Training 2025 Off-Season & Preseason reports and discussion

[Luke_Hodgey_15]

Glad you aren’t the list manager then. Of course you can, but it’s better than having too little. Players have a limited window to maximise their career and won’t stay forever if not playing seniors when they could be somewhere else.
The key to it is being ahead of it and ensuring you don’t lose the players you want and/or that you are in the best position possible to capitalise when players invariably leave for more opportunity, money or both. Something to their credit I think GWS have done a pretty good job of for any club and an amazing job as an expansion club.

I always find it so weird when people on here start their response to a post on a forum with a dig at the poster.

Surely you could just start your post with "I think you can, but it’s better than having too little".
Was there a need to be a dick?

 

[Luke_Hodgey_15]

There is nothing in your explanation I disagree with, but I think the statement, "You can't have too much depth" remains true. Perhaps you refer to list cloggers, that's not real depth. Depth means proper AFL quality players that can stand in and perform their role properly. Yes, they move on but that's the nature of the beasty. Yes, the trick is to keep as many around as you can. It's dynamic. Currently we are well stocked, other than the clearly development players everyone else is AFL quality. Next few years we'll lose a few. Depth is vital to campaigns. So I'm sticking with....

You can't have too much depth.​

Imagine brisbane looking at their list at the end of 2023 and thinking they had too much depth so they'd ship off some of Brain, Fort, Gardiner, Answerth, Morris.... well, you get the point

 

[FB19]

I always find it so weird when people on here start their response to a post on a forum with a dig at the poster.

Surely you could just start your post with "I think you can, but it’s better than having too little".
Was there a need to be a dick?

That’s fair - it was meant to be in jest as most of my posting is but I didn’t make that clear. I agree I focus on not playing the man but the ball but I got this one wrong and got called out reasonably. My punishment…
You can't have too much depth.
You can't have too much depth.
You can't have too much depth.
You can't have too much depth.
You can't have too much depth.
You can't have too much depth.
You can't have too much depth.
You can't have too much depth.
You can't have too much depth.
You can't have too much depth.

 

[tommyk72]

Glad you aren’t the list manager then. Of course you can, but it’s better than having too little. Players have a limited window to maximise their career and won’t stay forever if not playing seniors when they could be somewhere else.
The key to it is being ahead of it and ensuring you don’t lose the players you want and/or that you are in the best position possible to capitalise when players invariably leave for more opportunity, money or both. Something to their credit I think GWS have done a pretty good job of for any club and an amazing job as an expansion club.

If only they could win a premiership

 

[AlwaysHawks15]

I’m very much hoping Scaifey can step up in Mitchy’s absence. I love Cholly, but I can’t help but think he played at 97% of his capacity in ‘24, I honestly don’t think there’s a huge amount of improvement left in him.

Would be ecstatic to be proven wrong though of course.

We should look at Darcy Fogarty as a good comparison. Big unit with a huge kick also who had issues with his fitness and agility the first couple of years which is why he was in and out of the team. He worked on it and is now a key part of the Crows setup. If we can get Skaifey going on the same trajectory we will have a player.

 

[threesixpio]

Finn has Wolverine’s body and now his hair too.

Are you worried about an incursion? Has crossed my mind

 

[bigmaxi]

Finn has Wolverine’s body and now his hair too.

He has to be a lock for any of those night games with a full moon.

 

[Ned Ryerson]

Finn has Wolverine’s body and now his hair too.

Hopefully not the comic book version of Wolverine because he’s 5’3” and would make the Wiz look like a giant.

 

[Pinoy Hawk]

I overheard Lewis asking if this is Frosty’s first time running outside post injury.
Possibly it is.

 

[HoldingThe Ball]

I'm a little perplexed by the enthusiasm for Weddle being used in the ruck.

I gotta be honest - whilst I understand the thinking, you'd think he is too valuable to give the opposition ruck a licence to hurt him.

You don't put an Arabian stallion to ploughing the rock strewn top paddock, you'd use a carthorse!

