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- Jun 23, 2016
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- AFL Club
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Dawson, Laird and Ranks it was first bounce last year Crouch bench.
Dawson, Soli and Ranks for me this year with Crouch bench .
Would have won that Gold Coast game if Soligo started.
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Dawson, Laird and Ranks it was first bounce last year Crouch bench.
Dawson, Soli and Ranks for me this year with Crouch bench .
Surprised that you might speculate that Burgo might/could be leaving. I love your reviews and you don't normally speculate about individuals other than to discuss their performance.Burgo has not been at practice sessions for a week or more. His lieutenants have been in charge consequently. Hopefully just on holiday and not departed the club
Would be a strange time for the head of fitness to go on holiday wouldn’t it?Burgo has not been at practice sessions for a week or more. His lieutenants have been in charge consequently. Hopefully just on holiday and not departed the club
Could be, he might also be shopping their organs around, or doing some light international arms trafficking.Would be a strange time for the head of fitness to go on holiday wouldn’t it?
Are his kids still in Adelaide and are they school aged could he be settling them in interstate?
Maybe Burgo is off to Tottenham. They have major problems with injuries.Would be a strange time for the head of fitness to go on holiday wouldn’t it?
Are his kids still in Adelaide and are they school aged could he be settling them in interstate?
"Just add stars every year without giving up much for them and have an unlimited salary cap"Burgess was at training today, sitting in the stand with Joel Selwood and Erin Phillips. Apparently Selwood was due to speak to playing group this arvo.
“There’s pressure for spots everywhere,” Hinge said.
“I’d be silly not to take that on and go, ‘How can I improve and not get comfortable?’ I don’t think I’ve ever gotten comfortable—it took me a while to break into senior sides early in my career.”
“I haven’t forgotten what ‘Junior’ can do—he’s explosive and goes hard at the footy,” Hinge said. “People might overlook him, but he’s probably happy with that. It’s great to see him back fully training.”
“He covers a lot of territory and uses the ball well,” Hinge explained.
“We all know how good Brodie can be,” Hinge said. “He definitely brings competition for those half-back spots and he’s still got plenty of drive left.”
“He can really worry defenders when he goes forward,” Hinge said. “It’ll be interesting to see how the coaches decide to use him.”
any chance of one from Bigman rather than his robot double - pretty keen to see his version of Milera feedbackNot Bigman's but rather ai interpretation (to avoid issues around publishing murdoch news - is this allowed?) of training reports:
Crows Embrace Heightened Competition Amid Returning Stars and New Recruits
Adelaide players are under increasing pressure to cement their places in the team, with the return of several key names from injury and the arrival of new recruits creating a more competitive selection landscape.
One area where this depth is most apparent is half-back. Rory Laird has returned from the midfield to bolster the backline, Isaac Cumming is poised for a prominent role following his move from GWS, Wayne Milera is back after a serious injury, and veteran Brodie Smith is eager to reassert his influence.
Despite playing 44 of a possible 46 matches over the past two seasons and being part of the leadership group last year, Mitch Hinge admits no one can afford to be complacent.
He added that it would be unwise to ignore the competition:
Hinge credits the club’s recruits, highlighting their impressive pre-season training performances, which in turn raises the bar for everyone on the list.
Milera’s Resurgence
While much of the recent buzz has centered on acquisitions like Cumming, James Peatling, Alex Neal-Bullen, and Sid Draper—as well as the potential rise of Riley Thilthorpe—Milera’s comeback from a ruptured patella tendon may have slipped under the radar.
He went from playing 22 matches in 2023, when the Crows narrowly missed the finals, to just three last season. However, Milera has shown promising signs during training, including one standout moment in match simulation at Richmond Oval. After Nick Murray collected the ball at half-back, he found Milera charging through the center. Slipping past defenders, Milera delivered a long kick inside 50 that sparked excitement.
New Faces and Familiar Names
Cumming, who was sidelined earlier in the pre-season with a hamstring issue, made his first match simulation appearance on Monday and participated again on Wednesday, featuring on a wing. Hinge joked he’d prefer the ex-Giant remain further up the ground—potentially keeping competition for half-back roles less crowded—yet expects Cumming to be a significant asset.
