Training 2025 Pre-Season Training - reports, pics etc

[YeoShuey]

I think Newman is too slow to be anywhere near the midfield including the wing. Just my opinion.

Perhaps. I can’t judge that until I see how he performs in that position. Probably the right time for the club to test that if they were to go that route. A defensive wing player would be pretty handy.

My preference would be Acres on the wing. Cerra is pretty handy on the wing too but I much prefer him as an inside midfielder.

 

[marcmurphy3]

I suppose the drill they did in front of me, practicing reading the ball off a forward contest and trying to snap a goal confirmed stuff we have been told. Kemp and McMahon were alternating as marking forwards, McMahon took a few marks, while Kemp was making sure the ball hit the ground, which seemed the point of the exercise. Williams, Will White, Gresham and there maybe someone I've missed were playing as small forwards, while Ollie, Saad, Billy Wilson and Boyd were the small defenders (two at a time). So I think that confirms Kemp as a forward and Ollie as a defender. The big match sim, was more about moving the ball and while players started where you'd expect, they hand the ball to one side and they try and move it down the field, so positions aren't as clear. I don't think they necessarily broke into groups, like forwards, backs, mids at any stage.

Thanks heaps. Thats really insightful.

 

[Arr0w]

Perhaps the change of role for Newman is playing as the highest defender, defensive mid zone, similar to the way we have used Doc in previous years

I could see all of Ollie, Doc, Newman rotating through that role, and deeper in defense

That type of setup has been around for years

 

[The Bighouse]

Rather than him actually playing midfield or wing, it might be to get a bit of improvement in him for defensive stoppages close to goal, an area we've had a few significant and notable errors the past couple of years.

Send in all the defenders then, was a poor aspect last season. Saady next in & pronto!

 

[Soapy V]

Yeah I dont think he'll 'play in the guts' but I can see him as a pinch hitter mid drifting forward.

It’s pre season. They mix up a few things. Nice to have options and you never know how a player will adjust to a new challenge

Newman at a couple of centre bounces with his size and physicality could be used at times and take pressure off others. Also a mature head

 

[azlou]

Yeah I dont think he'll 'play in the guts' but I can see him as a pinch hitter mid drifting forward.

He’s done that a few times run on from the backline and kicked a long goal.Docerty too throws the opposition out a bit of a risk but he has the composure to finish

 

[BlueTongue]

He’s done that a few times run on from the backline and kicked a long goal. Docerty too throws the opposition out a bit of a risk but he has the composure to finish

Yep, that's why I think that'll be part of his role.

Not sure about what Doc does this year, but I hope they take time to strengthen his knee and not rush him back, no matter how much he's knocking on Vossy's door.

It would be good to get him right in the first half of the season ready for the business end.

 

[Treesloth]

Name another great small forward that has his thick quad like physique?

Only one I can think of was Paul Chapman.

Other than that, the best small forwards are quick off the mark with the agility to avoid tackles. Motlop tends to try and barge through tackles/contact which fails most of the time.

I disagree, I think he has the right attitude, but his body isn't allowing him to execute.

Do we need a separate thread dedicated purely to Motlop's quads? Could get more interest than the training reports coverage

 

[Pablito]

Do we need a separate thread dedicated purely to Motlop's quads? Could get more interest than the training reports coverage

Two threads, one for each.

 

[BigBreakfast]

The thing we have really missed from the draft this year is a strong big body midfielder.

Newman on the wing works really well for that purpose. When you look at his stats, he is almost elite all around. Transfer that to the midfield and it would be incredible. Otherwise worst that can happen is that he is being top tier in defence again.

First, we have this lad called Cripps

Jewett, Cerra go ok

Lord will emerge

And we stole B Campo

Not sure that’s a need area tbh

 

[BigBreakfast]

Took a punt and headed over to LaTrobe Bundoora this morning and after spotting a person in Carlton training gear crossing the road in front of me, turned out to be Newman, I knew I was in the right place. There were a few players milling around and quite a few coaches and helpers setting out all types of cones and equipment. While I parked the car the players all went up stairs into a room where you could hear the occasional round of applause.

When they came out on to the ground and started warming up, I spotted most of the new draftees and some of the train on players I knew from last year - Sam Durdin, Matt Carroll, Liam McMahon and Will White. There were four I wasn't sure about, three young blokes in Carlton singlet's but no numbers, I think they were NGA players Tyson Gresham, Jack Ison and Mingara Clark, heard players call the little one Gresh and another Jack (so I made the assumption). There was a very tall player wearing number 49, thought it was Mirkov when I first saw him, but while tall I don't think it was him. Maybe it was Grainger-Barass or the other ex-Hawk Ethan Phillips, but I don't think they are as tall as this bloke.

Corey Durdin and Matt Cottrell were both wearing yellow hat's, which we were told earlier in the week means don't tackle. Fantasia didn't really join in the warm up and Cottrell, Acres and McGovern did all the initial warm up, but had broken away to the goal square before the first lot of drill's began. They were asked to swap into singlet's and their training tops were given to the three NGA boys. As the training session went on, this little group grew to include Corey Durdin, Silvagni, Curnow, DeKoning and I think the new Irish player Duffy.

