Training 2025 Preseason Thread

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1. Thank god
2. Even this sort of language doesn't bode particularly well for Jefferson (sounds behind Kentfield): "We’ve got Jacob van Rooyen, Daniel Turner, Luker Kentfield who are our key forwards. We’ve got Matthew Jefferson who has continued to improve and we’ve got in Adrian Johnson this year from Werribee."
3. We still can't get our own players' names right in media articles



Give it two weeks and he will be back forward

We’ll probably initially start with Harry Petty back through the pre-season, but we’ve got to be open minded about his versatility that he can provide forward,” Goodwin said.

“We’ll have some versatility with Tom McDonald and Harrison Petty.”


Yeah ru
 
Danster's Training Report
  • Windy conditions so skills were pretty off today.
  • Slightly better energy around the ground than other sessions I believe.
  • Non trainers were: Fullerton, Melksham, Spargo, Woewodin, McAdam, Turner. and Gawn. Lindsay didn't play the match sim stuff but he did the cruise uncontested kicking drills stuff. None of the injured players look long term.
  • When the 15 v 15 match sim stuff started (and I'm reluctant to call it Match sim when it's only 15 v 15 and there's reduced tackling intensity) Langford was announced to be the yellow bib wearer that gets used more. Got a bit of a cheer around the group.
  • Trac was clearly the best performer in the match sim, followed by Oliver, Kozzie, Tholstrup, Moniz-Wakefield, Laurie and Viney.
  • I think as Tholstrup isn't blessed with natural speed then he really needs to be smart with his leading patterns to impact games. And he got into some pockets of space today. Doing this and hitting the scoreboard for a goal a game is how he can forge an afl career. But I see him as a flanker.
  • Don't mean to bash the poor kid, but I just don't see it with Langford. He got chased down by Chandler after taking too long to survey his options. And this is about the 5th or 6th time I've seen him mowed down from behind. I'm sure on the bigger afl ground he'll be better but his lack of speed concerns me. Obviously I'm hoping to be drastically wrong. But I would've loved Tauru or Hannaford. He was showing some leadership though by calling out to teammates and stuff so he looks more settled in now which is nice.
  • I'm not going to focus on this Boy George kid too much as we can't even select him but he's very balanced, has good agility and intensity and if I could swap him on the list for Mentha, I would do it in a heart beat. His drop punt isn't as fluid as you'd expect from a small forward like him that has a bit of sizzle to his game but he plays with confidence and flair and Kozzie Pickett laid a big tackle on him which didn't bother him too much.
  • Sharp was given the yellow Guernsey for one segment of the match sim. He's probably a guy that's going to make mistakes from time to time with his decision making but his running ability at least makes the opponents accountable defensively so after seeing him in a position where the team was looking for him, he looked pretty good.
  • Jefferson has got some speed. Still lacks a lot in his intensity and make no mistake, he's a poor set shot for goal. Goodwin wasn't happy with him in one of the drills because he didn't run back hard enough in a handballing drill.
  • A bit of negativity creeping into my reports, I think because of the sour taste of this season but it doesn't take much to turn things around.
  • Oliver is just amazing, given his conditioning. Has raw power, tackles well and just finds the ball as we all know. A huge watch in the next 6-8 weeks. I think if he doesn't lose at least the 6-7kg in that time frame then it's going to really shape our season such is his impact on our 22. McVee helped him put his jumper on because it's soo tight and not even a word was spoken by either of them which was sort of funny. Almost like it was a routine.
  • There was a guy next to me drawing the drills down on a piece of paper. I'm not sure if he's just a fan or was a spy from another club. Either way, I don't think too much can be learnt from the drills we do.
  • I didn't notice A. Johnson too much today but you know his effort is always going to be there.
  • Windsor is finding plenty of cheap ball in defence. I guess it will depend on whether we're getting bang for buck playing him defence. Because whilst his speed is express, I don't think he really breaks the lines and uses his speed like a Jayden Hunt did. Oh no, not the Hunt comparisons again. :)
  • They finished off with some snaps on goal and set shot goal kicking. I was pretty impressed with the opposite foot skills of most of the guys actually.
I've heard people describing Oliver as in shape etc. I just don't see it. He's 6-7kg overweight in my eyes.zoom in and analyse yourself.
1000050117.jpg
 
