The fact that he was in the dedicated stoppage group for that drill, is indicative of how the coaches are now viewing him. He was part of some impressive chains, none more than when he an Nick combined to sublime effect which whetted the collective appetites of the onlookers.

McCreery – he impressed with his power and pace in the drills but one centre bounce burst left us pondering the extraordinary possibilities of Beau. He sharked the hit out and smashed his way in high octane style reminiscent of Dangerfield as he sent his team into attack. While Nick or Pendles can scythe their way, the latter with surgical precision, Beau was like a feral chain saw. How do we get the ball in his hands more?



Hill – Bobby dazzled in some passages of play. His speed and hands are both powerful assets.



Harrison – also continues to look good on occasions. His leaner body is more conducive to weaving his way through traffic. This time last year he was on a separate program designed to correct his running to take pressure off his troublesome hammies.



Dean played in defence for the black team. He didn’t stand out but looks to be a dependable set of hands. Eyre might offer more of the X-factor. Dean is solid.



Lippa is covering lots of territory and looks primed for a big season.
 
Sea fog said:
1st training report of the day on FB Side by Side. We are waiting for Jen's.

Under heavy, slate-grey skies training commenced around 9.30. The ground was wet and water pooled on the track abutting the oval. The only player missing from the action today was Josh Daicos who is managing a foot injury but he’s expected back within a few weeks, according to Hayden Skipworth who spoke with Sarah Olle in a press conference shortly after match simulation – which is the longest we’ve witnessed this pre-season. Interestingly he praised all those on trial for a last minute list spot and singled out Lachlie Sullivan and Jack Bytel because he focusses his attention on the mids. He was also laudatory of the next group of youngsters vying for a spot such as Reef and Fin. The list hopefuls were joined by some young academy boys again. It was raining for the entirety of the session, save for a break at 10.46, only to force umbrellas up again. The lights illumined the gloomy setting, though it was still relatively humid and the dismal weather did not deter the faithful. There were hordes of autograph hunters bothering the players every time they took one of their frequent water breaks. The drills were conducted at high intensity and many of the players were blowing hard when they gratefully guzzled the liquid to rehydrate. Once the players had literally whet their appetite, the sated bunch listened to various instructions from a range of coaches. Once Pendles briefly addressed the group. Fly also enjoyed rapt attention when he issued some specific directions, whilst the board was displayed before the match simulation and this seemed to stimulate some raucous applause. Before one of the drills in which there four groups, captains were named for competing teams within the group and this activity was particularly competitive with a some verballing going on between teams and some healthy affirmation of good performances evident. Some players decided they would do some umpiring here and Kreuger even indulged in some gestural mimicking as he indicated a push in the back etc.



There were many drills and activities prior to the match simulation which went for a decent length of time. These included: extensive warm-ups when the group cleaved with the white tops limbering up first while the blacks honed their close-in hand and foot skills. There was some sprinting which involved players springing from a prostrate position before motoring to the other end. There were plenty of activities demanding that the players practise tackling and alternately being asked to elude a tackler. Others centred around one -on- one duels which were effectively a test of strength, as the trainer holding a ball aloft tossed it up and they competed aerially but also had to use their body to outpoint the other. Other contested situations were longer range with kicks travelling at distance to two competing players whose overhead and body manoeuvring prowess were examined. Quite often there were four groups operating on separate drills concurrently with alternate players within each donning either a blue, salmon, lime-green or yellow vest. During one of the more tackling drills, some of us held our breath as Reef felt and then massaged his shoulder region after being dumped by Jack Crisp on the sodden turf.



Following the main drills there was a whole ground ball movement session in which kicking skills became quite ragged. The irony here was earlier on, when the rain was more intense, the players appeared to have acclimated quite well to the trying conditions. The ball was certainly heavy as testified by the sound it made when in contact with players’ boots. Some of the more storied senior players still exhibited solid skills, but players had to stretch, quite often in vain to lay fingers upon the ball they were running to. Usually in the dry, the ball movement is slick and polished.



Carmichael, Checkers, Maynard eschewed the final drill and instead ran at the river end under the guidance of a trainer.



During one of the drills, our stoppage players were selected to simulate skills in this area. This group comprised: Mitch, Pendles, Sidey, Allan, Nick, Lippa, Crisp, with Cox and Cameron providing the ruck service. Generally a few of them would perform push ups on the sidelines, while the rest would go through their paces and then they would swap.



