Bigman’s Training Reports

Remove this Banner Ad

Crow till I die said:
Agree with this 100%. Don't forget Rankine can rest forward anyway when not on the ball and we have other small forwards so him being a primary mid works in every way for us.
Click to expand...
Absolutely correct .....Rankine kicked 36 goals last season .....even as a MID resting forward, he'll still get 24 goals a season

Players rotating between Mid & fwd are harder to plan for / matchup .....versus a FT small fwd
 
CryptoCrow said:
I do agree with your statement completely, however I think what's being missed is that Sir Izak has both sets of tools in his kit bag, he can be equally as damaging in the midfield, especially if the blend of rotation is correct, IMO the 2024 season will see Izak attending 25% cba with most time spent up front and attending almost all forward stoppages while he hones his craft. By 2026 his time can be spent evenly divided between the 2.
Either way what a weapon we have loaded and ready to fire when needed.
Click to expand...

I lean the other way where if you're Adelaide, you commit to one or the other with Rankine, and don't use him as a mid-forward. The key reason as to why 'not both' is we've got that player covered in Rachele who is developing into an incredibly dangerous one in his own right, and having these two is likely counter-productive and easy to plan for - as we're likely just switching Rash and Ranks who are similar players, whereas we could opt for a Rash/Pedlar mid-forward combo who are more varied. Especially as both area are in need of some stable star power to act as a focal point and Rankine is likely going to be a star in either role because of the amount of talent he has.

Equally, the 'hone your craft' angle doesn't work when Rankine is already an elite contested and stoppage player for a small forward and has been for two years. He's ready now and quite likely, he was ready for a midfield switch in 2023. Either throw him in the guts for 75-90% this year or don't bother in 2024, and just bank the offensive output we get. I'm all for the throw him in the guts angle by the way.
 
Last edited:

Log in to remove this ad.

Scorpus said:
Dragon is such an elite tier nickname that surely we have to reserve that for an actually good player
Click to expand...

It's such a lame origin too. Nicksy thought he was too easy going, and his nickname at the time was "Easy", so they thought they needed a more intense nickname. As if your nickname dictates how you play.

If his nickname being "Easy" made him easy going why didn't we start nicknaming him "Brownlow" or "Hardnut" or something. I'd have even settled for something like "Doesn'tdropmarks".

Unrelated, but 20 years ago in High School my mates and I were coming up with wrestling/boxing type nicknames for ourselves. My indigenous mate called himself Black Dragon. I asked "Why Black Dragon?" He replied "Cos I'm black and it's draggin." I hadn't heard that one before, got me good. Unsure if Berg's nickname applies in the same manner.
 
Last edited:
Stephen2 said:
I really hope so, he's ridiculous

Click to expand...

The handball looked to be tracking perfectly for Laird to run on with it into space if Keays hadn't intercepted. Rankines always impressed me with his vision and the little things he does that are blink and you miss them moments, so good to have him in Crows colours.
 
Not so sure Curtin will be available round one. Did a small amount of running on the sidelines today and looked very ginger at times. Definitely a knee issue of sorts. I thought at times in the pre season that strapped left knee was causing him some discomfort and now it appears to be a full blown injury of some kind. I guess one positive is that he is still running (hobbling) but the short term looks bleak sadly.

On the positive side thilthorpe did all the drills and didn’t look particularly hindered. I do wonder if he is a bit of a hypochondriac?? Seems to worry the moment he gets hurt or feels something. Obviously he is a key for us going forward and needs to be managed but just something I have noticed.

Good to see harry run his first laps today and the boys got around him. Always enjoy seeing that. Rob was involved in all the drills today as was sloane. Milera, dragon and parnell did everything but the match sim. Welsh also made an appearance but didn’t participate in anything, suspect the club is focussed on building his body back up behind the scenes given his back issues.

Unlike other mondays today was actually quite a competitive session with a decent amount of match sim as well as a bunch of stoppage work which has been a real focus since coming back from xmas, more so than previous years.

I’ll give player thoughts below but the star of today was definitely rachele. He was really energised today. In the stoppage work he was explosive, breaking tackles and sidestepping opponents. Then in the match sim his dominance was similar to that of rankine last Friday. Seemed to be involved in everything and won some big contests deep forward including one of the more lovely crumbs at pace you will see (which just hit the post from the boundary on his left) and a one on one win in the goal square against max where he was just too good. He was awesome today, the best I’ve seen him all pre season.