Last edited:

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Danster's Training Report
  • Windy conditions so skills were pretty off today.
  • Slightly better energy around the ground than other sessions I believe.
  • Non trainers were: Fullerton, Melksham, Spargo, Woewodin, McAdam, Turner. and Gawn. Lindsay didn't play the match sim stuff but he did the cruise uncontested kicking drills stuff. None of the injured players look long term.
  • When the 15 v 15 match sim stuff started (and I'm reluctant to call it Match sim when it's only 15 v 15 and there's reduced tackling intensity) Langford was announced to be the yellow bib wearer that gets used more. Got a bit of a cheer around the group.
  • Trac was clearly the best performer in the match sim, followed by Oliver, Kozzie, Tholstrup, Moniz-Wakefield, Laurie and Viney.
  • I think as Tholstrup isn't blessed with natural speed then he really needs to be smart with his leading patterns to impact games. And he got into some pockets of space today. Doing this and hitting the scoreboard for a goal a game is how he can forge an afl career. But I see him as a flanker.
  • Don't mean to bash the poor kid, but I just don't see it with Langford. He got chased down by Chandler after taking too long to survey his options. And this is about the 5th or 6th time I've seen him mowed down from behind. I'm sure on the bigger afl ground he'll be better but his lack of speed concerns me. Obviously I'm hoping to be drastically wrong. But I would've loved Tauru or Hannaford. He was showing some leadership though by calling out to teammates and stuff so he looks more settled in now which is nice.
  • I'm not going to focus on this Boy George kid too much as we can't even select him but he's very balanced, has good agility and intensity and if I could swap him on the list for Mentha, I would do it in a heart beat. His drop punt isn't as fluid as you'd expect from a small forward like him that has a bit of sizzle to his game but he plays with confidence and flair and Kozzie Pickett laid a big tackle on him which didn't bother him too much.
  • Sharp was given the yellow Guernsey for one segment of the match sim. He's probably a guy that's going to make mistakes from time to time with his decision making but his running ability at least makes the opponents accountable defensively so after seeing him in a position where the team was looking for him, he looked pretty good.
  • Jefferson has got some speed. Still lacks a lot in his intensity and make no mistake, he's a poor set shot for goal. Goodwin wasn't happy with him in one of the drills because he didn't run back hard enough in a handballing drill.
  • A bit of negativity creeping into my reports, I think because of the sour taste of this season but it doesn't take much to turn things around.
  • Oliver is just amazing, given his conditioning. Has raw power, tackles well and just finds the ball as we all know. A huge watch in the next 6-8 weeks. I think if he doesn't lose at least the 6-7kg in that time frame then it's going to really shape our season such is his impact on our 22. McVee helped him put his jumper on because it's soo tight and not even a word was spoken by either of them which was sort of funny. Almost like it was a routine.
  • There was a guy next to me drawing the drills down on a piece of paper. I'm not sure if he's just a fan or was a spy from another club. Either way, I don't think too much can be learnt from the drills we do.
  • I didn't notice A. Johnson too much today but you know his effort is always going to be there.
  • Windsor is finding plenty of cheap ball in defence. I guess it will depend on whether we're getting bang for buck playing him defence. Because whilst his speed is express, I don't think he really breaks the lines and uses his speed like a Jayden Hunt did. Oh no, not the Hunt comparisons again. :)
  • They finished off with some snaps on goal and set shot goal kicking. I was pretty impressed with the opposite foot skills of most of the guys actually.
I've heard people describing Oliver as in shape etc. I just don't see it. He's 6-7kg overweight in my eyes.zoom in and analyse yourself.
View attachment 2189724
Actual footage of Oliver and McVee

