Training Preseason Training Thread - 2024/25

[Keys]

Players return to the club from their Christmas break on January 9

 

[Yeahnahmate]

Imagine if it was possible to have both attributes.

This is why Bont is so special a player

 

[Yeahnahmate]

Or make him fit and fat shame him.

We don’t need him as an unaccountable forward having ginbey types run off him.

Now we don’t need our best players, ahhhh preseason

 

[Get_The_Gaff]

No, there’s no way they’ll play Archer as the second ruck. We’ve seen what that did to Oscar. If we go with a Shaun Grigg approach elsewhere then maybe Archer pushes him out but that’s a very tall forward line with none of them rucking.

Nah jack Williams is the perfect prototype for the back up ruck .

Genuine forward who is a great body on body ruck who also has the ability to mark and accumulate around the ground when on ball.

 

[Goroyals22]

Now we don’t need our best players, ahhhh preseason

No we need our best players fit, not thinking they are above everyone else and acceptable standards… beep test him every session until he gets upto the mark


Sent from my iPhone using BigFooty.com

 

[Get_The_Gaff]

All sounds very Dusty-esque, I like it

Petracca was a terrible runner and had poor endurance when first drafted. It wasn't until after his ACL did he start putting in the work to become genuinely midfield fit

 

[ghostbat12]

Petracca was a terrible runner and had poor endurance when first drafted. It wasn't until after his ACL did he start putting in the work to become genuinely midfield fit

Did petracca say his weakness was McDonald’s?

 

[Keys]

They mentioned in the West that Hough was getting treatment on hip or groin? Anyone know anything else about that? That can't be good, especially if it's groin related.....

Pre-Christmas he mainly trained away from the main group and only started to participate more fully in the last week or so. I presumed that was due to the knee injury he sustained in the Geelong game

This seems new but wouldn’t be the first time the west has hinted at an issue that turned out to be nothing (To be fair, there’s also been instances where there was a problem)

He’ll be a watch next week

 

[Yeahnahmate]

There is no mark. Masto was our best runner for his career but was he our best player? They all have different attributes, and yes they need to be at AFL standard, but there is a range there. Harley to date hasn’t been elite with endurance, and had a couple setbacks prior to Christmas to consider also.

There isn’t doubt he’d be working on his run, but you don’t necessarily know he’s gone backwards against his own benchmarks in this area. The headline here is one of our average runners still is. Dusty trained the same but was a power athlete who still went pretty well at impacting come game day. Similar on type. Rarely do you see truly elite power athletes (Harley would be close to top of the tree with regards to this) also dominate endurance wise. I think if niggles are behind him he’s in for a massive 2025 despite what some on here are inferring about his training standards

 

[Yeahnahmate]

Shoutout these two absolute animals

 

[Astro7]

There isn’t doubt he’d be working on his run, but you don’t necessarily know he’s gone backwards against his own benchmarks in this area. The headline here is one of our average runners still is. Dusty trained the same but was a power athlete who still went pretty well at impacting come game day. Similar on type. Rarely do you see truly elite power athletes (Harley would be close to top of the tree with regards to this) also dominate endurance wise. I think if niggles are behind him he’s in for a massive 2025 despite what some on here are inferring about his training standards

Agree, although if he's come back with a fat bum and a pudding tum, it falls short a little of an elite sportsman keeping himself in top condition. However he had been on limited training due to minor injuries. With almost 2 months before season starts, it shouldn't be a concern. There are different body types and metabolisms also.

It's the least of his worries; his main concern will be dealing with the target on his back, but he now has a stronger crew around him in a different game style.
Should be a big season for him.

 

[Keys]

Couple of takeaways

1) The sponsor logos on McQualters shirt look shit. Way too prominent
2) We’re playing Richmond on February 17 apparently- hadn’t heard this before. Only knew about the preseason game v North in Bunbury on March 1.

 

[Monsterdarlz]

Ginbey looked really good down back, didn't look "lost" at all

Key fowards would look lost at key back posts small fowards as small defenders ect.

My post was mostly regarding his game sense as a midfielder given that would have been the hopes for him when we drafted him.

