Training Pre-season updates 2025.

[Vinnie Vegas]

the last 2 years... he never seemed to get a full run at it.

In games where he gets over 70% TOG, he averages 8 disposals and 4 marks a game to go with a fairly tidy 1.8 goals per game.

Those numbers are actually more than respectable on the surface, but here's the difference: Dan McStay and Brody Mihocek average over a contested mark per game for us, Reef averages 0.5 in his full games, and has never had more than 1 in a game. Brody and Dan average around 2 inside 50s a game, Reef in his full games averages 1. Reef has also never recorded a clearance in his 20 games.

I think the footy IQ and understanding of running patterns is just not quite there as a forward - Hopefully as a defender with the game in front of him he can use his natural ability more and find a way to contribute more regularly.

 

[Jen2310]

In games where he gets over 70% TOG, he averages 8 disposals and 4 marks a game to go with a fairly tidy 1.8 goals per game.

Those numbers are actually more than respectable on the surface, but here's the difference: Dan McStay and Brody Mihocek average over a contested mark per game for us, Reef averages 0.5 in his full games, and has never had more than 1 in a game. Brody and Dan average around 2 inside 50s a game, Reef in his full games averages 1. Reef has also never recorded a clearance in his 20 games.

I think the footy IQ and understanding of running patterns is just not quite there as a forward - Hopefully as a defender with the game in front of him he can use his natural ability more and find a way to contribute more regularly.

Given he's never been given a chance in the middle, that's pretty expected.

 

[Pie eyed]

Locket had no significant tank.
The leg rope was real.
He couldn’t get far enough up the ground to generate a field kick.

Great player though.
He was a player of his time.
Could have been a Pie.

 

[IlovethePies]

Re Reef: I remember the game in which he was concussed. From memory, he took several great marks, and was hitting some kind of form, before leaving the field.

I remember thinking at the time, at last Reef is starting to prove himself.

But after the concussion incident, he never seemed to get a real chance for the rest of the year. Always in and out of the team, and when in, only with very limited game time.

I never understood why that happened.

Did he struggle to recover from the concussion?

It seemed that he was hitting excellent form in the VFL, but still he never was able to win senior selection.

I have always believed he has lots of ability and potential. I am rapt that he is looking so powerful and confident, and look forward to see what he can give us next year.

 

[Fruit]

In games where he gets over 70% TOG, he averages 8 disposals and 4 marks a game to go with a fairly tidy 1.8 goals per game.

Those numbers are actually more than respectable on the surface, but here's the difference: Dan McStay and Brody Mihocek average over a contested mark per game for us, Reef averages 0.5 in his full games, and has never had more than 1 in a game. Brody and Dan average around 2 inside 50s a game, Reef in his full games averages 1. Reef has also never recorded a clearance in his 20 games.

I think the footy IQ and understanding of running patterns is just not quite there as a forward - Hopefully as a defender with the game in front of him he can use his natural ability more and find a way to contribute more regularly.

Good points but for some reason Reef didn’t ever stray far from the point post. He always played deep which was obviously an instruction.
It would be interesting with his stronger frame whether that could help boost his contested marking if he ever went forward again.

 

[Pie eyed]

Re Reef: I remember the game in which he was concussed. From memory, he took several great marks, and was hitting some kind of form, before leaving the field.

I remember thinking at the time, at last Reef is starting to prove himself.

But after the concussion incident, he never seemed to get a real chance for the rest of the year. Always in and out of the team, and when in, only with very limited game time.

I never understood why that happened.

Did he struggle to recover from the concussion?

It seemed that he was hitting excellent form in the VFL, but still he never was able to win senior selection.

I have always believed he has lots of ability and potential. I am rapt that he is looking so powerful and confident, and look forward to see what he can give us next year.

Remember thinking the same thing at the time. I thought having his best game at the time and he was having an impact in his own right. Looked pretty innocuous at the time.
The concussion took the wind out of his sails.

Versus Adelaide I think.....

 

[Granit1962]

In that game Reef was concussed, while concussed, he took a terrific contested mark. I recall thinking, this guy just needs to put it together for longer periods. He launched himself between two players grabbing the ball at the highest point. Has all the attributes, if can develop a reasonable level of game sense I have no doubt he will make it and be a very good player. What he does well he does very well. It is when he is not in the vicinity he needs to be reading the play and working out how the game is unfolding and what he can do to impact, what position to make, who to block, even if he doesn’t have any hope of touching the ball. I wonder what his 1% are like?

 

[Apex36]

It makes me wonder why it has taken until his fifth year and a near delisting to dedicate himself to building up physically and giving it a real shot.

There’s every chance that was a club driven thing. They might not have wanted him to bulk up too much because they still had a view that he could push in to the middle. It looks as though they’ve now settled on trying to make him in to a key defender and given him a program to bulk up as needed. I seriously doubt it has much to do with Reefs dedication.

