Training Pre season training

[Saint Watto]

Thanks in advance to everyone doing these reports.
Not interested in horse racing, crickets been abysmal…it’s time for footy!

I'm on your bus Diehard !!!!!!!!

Bring it on I say !!!!!

 

[The Cobra]

View attachment 2162861
Hugo looking bigger

Saw him at pre season training last year and you could see there was something about him - this kid wants it and has some talent- he will have his ups and downs this year but I’m really confident that once he gets 30+ AFL games experience and continues to get stronger we will really have a player.

Will dominate any games at VFL level this year.

Pick #50 - absolute steal!

 

[Saints4ever]

Hopefully Garcia plays round 1.
Massive fan

 

[akaifu]

Given the 'play the kids' philosophy we've adopted over the past couple of seasons and the illustration of Garcia's application over the off-season, I'd honestly be surprised if he doesn't play at least 50% of the games this year in the 22. His set of attributes will make a difference in our team if he is ready for AFL

 

[Dr Spaceman]

What about Darcy Wilson?

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Saint Watto]

Saw him at pre season training last year and you could see there was something about him - this kid wants it and has some talent- he will have his ups and downs this year but I’m really confident that once he gets 30+ AFL games experience and continues to get stronger we will really have a player.

Will dominate any games at VFL level this year.

Pick #50 - absolute steal!

He absolutely does want it TC.

As you say,it's early days.

I was at Rsea...probably the first week of October.....catching up with some of the track watchers for a coffee and a "state of the Union" chat.

I glanced out the window and there was a player on the oval having continued shot after shot at goal.......it was absolutely belting down with rain.......said player was the only one on the oval.

At first glance thought it was Hammer.......but glancing thru the heavy rain realized that is was Hugo.

Someone then said they saw him doing repeated sprints from the fence to the top of the hill and back.....about 30 times while said person was there.

Again....early days but IMHO....we'll have a ripper on our hands with him.

 

[OxSaint]

For those that watch training, how is collard’s work ethic?

 

[stfan]

CAVEAT: ALL OPINIONS ARE MY OWN BASED ON OBSERVATION FROM THE OTHER SIDE OF THE FENCE. NO CONCLUSIONS SHOULD BE DRAWN ABOUT FITNESS, ATTITUDE OR WHY CERTAIN PLAYERS ARE ON MODIFIED/REDUCED WORKLOADS.


Clark, Butler, Jones, Wilkie, Steele training.
Wilson Pou leading the sprints
Owrns Garcia next
Naz and Irish next
Macrae in Sebs number.lol
Got some height in Macrae and Pou.
A long haired Stocker running laps. Must be in a good place mentally. Lots of yelling encouragement and very vocal. Good to hear.
Drill chain passing, with Macrae, Clark Wilson distributing into the leading forward.
Also practising turnover positioning
Hammer repeat runs but looks hampered by a leg injury, strange running cadence.
Walked across to the rehab group. Hammer really struggling. Stocker lots of encouragement.
Bolton taking turnover practice, looking for the run both ways and straight back to the corridor.
Pretty intense, although non pressure drills.
Bolton taking drills very clear and concise in what he wants.
Too early to tell positioning, using Arie through the middle, Keeler up forward, but the backs on the lead as well so who knows.
Next drill full field, high energy, sloppy at times
Good signs early for Jones and Clark both look sharp and fit.
Really started to hit their targets near the middle and end of the drill. High energy, hard running, accurate disposal.
Macrae not much taller than Clark.
Max Hall is quite small, well compared to the other lists.
Older players doing laps, Heath and Roh at the back as usual.
1 to 4's running repeat boundary runs
Repeat shuttle runs, Wilson killing it, Lancyboy struggling big time.
RTB sitting up top watching proceedings with one of his henchmen while Bolton, Lenny and bj took training.
No Carroll but think someone said he will have no.19.

On SM-S908E using BigFooty.com mobile app

Thanks for detailed report!


However MacRae is meant to be 5cm taller than Clark......so maybe the lack of perceived height difference was just the angle you saw both at.

 

[Tommy Wigs]

Shoe been working on the guns.

Pou needs to work on the tan.

 

[Tommy Wigs]

All those who wore Crocs should be suspended for round 1.

What about Macrae with his Dad’s gear on. Holy shizer. Two week internal suspension.

 

[Tommy Wigs]

Shoe been working on the guns.

Pou needs to work on the tan.

In fact, that’s a massive transformation from Shoe. Chiseled.

 

[Saintos The ITK]

For those that watch training, how is collard’s work ethic?