As alluded to it was the most protracted match simulation track watchers had witnessed this pre-season. There were some interesting match-ups, though as usual this was fluid as players rotated, sometimes under the instruction of coaches, and sometimes one suspects spontaneously, like the time Moore took himself forward for one centre bounce. It was black versus white tops and the designated colour meant nothing as there was a spread of senior regulars among each team.



Random observations of some players based on the match simulation and the drills/activities.



Eyre – was impressive again. He played as a key defender in the white team. He took the odd mark and chastised himself upon making errors, but most significantly he has a wicked weapon in his penetrating, flat and accurate left foot kick. If he can quell and opponent and hold his own, his left boot could instigate some attacks.

Crisp – he’s such a gun. He was superb in all the drills and was the only player in a large group who won every one on one, by dint of his body strength and positioning in every duel he was involved in. In the match sim he was prominent, bursting away from packs. He started on the wing opposed to Lippa. Nobody embodies our exuberant chaos style more than him.



Nick was sensational through the middle and at stoppages. He is deceptively quick but quite boldly elusive, while his skill is non pareil.



Begg – perhaps a bit of a surprise packet today as a ruck in the match sim. He beat Cox was dominating early. Not only was he winning but once he took the ball cleanly out of the air, powered forward and handballed to a teammate. My only reservation maybe is that he doesn’t cover the ground swiftly but he’s developing well and maybe he has a future as a ruckman. Steene did the odd good thing but appeared to be mistiming his leaps at centre bounces.



JDG – really dominant and impressive in the match sim and he used his powerful body to very good effect in some of the drills when pitted against direct opponents.



Sam S. – moved quite well at times but wasn’t prominent and it will be difficult to see him being at the top of the pecking order when the coaches are calling out the names of list additions.



Macrae – Fin looks AFL ready. In the match sim he was notable with his performance at clearances, stoppages and linking up around the ground. He reads the play well and so often sharks hit outs. In the one-on-one activity, his body strength held up all right against bulkier opponents.



Reef spent some time in the middle and in attack in the match simulation but wasn’t as noteworthy as in other sessions.



Ash moved well in the activities but as confirmed by Skipworth, his loads were managed today and he spent some time running on the pavilion side of the ground. He unlike many other players, relishes being in photos with fans and is always friendly and obliging for autograph seekers which endears him to our younger supporter base.



Carmichael – he flashed in and out of the play. He got a bit of the pill in attack and his boot can be a weapon at times. He also seems to have ball getting nous. He is still donning the blue non-contact cap as he recovers from concussion, and ran while some of the drills took place.



Bytel – appears to be confident as he is prepared to take on some of our seasoned players in drills and during the match sim. He got a bit of the ball but am still a bit agnostic regarding his chances of cementing a spot on our list, let alone in our team.



Noble – as per usual provided some drive and impetus from defence with his searching runs.



Harry – has blinding speed and competed well at times with his opponents but at this juncture, understandably still seems a bit light-bodied against the big boys despite not being like some of the callow youth who’ve looked well behind in their first year. Wouldn’t rule him out from debuting as he looks confident and quite impressive but it may come only in the case of injury. He wore the black top today.



Tew – played in defence for the whites. Got some ball and his languid movements suggest someone who has a bit of time when in possession of the pill. Will need to build his body up before senior consideration.

Allan – he played on the wing and a bit around the ball. The fact that he was in the dedicated stoppage group for that drill, is indicative of how the coaches are now viewing him. He was part of some impressive chains, none more than when he an Nick combined to sublime effect which whetted the collective appetites of the onlookers.

McCreery – he impressed with his power and pace in the drills but one centre bounce burst left us pondering the extraordinary possibilities of Beau. He sharked the hit out and smashed his way in high octane style reminiscent of Dangerfield as he sent his team into attack. While Nick or Pendles can scythe their way, the latter with surgical precision, Beau was like a feral chain saw. How do we get the ball in his hands more?



Hill – Bobby dazzled in some passages of play. His speed and hands are both powerful assets.



Harrison – also continues to look good on occasions. His leaner body is more conducive to weaving his way through traffic. This time last year he was on a separate program designed to correct his running to take pressure off his troublesome hammies.



Dean played in defence for the black team. He didn’t stand out but looks to be a dependable set of hands. Eyre might offer more of the X-factor. Dean is solid.



Lippa is covering lots of territory and looks primed for a big season.
Click to expand...
Quote of the week :

Beau was like a feral chain saw.
 