Smith, meanwhile, saw limited AFL action last season, playing just 15 games—his fewest outside of an injury-affected 2018. The 33-year-old featured on the top team in the most recent match simulation, while Hinge lined up for the opposing side to test his leadership among younger players.
Curtin’s Growing Case
Second-year prospect Dan Curtin split time between the forward line and the midfield once again, hoping to snare a spot in the season’s opening round. He made seven AFL appearances in his debut campaign, starting or ending four of those as the substitute.
Hinge believes Curtin’s versatility could prove particularly potent in attack.
With the club’s depth on full display, the Crows are heading into the new season with more intense selection battles than ever. The combination of returning talent, strong recruits, and the hunger for success is set to drive healthy competition within the squad.
WAT!!Burgess was at training today, sitting in the stand with Joel Selwood and Erin Phillips. Apparently Selwood was due to speak to playing group this arvo.
"Just go in head first at all times, except when eye gouging, when you use your hands""Just add stars every year without giving up much for them and have a unlimited salary cap"
Dude the lengths you’ll go to.WAT!!
An inside mid addressing the players, I thought we were transitioning away from those types?
Not particularly.Would be a strange time for the head of fitness to go on holiday wouldn’t it?
Are his kids still in Adelaide and are they school aged could he be settling them in interstate?
Can he tell them how to get more free kicks?Burgess was at training today, sitting in the stand with Joel Selwood and Erin Phillips. Apparently Selwood was due to speak to playing group this arvo.
Apart from the vast difference between the 2 in terms of quality and performance, again, you just refuse to see what's in front of you. Selwood went near enough to 1:1 kick to handball off 1:1 contest to uncontested. Your boy goes 1 kick to 1.5 handballs from 1 contested to 1.6 uncontested. So he gets given the ball more and yet handballs a lot more and yet his disposal efficiency is no better. I'm not sure what kind of footballer you think Crouch is, but you've compared him to players that isn't similar to for playing style or quality in the last few days. Just accept him for what he is and what he provides, there's no need to try so hard.WAT!!
An inside mid addressing the players, I thought we were transitioning away from those types?
Can he tell them how to get more free kicks?
And Selwood isn’t there to discuss midfield he’s there to talk leadership. A bizarre post.Apart from the vast difference between the 2 in terms of quality and performance, again, you just refuse to see what's in front of you. Selwood went near enough to 1:1 kick to handball off 1:1 contest to uncontested. Your boy goes 1 kick to 1.5 handballs from 1 contested to 1.6 uncontested. So he gets given the ball more and yet handballs a lot more and yet his disposal efficiency is no better. I'm not sure what kind of footballer you think Crouch is, but you've compared him to players that isn't similar to for playing style or quality in the last few days. Just accept him for what he is and what he provides, there's no need to try so hard.
This guy I go out of my way to hear from.
View attachment 2214039
This guy I wouldn't wait around an extra 15 minutes.
View attachment 2214040
Rachele and Rankine - noticeable midfield minutes?Apologies for the delay, had some business to attend to this afternoon.
Slightly lighter session down at Richmond Oval today after Monday’s sweat fest. Noticed a bloke was walking around with a pretty expensive looking camera and shadowed by a guy with a boom mic, not sure if they were club staff or an extraneous group. They got real close to the coaches when they were instructing the players. These weren’t the club social media guys either.
Pretty decent numbers again today although Nankervis was absent for the second session in a row while Taylor was also nowhere to be seen. Unfortunately Tex was back on the sidelines today doing solely running work. Seemed in good spirits but I suspect it’s probably that back issue flaring up again - if he doesn’t train on Friday then it’s obviously more than just management.
On the plus side Worrell made his return while Crouch trained fully after suffering bad cramp on Monday. Mcandrew also returned to do most of the session.
No major new injuries that I could see either. Berry copped the back of a boot to the face during match sim, and earlier on he left Peatling a bit worse for wear in a tackle. Both seemed fine. Draper copped a hit in the cherries from Peatling in a wrestling drill which downed him for a few moments but he recovered quickly.
