Training 2025 Pre-season

[Adnico26Parker]

Heard mention in these pages a few weeks back that young ruckman from Sydney Uni had been training with them. Harrison Podmore-Taylor. Might have been him.

Anyone happen be at the match sim today or have read about any other players not on the main list who played to make up the numbers? Potential VFL signings or Academy kids perhaps?

caesar88 is getting confirmation on Podmore (see VFL thread)

The only players I recognised today were Ben Edwards and Matty Lloyd. There were 3 or 4 other players I didn't recognise, one of which was doing the ruck work for the blue team vs Green for the first half. I could take a stab at guessing 2 of them, but it'd be a wild guess.

 

[Punts]

Looks like McDonald is out for r1

No pre season

Hasn’t come on as we would have liked , hopefully dominates the 2s on return

 

[Superstar swan]

Looks like McDonald is out for r1

Wasn’t he deemed fit for the grand final ??

 

[strauchanie59]

Could be a somewhat-new look forward line in R0 with McCartin training up forward, Ladhams being played predominately forward rather than in the ruck and McDonald out.

 

[caesar88]

My main worry with McCartin up forward is not how he'll go (I wouldn't be surprised if he turns out better than any of our existing forwards), but what it will mean for the backline.

Sounds like our main key defenders in the match sim yesterday were Melican and a 34-year-old, undersized Rampe. That just doesn't fill me with confidence, and it also probably forces Blakey to play more contested than he is suited to.

I get that we want to have a big contested mark ahead of the ball, but I've seen flags won without any dominant key forwards. Have never seen a flag won without an elite defence.

If McCartin's gonna play forward we're gonna have to take the punt on a Hamling or even a Snell/ Edwards.

 

[Adnico26Parker]

My main worry with McCartin up forward is not how he'll go (I wouldn't be surprised if he turns out better than any of our existing forwards), but what it will mean for the backline.

Sounds like our main key defenders in the match sim yesterday were Melican and a 34-year-old, undersized Rampe. That just doesn't fill me with confidence, and it also probably forces Blakey to play more contested than he is suited to.

I get that we want to have a big contested mark ahead of the ball, but I've seen flags won without any dominant key forwards. Have never seen a flag won without an elite defence.

If McCartin's gonna play forward we're gonna have to take the punt on a Hamling or even a Snell/ Edwards.

Snell and Francis, Hamling also played in defence for a half on TMac

Could be that McLean has to replace Logan for early rounds, and TMac is a back up option?

 

[strauchanie59]

Snell and Francis, Hamling also played in defence for a half on TMac

Could be that McLean has to replace Logan for early rounds, and TMac is a back up option?

Barring some decent improvement, I don't think there's a starting spot for McLean in 2025. Other than his marking, which is either incredible or awful on the day with no in-between, he doesn't kick enough goals for a first/second tall. Add onto that his sub-par ruckwork and he should probably start in the reserves.

I was very hopeful of some form of development after his great 2023 EF performance in the loss to Carlton, but at 26 years old and our biggest body in the forward 50, he needs to be adding more than just 27 goals across 26 games.

 

[Adnico26Parker]

Barring some decent improvement, I don't think there's a starting spot for McLean in 2025. Other than his marking, which is either incredible or awful on the day with no in-between, he doesn't kick enough goals for a first/second tall. Add onto that his sub-par ruckwork and he should probably start in the reserves.

I was very hopeful of some form of development after his great 2023 EF performance in the loss to Carlton, but at 26 years old and our biggest body in the forward 50, he needs to be adding more than just 27 goals across 26 games.

If McLean doesn't start in the 22, who backs up Grundy?

 

[Jimbo OZ]

Wasn’t he deemed fit for the grand final ??

I think you’ll find that he had ankle surgery after the GF not before.

 

[Kbroome]

If McLean doesn't start in the 22, who backs up Grundy?

Especially because McLean's ruck work last year was statistically better than Ladhams whilst playing at AFL level for the Swans.