One thing that was very noticeable about Eyre is the weapon thats his damaging left foot. He set up a lot of attack from defence.
He was also directing traffic from the defence, telling sidey of all people, whom to kick to haha.
 
Last edited:
Sea fog said:
1st training report of the day on FB Side by Side. We are waiting for Jen's.

Under heavy, slate-grey skies training commenced around 9.30. The ground was wet and water pooled on the track abutting the oval. The only player missing from the action today was Josh Daicos who is managing a foot injury but he’s expected back within a few weeks, according to Hayden Skipworth who spoke with Sarah Olle in a press conference shortly after match simulation – which is the longest we’ve witnessed this pre-season. Interestingly he praised all those on trial for a last minute list spot and singled out Lachlie Sullivan and Jack Bytel because he focusses his attention on the mids. He was also laudatory of the next group of youngsters vying for a spot such as Reef and Fin. The list hopefuls were joined by some young academy boys again. It was raining for the entirety of the session, save for a break at 10.46, only to force umbrellas up again. The lights illumined the gloomy setting, though it was still relatively humid and the dismal weather did not deter the faithful. There were hordes of autograph hunters bothering the players every time they took one of their frequent water breaks. The drills were conducted at high intensity and many of the players were blowing hard when they gratefully guzzled the liquid to rehydrate. Once the players had literally whet their appetite, the sated bunch listened to various instructions from a range of coaches. Once Pendles briefly addressed the group. Fly also enjoyed rapt attention when he issued some specific directions, whilst the board was displayed before the match simulation and this seemed to stimulate some raucous applause. Before one of the drills in which there four groups, captains were named for competing teams within the group and this activity was particularly competitive with a some verballing going on between teams and some healthy affirmation of good performances evident. Some players decided they would do some umpiring here and Kreuger even indulged in some gestural mimicking as he indicated a push in the back etc.



There were many drills and activities prior to the match simulation which went for a decent length of time. These included: extensive warm-ups when the group cleaved with the white tops limbering up first while the blacks honed their close-in hand and foot skills. There was some sprinting which involved players springing from a prostrate position before motoring to the other end. There were plenty of activities demanding that the players practise tackling and alternately being asked to elude a tackler. Others centred around one -on- one duels which were effectively a test of strength, as the trainer holding a ball aloft tossed it up and they competed aerially but also had to use their body to outpoint the other. Other contested situations were longer range with kicks travelling at distance to two competing players whose overhead and body manoeuvring prowess were examined. Quite often there were four groups operating on separate drills concurrently with alternate players within each donning either a blue, salmon, lime-green or yellow vest. During one of the more tackling drills, some of us held our breath as Reef felt and then massaged his shoulder region after being dumped by Jack Crisp on the sodden turf.



Following the main drills there was a whole ground ball movement session in which kicking skills became quite ragged. The irony here was earlier on, when the rain was more intense, the players appeared to have acclimated quite well to the trying conditions. The ball was certainly heavy as testified by the sound it made when in contact with players’ boots. Some of the more storied senior players still exhibited solid skills, but players had to stretch, quite often in vain to lay fingers upon the ball they were running to. Usually in the dry, the ball movement is slick and polished.



Carmichael, Checkers, Maynard eschewed the final drill and instead ran at the river end under the guidance of a trainer.



During one of the drills, our stoppage players were selected to simulate skills in this area. This group comprised: Mitch, Pendles, Sidey, Allan, Nick, Lippa, Crisp, with Cox and Cameron providing the ruck service. Generally a few of them would perform push ups on the sidelines, while the rest would go through their paces and then they would swap.



As alluded to it was the most protracted match simulation track watchers had witnessed this pre-season. There were some interesting match-ups, though as usual this was fluid as players rotated, sometimes under the instruction of coaches, and sometimes one suspects spontaneously, like the time Moore took himself forward for one centre bounce. It was black versus white tops and the designated colour meant nothing as there was a spread of senior regulars among each team.



Random observations of some players based on the match simulation and the drills/activities.



Eyre – was impressive again. He played as a key defender in the white team. He took the odd mark and chastised himself upon making errors, but most significantly he has a wicked weapon in his penetrating, flat and accurate left foot kick. If he can quell and opponent and hold his own, his left boot could instigate some attacks.

Crisp – he’s such a gun. He was superb in all the drills and was the only player in a large group who won every one on one, by dint of his body strength and positioning in every duel he was involved in. In the match sim he was prominent, bursting away from packs. He started on the wing opposed to Lippa. Nobody embodies our exuberant chaos style more than him.



