Training 2025 Pre Season Thread

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JJ’s injury is a high grade hamstring tendon tear. Minimum 12 weeks recovery at his age/requirement for a slow approach due to history.

They may put him on the LTI list to open up another spot? Unsure on the behind the scene requirements for this to occur or if it is possible, others may be more aware of the SSP rules surrounding this.
Funny that the club said minor procedure, then continued in with the timeframe of 10-12 weeks.
 
JJ’s injury is a high grade hamstring tendon tear. Minimum 12 weeks recovery at his age/requirement for a slow approach due to history.

They may put him on the LTI list to open up another spot? Unsure on the behind the scene requirements for this to occur or if it is possible, others may be more aware of the SSP rules surrounding this.
Excluding the Cat B rookie slot, we have only 1 list spot currently open. JJ's injury would only open up a 2nd spot if he is ruled out for the year or retires (and is subsequently placed on the 'inactive' list), so unless he or another player is in that situation then we would need to decide from one of Brew or Crossley, not both.
 
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Crossley would be a much better use of a list spot than Brew. No doubt about it. Even though things going well that last list spot doesn’t get near a game anyway.

Crossley’s historic issues with professionalism wouldn’t gel with how Bevo and Bont run the ship, you’d think, so probably not likely and could just be a good exercise for our talls.

But Lachie Smiths main purpose is to be a sacrificial lamb that isn’t going to put any pressure on Tim and his contract like Sweet was. He’s interesting as a mobile ruck, and showed good signs at points, but a long way off, if he makes it at all.

Given we’ve mentioned before how we would swing Lobb into the ruck if Tim misses games, and have the tall defenders to cover that, I don’t think we will go for this. And Gardner is probably going to spend his days as a ruck/fwd for Footscray as another option.

That being said I’d still prefer Crossley as a break glass ruck option, one much more likely to positively influence the outcome of a game if needed compared to another Brew-type, or Gardner/Smith in that same role.

The Sweet saga possibly showed that our assessment of the value of old school rucks might be off, to an extent. He went further than we did and wasn’t a walking liability on a prelim level side. Good to have ready to go backups in case of bad injury luck.
 

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Are we forgetting about Darcy.

He’s an AA ruck in waiting and could comfortably cover the role if needed.

Smith and co are irrelevant in this discussion.
He's potentially a top 3 in the comp ruck or potentially the best KPF in a couple of years.

I think he makes us more dangerous if he spends more time forward.
 
Excluding the Cat B rookie slot, we have only 1 list spot currently open. JJ's injury would only open up a 2nd spot if he is ruled out for the year or retires (and is subsequently placed on the 'inactive' list), so unless he or another player is in that situation then we would need to decide from one of Brew or Crossley, not both.
Isn't it 14-16 weeks for a LTI ?
 
Funny that the club said minor procedure, then continued in with the timeframe of 10-12 weeks.
Clubs will try roll out 'minor procedure', 'clean-up' etc... for most surgeries to avoid the media pressure on the players availability. Matthew Krezuer made a career out of minor clean-ups that took months to recover from.
 
Did I read it somewhere that if English gets another concussion, his career is pretty much done?

Makes sense that we’re looking to add more ruck depth with that in mind, just on the off chance it occurs
 
Should still be relevant because if Tim misses a month during the season what then? Blood an absolutely underdone Smith or try our luck with Gardner and that spoiling fist in the ruck?
Maybe. But it's not a new issue and it's one that the club has been willing to roll the dice on for the 12 months that Smith has been on the list. When the could've easily found a journeyman palooka like Crossley just about anywhere during the last couple of drafts.

For now. I'll take Power at his word from earlier today that English is still training, only restricted to non-contact activities and expected to be ready for the first practice game. If Crossley comes back to Melbourne with the rest of the squad in a week or so, then I'll determine that Sam Power is full of shit. And conclude that English's injury is worse than they've let on.

Until then...
 

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Love the Crossley addition, even if just to have a look at him for a week in Queensland and go from there. We are so thin at ruck / KPF with Jamarra unavailable and Lachie Smith likely not ready for AFL for a while yet. Everyone is rooting for Brew, but with our depth at inside mid it really doesn't make a ton of sense taking him on, maybe if we didn't land Kennedy but Sanders and Garcia are too really good young options that are ready to go there also.

Hopefully Crossley is fit and has matured a bit since his Gold Coast days, would love to have him as an option to share some ruck minutes with Tim during the year and to throw at guys like Xerri and Nank etc who Engish struggles against. Long way to go yet as he obviously isn't on the list, but hopefully over next few weeks he impresses and we sign him up. Our ruck depth is very shaky...
 
Remember listening to Crossley on trade radio last year works as a disability support worker off field. Seems he has matured a lot since his Gold Coast days anyway for anyone that’s interested have a listen to the interview

 
Based on match sim, Gardner is well ahead and has been English's main opponent. Smith has been resting forward then providing chop outs like second ruck

That's an issue Gardner has been English's main opponent during pre season. That is not good IMO.
 
That's an issue Gardner has been English's main opponent during pre season. That is not good IMO.
What's worse - English has been winning taps (obviously) but Gardner has been surprisingly good around the ground. Track watchers think he generally breaks even.
 
Did I read it somewhere that if English gets another concussion, his career is pretty much done?

Makes sense that we’re looking to add more ruck depth with that in mind, just on the off chance it occurs

Hmm short answer, no.

Additional concussions are obviously not ideal, but nobody knows how his brain will react to the next one. There's always a chance it could be a bad one and he's done, or he could have 5-7 more over the next few years and continue playing if the scans and testing is fine.
 
I think if Crossley's preparation and fitness improved, he'd be AFL quality - still only 25 and has time to turn it around if he commits himself. Regardless, he should be good for training with. He's dominant in the VFL and will be great practice for Darcy/Smith/Gardner
 
Maybe. But it's not a new issue and it's one that the club has been willing to roll the dice on for the 12 months that Smith has been on the list. When the could've easily found a journeyman palooka like Crossley just about anywhere during the last couple of drafts.

Not exactly, Lobb was still a ruckman until half way through last year. I doubt we’d be looking at Crossley if Lobb weren’t now our CHB.
 

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Training 2025 Pre Season Thread


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