 
Danster's Training Report
  • Windy conditions so skills were pretty off today.
  • Slightly better energy around the ground than other sessions I believe.
  • Non trainers were: Fullerton, Melksham, Spargo, Woewodin, McAdam, Turner. and Gawn. Lindsay didn't play the match sim stuff but he did the cruise uncontested kicking drills stuff. None of the injured players look long term.
  • When the 15 v 15 match sim stuff started (and I'm reluctant to call it Match sim when it's only 15 v 15 and there's reduced tackling intensity) Langford was announced to be the yellow bib wearer that gets used more. Got a bit of a cheer around the group.
  • Trac was clearly the best performer in the match sim, followed by Oliver, Kozzie, Tholstrup, Moniz-Wakefield, Laurie and Viney.
  • I think as Tholstrup isn't blessed with natural speed then he really needs to be smart with his leading patterns to impact games. And he got into some pockets of space today. Doing this and hitting the scoreboard for a goal a game is how he can forge an afl career. But I see him as a flanker.
  • Don't mean to bash the poor kid, but I just don't see it with Langford. He got chased down by Chandler after taking too long to survey his options. And this is about the 5th or 6th time I've seen him mowed down from behind. I'm sure on the bigger afl ground he'll be better but his lack of speed concerns me. Obviously I'm hoping to be drastically wrong. But I would've loved Tauru or Hannaford. He was showing some leadership though by calling out to teammates and stuff so he looks more settled in now which is nice.
  • I'm not going to focus on this Boy George kid too much as we can't even select him but he's very balanced, has good agility and intensity and if I could swap him on the list for Mentha, I would do it in a heart beat. His drop punt isn't as fluid as you'd expect from a small forward like him that has a bit of sizzle to his game but he plays with confidence and flair and Kozzie Pickett laid a big tackle on him which didn't bother him too much.
  • Sharp was given the yellow Guernsey for one segment of the match sim. He's probably a guy that's going to make mistakes from time to time with his decision making but his running ability at least makes the opponents accountable defensively so after seeing him in a position where the team was looking for him, he looked pretty good.
  • Jefferson has got some speed. Still lacks a lot in his intensity and make no mistake, he's a poor set shot for goal. Goodwin wasn't happy with him in one of the drills because he didn't run back hard enough in a handballing drill.
  • A bit of negativity creeping into my reports, I think because of the sour taste of this season but it doesn't take much to turn things around.
  • Oliver is just amazing, given his conditioning. Has raw power, tackles well and just finds the ball as we all know. A huge watch in the next 6-8 weeks. I think if he doesn't lose at least the 6-7kg in that time frame then it's going to really shape our season such is his impact on our 22. McVee helped him put his jumper on because it's soo tight and not even a word was spoken by either of them which was sort of funny. Almost like it was a routine.
  • There was a guy next to me drawing the drills down on a piece of paper. I'm not sure if he's just a fan or was a spy from another club. Either way, I don't think too much can be learnt from the drills we do.
  • I didn't notice A. Johnson too much today but you know his effort is always going to be there.
  • Windsor is finding plenty of cheap ball in defence. I guess it will depend on whether we're getting bang for buck playing him defence. Because whilst his speed is express, I don't think he really breaks the lines and uses his speed like a Jayden Hunt did. Oh no, not the Hunt comparisons again. :)
  • They finished off with some snaps on goal and set shot goal kicking. I was pretty impressed with the opposite foot skills of most of the guys actually.
I've heard people describing Oliver as in shape etc. I just don't see it. He's 6-7kg overweight in my eyes.zoom in and analyse yourself.
View attachment 2189724

Completely disagree with your Windsor assessments but thanks for the report nonetheless.

Did you notice Rivers much at all? Was he playing back or mid?
 