Some interesting player positions in match sim. Sloane actually started in defence. Soligo continues to start on the wing (along with nank, who played more as defensive wingman, as well as chayce and sholl) while the midfield rotation consisted of Dawson, laird, taylor, crouch, bond and berry, with pedlar also in for a couple late.

Some player observations:

Jones - really came to life in the match sim and had a fair chunk of it including a lovely snap goal in the opening minute. Have to be impressed that he’s done all the training given the seriousness of his injury.

Berry - had a bit more of it today and it was his aerial work which stood out, taking a couple of impressive contested marks. Did a lovely smother and goal in one of the earlier drills and kicking was good for the most part. The key will be keeping his composure when the real stuff begins and not falling back into bad habits with his ball drop.

Pedlar - was very quiet for most of the match sim, then went into the guts and almost immediately burst out of the centre with a lovely take and turn of speed. Seemed to give him confidence and he finished the rest of the session well. Hopefully we do similar come game day and put him in there when he is struggling to get the ball.

Edwards - was the most involved I have seen him today and had a couple of moments that excited although he is still conservative with his decision making. Had one bad turnover but otherwise should take confidence from today.

Soligo - continues to have a terrific pre season. Really driving his legs and putting more speed on the game and his kicking was once again sublime. Interesting that he has had very little inside midfield time in the past few match sims however.

Cook - work rate was very good today pushing high up the ground as well as towards goal. Looks confident and a bit more physical than previous which is going to be a must for him to make it. At this stage I think he’s playing round one

Michalanney - was very solid particularly with his defensive work, including an excellent spoil on gollant. Took some kick outs which I’m not sure about however as I believe while he is a good decision maker he is only a decent kick and he made a couple of errors by foot today.

Rankine - flashes of brilliance but I thought he was a bit fumbly today after a brilliant session last Friday. I seem to be cursing the players I heap praise on at the moment!!

Nankervis - found a fair amount of the pill pushing from wing into defence and helping drive the ball back out. Ball use has come a long way from his first season. I did notice he is reluctant to use his left foot which is ironic given he used it too much early days. I guess he realised it wasn’t working out too well.

Dowling - just doesn’t panic which is a great trait to have at AFL level. Not sure he makes the round one team but some good early SANFL form should see him debut. Looks earmarked for a wing/forward role which is good as he knows how to kick a goal.

Smith - hasn’t been a standout for much of the pre season but i thought he looked real sharp today and like vintage smith at times.

Gallagher - we will need to be patient with him as he struggled to get involved and was clearly figuring out where to run at times. Don’t expect a whole lot early days as he finds his way.

Sholl - very good again. We have seen this before though and historically he struggles to maintain the rage once the winter months hit. Cannot fault his form since xmas however and is moving around the ground as good as I’ve seen from him.

Butts - actually thought he was quite solid today, definitely an improvement from last week. Had some nice moments on tex and was unlucky not to take a big intercept grab late in the match sim, it just spilled out and led to a ned goal. Still want to see him move the ball on faster, coaches should mandate three seconds maximum whenever he takes a mark to get rid of it.

Keane - looks more and more like a starter for round one. Almost always looks to move the ball on quickly and gives our defence a different look. The key for him will be the defensive stuff but hard not be impressed by how good he’s been since arriving.
 
Last edited:
Golumless said:
I lean the other way where if you're Adelaide, you commit to one or the other with Rankine, and don't use him as a mid-forward. The key reason as to why 'not both' is we've got that player covered in Rachele who is developing into an incredibly dangerous one in his own right, and having these two is likely counter-productive and easy to plan for - as we're likely just switching Rash and Ranks who are similar players, whereas we could opt for a Rash/Pedlar mid-forward combo who are more varied. Especially as both area are in need of some stable star power to act as a focal point and Rankine is likely going to be a star in either role because of the amount of talent he has.