But agreed very good back man

 

[Byron_Clanger]

Couple of takeaways

1) The sponsor logos on McQualters shirt look shit. Way too prominent
2) We’re playing Richmond on February 17 apparently- hadn’t heard this before. Only knew about the preseason game v North in Bunbury on March 1.

The Twitter version of this vid. Also with the ads looking more prominent's probably to do with his top being navy blue instead of royal blue

And just spotted our boy Grego got some ink as well

 

[Elite Pete]

Couple of takeaways

1) The sponsor logos on McQualters shirt look shit. Way too prominent
2) We’re playing Richmond on February 17 apparently- hadn’t heard this before. Only knew about the preseason game v North in Bunbury on March 1.

Was wondering who we would get for the other trial.

Feb 17th vs Tigers
Two week gap
Vs Roos

Internal in the week between games?

 

[squashface]

Ngl I get high school teacher vibes from McQualter the way he addresses the players.

 

[Kegs15]

There is no mark. Masto was our best runner for his career but was he our best player? They all have different attributes, and yes they need to be at AFL standard, but there is a range there. Harley to date hasn’t been elite with endurance, and had a couple setbacks prior to Christmas to consider also.

There isn’t doubt he’d be working on his run, but you don’t necessarily know he’s gone backwards against his own benchmarks in this area. The headline here is one of our average runners still is. Dusty trained the same but was a power athlete who still went pretty well at impacting come game day. Similar on type. Rarely do you see truly elite power athletes (Harley would be close to top of the tree with regards to this) also dominate endurance wise. I think if niggles are behind him he’s in for a massive 2025 despite what some on here are inferring about his training standards

In general I agree with not being overly concerned at this stage, however going deeper into his career I think he'll be a bit of a different player to Dusty and need to adjust his preparation accordingly. Despite being similar athletes with similar skillsets mentally they're quite different IMO.

Dusty always had more of a casual, cooler confidence - he never really seemed to care what the opposition was doing and would be happy to jog around for a few minutes at a time and not touch it, with a reassuredness that he'd get a crucial possession or goal. If he kept the same energy levels as his opponents he knew he'd best them with all his other attributes when it counted so didn't need to match them running all day, and had the temperament to make that work.

Harley on the other hand seems to fire up at his opposition - he wants to beat them, take them on, be where the action is. Putting him away from the midfield early on last season didn't seem to work as well as just unleashing him around the ball. His elite game sense, competitiveness and all-round attributes got him some big numbers but towards the end of the year with the opposition attention and getting followed around and wrestled with all game he was still involved but that explosiveness seemed to drop off somewhat. You got the sense that even without elite fitness he'd run himself into the ground trying to compete which meant he was punching above his limitations in that way, which is awesome but not something you want him doing all season every game for his whole career.

Think his more combative, in-your-face confidence is something that needs to be harnessed and will make him just as good a player as Dusty, perhaps with more midfield time and hopefully even being less one-way and with a higher contested presence. However think to become a player that matches his attitude he'll need a bit more fitness comparatively to maintain his explosiveness after he's competed more than Dusty typically might have 3/4 into a game.

 

[Obeanie1]

They mentioned in the West that Hough was getting treatment on hip or groin? Anyone know anything else about that? That can't be good, especially if it's groin related.....

My 19yr old yesterday showed me a photo of The Hough on holiday riding a scooter with girlfriend on the back.

Judging from that photo.......it could be a groin issue.

 

[Obeanie1]

Beefed up, absolute beast!
Hope he can get his ruck abilities back on track and have a good 2025.

He will become a seriously big unit when he hits mid to late 20's Barnett.

Huge hands.

 

[Astro7]

Some midfield beasts...

 

[THE A5]

It’s good to see Barnett has put on size but thats not his issue. When drafted he was more physically developed than a lot 18 years old ruckmen and last season would have been around the mid 90kgs which is a frame that is big enough to be competitive.

 

[bUCKET__]

Harley with his maccas, Ginbey with his festival antics, Hewett vaping in recruiter's faces. Then your classic nice guys like Chess and Duggan. Important to have a balanced midfield.