Danster's Training Report
  • Windy conditions so skills were pretty off today.
  • Slightly better energy around the ground than other sessions I believe.
  • Non trainers were: Fullerton, Melksham, Spargo, Woewodin, McAdam, Turner. and Gawn. Lindsay didn't play the match sim stuff but he did the cruise uncontested kicking drills stuff. None of the injured players look long term.
  • When the 15 v 15 match sim stuff started (and I'm reluctant to call it Match sim when it's only 15 v 15 and there's reduced tackling intensity) Langford was announced to be the yellow bib wearer that gets used more. Got a bit of a cheer around the group.
  • Trac was clearly the best performer in the match sim, followed by Oliver, Kozzie, Tholstrup, Moniz-Wakefield, Laurie and Viney.
  • I think as Tholstrup isn't blessed with natural speed then he really needs to be smart with his leading patterns to impact games. And he got into some pockets of space today. Doing this and hitting the scoreboard for a goal a game is how he can forge an afl career. But I see him as a flanker.
  • Don't mean to bash the poor kid, but I just don't see it with Langford. He got chased down by Chandler after taking too long to survey his options. And this is about the 5th or 6th time I've seen him mowed down from behind. I'm sure on the bigger afl ground he'll be better but his lack of speed concerns me. Obviously I'm hoping to be drastically wrong. But I would've loved Tauru or Hannaford. He was showing some leadership though by calling out to teammates and stuff so he looks more settled in now which is nice.
  • I'm not going to focus on this Boy George kid too much as we can't even select him but he's very balanced, has good agility and intensity and if I could swap him on the list for Mentha, I would do it in a heart beat. His drop punt isn't as fluid as you'd expect from a small forward like him that has a bit of sizzle to his game but he plays with confidence and flair and Kozzie Pickett laid a big tackle on him which didn't bother him too much.
  • Sharp was given the yellow Guernsey for one segment of the match sim. He's probably a guy that's going to make mistakes from time to time with his decision making but his running ability at least makes the opponents accountable defensively so after seeing him in a position where the team was looking for him, he looked pretty good.
  • Jefferson has got some speed. Still lacks a lot in his intensity and make no mistake, he's a poor set shot for goal. Goodwin wasn't happy with him in one of the drills because he didn't run back hard enough in a handballing drill.
  • A bit of negativity creeping into my reports, I think because of the sour taste of this season but it doesn't take much to turn things around.
  • Oliver is just amazing, given his conditioning. Has raw power, tackles well and just finds the ball as we all know. A huge watch in the next 6-8 weeks. I think if he doesn't lose at least the 6-7kg in that time frame then it's going to really shape our season such is his impact on our 22. McVee helped him put his jumper on because it's soo tight and not even a word was spoken by either of them which was sort of funny. Almost like it was a routine.
  • There was a guy next to me drawing the drills down on a piece of paper. I'm not sure if he's just a fan or was a spy from another club. Either way, I don't think too much can be learnt from the drills we do.
  • I didn't notice A. Johnson too much today but you know his effort is always going to be there.
  • Windsor is finding plenty of cheap ball in defence. I guess it will depend on whether we're getting bang for buck playing him defence. Because whilst his speed is express, I don't think he really breaks the lines and uses his speed like a Jayden Hunt did. Oh no, not the Hunt comparisons again. :)
  • They finished off with some snaps on goal and set shot goal kicking. I was pretty impressed with the opposite foot skills of most of the guys actually.
I've heard people describing Oliver as in shape etc. I just don't see it. He's 6-7kg overweight in my eyes.zoom in and analyse yourself.
View attachment 2189724
Thanks Danster for another great detailed report.

As to the random guy scribbling down details, it could be someone sent from another club.

I used to watch training when I lived nearby and noticed a guy doing that in a couple of pre-Christmas sessions. Then I recognised him and it was Jarred Rivers - who was working at Collingwood.

Like you I didn’t think anyone was likely to steal amazing IP from their observations. Just seems to be something teams do. The AFL does seem to be an unaccountable employment generator much of the time
 