He was smiling in his photo so that’s a massive improvement on last year already.

 

[akaifu]

In fact, that’s a massive transformation from Shoe. Chiseled.

I get the slight feeling Arie was told that we see him as a midfielder, but only if he could significantly improve his running power (by cutting down his size)

We trialled him in the guts in the VFL last year, and by observing training reports and training photos today, he was hanging around with the mids (although we'll get more clarity over the next couple of weeks)

Put his left boot to use in the middle - the 70m goals will be coming in thick and fast

 

[Joffaboy]

For those that watch training, how is collard’s work ethic?

Well involved in the drills, laughing with some of the boys, superficially looked more relaxed than last season.
Was well behind in the shuttle runs, but seemed to purposely starting off slowly. Maybe told to take it easy.

On SM-S908E using BigFooty.com mobile app

 

[Joffaboy]

Thanks for detailed report!


However MacRae is meant to be 5cm taller than Clark......so maybe the lack of perceived height difference was just the angle you saw both at.

If you look at the photo's I put up he seems markedly taller than Clark, but standing near the rave getting a drink he seemed on par. Could be you are correct, maybe the angle.

On SM-S908E using BigFooty.com mobile app

 

[TheJackal]

For those that watch training, how is collard’s work ethic?

Collard is a really difficult guy to assess. I will say this much though. Did he take it easy? No. Did he slack off? No. Did he drop his shoulders and give bad body language? No.

He was the only one in the group at the end of the session who couldn't keep up with the times, so clearly still doesn't have the engine and may never. Again, very hard to assess because that's not his role. I will say he has definitely improved, ran out of petrol tickets in the end but I think he had a really positive session. He may not be the modern prototypical small forward but he definitely has something so it's very difficult to gauge with him.

Not sure what I'll remember from today but I'll write down some stuff and see where it goes. I'll try not to rehash too much of what's already been said.

I'll start with a pair of Max's. Max Heath, the difference between how he has presented back to the club is absolutely chalk and cheese when compared to last year. He looks significantly leaner, but not in a skinny way, if that makes sense. Kept up with Ro for 3/4 of the running, which is definitely an improvement. He was actually very clean with his skills today especiallyby foot. Main takeaway was that he started last year waaaay behind the 8 ball in terms of fitness, this year, he's not the finished product but he's definitely on the right track. I left today thinking there's a good chance he'll be a better option than any state league ruckman we can find.

Max Hall, today I got huge Darren Minchington vibes from Max, not sure how I never really saw it until now. He looks like a good depth player, I am somewhat unsure as to where he fits. I don't think he sneaks into our midfield, so is it the Butler type role that he will be aiming for?

Jack Macrae, his class was obvious within a few minutes of him picking up a ball today. I don't think he missed a target by foot during the entire session. With respect to Steeley, I think he is our best midfielder in 2025. I'm still not quite sure how anyone was critical of his recruitment to be honest.

I'll sound like a broken record this year I feel, because I feel like I'm going to say Mattaes, Darcy and Hugo were standouts more than once.

There is something about Phillipou, he is morphing into Bont before our eyes. I never stopped saying stick with him last year when some were having doubts, eventually it clicked. He is special, like, seriously special - I don't know how else to put it.

Pou's mate at the front of the sprinting groups was of course Wilson. Pou works hard to stay with Wilson, but Darce just glides. The kid sets serious standards with his fitness. Having said that, he was really clean and confident today with ball in hand.

Garcia, there's just something about him that scares me, terminator like. There is this epic intensity to the way he trains. I liked Seb and feel guilty speaking ill of him, but over the years I'd be so frustrated with him at training. He'd often lack training intensity, joke around after losses, etc. I bring it up because I feel it's hopefully a good comparison to what type of era we are moving into. With guys like Garcia, Phillipou, Wilson driving standards we can only be on the right track. Hugo isn't the finished product, but you'd have him in there and just accept that while you won't get perfection from him yet - you'll get a kid who will carry you over the line on his shoulders.

Irish, let's be honest, I've only nicknamed him Irish because I always forget if it's O'Donnell, O'Connell, McConnell, etc - so Irish it is. I'm sure he is taller than his listed height of 189cm. There is something about him, he has a spark, he's actually got a great natural footy brain and can pull off the weird lateral kicks that only a Gaelic footballer can do. I haven't seen him play enough competitive footy to truly understand his scope - but I'd not be shocked if he became the bolter for Battle's spot. Like Arie, he probably needs to improve his 1 on 1 game, I've not seen enough in games to know for sure.

