Training Preseason Training Thread - 2024/25

[Keys]

all 4 NGA's and Charlie Banfield are at training.

There are all seriously exciting we are going to have to delist a lot of
player this time next year

Jake Caton and Wes Walley are the best of the trainers Wes has grown a little taller so around 183cm
and wants to spend time as a mid next year as well as forward for subi colts

Jake, Wes and Koby all got time as mids today in match sim

Jake Caton is very composed and has wonderful skills runs with a very straight back
didnt looked rushed has real class about him he reminds me a little of Murphy Reid Freo picked up
with his composure and skills

Koby was saying very outside of the pack for most of the session started quietly but got better as the training went on found more confidence
In one the drills got a handball from Hewitt who was on the ground lifted his arms above his head with the footy, stepped
away quickly from the contest and got the handball of nicely to a running teammate while being tackled
Was a impressive play in contest to move the ball out the way he did

Charlie Banfield was playing as a wing outside mid showed good support running but like Koby looked to find his confidence more the session went on

Tyler Williams left foot is deadly, doesn't look like he has a right foot at all so very one sided is quick agile small forward
like a phil matera type

Jobe Shanahan dropped a few marks today took some good ones as well but was moving around a lot better today.

Grego is Shannon Hurns favourite he runs similar to a smaller Yeo is hard composed and fast

Gross had a great training day looked really good a couple of outstanding picks up

Champion didnt notice very much today

Hamish HJ and Cole keep doing punishing 400 whole session was brutal

Jake Waterman had a leg injury early on in a forward drill and was limping slightly afterwards for rest of session

Hewitt beat Hall in some tackling contest at the end that had the players shouting

Allan was good again playing as mid role

Spoke to TK and Yeo and both think Hewitt is the mvp of this training period and both think will play round 1

Do like the look of Walley in particular - him wearing 71 and Dewar with 51 made it hard to differentiate the two at times

Banfield is quite similar to Hamish Davis in the way he runs/moves

Evans similar to Champion and I thought that bit of play you mentioned was Champion initially.

 

[ROYAL EAGLE]

Do like the look of Walley in particular - him wearing 71 and Dewar with 51 made it hard to differentiate the two at times

Banfield is quite similar to Hamish Davis in the way he runs/moves

Evans similar to Champion and I thought that bit of play you mentioned was Champion initially.

Yea Walley can be magical at times his kicking need to work on goes from brilliant to average at times
Needs to be more consistent the average ones gives too much air

Evans looked hunched back with that monitor on his back

Walley if was on the list now would make best 22 as a medium forward

Caton is one seriously like if he can move from half back to midfield for east perth and show that composure in tight
he is doing a WCE training looks very good prospect has a great handball in tight and seems to have time that many players dont

 

[mick06]

First one out for happy laps. Definitely being put through extra work. Dunno what Darren glass is doing though

 

[LittleFires]

They then broke into some at times bizarre high intensity drills in pairs - one of which involved one player bending over, and the other leapfrog jumping over them and then crawling through their legs, before switching over. They also did some work grappling on the ground.

This is what I was referring to. Very strange drill that I’ve never seen before

 

[tigger_ferret]

Harley may have an extra reason to be getting fit - I saw him early today getting a coffee and he was accompanied by a very attractive young blonde woman in gym gear who did not look like an AFLW player.

I need pics of this blonde in Gym gear please

 

[Longwthebreeze]

First time at training at MRP, loved it, could have soaked it up for hours..!
Great in-depth reports from the usual legends...
Will add-
Flyin grouped with the talls in initial, numerous running drills. Somewhat bizarre in itself, other than he's obviously rated to be one of the least fittest in the squad. He then proceeded to trail all the talls in said running. Definitely on notice as to if Mini makes early statement. Yeah, yeah, slow starter but was stark.
We have some interesting kicking techniques in the team and all-around kicking wasn't great with decent cross breeze however Dewar, Hewett, Long, Gross with solid techniques and Harley's bullets all nice to watch. Bo Allan's kicking seemed fine and impressed me with attacking midset, often looking long and piercing the defensive lines.
Some fumbles from Owies and Graham was a note to self to temper expectations but Graham's running is elite.
A standout was Archer Reid. Great composure and skill below knees during handball/ tackling drills in close. Big unit, bit of presence about him, smooth kicking in the open.
Barnett looked confident on track, good runner now.
Petch said he'd be right for season proper. I suspect he's battling for B22 along with plenty of mid/ older brigade.