Equally, the 'hone your craft' angle doesn't work when Rankine is already an elite contested and stoppage player for a small forward and has been for two years. He's ready now and quite likely, he was ready for a midfield switch in 2023. Either throw him in the guts for 75-90% this year or don't bother in 2024, and just bank the offensive output we get. I'm all for the throw him in the guts angle by the way.
Click to expand...
Interesting POV and while I don't think Rach and Rankine are similar in what they offer, I can't help but agree Pedlar should be in consideration for a midfield spot.. I actually do think a high half forward is Izaks best role, but building his tank to get to more stoppages which effectively makes him an extra midfielder in the forward half.
What I have seen of Soligo is the same in the defensive half of the ground if his improvement continues he can push through the mix and get to more defensive stoppages to add extra class and grunt.
A midfield of Dawson, Rachele, Pedlar, laird and crouch if playing at his peak could be a sight to see.
We also have a few other pups coming through the ranks that might suprise over tge next couple of years, like Dowling & curtin .
I can't express how awesome it is that we as supporters can now get into discussions about the many options we have instead of having limited quality options.
Exciting times ahead
 
morris086 said:
The handball looked to be tracking perfectly for Laird to run on with it into space if Keays hadn't intercepted. Rankines always impressed me with his vision and the little things he does that are blink and you miss them moments, so good to have him in Crows colours.
Click to expand...
Agreed, it's the small moments of class that scream future elite midfielder.. I have no doubt Izak will be spoken about as a legend of our club long after he hangs up the boots
 
bigman said:
Not so sure Curtin will be available round one. Did a small amount of running on the sidelines today and looked very ginger at times. Definitely a knee issue of sorts. I thought at times in the pre season that strapped left knee was causing him some discomfort and now it appears to be a full blown injury of some kind. I guess one positive is that he is still running (hobbling) but the short term looks bleak sadly.
Click to expand...
Ah well at least he's still running somewhat, doesn't sound like he'll miss too much of the actual season.
 
bigman said:
Not so sure Curtin will be available round one. Did a small amount of running on the sidelines today and looked very ginger at times. Definitely a knee issue of sorts. I thought at times in the pre season that strapped left knee was causing him some discomfort and now it appears to be a full blown injury of some kind. I guess one positive is that he is still running (hobbling) but the short term looks bleak sadly.

On the positive side thilthorpe did all the drills and didn’t look particularly hindered. I do wonder if he is a bit of a hypochondriac?? Seems to worry the moment he gets hurt or feels something. Obviously he is a key for us going forward and needs to be managed but just something I have noticed.

Good to see harry run his first laps today and the boys got around him. Always enjoy seeing that. Rob was involved in all the drills today as was sloane. Milera, dragon and parnell did everything but the match sim. Welsh also made an appearance but didn’t participate in anything, suspect the club is focussed on building his body back up behind the scenes given his back issues.

Unlike other mondays today was actually quite a competitive session with a decent amount of match sim as well as a bunch of stoppage work which has been a real focus since coming back from xmas, more so than previous years.

I’ll give player thoughts below but the star of today was definitely rachele. He was really energised today. In the stoppage work he was explosive, breaking tackles and sidestepping opponents. Then in the match sim his dominance was similar to that of rankine last Friday. Seemed to be involved in everything and won some big contests deep forward including one of the more lovely crumbs at pace you will see (which just hit the post from the boundary on his left) and a one on one win in the goal square against max where he was just too good. He was awesome today, the best I’ve seen him all pre season.

Some interesting player positions in match sim. Sloane actually started in defence. Soligo continues to start on the wing (along with nank, who played more as defensive wingman, as well as chayce and sholl) while the midfield rotation consisted of Dawson, laird, taylor, crouch, bond and berry, with pedlar also in for a couple late.

Some player observations:

Jones - really came to life in the match sim and had a fair chunk of it including a lovely snap goal in the opening minute. Have to be impressed that he’s done all the training given the seriousness of his injury.

Berry - had a bit more of it today and it was his aerial work which stood out, taking a couple of impressive contested marks. Did a lovely smother and goal in one of the earlier drills and kicking was good for the most part. The key will be keeping his composure when the real stuff begins and not falling back into bad habits with his ball drop.

Pedlar - was very quiet for most of the match sim, then went into the guts and almost immediately burst out of the centre with a lovely take and turn of speed. Seemed to give him confidence and he finished the rest of the session well. Hopefully we do similar come game day and put him in there when he is struggling to get the ball.