I'd say we have enough with Meek / Chol / Nash - plus Frost did very well when called upon to help out.

Put Weddle at CHF and watch the kid strut his stuff.

He'd be virtually unplayable.

 

[The Jet From Poowong]

I'm a little perplexed by the enthusiasm for Weddle being used in the ruck.

I gotta be honest - whilst I understand the thinking, you'd think he is too valuable to give the opposition ruck a licence to hurt him.

You don't put an Arabian stallion to ploughing the rock strewn top paddock, you'd use a carthorse!

I'd say we have enough with Meek / Chol / Nash - plus Frost did very well when called upon to help out.

Put Weddle at CHF and watch the kid strut his stuff.

He'd be virtually unplayable.

There is some merit in what you say. The thuggish ruck types like the bloke at Richmond could try and slow his running with some "accidental" knocks

 

[perrdan86]

I'm a little perplexed by the enthusiasm for Weddle being used in the ruck.

I gotta be honest - whilst I understand the thinking, you'd think he is too valuable to give the opposition ruck a licence to hurt him.

You don't put an Arabian stallion to ploughing the rock strewn top paddock, you'd use a carthorse!

I'd say we have enough with Meek / Chol / Nash - plus Frost did very well when called upon to help out.

Put Weddle at CHF and watch the kid strut his stuff.

He'd be virtually unplayable.

But he only does certain rucking.
He never goes into the centre bounce so he's not getting crashed into. And if he did, i cant remember seeing it. Chol would take the backup centre bounce contests. Plus, rarely, if ever is he VS the big oppo no.1 ruck.

The one on one boundary throw ins/ball up aren't going to do much damage for him especially when you consider he shares that role with Nash. So the number of contests he actually takes is not a lot. My guess is that its a later game move where he can use his elite endurance to run circles around the oppo ruck.

Plus, i doubt we'll see him do more rucking than last year. I think it's just to give him some reps. Don't think he did any last preseason. So a little bit will only help him even just body positioning etc during the small amount of time he does spend in the ruck.

 

[perrdan86]

I'm a little perplexed by the enthusiasm for Weddle being used in the ruck.

I gotta be honest - whilst I understand the thinking, you'd think he is too valuable to give the opposition ruck a licence to hurt him.

You don't put an Arabian stallion to ploughing the rock strewn top paddock, you'd use a carthorse!

I'd say we have enough with Meek / Chol / Nash - plus Frost did very well when called upon to help out.

Put Weddle at CHF and watch the kid strut his stuff.

He'd be virtually unplayable.

i also totally agree with the CHF call. That's where im really hoping he plays.

 

[Simon Crawshay]

But he only does certain rucking.
He never goes into the centre bounce so he's not getting crashed into. And if he did, i cant remember seeing it. Chol would take the backup centre bounce contests. Plus, rarely, if ever is he VS the big oppo no.1 ruck.

The one on one boundary throw ins/ball up aren't going to do much damage for him especially when you consider he shares that role with Nash. So the number of contests he actually takes is not a lot. My guess is that its a later game move where he can use his elite endurance to run circles around the oppo ruck.

Plus, i doubt we'll see him do more rucking than last year. I think it's just to give him some reps. Don't think he did any last preseason. So a little bit will only help him even just body positioning etc during the small amount of time he does spend in the ruck.

The good thing about playing in the ruck as well is that its a great position to play to get involved with the game so to speak.

Wedda seems much more of an instinctive type player than an over thinker so I think short spells in the ruck would be good to get him more involved in the game and let him showcase his athletic abilities.

I would love to see Wedds as a hybrid CHF / 2nd ruck. Let him start the match at CHF but if he struggling to get involved throw him on the ball as relief ruck for a quick 5 minute burst to get him involved.