 

[sideswipe]

There’s every chance that was a club driven thing. They might not have wanted him to bulk up too much because they still had a view that he could push in to the middle. It looks as though they’ve now settled on trying to make him in to a key defender and given him a program to bulk up as needed. I seriously doubt it has much to do with Reefs dedication.

That's what I thought when I saw those pics. Geez it'd be a great result if he transforms into a serviceable defender on the big boys.

 

[Dead Eye Didak]

Apologies for the intrusion just wanting to see how Harry Demattia is training? Played a lot of junior footy with my son was a gun but always thought he was a better cricketer.

Important season ahead for him, particularly having just re-signed for another 2 years. The club obviously thinks he has a role to play at senior level going forward.
Hasn't really been discussed this pre-season as a young player really standing out, but is training which is good for him, considering he had an interrupted pre-season last year.
Will look to get a game at senior level, more likely as that running, break the lines HB, but right now he is probably behind a couple of other players at the moment in Jacob Ryan and Tew Jiath.
I eventually can see him as a winger, but really needs to improve his running and endurance levels....

 

[sideswipe]

It's easy to forget how his career looked almost over a few years back. Missed a lot of footy.

I would just like to quote myself to point out the powerful jinx I put on Curnow that now sees him facing another bout of knee surgery.

 

[Big Bryza]

Carey too. Cameron. I hate to say it but that bloke at Carlton

Jack Silvagni?

 

[Obese Arachnid]

I would just like to quote myself to point out the powerful jinx I put on Curnow that now sees him facing another bout of knee surgery.

Not all great deeds are done on the football field.

 

[sideswipe]

Not all great deeds are done on the football field.

It takes a village.

 

[TheVillageIdiot7]

It takes a village.

Including the Idiot.

 

[sideswipe]

Including the Idiot.

Some of them are even useful.

 

[Jen2310]

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Pragmatic Shill]

Are we able to put a board-wide moratorium on pre-season hype on individual players that are as yet unproven for at least a couple of seasons if Reef ends up continuing his trend of a game here or there plus subbing in 2025?

I get wanting to be positive and excited but the comments about how he's an absolute lock to be our long-term Murphy replacement because he's had a couple of good training sessions before Christmas against teammates are going to be nauseating to look back on if he doesn't make it.

 

[Apex36]

Are we able to put a board-wide moratorium on pre-season hype on individual players that are as yet unproven for at least a couple of seasons if Reef ends up continuing his trend of a game here or there plus subbing in 2025?

I get wanting to be positive and excited but the comments about how he's an absolute lock to be our long-term Murphy replacement because he's had a couple of good training sessions before Christmas against teammates are going to be nauseating to look back on if he doesn't make it.

I don’t think anyone has said he’s a lock for anything. Preseason positivity is fine, it’s a welcome change from the glut of in season negativity that inevitably starts in March.

 

[Jen2310]

If you can't have positivity in pre-season, when can you lol It can quickly change. So we might as well enjoy something during summer.
Of course its all hope and optimism for reef right now. He's doing everything right; but once pre-season games comes around and the real thing we'll get a much clearer view if he can take the next step in this new position.

 

[ElliottsMaggies]

If you can't have positivity in pre-season, when can you lol It can quickly change. So we might as well enjoy something during summer.
Of course its all hope and optimism for reef right now. He's doing everything right; but once pre-season games comes around and the real thing we'll get a much clearer view if he can take the next step in this new position.

..and surely posting articles where our own players are speaking about teammates is allowed/encouraged

How else are we going to find out who's training well, positional changes, bulked up, etc etc..if it's not re-posted on here?

 

[ElliottsMaggies]

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Was this from Friday? Not today?

 

[Jen2310]

Was this from Friday? Not today?

Yes, Friday.
They're clearly a bit delayed.

 

[Pragmatic Shill]

I think there's a bit of missing of the point of my comment. Reef is entering his fifth year on an AFL list and so far as not fired a shot, yet the hype is off the charts. It's happened before with Macrae.

All I'm suggesting is if Reef ends up not doing anything marginally different next season maybe going forward we should all temper expectations a bit and not get sucked in and making sweeping statements.

 

[The Magnificent Seven]

I think there's a bit of missing of the point of my comment. Reef is entering his fifth year on an AFL list and so far as not fired a shot, yet the hype is off the charts. It's happened before with Macrae.

All I'm suggesting is if Reef ends up not doing anything marginally different next season maybe going forward we should all temper expectations a bit and not get sucked in and making sweeping statements.

I think the hyperbole is off the charts by saying 'Not fired a shot'. He's shown a lot, just not for long periods or consistently and that has not been entirely his fault.