Similar to last year, they created three main groups to complete the drills, then swap to the next. These included handball keeping's off, kicking from behind a mark, at least one was forcing the players to use left foot, kicking and following up to receive a handball back and kicking again, etc. They even did a drill near the goals where the small forwards were trying to read the ball off a contest and kick the goal (an area I feel we need to be better at). They progressed through the drills, until they ended up with most of the players doing match sim on most of the ground. Eventually the players swapped took off their footy boots and put on runners and began to run half laps of the ground within set time limits and with set recovery times. This is about the time I left.

Probably focused on the draftee's and identifying players I didn't recognise. Of the draftee's, the bits I saw of Jagga were impressive, one grab and hit his target's. Ben and Lucas didn't seem out of place, but they did pull Ben out of the main group for some running on his own. Harry O'Farrell was getting some individual coaching when they were completing the whole ground match sim. I think they took all of the draftee's out early before the big match sim drill was finished.

Legend

 

[BigBreakfast]

Perhaps the change of role for Newman is playing as the highest defender, defensive mid zone, similar to the way we have used Doc in previous years

I could see all of Ollie, Doc, Newman rotating through that role, and deeper in defense

That type of setup has been around for years

Added benefit of better delivery inside 50 from that deadly left peg

 

[katmanblue]

Needs to learn how to kick accurately first.

Practice might help

On SM-F946B using BigFooty.com mobile app

 

[4flagsin5yrs]

It’s pre season. They mix up a few things. Nice to have options and you never know how a player will adjust to a new challenge

Newman at a couple of centre bounces with his size and physicality could be used at times and take pressure off others. Also a mature head

It's early pre season...

 

[Benga]

Name another great small forward that has his thick quad like physique?

Only one I can think of was Paul Chapman.

Other than that, the best small forwards are quick off the mark with the agility to avoid tackles. Motlop tends to try and barge through tackles/contact which fails most of the time.

I disagree, I think he has the right attitude, but his body isn't allowing him to execute.

Brent Daniels has a similar physique

 

[GoBlues!]

Name another great small forward that has his thick quad like physique?

Only one I can think of was Paul Chapman.

Other than that, the best small forwards are quick off the mark with the agility to avoid tackles. Motlop tends to try and barge through tackles/contact which fails most of the time.

I disagree, I think he has the right attitude, but his body isn't allowing him to execute.

Any excuse to post a few Carlton greats. Leigh Matthews also had fairly solid quads and could play a bit..

 

[Love the Drake]

I'm liking the training reports showing we are trying players in different positions and working on areas with deficiencies.

• Adding Kemp/JSOS/Moir to our forward mix gives us so many more options. Bombing it long to Charles and Harry has been found out in the big games.
• Training specifically for the long ball to the goal square that is spoiled is long overdue. Our lack of crumbing goals in this situation has been a clear weakness. The way our small defenders have got 'lost' (Higgins goal etc) in these situations has often been exposed. Hoping to see a marked improvement here.
• Having Durdin and Motlop fit and available is massive. I believe they are our best two small forwards, and both can have an impact. But they need to...this is their last chance, they need to step up.
• Newman as an onballer is interesting. He has the tools and hardness needed to make a fist of it, and his kicking is elite. His lack of pace and two-way running may mean he is skilling up in this area so that he can set up as a mid in our back half stoppages where required.
• Our tall KPD's are still a concern. Weiters then......daylight. I like McGovern, but his lack of durability worries me. Haynes and Young are our only other options, which worries me even more. A genuine weakness.

 

[Yubby]

I really hope we are not training for the long bombs. That is the worst part of our game plan.

 

[marcmurphy3]

I really hope we are not training for the long bombs. That is the worst part of our game plan.

Every team kicks long to contests many times in games so you need to train for it. Obviously, you dont want it to be plan A, B and C but I wouldnt assume that just because we are doing a regulation crumbing drill.

The picture on any changes will be clearer in coming months. Right now we are getting tidbits and trying to read into all of them because we are missing footy, when really alot of them are probably meaningless.

Like 10 pages talking about whether Newman should be a midfielder because he was spotted involved in 1 drill

 

[BringFevBack2021]

A few people around the club reckon Ben will play early next year.

I hope so, he has that Cripps/Serong like ball extraction

 

[The Bighouse]

I really hope we are not training for the long bombs. That is the worst part of our game plan.

Still needs to be trained, more so the front & centre, crumbing and over the back positioning needs improvement.

That along with our forward’s positioning in general, finding & leading to space is a required nous that has massive RFI.
Hopefully Kemp, Moir, JSOS (ZW, EH) are trained up for their movements with the KPF’s.

 

[Aphrodite]

across

 

[Aphrodite]

across

 

[RAPPA]

The pleasing thing is that they are trialing different setups, positional changes etc. Some might pay off. Others won’t. But there will be elements of our game that will certainly need changing and these few months of pre season will be critical to experimenting the options.

 

[TD2010]

Still needs to be trained, more so the front & centre, crumbing and over the back positioning needs improvement.

That along with our forward’s positioning in general, finding & leading to space is a required nous that has massive RFI.
Hopefully Kemp, Moir, JSOS (ZW, EH) are trained up for their movements with the KPF’s.

Question: Charlie's instinct in those situations is often to sag off, crumb the ball out the back, and dink kick for goal*. How would coaches balance the need for him to keep that flair and instinct, alongside his role to contest in packs and bring it ground for the crumbers? I'm intrigued to know how that is approached.

*That round 15 game against Geelong when he kicked 5, at least 3 of those were ground balls.