As for Arie, I believe the kid was set a challenge in the off-season as to whether he really wants it and his condition is peak. Certainly looks the part, he was covering ground quite well today and we all know what he can do with his left boot.

Hastie, well last year I joked that he looked like he could've been on the set auditioning for the remake of the remake of Point Break. That demeanour hasn't really changed, but I'm not going to hang him out to dry for it. I hope he has the hunger to make it like the other recruits seem to have. He definitely has the talent.

Keels is possibly in a similar boat in that it may just be decided that he doesn't have the drive to make it. I personally think that's rubbish and that he would thrive if given the chance. His skills below his knees and by foot are simply too good to see him not make it. His fitness is quite good too, for a big guy, he's pretty athletically gifted.

Windy, Owens and Nas were just doing their thing all at a high standard. I actually think that its great for these 3 to just keep being pushed by the younger ones and not have the spotlight focussed on them. Mitchitos kicking for goal was superb, kudos to him for the work he put in last year.

Caminiti was getting smaaaaaaashed with fitness stuff in his rehab session. I actually thought he was going to collapse at the end of his running, working incredibly hard.

Watching today, and it's early days with no pressure, but our kicking looked really sharp. The inclusion of Macrae will be huge, his delivery into the F50 is just amazing. Our recruitment from the last few years has been top notch, the recruitment focus on speed and kicking was on display today.

The positive thing about our list is that noone really looks like they are making up the numbers. We won't be challenging for the 2025 premiership, but the signs are there that they have the skill and temperament to build into a premiership contending list in the coming years.

 

[SteeleSaints]

Thanks for the reports everyone they are brilliant for those of us who can't get down! Much appreciated...

 

[Ads734]

I am over in the UK so wil somebody please take over Pou watch for me .

 

[gringo2011]

Looks massive. Very good signs

The last time we recruited a tall blonde Tasmanian of German decent it went okay.

 

[bakes10]

Collard is a really difficult guy to assess. I will say this much though. Did he take it easy? No. Did he slack off? No. Did he drop his shoulders and give bad body language? No.

He was the only one in the group at the end of the session who couldn't keep up with the times, so clearly still doesn't have the engine and may never. Again, very hard to assess because that's not his role. I will say he has definitely improved, ran out of petrol tickets in the end but I think he had a really positive session. He may not be the modern prototypical small forward but he definitely has something so it's very difficult to gauge with him.

Not sure what I'll remember from today but I'll write down some stuff and see where it goes. I'll try not to rehash too much of what's already been said.

I'll start with a pair of Max's. Max Heath, the difference between how he has presented back to the club is absolutely chalk and cheese when compared to last year. He looks significantly leaner, but not in a skinny way, if that makes sense. Kept up with Ro for 3/4 of the running, which is definitely an improvement. He was actually very clean with his skills today especiallyby foot. Main takeaway was that he started last year waaaay behind the 8 ball in terms of fitness, this year, he's not the finished product but he's definitely on the right track. I left today thinking there's a good chance he'll be a better option than any state league ruckman we can find.

Max Hall, today I got huge Darren Minchington vibes from Max, not sure how I never really saw it until now. He looks like a good depth player, I am somewhat unsure as to where he fits. I don't think he sneaks into our midfield, so is it the Butler type role that he will be aiming for?

Jack Macrae, his class was obvious within a few minutes of him picking up a ball today. I don't think he missed a target by foot during the entire session. With respect to Steeley, I think he is our best midfielder in 2025. I'm still not quite sure how anyone was critical of his recruitment to be honest.

I'll sound like a broken record this year I feel, because I feel like I'm going to say Mattaes, Darcy and Hugo were standouts more than once.

There is something about Phillipou, he is morphing into Bont before our eyes. I never stopped saying stick with him last year when some were having doubts, eventually it clicked. He is special, like, seriously special - I don't know how else to put it.

Pou's mate at the front of the sprinting groups was of course Wilson. Pou works hard to stay with Wilson, but Darce just glides. The kid sets serious standards with his fitness. Having said that, he was really clean and confident today with ball in hand.

Garcia, there's just something about him that scares me, terminator like. There is this epic intensity to the way he trains. I liked Seb and feel guilty speaking ill of him, but over the years I'd be so frustrated with him at training. He'd often lack training intensity, joke around after losses, etc. I bring it up because I feel it's hopefully a good comparison to what type of era we are moving into. With guys like Garcia, Phillipou, Wilson driving standards we can only be on the right track. Hugo isn't the finished product, but you'd have him in there and just accept that while you won't get perfection from him yet - you'll get a kid who will carry you over the line on his shoulders.