Danster's Training Report
  • Windy conditions so skills were pretty off today.
  • Slightly better energy around the ground than other sessions I believe.
  • Non trainers were: Fullerton, Melksham, Spargo, Woewodin, McAdam, Turner. and Gawn. Lindsay didn't play the match sim stuff but he did the cruise uncontested kicking drills stuff. None of the injured players look long term.
  • When the 15 v 15 match sim stuff started (and I'm reluctant to call it Match sim when it's only 15 v 15 and there's reduced tackling intensity) Langford was announced to be the yellow bib wearer that gets used more. Got a bit of a cheer around the group.
  • Trac was clearly the best performer in the match sim, followed by Oliver, Kozzie, Tholstrup, Moniz-Wakefield, Laurie and Viney.
  • I think as Tholstrup isn't blessed with natural speed then he really needs to be smart with his leading patterns to impact games. And he got into some pockets of space today. Doing this and hitting the scoreboard for a goal a game is how he can forge an afl career. But I see him as a flanker.
  • Don't mean to bash the poor kid, but I just don't see it with Langford. He got chased down by Chandler after taking too long to survey his options. And this is about the 5th or 6th time I've seen him mowed down from behind. I'm sure on the bigger afl ground he'll be better but his lack of speed concerns me. Obviously I'm hoping to be drastically wrong. But I would've loved Tauru or Hannaford. He was showing some leadership though by calling out to teammates and stuff so he looks more settled in now which is nice.
  • I'm not going to focus on this Boy George kid too much as we can't even select him but he's very balanced, has good agility and intensity and if I could swap him on the list for Mentha, I would do it in a heart beat. His drop punt isn't as fluid as you'd expect from a small forward like him that has a bit of sizzle to his game but he plays with confidence and flair and Kozzie Pickett laid a big tackle on him which didn't bother him too much.
  • Sharp was given the yellow Guernsey for one segment of the match sim. He's probably a guy that's going to make mistakes from time to time with his decision making but his running ability at least makes the opponents accountable defensively so after seeing him in a position where the team was looking for him, he looked pretty good.
  • Jefferson has got some speed. Still lacks a lot in his intensity and make no mistake, he's a poor set shot for goal. Goodwin wasn't happy with him in one of the drills because he didn't run back hard enough in a handballing drill.
  • A bit of negativity creeping into my reports, I think because of the sour taste of this season but it doesn't take much to turn things around.
  • Oliver is just amazing, given his conditioning. Has raw power, tackles well and just finds the ball as we all know. A huge watch in the next 6-8 weeks. I think if he doesn't lose at least the 6-7kg in that time frame then it's going to really shape our season such is his impact on our 22. McVee helped him put his jumper on because it's soo tight and not even a word was spoken by either of them which was sort of funny. Almost like it was a routine.
  • There was a guy next to me drawing the drills down on a piece of paper. I'm not sure if he's just a fan or was a spy from another club. Either way, I don't think too much can be learnt from the drills we do.
  • I didn't notice A. Johnson too much today but you know his effort is always going to be there.
  • Windsor is finding plenty of cheap ball in defence. I guess it will depend on whether we're getting bang for buck playing him defence. Because whilst his speed is express, I don't think he really breaks the lines and uses his speed like a Jayden Hunt did. Oh no, not the Hunt comparisons again. :)
  • They finished off with some snaps on goal and set shot goal kicking. I was pretty impressed with the opposite foot skills of most of the guys actually.
I've heard people describing Oliver as in shape etc. I just don't see it. He's 6-7kg overweight in my eyes.zoom in and analyse yourself.
View attachment 2189724

No idea why we took Langford, when we already have Trac, Oliver, Viney and Sparrow as inside mids. Would’ve been better splitting and grabbing some fast agile players with skill like Berry, Hotton, Hannaford ect. Now we just have another plodder who Goodwin will try shoehorn into a role like a wing or a flank.

The fact we are going into 2025 with only 1 fit full time small forward (who is shit) on our list while every other club is stock piling them is absolute trash list management.

Good to hear my boy lace out laser Laurie is impressing, he will be one of our most improved in 2025 I am punting (as long as he gets a proper run of games).

Also wtf is up with Mcadam. Has the bloke actually ever done a full training session with us since he was traded in?

Absolute dud.
 

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No idea why we took Langford, when we already have Trac, Oliver, Viney and Sparrow as inside mids. Would’ve been better splitting and grabbing some fast agile players with skill like Berry, Hotton, Hannaford ect. Now we just have another plodder who Goodwin will try shoehorn into a role like a wing or a flank.