Great signs for the future with the kids coming through. An attacking game plan built on pressure is a fascinating watch with this group and which players will now thrive...
I can't help but feel, the worst seasons in 4 years now over and the ladder climb is on..






On SM-A336E using BigFooty.com mobile app

 

[mattyc75]

Nah he's too fast and he doesn't call for the ball enough while running onto his opposite foot, he won't make it as our winger.

Sheed syndrome?

Sent from my SM-S921B using BigFooty.com mobile app

 

[WCE777]

First time at training at MRP, loved it, could have soaked it up for hours..!
Great in-depth reports from the usual legends...
Will add-
Flyin grouped with the talls in initial, numerous running drills. Somewhat bizarre in itself, other than he's obviously rated to be one of the least fittest in the squad. He then proceeded to trail all the talls in said running. Definitely on notice as to if Mini makes early statement. Yeah, yeah, slow starter but was stark.
We have some interesting kicking techniques in the team and all-around kicking wasn't great with decent cross breeze however Dewar, Hewett, Long, Gross with solid techniques and Harley's bullets all nice to watch. Bo Allan's kicking seemed fine and impressed me with attacking midset, often looking long and piercing the defensive lines.
Some fumbles from Owies and Graham was a note to self to temper expectations but Graham's running is elite.
A standout was Archer Reid. Great composure and skill below knees during handball/ tackling drills in close. Big unit, bit of presence about him, smooth kicking in the open.
Barnett looked confident on track, good runner now.
Petch said he'd be right for season proper. I suspect he's battling for B22 along with plenty of mid/ older brigade.

Great signs for the future with the kids coming through. An attacking game plan built on pressure is a fascinating watch with this group and which players will now thrive...
I can't help but feel, the worst seasons in 4 years now over and the ladder climb is on..






On SM-A336E using BigFooty.com mobile app

thanks

 

[FKASC]

I need pics of this blonde in Gym gear please

Carn

 

[FKASC]

View attachment 2189943

This is what I was referring to. Very strange drill that I’ve never seen before

Is that Baker trying to make up for his lack of height? Mini and Clarke will do anything to appease these Richmond campaigners

sack Pyke

 

[Bender_]

To finish, the players and coaches all got in a circle and appeared to nominate Hewett and Hall to get in the middle, who then started full-on wrestling each other. Hewett won, and they had to be ripped away from each other to stop.

 

[PremiershipNo4]

I made it down to training today too, just few things.
•1st up, a real intensity and pace to the training drills.
•If Hewett and Reid can play the year together in the midfield, it’s clearly going to be exciting to watch, want to see them in the centre square together at the 1st bounce 2025
•Maric is a better kick than the majority of the team, low flat passes, beautiful!
•Long was positioned at the feet of Allen and Waterman, I think he’d be a good chance to start Rd 1, as opposed to the thinking of some other posters.
•Lot’s of in close handballing and tackling pressure drills, outstanding intensity, Baker really does lead so well in that area.
•Flynn moving really well, if he and Bailey are both fit and firing I’m not sure who will get the nod.
•Jamieson is a solid lad, and by the volume of running work he did, won’t be far off joining the main group.
•Greggo has good intensity, loves the contest.
•Bo Allan the most likely to play round 1, of the new recruits.
•Good numbers on the track, rehab group getting smaller and smaller.


Well done to the WC footy club, coaches, players, trainers etc, great training session very professional in warm conditions the boys were having a red hot go, which is all we want as supporters. Good on all the supporters for getting down there too, a great turnout.