Irish, let's be honest, I've only nicknamed him Irish because I always forget if it's O'Donnell, O'Connell, McConnell, etc - so Irish it is. I'm sure he is taller than his listed height of 189cm. There is something about him, he has a spark, he's actually got a great natural footy brain and can pull off the weird lateral kicks that only a Gaelic footballer can do. I haven't seen him play enough competitive footy to truly understand his scope - but I'd not be shocked if he became the bolter for Battle's spot. Like Arie, he probably needs to improve his 1 on 1 game, I've not seen enough in games to know for sure.

As for Arie, I believe the kid was set a challenge in the off-season as to whether he really wants it and his condition is peak. Certainly looks the part, he was covering ground quite well today and we all know what he can do with his left boot.

Hastie, well last year I joked that he looked like he could've been on the set auditioning for the remake of the remake of Point Break. That demeanour hasn't really changed, but I'm not going to hang him out to dry for it. I hope he has the hunger to make it like the other recruits seem to have. He definitely has the talent.

Keels is possibly in a similar boat in that it may just be decided that he doesn't have the drive to make it. I personally think that's rubbish and that he would thrive if given the chance. His skills below his knees and by foot are simply too good to see him not make it. His fitness is quite good too, for a big guy, he's pretty athletically gifted.

Windy, Owens and Nas were just doing their thing all at a high standard. I actually think that its great for these 3 to just keep being pushed by the younger ones and not have the spotlight focussed on them. Mitchitos kicking for goal was superb, kudos to him for the work he put in last year.

Caminiti was getting smaaaaaaashed with fitness stuff in his rehab session. I actually thought he was going to collapse at the end of his running, working incredibly hard.

Watching today, and it's early days with no pressure, but our kicking looked really sharp. The inclusion of Macrae will be huge, his delivery into the F50 is just amazing. Our recruitment from the last few years has been top notch, the recruitment focus on speed and kicking was on display today.

The positive thing about our list is that noone really looks like they are making up the numbers. We won't be challenging for the 2025 premiership, but the signs are there that they have the skill and temperament to build into a premiership contending list in the coming years.

Thanks for that detailed report mate, very happy to read all of that.

Hastie is going to be an interesting one to watch as I think the coaching staff have big raps on him. Hopefully he can take a step forward in his 2nd year.

 

[beside the seaside]

The last time we recruited a tall blonde Tasmanian of German decent it went okay.

He clearly has weapons. If things have clicked for him then we could be in for a treat. His physique has definitely improved.

 

[BarkerFan]

View attachment 2162861
Hugo looking bigger

Looking very like Windhager IMO:.. same height, heading toward similar body type...nearly identical birthday... both driven... Cant complain about having 2 of them!

 

[Broski]

I know this question will be asked many times across the next month, but does anyone roughly know the weekly preseason training schedule?

As a SA-based fan, I am looking to visit the club for the first time in January and wanted to try and link it with a day where the boys were training. Do the days vary?

 

[akaifu]

Collard is a really difficult guy to assess. I will say this much though. Did he take it easy? No. Did he slack off? No. Did he drop his shoulders and give bad body language? No.

He was the only one in the group at the end of the session who couldn't keep up with the times, so clearly still doesn't have the engine and may never. Again, very hard to assess because that's not his role. I will say he has definitely improved, ran out of petrol tickets in the end but I think he had a really positive session. He may not be the modern prototypical small forward but he definitely has something so it's very difficult to gauge with him.

Not sure what I'll remember from today but I'll write down some stuff and see where it goes. I'll try not to rehash too much of what's already been said.

I'll start with a pair of Max's. Max Heath, the difference between how he has presented back to the club is absolutely chalk and cheese when compared to last year. He looks significantly leaner, but not in a skinny way, if that makes sense. Kept up with Ro for 3/4 of the running, which is definitely an improvement. He was actually very clean with his skills today especiallyby foot. Main takeaway was that he started last year waaaay behind the 8 ball in terms of fitness, this year, he's not the finished product but he's definitely on the right track. I left today thinking there's a good chance he'll be a better option than any state league ruckman we can find.

Max Hall, today I got huge Darren Minchington vibes from Max, not sure how I never really saw it until now. He looks like a good depth player, I am somewhat unsure as to where he fits. I don't think he sneaks into our midfield, so is it the Butler type role that he will be aiming for?