Edwards - was the most involved I have seen him today and had a couple of moments that excited although he is still conservative with his decision making. Had one bad turnover but otherwise should take confidence from today.

Soligo - continues to have a terrific pre season. Really driving his legs and putting more speed on the game and his kicking was once again sublime. Interesting that he has had very little inside midfield time in the past few match sims however.

Cook - work rate was very good today pushing high up the ground as well as towards goal. Looks confident and a bit more physical than previous which is going to be a must for him to make it. At this stage I think he’s playing round one

Michalanney - was very solid particularly with his defensive work, including an excellent spoil on gollant. Took some kick outs which I’m not sure about however as I believe while he is a good decision maker he is only a decent kick and he made a couple of errors by foot today.

Rankine - flashes of brilliance but I thought he was a bit fumbly today after a brilliant session last Friday. I seem to be cursing the players I heap praise on at the moment!!

Nankervis - found a fair amount of the pill pushing from wing into defence and helping drive the ball back out. Ball use has come a long way from his first season. I did notice he is reluctant to use his left foot which is ironic given he used it too much early days. I guess he realised it wasn’t working out too well.

Dowling - just doesn’t panic which is a great trait to have at AFL level. Not sure he makes the round one team but some good early SANFL form should see him debut. Looks earmarked for a wing/forward role which is good as he knows how to kick a goal.

Smith - hasn’t been a standout for much of the pre season but i thought he looked real sharp today and like vintage smith at times.

Gallagher - we will need to be patient with him as he struggled to get involved and was clearly figuring out where to run at times. Don’t expect a whole lot early days as he finds his way.

Sholl - very good again. We have seen this before though and historically he struggles to maintain the rage once the winter months hit. Cannot fault his form since xmas however and is moving around the ground as good as I’ve seen from him.

Butts - actually thought he was quite solid today, definitely an improvement from last week. Had some nice moments on tex and was unlucky not to take a big intercept grab late in the match sim, it just spilled out and led to a ned goal. Still want to see him move the ball on faster, coaches should mandate three seconds maximum whenever he takes a mark to get rid of it.

Keane - looks more and more like a starter for round one. Almost always looks to move the ball on quickly and gives our defence a different look. The key for him will be the defensive stuff but hard not be impressed by how good he’s been since arriving.
Click to expand...
Great point re Thilthorpe , reckon you’re spot on

Hinge in defence today ?

Also I heard a rumour boys were into Rachele a bit re coming back from Xmas slightly underdone , can we put that to bed ? Sounds like he was sharp today
 
Jeffcrowe said:
Great point re Thilthorpe , reckon you’re spot on

Hinge in defence today ?

Also I heard a rumour boys were into Rachele a bit re coming back from Xmas slightly underdone , can we put that to bed ? Sounds like he was sharp today
Click to expand...
Yep hinge in defence Jeff, was rather quiet today though even without pistol and junior back there.

Interesting rumour re: rachele, didn’t appear to be in worse physical condition post xmas although his running probably wasn’t at the level it was before, he has lagged a bit in the end to end runs at times. His running in general varies quite a bit session to session - sometimes he’s near the back while other times he’s quite impressive. Not sure the reason why the disparity.

Today however he was electric. Ran on top of the ground, used his speed and power and just looked on a different level. Was a nice reminder of his talent.
 

(Log in to remove this ad.)

bigman said:
Hopefully not cromrade, must admit it’ll be dicey however given how much he was visibly affected while running. Looked really quite sore on that left leg.
Click to expand...
If he's obviously ginger in that knee and limping around hopefully Channel 7 or 9 reporters have asked somebody at the club about it and will have an update in the news tonight
 
Carn The Texan said:
If he's obviously ginger in that knee and limping around hopefully Channel 7 or 9 reporters have asked somebody at the club about it and will have an update in the news tonight
Click to expand...
“Adelaides gamble on homesick high draft pick hasn’t paid off as player not happy with how club have handled his sore knee”

Id prefer it’s kept out of the media
 
bigman said:
Yep hinge in defence Jeff, was rather quiet today though even without pistol and junior back there.

