Training 2025 Pre-Season chat

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I'm not really wanting to jump to his defence and yeah I've got some question marks over him. But the criticism of his VFL form is utter horseshit.

He dominated VFL when he went back early in the year. Received coaches votes against Carlton. Was dominant against Coburg until they put him on ice because he'd played as sub in Darwin 2 days prior. He was outplaying much more physically seasoned players like Parfitt, Hardie and Knevitt.

Late in the year we completely changed his role to be set up ultra defensively behind the stoppage. I suspect that was training for how he'll be used at AFL level this year. He was super defensively and still showed way more classy moments than his teammates but the role meant he was never going to rack up big numbers.

Then people who didn't watch the games or didn't watch closely enough to see his role just look at his stats and say he played badly.
Happy to have different opinions but my judgement on VFL form isn't because I just "looked at the stats", and please don't come back at me and say something like "well you have no clue". We obviously just view things differently and that's okay.
I had the same debates about Cooper Stephens and kept getting told I was only looking at stats and have no idea. I definitely get players wrong (I had concerns about Dempsey for eg) but I watch a lot of football and I'm concerned about Clark.
My concerns don't mean I'm anti Geelong or just a naysayer either, I love the club and I hope Clark makes it, it will be a huge get for us if we can include him in our emerging young talent.
 

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Happy to have different opinions but my judgement on VFL form isn't because I just "looked at the stats", and please don't come back at me and say something like "well you have no clue". We obviously just view things differently and that's okay.
I had the same debates about Cooper Stephens and kept getting told I was only looking at stats and have no idea. I definitely get players wrong (I had concerns about Dempsey for eg) but I watch a lot of football and I'm concerned about Clark.
My concerns don't mean I'm anti Geelong or just a naysayer either, I love the club and I hope Clark makes it, it will be a huge get for us if we can include him in our emerging young talent.
I watched him very closely in the VFL.

I wasn't impressed.

Not to say that he can't improve... because he should and hopefully lots.
 
Btw. nice to see Jack Martin running around, I thought he was injured for some reason.
Didn’t train on Monday full match sim (hammy awareness) but they did say it cautionary so good to see him back on track today - don’t know how hard they went…. But very exciting if he can get right!
 
Happy to have different opinions but my judgement on VFL form isn't because I just "looked at the stats", and please don't come back at me and say something like "well you have no clue". We obviously just view things differently and that's okay.
I had the same debates about Cooper Stephens and kept getting told I was only looking at stats and have no idea. I definitely get players wrong (I had concerns about Dempsey for eg) but I watch a lot of football and I'm concerned about Clark.
My concerns don't mean I'm anti Geelong or just a naysayer either, I love the club and I hope Clark makes it, it will be a huge get for us if we can include him in our emerging young talent.

I also don’t buy that we were in development mode in the finals. We needed to win that game V Southport to give Hawkins and Guthrie another game.

He was very poor. That is ok, it was a long season, he might have been physically cooked, but it was a very poor last few games for him.

I look forward to seeing him in the practice games, hope he starts hot.
 
Had a brief chat with Shannon Neale today, big unit!

Really well spoken guy, said he was happy to put in a full pre season so far with the main group

Prelim final loss still burning

Bailey Smith setting the standards, absolute beast, full intensity every minute of every session
Absolute pro!
 
Had a brief chat with Shannon Neale today, big unit!

Really well spoken guy, said he was happy to put in a full pre season so far with the main group

Prelim final loss still burning

Bailey Smith setting the standards, absolute beast, full intensity every minute of every session
Absolute pro!
Meet him, Jack H and sav down the beach few years back.
My choccy lab stole their footy lol...
Had a chat too all of them.
Good bunch of blokes.
 
Didn’t train on Monday full match sim (hammy awareness) but they did say it cautionary so good to see him back on track today - don’t know how hard they went…. But very exciting if he can get right!
Agree. It's early days, but Martin is a gun and if he can get his body right we will have done VERY well for ourselves bringing him in. And no loss if it doesn't work.
 
I also don’t buy that we were in development mode in the finals. We needed to win that game V Southport to give Hawkins and Guthrie another game.

Go and watch the VFL finals replays then. They're all on the AFL site.

He was set up ~20m behind the stoppage after the centre bounce for most of both finals apart from late in the first final when he went forward and kicked 2 goals.

If you can't accept that basic reality it's pretty difficult to have a reasonable conversation.
 

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I think someone mentioned they were at a wedding with Geelong staff that mentioned people felt a certain way about Smith (or some were still unsure about him)... Not that Smith missed training to go to a wedding.

Oh ok. Even worse if that is case.

I guess some did not want Smith to begin with and any rubbish rumors like that will be happily shared on social media.

The bloke is a jet.
Looks like he's about to stake his claim as one of the premier outside ball carriers for the many years to come :)

Smith, Holmes, Dempsey . . . this is going to be great footy to watch.
 
I also don’t buy that we were in development mode in the finals. We needed to win that game V Southport to give Hawkins and Guthrie another game.

He was very poor. That is ok, it was a long season, he might have been physically cooked, but it was a very poor last few games for him.

I look forward to seeing him in the practice games, hope he starts hot.

He was cooked at the end of a long year. Needs to improve his tank and hopefully that's been the focus this off-season.
 
He was cooked at the end of a long year. Needs to improve his tank and hopefully that's been the focus this off-season.
Young lad from our Junior Footy Club was drafted a few years ago and is completing his 4th preseason.
His body shape now is completely unrecognisable to when he was drafted , he's chiselled and his endurance has gone off the charts. Club is hopeful of a breakout year.

The young kids take time , we need to be patient and encourage Clark - just like the coaches are doing.......
 
I'm not really wanting to jump to his defence and yeah I've got some question marks over him. But the criticism of his VFL form is utter horseshit.

He dominated VFL when he went back early in the year. Received coaches votes against Carlton. Was dominant against Coburg until they put him on ice because he'd played as sub in Darwin 2 days prior. He was outplaying much more physically seasoned players like Parfitt, Hardie and Knevitt.

Late in the year we completely changed his role to be set up ultra defensively behind the stoppage. I suspect that was training for how he'll be used at AFL level this year. He was super defensively and still showed way more classy moments than his teammates but the role meant he was never going to rack up big numbers.

Then people who didn't watch the games or didn't watch closely enough to see his role just look at his stats and say he played badly.
Clark wasn't dominant against Carlton. In no way was he outplaying Hardie. Stop talking shit
 
Clark wasn't dominant against Carlton. In no way was he outplaying Hardie. Stop talking shit

Dude. Read before blowing up.

I said he received coaches votes against Carlton. He did.

I said he was dominant against Coburg until he was put on ice after being sub against Gold Coast in Darwin 2 days earlier. He was.
 

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Training 2025 Pre-Season chat


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