Jack Macrae, his class was obvious within a few minutes of him picking up a ball today. I don't think he missed a target by foot during the entire session. With respect to Steeley, I think he is our best midfielder in 2025. I'm still not quite sure how anyone was critical of his recruitment to be honest.

I'll sound like a broken record this year I feel, because I feel like I'm going to say Mattaes, Darcy and Hugo were standouts more than once.

There is something about Phillipou, he is morphing into Bont before our eyes. I never stopped saying stick with him last year when some were having doubts, eventually it clicked. He is special, like, seriously special - I don't know how else to put it.

Pou's mate at the front of the sprinting groups was of course Wilson. Pou works hard to stay with Wilson, but Darce just glides. The kid sets serious standards with his fitness. Having said that, he was really clean and confident today with ball in hand.

Garcia, there's just something about him that scares me, terminator like. There is this epic intensity to the way he trains. I liked Seb and feel guilty speaking ill of him, but over the years I'd be so frustrated with him at training. He'd often lack training intensity, joke around after losses, etc. I bring it up because I feel it's hopefully a good comparison to what type of era we are moving into. With guys like Garcia, Phillipou, Wilson driving standards we can only be on the right track. Hugo isn't the finished product, but you'd have him in there and just accept that while you won't get perfection from him yet - you'll get a kid who will carry you over the line on his shoulders.

Irish, let's be honest, I've only nicknamed him Irish because I always forget if it's O'Donnell, O'Connell, McConnell, etc - so Irish it is. I'm sure he is taller than his listed height of 189cm. There is something about him, he has a spark, he's actually got a great natural footy brain and can pull off the weird lateral kicks that only a Gaelic footballer can do. I haven't seen him play enough competitive footy to truly understand his scope - but I'd not be shocked if he became the bolter for Battle's spot. Like Arie, he probably needs to improve his 1 on 1 game, I've not seen enough in games to know for sure.

As for Arie, I believe the kid was set a challenge in the off-season as to whether he really wants it and his condition is peak. Certainly looks the part, he was covering ground quite well today and we all know what he can do with his left boot.

Hastie, well last year I joked that he looked like he could've been on the set auditioning for the remake of the remake of Point Break. That demeanour hasn't really changed, but I'm not going to hang him out to dry for it. I hope he has the hunger to make it like the other recruits seem to have. He definitely has the talent.

Keels is possibly in a similar boat in that it may just be decided that he doesn't have the drive to make it. I personally think that's rubbish and that he would thrive if given the chance. His skills below his knees and by foot are simply too good to see him not make it. His fitness is quite good too, for a big guy, he's pretty athletically gifted.

Windy, Owens and Nas were just doing their thing all at a high standard. I actually think that its great for these 3 to just keep being pushed by the younger ones and not have the spotlight focussed on them. Mitchitos kicking for goal was superb, kudos to him for the work he put in last year.

Caminiti was getting smaaaaaaashed with fitness stuff in his rehab session. I actually thought he was going to collapse at the end of his running, working incredibly hard.

Watching today, and it's early days with no pressure, but our kicking looked really sharp. The inclusion of Macrae will be huge, his delivery into the F50 is just amazing. Our recruitment from the last few years has been top notch, the recruitment focus on speed and kicking was on display today.

The positive thing about our list is that noone really looks like they are making up the numbers. We won't be challenging for the 2025 premiership, but the signs are there that they have the skill and temperament to build into a premiership contending list in the coming years.

Heath runs with Windy and Owens I believe so he's clearly motivated to improve his biggest weakness with some of the best

Hall doesn't have the speed to be a Butler replacement imo, more a Henry backup or a full time mid if he develops fast enough

I see Irish as a winger to replace Wood, he's a great size and has a great athletic profile that can be put to good use as a two-way running winger that can support defence as a 7th man and offence as a distributor

I remember being told/reading that Arie was told at his exit meeting that if he is to make it at AFL level, his fitness had to see a major improvement over the off-season. They made it seem like it was do-or-die...if you can't improve this part of your game then you are done

Surprised Hastie hasn't bulked up, I would've thought that was one of his big priorities over the off-season. A tad worrying

Honestly I don't think Keeler really needs to bulk up that much - obviously a bit more muscle would be nice but there needs to be a balance that allows him to maintain his athleticism. Mac Andrew is a stick but proved he is a star of the future

 

[Leap of Faith]

Great reports fellas. Thanks. The line I like most in you report jackal is, "The positive thing about our list is that noone really looks like they are making up the numbers."

Dead wood list cloggers have been well and truly culled. With the addition our new draftees we'll have a young, talented, sharp, driven group.