McLean has roughly similar ruck numbers to Tim English and Rowan Marshall this year (yes I know they play against other #1's compared to McLean but still shows something)

 

[strauchanie59]

Especially because McLean's ruck work last year was statistically better than Ladhams whilst playing at AFL level for the Swans.

McLean has roughly similar ruck numbers to Tim English and Rowan Marshall this year (yes I know they play against other #1's compared to McLean but still shows something)

It is easy to clear the averages of someone who was given one game in 2024 in one of our worst defeats of the 21st century. Even still, Ladhams averaged more hitouts than McLean at AFL level in 2024.

 

[strauchanie59]

If McLean doesn't start in the 22, who backs up Grundy?

Amartey does. If not him, has to be Ladhams or Green...whoever can do a job up forward and impact in the ruck.

 

[Kbroome]

It is easy to clear the averages of someone who was given one game in 2024 in one of our worst defeats of the 21st century. Even still, Ladhams averaged more hitouts than McLean at AFL level in 2024.

Whilst playing at AFL level for the Swans implies over multiple years

Also a completely null and dull point to say that a #1 ruck is going to average more hitouts than a #2 ruck. It would have to be extremely poor conversion rates from the #1 ruck for it to not be the case

 

[Swansujelly]

Eveyons focused on Snell, but Edwards could be the guy McCartin moves forward for. Broken leg aside, he;s been around for a few years, he'll prolly get games this year.

 

[RubbaDuck]

I have been hunting around YouTube for pre-season videos from other clubs. There don't seem to be many that have the high production value vids that the Swans are producing.

However, the reason for looking was to spy on other clubs' pre-seasons. Not much to report from most clubs, however, Jaspa Fletcher from Brisbane mentioned that they had 12 players run sub 3 minute 2 kms.

I wonder how we compare?

Sent from my Pixel 8 Pro using Tapatalk

Good to know that our media bods are pumping up the enthusiasm.

Regarding Fletcher's comments about Brisbane, I expect he meant to say 12 players managed sub three minutes (per km) over 2km. The world record for 2km (outdoor) is 4:43.13.

That's what he said and I presume meant. Sub 3 minutes per km I presume, which is super elite.Have my doubts now.

I must have been half asleep when I wrote this.

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Oh dang Didn't see Jimbo's post. Now it probably feels like I was ganging up on you. Soz. (And you were only the messenger)

 

[RubbaDuck]

Here it is.

Fletcher: It's pretty freakish

Jaspa Fletcher speaks to media after another big preseason session.

www.lions.com.au

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Thanks for posting. I find Queensland-speak pretty hard to follow but I got the gist. "Yeah, Nah, Yeah. Rah, rah, ready to go again"

 

[RubbaDuck]

Corey told Chad "My dad banged your mum!"

Cox broke them apart "Look. Both your dad's banged Chad's mum. OK?" Instantly Chad comes back at Corey "Hey Corey, that means both our dads banged your mum" Corey goes wild, grabs Chad's jumper and once again Cox is forced to pull them apart.

When Mrs Warner sees the AFL's Instagram post about the incident she can only respond with a face palm.

 

[RubbaDuck]

An open goal beckons. Only Chad to get past. "Come to me rookie"

 

[RubbaDuck]

I've said this before, but I am constantly in awe of his controlled aggression. He's just never flustered. You would never know, watching that guy casually and calmly running around doing drills out there, that that's our hardest and most physically-manic player. Someone who plays in such a tough and aggressive way must surely have that aggression within them, that shows in other ways. Rowbottom doesn't seem to have any. He literally channels it all into the contest. Have never once seen him remonstrate with an opponent, argue with an umpire, berate a teammate, punch the turf in frustration, be involved in a melee, do a single dirty act, carry-on after a goal, etc.

Deadset freak.