Nick was sensational through the middle and at stoppages. He is deceptively quick but quite boldly elusive, while his skill is non pareil.



Begg – perhaps a bit of a surprise packet today as a ruck in the match sim. He beat Cox was dominating early. Not only was he winning but once he took the ball cleanly out of the air, powered forward and handballed to a teammate. My only reservation maybe is that he doesn’t cover the ground swiftly but he’s developing well and maybe he has a future as a ruckman. Steene did the odd good thing but appeared to be mistiming his leaps at centre bounces.



JDG – really dominant and impressive in the match sim and he used his powerful body to very good effect in some of the drills when pitted against direct opponents.



Sam S. – moved quite well at times but wasn’t prominent and it will be difficult to see him being at the top of the pecking order when the coaches are calling out the names of list additions.



Macrae – Fin looks AFL ready. In the match sim he was notable with his performance at clearances, stoppages and linking up around the ground. He reads the play well and so often sharks hit outs. In the one-on-one activity, his body strength held up all right against bulkier opponents.



Reef spent some time in the middle and in attack in the match simulation but wasn’t as noteworthy as in other sessions.



Ash moved well in the activities but as confirmed by Skipworth, his loads were managed today and he spent some time running on the pavilion side of the ground. He unlike many other players, relishes being in photos with fans and is always friendly and obliging for autograph seekers which endears him to our younger supporter base.



Carmichael – he flashed in and out of the play. He got a bit of the pill in attack and his boot can be a weapon at times. He also seems to have ball getting nous. He is still donning the blue non-contact cap as he recovers from concussion, and ran while some of the drills took place.



Bytel – appears to be confident as he is prepared to take on some of our seasoned players in drills and during the match sim. He got a bit of the ball but am still a bit agnostic regarding his chances of cementing a spot on our list, let alone in our team.



Noble – as per usual provided some drive and impetus from defence with his searching runs.



Harry – has blinding speed and competed well at times with his opponents but at this juncture, understandably still seems a bit light-bodied against the big boys despite not being like some of the callow youth who’ve looked well behind in their first year. Wouldn’t rule him out from debuting as he looks confident and quite impressive but it may come only in the case of injury. He wore the black top today.



Tew – played in defence for the whites. Got some ball and his languid movements suggest someone who has a bit of time when in possession of the pill. Will need to build his body up before senior consideration.

Allan – he played on the wing and a bit around the ball. The fact that he was in the dedicated stoppage group for that drill, is indicative of how the coaches are now viewing him. He was part of some impressive chains, none more than when he an Nick combined to sublime effect which whetted the collective appetites of the onlookers.

McCreery – he impressed with his power and pace in the drills but one centre bounce burst left us pondering the extraordinary possibilities of Beau. He sharked the hit out and smashed his way in high octane style reminiscent of Dangerfield as he sent his team into attack. While Nick or Pendles can scythe their way, the latter with surgical precision, Beau was like a feral chain saw. How do we get the ball in his hands more?



Hill – Bobby dazzled in some passages of play. His speed and hands are both powerful assets.



Harrison – also continues to look good on occasions. His leaner body is more conducive to weaving his way through traffic. This time last year he was on a separate program designed to correct his running to take pressure off his troublesome hammies.



Dean played in defence for the black team. He didn’t stand out but looks to be a dependable set of hands. Eyre might offer more of the X-factor. Dean is solid.



Lippa is covering lots of territory and looks primed for a big season.
Click to expand...
Judging by this report it seems that Begg has now taken over as first ruck.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Remove this Banner Ad

Similar threads

Jen2310
Training Pre-season updates 2024-2025.
77 78 79 80 81
Replies
2K
Views
115K
Jen2310
Jen2310
Jen2310
Injury 2024 Injury Report/Updates
80 81 82 83 84
Replies
2K
Views
92K
Timmy from Thomastown
T
BigVic
2024 review
Replies
8
Views
654
whiskeytown
whiskeytown
Jen2310
VFL VFL pre-season 2025 (list changes, updates)
14 15 16 17 18
Replies
425
Views
22K
Jen2310
Jen2310
Stronzatello
Copeland tickets 2024
Replies
13
Views
2K
Jen2310
Jen2310
R
2024 Highs and Lows
Replies
1
Views
272
Kes1984
Kes1984
Jen2310
Prediction Copeland Trophy 2024 - Friday October 4th.
8 9 10 11 12
Replies
286
Views
9K
Anzacday
Anzacday

Remove this Banner Ad

Back
Top