Burgo was also back today after a couple weeks off. I was being more facetious than anything about him leaving, but it was a bit of strange timing for the head fitness bloke to be absent, though he obviously would have had his reasons. Good thing is currently our squad numbers are much better than December. Let’s hope our luck remains.
Part of the session was three seperate drills running concurrently around the ground, with teams rotating after about 15 minutes each. They were:
- one drill focussing on quickly identifying and hitting up short targets along the wing. There would be three smaller teams within this drill, with two passing to eachother while the other defended. Whenever the ball was moved to the other end successfully or a turnover occurred, the defending team would change.
- one drill focussing on moving the ball with speed from either stoppage or an intercept about 80m from goals, with forwards leaving space behind them for one to pelt towards goal and receive the ball over the top.
- one rugby-style drill in tight where players try to drive the legs and break tackles to get to the other side. Curtin was great at this (you may have seen the instagram vid). Ryan laid some serious tackles too.
Mcandrew, Draper and Welsh sat out one of the rotations but returned to do the rest of training.
The players then broke into their respective lines - Draper was matched up against Rankine in stoppage work which was fun to see - before the lads competed in about 20 minutes of ‘match sim.’ Worth noting there were no centre bounces or umpires again. Teams were as follows:
Blue - Keays, Crouch, Curtin, Thilthorpe, Rachele, Murray, Dawson, Soligo, Michalanney, Rankine, Worrell, Peatling, Neal-Bullen, Laird, Milera, Fogarty, Smith, Sholl, O’Brien, Cumming, Keane
White - Jones, Berry, Murphy, Edwards, Cook, Welsh, Hinge, Burgess, Ryan, Schoenberg, Dowling, Draper, Borlase, Gallagher, Drury, T. Murray, Bond, Butts
Pedlar may have been in the white team but I didn’t spot him out there even though he was wearing a fluro hat.
There were stoppage set ups but no ruck contests, instead the ball was once again kicked in random directions by the coach. Rankine, Soligo, Peatling and Crouch were the most regular midfielders for the blue side - Draper, Berry and Schoenberg for the whites (Murphy replaced Berry at stoppages after he copped the boot to the face). Dawson played a mix of half forward and midfield. Curtin started as a deep forward but later on, after a quick spell on the bench, joined the mids for the last five minutes.
The lads then did about 10 or so minutes of wrestling work, which involved pinning your opponent to the ground before sprinting for 20 metres and doing it all over again. Looked pretty knackering. Rachele against Rankine was a good watch - the latter was surprisingly aggressive!
Finally, they then split back into their lines for the remainder of the session. The mids did handball and ground ball work while the forwards and defenders competed against eachother in a ‘king of the ring’ drill. This involved aerial contests where the winner (‘king’) would retain their spot until beaten, while the loser would rotate back to the end of the line. If the contest broke even, the king would still remain. Filthy and Fog were the standouts, both stayed king for about six or seven contests before fatigue got the better of them. There were actually two of these running at the same time, one for talls and the other for the smalls. Funnily, Rachele decided to compete with the talls instead.
Some player thoughts:
Curtin - definitely seems to be tracking towards playing forward with a sprinkling of midfield time. If Tex is fit, does he fit in or are we then too top heavy? He’s more mobile than your typical key forward. Will be an interesting dilemma. Positioned himself well in match sim, taking at least three marks inside forward 50. Round one looks likely at this stage. Also once again noticed how animated he was at training. Seems to have a really good bond with the group, lots of hugging and celebrations.
Rachele - his body work in marking contests has improved considerably. It’s not overly surprising as he has that dense body shape that is hard to move but he’s really taking advantage of it with some strong one-on-one marks.
Edwards - once again more involved across half back. They seem to like it in his hands as his kicks generally hit the target. I’d like to see him move it on a bit quicker after taking a mark l, he’s a bit stagnant at present. Rarely wastes it though. Definitely seen a bit of an uptick in his training form lately.
Soligo - looked much better today after appearing crook on Monday (perhaps Nank is sick and he got some of it? Or Soligo had it and passed it on to Nank? Just a thought, could be totally wrong). His stoppage work was excellent - clean and constructive.