Sorry mate but I can't go with you on JMac. I find him to be a downhill skiier who is too quick to take a cheap shot behind play. This is a team game. He doesn't inspire because he doesn't put in the hard work. He gave Brisbane the break they needed to split the game open at early Q2 of the GF. He failed to put in the effort to defend through the centre and Brisbane just streamed through. JMac looked like he just couldn't be arsed and IMO that set the tone as all the momentum swung their way. Brisbane are the ultimate mojo team. When they're up they're almost unstoppable. When they're down they're rubbish. Without the magic of Heeney to rescue yet another lost game off his own boot (due to his foot injury), we were no chance of ever getting that game back.

It's possible that JMac was simply not in the form he needed to be in. He didn't look at all convincing when he was rushed back a few games before the GF. If that was the reason he struggled then he ought to have excused himself. We don't need players who aren't fit, players who act tough but aren't or those who take cheap shots on other players or even their teammates.

I've long thought that JMac could be a very good player, but he needs to play as hard as he acts and go just as hard uphill as he does downhill. We all have our faves but JMac is certainly not mine. Mills quickly let Cleary know that retaliation wasn't on but I wouldn't be surprised if JMac was pulled aside later for a quiet word from his coach or captain.

 

[RubbaDuck]

Amartey does. If not him, has to be Ladhams or Green...whoever can do a job up forward and impact in the ruck.

It may be an option but I question playing our best goalkicker (of 2024) as a ruck.

 

[McRobie]

Wasn’t he deemed fit for the grand final ??

Adds real weight for the argument that our coaches and medical staff are incompetent when it comes to playing injured players when it matters the most.
Can only hope we dont let history repeat itself for a 3rd, 4th etc time.
It’s my only real major gripe with this club.

 

[caesar88]

Sorry mate but I can't go with you on JMac. I find him to be a downhill skiier who is too quick to take a cheap shot behind play. This is a team game. He doesn't inspire because he doesn't put in the hard work. He gave Brisbane the break they needed to split the game open at early Q2 of the GF. He failed to put in the effort to defend through the centre and Brisbane just streamed through. JMac looked like he just couldn't be arsed and IMO that set the tone as all the momentum swung their way. Brisbane are the ultimate mojo team. When they're up they're almost unstoppable. When they're down they're rubbish. Without the magic of Heeney to rescue yet another lost game off his own boot (due to his foot injury), we were no chance of ever getting that game back.

It's possible that JMac was simply not in the form he needed to be in. He didn't look at all convincing when he was rushed back a few games before the GF. If that was the reason he struggled then he ought to have excused himself. We don't need players who aren't fit, players who act tough but aren't or those who take cheap shots on other players or even their teammates.

I've long thought that JMac could be a very good player, but he needs to play as hard as he acts and go just as hard uphill as he does downhill. We all have our faves but JMac is certainly not mine. Mills quickly let Cleary know that retaliation wasn't on but I wouldn't be surprised if JMac was pulled aside later for a quiet word from his coach or captain.

I always enjoy reading your thoughts RD, but I'll admit I am a little bit lost here. The comment of mine that you've quoted was about Rowbottom, not McInerney.

I can only assume you may be referring to the (one) positive comment that I made earlier about McInerney being underrated. I don't know if that got perceived as me claiming McInerney as a favourite of mine (he's not), or that McInerney is without flaws or areas of improvement (he's not), or even what I would consider one of our best players (he's not).

 

[RedBloodBlackSwan]

The good news is with McCartin and Ladhams pressing, there will be more pressure on our big men in ruck and forward.

Cox is also likely to rest Grundy through the year, so I think they will all have good opportunity to compete and we can judge them on their merits.

 

[Heeney2Franklin]

So what kind of output would the coaches be expecting from Tmac as a forward? to offset his loss in defence which was already a vulnerability in our side.

 

[Heeney2Franklin]

Wasn’t he deemed fit for the grand final ??

Reid was deemed fit and never made it back to the field..

Logan 5 months since the GF virtually no pre-season.... he probably couldnt even feel that foot it was jabbed up so much.