The fact we are going into 2025 with only 1 fit full time small forward (who is shit) on our list while every other club is stock piling them is absolute trash list management.

Good to hear my boy lace out laser Laurie is impressing, he will be one of our most improved in 2025 I am punting (as long as he gets a proper run of games).

Also wtf is up with Mcadam. Has the bloke actually ever done a full training session with us since he was traded in?

Absolute dud.
Lace out laser Laurie.lol.

Yeah, I agree. I think if Langford doesn't work out it could be the end of Jason Taylor. This is the most important draft for us to nail in arguably a decade or more with Tasmania coming in and I feel like our selections in recent drafts have been quite low ceiling players. Windsor, Tholstrup, Jefferson, Langford and Lindsay. Where's the guy that could become a 5x AA? I shouldn't be so reactive, I know :) But I've been that unimpressed with Langford. I hope I'm really wrong on him.

Even seeing clips of Smillie at Rich who's looking amazing too. And yeah regarding small forwards, GWS have probably 7 or 8 players as fast as Kozzie on their list. Not really sure what the recruiters are thinking about the amount of slow players in our 22 and how to combat that when the game is only getting faster.
 
Not concerned about Langford getting caught. Very coachable. Kids take time to get used to the pace of the game. I remember Petracca getting run down heaps in his early games.
 
Not concerned about Langford getting caught. Very coachable. Kids take time to get used to the pace of the game. I remember Petracca getting run down heaps in his early games.
Trac was coming off a knee reco. But yeah, unless you have explosive pace like Windsor, it takes time to adjust to the pace of senior footy. Tholstrup looked a yard off the pace last year. I'm more focused on him this season than Langford. Hopefully Tholstrup can pick up the pace this season. By all reports he's having a good preseason.
 
Not concerned about Langford getting caught. Very coachable. Kids take time to get used to the pace of the game. I remember Petracca getting run down heaps in his early games.
Petracca looked raw as **** against st kilda and got run down, definitely stronger at that age than Langford as well. Such a strange thing to write off a kid, easier to train a kid to back them selves and learn awareness than shit themselves and throw the footy away like Toump
 
Petracca looked raw as **** against st kilda and got run down, definitely stronger at that age than Langford as well. Such a strange thing to write off a kid, easier to train a kid to back them selves and learn awareness than shit themselves and throw the footy away like Toump

Yeah the difference in the pace of juniors compared to AFL is massive. Not surprised he's finding out about it at training.

Trac was coming off a knee reco. But yeah, unless you have explosive pace like Windsor, it takes time to adjust to the pace of senior footy. Tholstrup looked a yard off the pace last year. I'm more focused on him this season than Langford. Hopefully Tholstrup can pick up the pace this season. By all reports he's having a good preseason.

Had nothing to do with his knee. He was holding onto the ball for too long because he thought he had more time, he adjusted pretty quickly but I even remember he admitted he had to get used to the pace of the seniors in his post match that day. Yeah, Tholstrup had similar issues last year.
 
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Yeah just cause windsor was fast doesn't mean he had adjusted to the pace. Adjusting to the pace isn't just being fast, it's also knowing when to hold onto the ball as well.
Oliver was the opposite, he was so quick to get rid of the ball so as to not get tackled that he often didn't pick the best option.
Daicos and Reid have confused people at what an 18 year old draftee looks like
 
Langford in his clips often broke tackles or stepped out of traffic with ease at junior level. It's going to take a bit for him to get up to speed, but he's a big unit and will probably fill out to be able to break the same tackles at senior level in time.

As others have said, you'd rather him continue to play his game at senior level and adapt to the pace (even if that means getting caught a bit) - rather than change his game and just dish the ball off immediately for fear of getting caught when it's not the right play.
 
Ah cool, we're ruling out yet-to-debut draftees again. Worked a treat last year
The report coming from the same guy who said Sparrow is great player too.
 
Has worked well with Jeffo
Another guy Danster was high on, was the player he wanted most in his draft class cause "I went to championships to watch his games so I know what im talking about, DID YOU??"
 

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Training 2025 Preseason Thread

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