Ryan - had a brilliant moment where he cut off a switch of play at half forward, burnt off his chaser with a bounce, then got the one-two with Edwards and dribbled the goal. Exciting stuff. Got a decent amount of ball too and used it pretty well. Also noticed he’s really filling out. Not the wiry shape any more - he’s becoming a pretty big lad.
Rankine - played mostly mid with some forward time. Had a special moment where he fumbled a ball on the boundary line, then instead of just letting it go out, he proceeded to tap it along the ground past the legs of Edwards and surged towards goal to hit up Rachele on a lead. He just has that magic.
Milera - had an exciting piece of play where he dodged the incoming tackler in the corridor before taking a bounce and putting the jets on. He fluffed the kick but it would have been a real confidence booster for him and his body, it was vintage Junior.
Smith - interesting that he was in the A team and not Hinge. Not sure I’d look into it too hard in terms of round one selection.
Draper - think we need to keep our expectations under check at present. He’s still definitely coming to grips with the stronger bodies in the midfield and finding it hard to break tackles. Physically he will definitely get there - he’s got excellent proportions in both the upper and lower body - but unless he quickly finds time and space he usually gets clamped at the moment. His tackling is already very good however and his work rate around the ground will ensure he still finds plenty of pill in the mean time.
Cumming - seems to be tracking towards playing majority wing with a bit of time across half back. He was great today. Typically composed and just silky out there, plays a bit in slow motion and doesn’t panic.
Any questions feel free to ask.
Thanks as always but no need to apologise.Apologies for the delay, had some business to attend to this afternoon.
Slightly lighter session down at Richmond Oval today after Monday’s sweat fest. Noticed a bloke was walking around with a pretty expensive looking camera and shadowed by a guy with a boom mic, not sure if they were club staff or an extraneous group. They got real close to the coaches when they were instructing the players. These weren’t the club social media guys either.
Pretty decent numbers again today although Nankervis was absent for the second session in a row while Taylor was also nowhere to be seen. Unfortunately Tex was back on the sidelines today doing solely running work. Seemed in good spirits but I suspect it’s probably that back issue flaring up again - if he doesn’t train on Friday then it’s obviously more than just management.
On the plus side Worrell made his return while Crouch trained fully after suffering bad cramp on Monday. Mcandrew also returned to do most of the session.
No major new injuries that I could see either. Berry copped the back of a boot to the face during match sim, and earlier on he left Peatling a bit worse for wear in a tackle. Both seemed fine. Draper copped a hit in the cherries from Peatling in a wrestling drill which downed him for a few moments but he recovered quickly.
Burgo was also back today after a couple weeks off. I was being more facetious than anything about him leaving, but it was a bit of strange timing for the head fitness bloke to be absent, though he obviously would have had his reasons. Good thing is currently our squad numbers are much better than December. Let’s hope our luck remains.
Part of the session was three seperate drills running concurrently around the ground, with teams rotating after about 15 minutes each. They were:
- one drill focussing on quickly identifying and hitting up short targets along the wing. There would be three smaller teams within this drill, with two passing to eachother while the other defended. Whenever the ball was moved to the other end successfully or a turnover occurred, the defending team would change.
- one drill focussing on moving the ball with speed from either stoppage or an intercept about 80m from goals, with forwards leaving space behind them for one to pelt towards goal and receive the ball over the top.
- one rugby-style drill in tight where players try to drive the legs and break tackles to get to the other side. Curtin was great at this (you may have seen the instagram vid). Ryan laid some serious tackles too.
Mcandrew, Draper and Welsh sat out one of the rotations but returned to do the rest of training.
The players then broke into their respective lines - Draper was matched up against Rankine in stoppage work which was fun to see - before the lads competed in about 20 minutes of ‘match sim.’ Worth noting there were no centre bounces or umpires again. Teams were as follows:
Blue - Keays, Crouch, Curtin, Thilthorpe, Rachele, Murray, Dawson, Soligo, Michalanney, Rankine, Worrell, Peatling, Neal-Bullen, Laird, Milera, Fogarty, Smith, Sholl, O’Brien, Cumming, Keane
White - Jones, Berry, Murphy, Edwards, Cook, Welsh, Hinge, Burgess, Ryan, Schoenberg, Dowling, Draper, Borlase, Gallagher, Drury, T. Murray, Bond, Butts
Pedlar may have been in the white team but I didn’t spot him out there even though he was wearing a fluro hat.
