Bigman’s Training Reports
- Thread starter bigman
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- #228
Hard not to get excited about curtin today. No huge marks or big plays but more a combination of things.
Firstly his running, obviously hot as buggery but curtin (all the new lads in fact) did all the drills and all the running and never looked out of place
The majority of running was done at the end of the session, with players split up into two groups - talls and the rest. Each group ran from one end of the ground to the other going opposite ways with minimal rest between runs. Curtin was with the talls and came first almost every time, beating even guys like thilthorpe and worrell quite convincingly. And it didnt even look that hard for him whereas some of the other boys were pretty gassed by that point.
Then theres the skill drills where I thought he stepped up a gear today. Just looked at ease with his ball use and decision making and looked freshened up with the weekend off. one play in particular had him take a half volley from Oscar ryan beautifully, followed by not one but two glorious sidesteps and a lace out pass. Pretty sure I heard one of the players or coaches exclaim ‘wow!’ at the time
Anothe thing I like and I’ve pointed this out already but the kid is a serial high fiver, constantly getting around teammates during and after drills even when fatigued. Obviously early days but isn’t showing any negative energy whatsoever.
On a whole I was taken aback by todays session. Firstly by its length and difficulty - burgo isn’t holding anything back this time around and is making the boys work noticeably harder and longer than the past two years. The second was just how sharp things were. usually skill level is still a bit off this time of year but not the case today. Kicking was mostly sublime, ball take super clean and players just running on top of the ground. Was a pleasure to watch and particularly impressive given the heat
Only sour note was Taylor on the sidelines with that sore knee, didn’t look overly hampered however so hopefully can get a couple sessions in before xmas break. Also worth noting that dragon looks close to returning to the main group. Running has stepped up significantly as has his skill work.
Few other notes:
Crouch - was asked by a poster how hes travelling. Because there’s no real stoppage drills the likes of laird and crouch don’t stand out as much. That said hes the leanest I’ve ever seen him, so that late season cameo appears to have provided the necessary motivation.
Rachele - looked off today and struggled with the running, showed signs of someone who might be a bit ill? Wouldnt worry given he was doing great in the running last week
Edwards - chink in the armour is definitely his kicking, particularly the short stuff. Has a pokey action that looks unnatural and needs a lot of refinement going forward. To be fair cripps from carlton had an ordinary action early days so all hope isn’t lost. On the flip side he is a lovely distributor by hand in congestion and moves beautifully. Suspect he will be handball happy this season which isn’t necessarily a bad thing given his sheer size.
McHenry - credit to ned, he had an excellent session. Evasive, good by foot and was the best in the running alongside bond.
Bond - speaking of bond, looks nothing like the player we saw last year. Full of energy and zip and even did a lovely spin out of traffic that got plaudits from the observing coach. Hopefully can take this into the real thing and get more of the pill once match sim rolls around.
Toby Murray - trained again today and was quite impressive. Not the most aesthetically pleasing footballer but he covers the ground very well for a tall who hasnt done an afl pre season before. Skills looked decent too.
Sholl and pistol are others who are quietly having a good pre season. Pistol in particular has beefed up quite a bit and still performed really well in the running.
Firstly his running, obviously hot as buggery but curtin (all the new lads in fact) did all the drills and all the running and never looked out of place
The majority of running was done at the end of the session, with players split up into two groups - talls and the rest. Each group ran from one end of the ground to the other going opposite ways with minimal rest between runs. Curtin was with the talls and came first almost every time, beating even guys like thilthorpe and worrell quite convincingly. And it didnt even look that hard for him whereas some of the other boys were pretty gassed by that point.
Then theres the skill drills where I thought he stepped up a gear today. Just looked at ease with his ball use and decision making and looked freshened up with the weekend off. one play in particular had him take a half volley from Oscar ryan beautifully, followed by not one but two glorious sidesteps and a lace out pass. Pretty sure I heard one of the players or coaches exclaim ‘wow!’ at the time
Anothe thing I like and I’ve pointed this out already but the kid is a serial high fiver, constantly getting around teammates during and after drills even when fatigued. Obviously early days but isn’t showing any negative energy whatsoever.
On a whole I was taken aback by todays session. Firstly by its length and difficulty - burgo isn’t holding anything back this time around and is making the boys work noticeably harder and longer than the past two years. The second was just how sharp things were. usually skill level is still a bit off this time of year but not the case today. Kicking was mostly sublime, ball take super clean and players just running on top of the ground. Was a pleasure to watch and particularly impressive given the heat
Only sour note was Taylor on the sidelines with that sore knee, didn’t look overly hampered however so hopefully can get a couple sessions in before xmas break. Also worth noting that dragon looks close to returning to the main group. Running has stepped up significantly as has his skill work.
Few other notes:
Crouch - was asked by a poster how hes travelling. Because there’s no real stoppage drills the likes of laird and crouch don’t stand out as much. That said hes the leanest I’ve ever seen him, so that late season cameo appears to have provided the necessary motivation.
Rachele - looked off today and struggled with the running, showed signs of someone who might be a bit ill? Wouldnt worry given he was doing great in the running last week
Edwards - chink in the armour is definitely his kicking, particularly the short stuff. Has a pokey action that looks unnatural and needs a lot of refinement going forward. To be fair cripps from carlton had an ordinary action early days so all hope isn’t lost. On the flip side he is a lovely distributor by hand in congestion and moves beautifully. Suspect he will be handball happy this season which isn’t necessarily a bad thing given his sheer size.
McHenry - credit to ned, he had an excellent session. Evasive, good by foot and was the best in the running alongside bond.
Bond - speaking of bond, looks nothing like the player we saw last year. Full of energy and zip and even did a lovely spin out of traffic that got plaudits from the observing coach. Hopefully can take this into the real thing and get more of the pill once match sim rolls around.
Toby Murray - trained again today and was quite impressive. Not the most aesthetically pleasing footballer but he covers the ground very well for a tall who hasnt done an afl pre season before. Skills looked decent too.
Sholl and pistol are others who are quietly having a good pre season. Pistol in particular has beefed up quite a bit and still performed really well in the running.
- Oct 6, 2012
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Woz?
- Oct 6, 2012
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Sorry, last one - Nank? Is he selling candy?
- Thread starter
- #232
To be honest Rory I’d say nank has been on the quieter side, nothing bad just havent noticed him as much as others. Also hurt himself last week so maybe not operating at 100%
Ive no doubt he will catch my eye soon
Curtin is going to be so good from the get go , what a steal
Was thinking we were unlikely to improve our best side after failing to get anyone of note in trade period but not I’m not so sure now , our best 22 should be better than last years round 1 for sure
- Jul 6, 2017
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A player like that with his ability now could be an absolutely frightening proposition in a few years time....must hold at all costs
So good to get unfiltered content like this. Thank you very much Bigman. Keep calling it as you see it.
WaynesWorld19
Moderator
- Moderator
- #239
Go to the gym and after every set, these kids have to check their phones ......bloody frustrating if you're waiting for the equipment, and trying to do a quick program
I’m getting 2016/2017 vibes (in a good way)!
- Oct 16, 2011
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I've heard you need a couple of ribs removed to do that
- Jul 8, 2016
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Great stuff Bigman
Dont get me started
jenny61_99
Premium Platinum
Barefooted!
Is there anybody that has struck you as being well off where we'd want / expect them to be, either fitness-wise or skills or whatever? Who are your main concerns at this early stage? I mean in an overall sense, not somebody who had 1 bad session.
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