I don’t think we will be easy beats by any stretch this year, I’m genuinely of the opinion that we’ll win a few more than many people think.

 

[Cuzz09]

Hopefully Malaki is just finding his feet not overawed by everything.

Be good if he could bring some x factor

Sent from my SM-S908E using BigFooty.com mobile app

 

[twce13]

 

[Spooky17]

It’s so refreshing to have genuine training reports, rather than the meme one. Thanks to all those who got down there today, I really appreciate it. I’m definitely optimistic for the season ahead.

 

[bzparkes]

It’s so refreshing to have genuine training reports, rather than the meme one.

 

[We_The_West]

• Jamieson, Hutchinson and Petruccelle did what has become their usual running program away from the main group. Bailey Williams joined them for a bit but spent a little bit more time with the main group

Given the time of the year, I'm assuming this would be the main window of opportunity/time for players with particular areas of concern to be focusing on their strengthening and physical therapy parts of their program. Being held back in the running and doing lighter sessions but keeping with the active recovery idea.

After his improvement across the 2019 season and some bumper games in 2021 I was optimistic Petch could carve out a career at AFL level. I'm hoping the new game plan and a visit to Qatar set him up for a career best year.

 

[We_The_West]

A standout was Archer Reid. Great composure and skill below knees during handball/ tackling drills in close. Big unit, bit of presence about him, smooth kicking in the open.
Barnett looked confident on track, good runner now.

Really enjoyed reading this - as well as the positive signs from Shanahan.

 

[Wedgetailed Westerner]

As expected, the last session before Christmas was a pretty big one - and longer than advertised on the club’s website which said 9-11am. The players came out at 9:15 and continued until 11:45, when they broke off to sign autographs. A couple hundred people here to watch the boys train - school holidays bringing plenty of people out.

The session consisted of a fairly long warm up, followed by about half an hour of skills work. They then did some ball movement drills, broken up by several 400m runs, where the tallest/slowest players would start first and the quickest would go last, so they all finished roughly at the same time.

At 10:30 they did a 10-minute match simulation type drill, followed by sprints and then set shots. They then broke into some at times bizarre high intensity drills in pairs - one of which involved one player bending over, and the other leapfrog jumping over them and then crawling through their legs, before switching over. They also did some work grappling on the ground.

They then did a ball movement drill with the coaches as the oppo team, followed by more 400m runs, and then a 15-minute match simulation, followed by more run throughs.

To finish, the players and coaches all got in a circle and appeared to nominate Hewett and Hall to get in the middle, who then started full-on wrestling each other. Hewett won, and they had to be ripped away from each other to stop.

Details on who did/didn’t train:

• There was a huge playing contingent on track today. I spotted every member of the playing squad at some point, + 12-14ish extras. Must have been almost 55 players out there.
• Several members (around 10) of the WAFL Eagles trained with the group - I counted Lucassen, Burke, Henderson, Eastough, McCarthy and Luke Yeo, but there were a few others I didn’t recognise.
• There were 5 youngsters on the track too - Walley, Evans, Banfield and 2 others who I didn’t recognise (but I think have been discussed on this thread recently). One looked indigenous and the other was shorter and had a mullet
• Sandy Brock was out there as he continues his train-on stint
• Of all the listed players I saw Sheed did the least - came out about an hour after they had started and didn’t do anything of note other than watching and chatting to some of the boys.
• Edwards and Chesser did the next-least, walking laps to start and doing a bit of kick-to-kick, before heading inside around 9:30.
• Hutchinson did the warm-up with the main group for about 10 minutes before splitting off and running along the boundary. He then did some kicking work before finishing up around 9:45. I did see someone begin working on the stairs for about 20 mins, shortly after he left - I couldn’t really see who it was but assuming it was Hutch as most other players were on the track at this point.
• Jamieson and Petruccelle worked away from the main group from the start, beginning with running the boundary, before moving onto some kick-to-kick with each other, and then some different run throughs - here Jamo had to hold a long pole behind his head as he ran, while Petch had to run while a trainer held him back with a resistance band. Jamo went inside just after 10, Petch continued a bit longer with some goal-kicking before finishing up around 10:30
• Graham, Ginbey and Bailey Williams did the first 45ish mins with the main group before splitting off and running laps, and then moving onto kicking work. They all moved freely - I assume Graham and Ginbey are still having their loads managed, while Williams is working back from his hammy. All 3 had finished up by 10:30
• Cole, Davis and Johnston (who was still wearing a right arm brace) did the first half hour with the main group before splitting off and completing a lengthy running session. In the middle of that they did some light skill work, where Johnston and Davis heavily favoured their non-injured arms/hands, while Cole looked more confident using both hands. They continued running laps until about 11:20 before finishing up
• Harley Reid came out a little before the rest of the group did and ran some laps before joining the main group for their warm up. From there he completed around 60-70% of the session - was held out of a couple of the drills but generally ran laps by himself when that happened. He finished up around 30 mins before everyone else
• Barnett (calf) did the vast majority of the session, only being held out of the second match simulation and a couple of other drills.
• Long and Yeo were held out of the odd drill but otherwise trained fully
• Bazzo, Hewett, Hough and McGovern did the whole session.
• The draftees didn’t join in with the 400m runs (instead doing their own run throughs) but otherwise completed the rest of the session with the main group.

There wasn’t a huge amount to note from the match sim, but a few other points of interest from today:

• Harley ran past where I was sitting and he looks in better shape than when I first saw him about a month ago. Still probably 1-2kg over his ideal playing weight but tracking in the right direction
• Was impressed by the intensity Kelly brought today - didn’t just cruise along like he sometimes can
• Brockman and Gross had some nice moments in the match sim
• Livingstone stayed out to complete extra run throughs after the squad had finished up and were signing autographs

Unfortunately this’ll be the last session I get to for the rest of preseason as I’ll be heading overseas soon for the next few months.

It does seem though that we’re in reasonable shape heading into the break - I’d expect only Edwards, Chesser, Sheed, Jamieson and maybe Petruccelle to be limited post-Christmas in any meaningful way, with the other rehab guys all tracking well towards getting back into full training.

Say hi to Phil for me

 

[SurfnTurf]

Late to the party. Got to yesterday's training too, nice long session for the boys, might have had a slightly different vantage to others so some additional observations:

• Harley first player out with a trainer 1 on 1. Did a few slow run throughs/warm up. Initially thought he looked a little stiff/proppy, but on reflection, he was taking it easy and ended up taking part in a good chunk of the session, running it out well. One highlight was once the whole group was out, he and Hewitt were in the middle of one of the running groups and both were tasked to chase down the front pack, which they did, with Hewitt taking the overall win in a sprint to the line. Lots of encouragement from the boys in the race - good vibes.
• Waterman's leadership was a highlight - loudest voice in the forward line, spending good chunks of time with Shanahan explaining leading patterns and field positioning, similar with Malakai and lots of encouragement in general for the boys. At one stage was telling Oscar where to position. Good with the crowd too, cracking jokes post training.
• Owies looked OK, was nippy and trained hard but was a little fumbly at times... Like for like replacement for Cripps in 2026 if he retires.
• Didn't see/hear much from Baker and Graham, but might just have been where I was sitting. Baker paired up with Hall quite often in the drills, might be giving him some mentorship. Seem similar personalities.
• Brock is a great size and has good skills, but his positioning was a bit off and was beaten by Shanahan (or almost whoever else were on him) in match sims. Misjudged the flight of a ball at one stage, with Waterman marking behind him. I'd trial another train on option, and thought Barnett looked just as good as him on the day. Barnett definitely had the edge fitness wise, leading many of the running packs for the bigger blokes, so is (hopefully) building towards a decent 2025. He was also good with the crowd after training.
• On Shanahan, he looks bloody good, nice size and overhead marking was a highlight, taking the ball at the highest point with strong hands. Confident too, but also keen to learn. Reckon we've got a good one here. Was with the forwards.
• Hall has a bit of mongrel about him, very vocal and not always in a positive way. The 1 on 1 wrestle with Hewitt at the end was a classic - the boys formed a ring which he and Hewett smashed through grappling each other, Hewett well on top pinning Hall down, where it then almost descended into a proper scrap, with the boys eventually pulling them apart. Boys got around Hall afterwards, he wasn't happy losing, but was out there till the end signing autographs and joking with the crowd - clearly a passionate/intense bloke.
• Like others, thought, Hewett looked good - probably one of the standouts from an effort/involvement perspective, with lots of encouragement from coaching team too. Was in/out of the match sims at times, with some direction from staff. Looks hungry/determined for a big 2025.
• Ginbey still being held out of quite a few sessions, he's being managed or has a minor niggle. Spent a fair amount of time in front of us just watching sessions, holding a pair of runners. Spent some time one on one with a trainer doing kick to kick.
• Hough looking bloody good, super consistent in everything he does as always, and has put on some bulk, going to be even better in 2025.