Interesting rumour re: rachele, didn’t appear to be in worse physical condition post xmas although his running probably wasn’t at the level it was before, he has lagged a bit in the end to end runs at times. His running in general varies quite a bit session to session - sometimes he’s near the back while other times he’s quite impressive. Not sure the reason why the disparity.

Today however he was electric. Ran on top of the ground, used his speed and power and just looked on a different level. Was a nice reminder of his talent.
Click to expand...
He’s probably not a natural endurance bloke and those covid years his cohort suffered prob made a pretty big impact on someone like him

Makes me excited for when he’s done 5 pre seasons , could be anything eventually
 
bigman said:
Hopefully not cromrade, must admit it’ll be dicey however given how much he was visibly affected while running. Looked really quite sore on that left leg.
Click to expand...
Interesting that he’d be out there running at all

If it was bone bruising he’d be resting for sure and everything off legs

Medial ligament he would prob do straight line slow jogging so it could be that , or it could be patella tendinitis where you need to reduce loads but also keep it moving to maintain blood flow for healing
 
Jeffcrowe said:
Interesting that he’d be out there running at all

If it was bone bruising he’d be resting for sure and everything off legs

Medial ligament he would prob do straight line slow jogging so it could be that , or it could be patella tendinitis where you need to reduce loads but also keep it moving to maintain blood flow for healing
Click to expand...
I don’t think I’ve ever seen a photo of Curtin playing where he doesn’t have his left knee strapped.

Club would have been on notice if there was anything major going on.
 
WaynesWorld19 said:
Rankine would be far more dangerous as a MID than as a FWD .....his ability to cut thru traffic at pace ...elite decision making and ability to set fwd players up with kicking skills ....it's the obvious call

You're absolutely correct re Gary Ablett jnr career progression
Click to expand...
There was an interview with Rankine over the weekend and he said both he and the club see him playing more midfield and he mentioned the same with Pedlar. When asked about his endurance to play midfield, he answered this isn't an issue which isn't surprising given Dew was planning to play him midfield in his last year with GCS but he got injured in the first half of the season.
 
ABAB said:
There was an interview with Rankine over the weekend and he said both he and the club see him playing more midfield and he mentioned the same with Pedlar. When asked about his endurance to play midfield, he answered this isn't an issue which isn't surprising given Dew was planning to play him midfield in his last year with GCS but he got injured in the first half of the season.
Click to expand...
MAKE IT SO!!!
 
ABAB said:
There was an interview with Rankine over the weekend and he said both he and the club see him playing more midfield and he mentioned the same with Pedlar. When asked about his endurance to play midfield, he answered this isn't an issue which isn't surprising given Dew was planning to play him midfield in his last year with GCS but he got injured in the first half of the season.
Click to expand...
I'm not sure where this thinking, Rankine needed to build a tank, came from .....he's always had good endurance

The question is how much mid-time .....30% ...40% ?

Pedlar must get equal time with Rankine .....but then there's Rachele

The numbers are not adding up .....with also Dawson, Laird, and Crouch
 
WaynesWorld19 said:
I'm not sure where this thinking, Rankine needed to build a tank, came from .....he's always had good endurance

The question is how much mid-time .....30% ...40% ?

Pedlar must get equal time with Rankine .....but then there's Rachele

The numbers are not adding up .....with also Dawson, Laird, and Crouch
Click to expand...
Probably as some still see him as just a small forward who doesn't have the tank to play midfield, they even asked Dew a few year ago and he said Rankine would surprise a lot as he isn't just an quality small forward so clearly Dew already knew he doesn't lack endurance. The plan should be to increase more every year for the next 2-3 years to eventually replace Laird and Crouch, all 3 (particularly Rachele and Rankine) would be very damaging resting forward midfielders and Soligo fast track this year.
 
Rory Walkerfield said:
I don’t think I’ve ever seen a photo of Curtin playing where he doesn’t have his left knee strapped.

Club would have been on notice if there was anything major going on.
Click to expand...
Mentioned in an interview that it was an old(er) basketball injury

At he time, he said he probably didn't need the tape, but it'd become a habit
 

Remove this Banner Ad

Bigman’s Training Reports

Similar threads

C
Signed 2004 Crows Training Ball
Replies
2
Views
467
Carn The Texan
Carn The Texan

Remove this Banner Ad

Back
Top