 

[Hawker399]

I see the 6 defenders as pretty clear.
Sicily, Barass, Scrimshaw, Frost, Hardwick and Impey. A mixture of talls, super ball users (Sicily is too useful not to be in the backline) and smalls.
The CHF will be a shared role of Battle and Weddle (and Lewis when available).
This can change within game as needed.

 

[daniel23]

Weddle is our luke jackson but better. Will role through the ruck when other teams have their second ruck in. The coaches aren't that dumb to put him in there against your Darcy,nankervis types.

 

[cs61]

We killed other sides on the rebound with run. Against Adelaide it was almost unfair the different level we were playing at in the second half at their home ground, when they weren't in bad form either. Weddle, Impey, Scrimshaw, Amon.... I'd be very hesitant to take that competitive advantage away. The one thing the opposition had was to try to bomb fast right in the hot spot in defence (if they got through our spread), but that has been taken away with Barrass and Battle, which means those running flankers will be even more dangerous as not so easy to turn into a weakness. We will have all of Weddle, Battle, Sicily trained to be able to switch forward at times. I don't think any of them would be a CHF on a permanent basis, but more that at any given time one will be able to go further up the ground as an outlet target or attacking position. Leading up to the ball is very different to running forward with the ball with freedom making the opposition forwards chase, which Weddle does to an elite level, so don't think we'll be taking that away from him. Just he will play higher up the ground at times more often. Hardwick however might be more forward than defence next year.

 

[Judd2Sewell]

I'm a little perplexed by the enthusiasm for Weddle being used in the ruck.

I gotta be honest - whilst I understand the thinking, you'd think he is too valuable to give the opposition ruck a licence to hurt him.

You don't put an Arabian stallion to ploughing the rock strewn top paddock, you'd use a carthorse!

I'd say we have enough with Meek / Chol / Nash - plus Frost did very well when called upon to help out.

Put Weddle at CHF and watch the kid strut his stuff.

He'd be virtually unplayable.

Having him spend some time at throw-ins and around the ground ball-ups just means he's essentially another midfielder for that time. Having him around the ball could prove to be a big plus, as no rucks could go with him once the ball hits the deck.

I agree re playing him as a forward that leads up the ground, or a wingman as well. I don't see why he couldn't play those roles and also chop-out in the ruck.

 

[hawkman]

I've been following his Instagram over summer. And while at the pies there was a little bit of baby fat.

He's totally ripped now, very low body fat % clear six pack.

Also looks like 90% of the meals he's posting are salads.

Well he wouldn't be posting a bucket of KFC even if that was what he was actually eating.

 

[kazzooka]

I see the 6 defenders as pretty clear.
Sicily, Barass, Scrimshaw, Frost, Hardwick and Impey. A mixture of talls, super ball users (Sicily is too useful not to be in the backline) and smalls.
The CHF will be a shared role of Battle and Weddle (and Lewis when available).
This can change within game as needed.

I think we need Battle in the backline, he was so good in that role this year. Intercept and booming kick. I know he can go forward but he's a great Backman.

 

[Pinoy Hawk]

 

[bigmaxi]

I'm a little perplexed by the enthusiasm for Weddle being used in the ruck.

I gotta be honest - whilst I understand the thinking, you'd think he is too valuable to give the opposition ruck a licence to hurt him.

You don't put an Arabian stallion to ploughing the rock strewn top paddock, you'd use a carthorse!

I'd say we have enough with Meek / Chol / Nash - plus Frost did very well when called upon to help out.

Put Weddle at CHF and watch the kid strut his stuff.

He'd be virtually unplayable.

I think it would be more of a break glass in an emergency situation or Sam sees a plan within a plan. Game day positioning can mean the difference between a close win or a narrow loss. Having a few lessons on rucking, like CPR, just in case. Never a bad thing.

 

[Pinoy Hawk]

A number of pics before the Open Training this morning.
While the players are walking down the steps, and the supporters are giving them high fives.

 

[Hawkers88]

Hello all, went to the Xmas open training session this morning. Dropping a few pics below.

 

[brad sue well]

Poor Wedds, up the back again.