There were stoppage set ups but no ruck contests, instead the ball was once again kicked in random directions by the coach. Rankine, Soligo, Peatling and Crouch were the most regular midfielders for the blue side - Draper, Berry and Schoenberg for the whites (Murphy replaced Berry at stoppages after he copped the boot to the face). Dawson played a mix of half forward and midfield. Curtin started as a deep forward but later on, after a quick spell on the bench, joined the mids for the last five minutes.
The lads then did about 10 or so minutes of wrestling work, which involved pinning your opponent to the ground before sprinting for 20 metres and doing it all over again. Looked pretty knackering. Rachele against Rankine was a good watch - the latter was surprisingly aggressive!
Finally, they then split back into their lines for the remainder of the session. The mids did handball and ground ball work while the forwards and defenders competed against eachother in a ‘king of the ring’ drill. This involved aerial contests where the winner (‘king’) would retain their spot until beaten, while the loser would rotate back to the end of the line. If the contest broke even, the king would still remain. Filthy and Fog were the standouts, both stayed king for about six or seven contests before fatigue got the better of them. There were actually two of these running at the same time, one for talls and the other for the smalls. Funnily, Rachele decided to compete with the talls instead.
Some player thoughts:
Curtin - definitely seems to be tracking towards playing forward with a sprinkling of midfield time. If Tex is fit, does he fit in or are we then too top heavy? He’s more mobile than your typical key forward. Will be an interesting dilemma. Positioned himself well in match sim, taking at least three marks inside forward 50. Round one looks likely at this stage. Also once again noticed how animated he was at training. Seems to have a really good bond with the group, lots of hugging and celebrations.
Rachele - his body work in marking contests has improved considerably. It’s not overly surprising as he has that dense body shape that is hard to move but he’s really taking advantage of it with some strong one-on-one marks.
Edwards - once again more involved across half back. They seem to like it in his hands as his kicks generally hit the target. I’d like to see him move it on a bit quicker after taking a mark l, he’s a bit stagnant at present. Rarely wastes it though. Definitely seen a bit of an uptick in his training form lately.
Soligo - looked much better today after appearing crook on Monday (perhaps Nank is sick and he got some of it? Or Soligo had it and passed it on to Nank? Just a thought, could be totally wrong). His stoppage work was excellent - clean and constructive.
Ryan - had a brilliant moment where he cut off a switch of play at half forward, burnt off his chaser with a bounce, then got the one-two with Edwards and dribbled the goal. Exciting stuff. Got a decent amount of ball too and used it pretty well. Also noticed he’s really filling out. Not the wiry shape any more - he’s becoming a pretty big lad.
Rankine - played mostly mid with some forward time. Had a special moment where he fumbled a ball on the boundary line, then instead of just letting it go out, he proceeded to tap it along the ground past the legs of Edwards and surged towards goal to hit up Rachele on a lead. He just has that magic.
Milera - had an exciting piece of play where he dodged the incoming tackler in the corridor before taking a bounce and putting the jets on. He fluffed the kick but it would have been a real confidence booster for him and his body, it was vintage Junior.
Smith - interesting that he was in the A team and not Hinge. Not sure I’d look into it too hard in terms of round one selection.
Draper - think we need to keep our expectations under check at present. He’s still definitely coming to grips with the stronger bodies in the midfield and finding it hard to break tackles. Physically he will definitely get there - he’s got excellent proportions in both the upper and lower body - but unless he quickly finds time and space he usually gets clamped at the moment. His tackling is already very good however and his work rate around the ground will ensure he still finds plenty of pill in the mean time.
Cumming - seems to be tracking towards playing majority wing with a bit of time across half back. He was great today. Typically composed and just silky out there, plays a bit in slow motion and doesn’t panic.
Any questions feel free to ask.