Match sims were entertaining, couple of observations/highlights:

• Lots of focus on moving it forward, and quickly, as others have said. At one stage, Brock called for a switch/backwards kick in the backline which Maric honored - coaching team called it back to Maric to take a more direct approach. Lots of pushing to go straight up the guts, rather than down wings or switching play. Fast ball movement a highlight.
• Maric got a bit of it, including breaking some lines from defence and looked good, but also made a couple of kicking errors so still has a bit to learn in his new position.
• Harley with a monstrous fend off in the middle at one stage, sprinted off then a bullet pass to a team mate.
• Oscar took a massive hanger in a pack, would have been a mark of the week season proper.
• Oscar and Jake key forwards, with Shanahan subbing in. Didn't see Oscar play back on the day. As mentioned, Jake the strongest of the key forwards. Didn't see much of A.Reid, but he played forward but didn't spend much time at our end of the ground.
• Thought Brockman was pretty average in training, but like Ryan, came alive in match sims. Positioning was great, fast and good skills - actually looked pretty dangerous.
• Malakai is tiny height wise, but already becoming a nugget. Going to be a solid unit. Popped up and did a few nice things in the sims, but was in/out of play. Needs to spend a good chunk of time in the WAFL, but there's a bit to work with.
• Gross got a fair bit of the ball, highlight was a 360 spin out of a tackle and burst through the centre, then hitting a leading player on the chest. Fubbed a kick into the forward line after taking a mark later, but the coaches brought it back and gave him another crack. May be nudging for a spot in the senior side sooner than expected next year. Long and he look similar types, and not much between them performance wise.

All in all, it was positive session to end the year. Still a lot of work to do for the boys, but vibe was decent and the young blokes coming through are having a good crack.

 

[EagleMan87]

Loving all the training reports, thanks all!

Definitely feels like a different vibe this time around; hoping the boys go on with it and start the climb back up the ladder.

 

[RookiePick]

• Hall has a bit of mongrel about him, very vocal and not always in a positive way. The 1 on 1 wrestle with Hewitt at the end was a classic - the boys formed a ring which he and Hewett smashed through grappling each other, Hewett well on top pinning Hall down, where it then almost descended into a proper scrap, with the boys eventually pulling them apart. Boys got around Hall afterwards, he wasn't happy losing, but was out there till the end signing autographs and joking with the crowd - clearly a passionate/intense bloke.

Hall vs Hairline should be an enthralling battle over the next 24 months.

 

[WCE777]

Late to the party. Got to yesterday's training too, nice long session for the boys, might have had a slightly different vantage to others so some additional observations:

• Harley first player out with a trainer 1 on 1. Did a few slow run throughs/warm up. Initially thought he looked a little stiff/proppy, but on reflection, he was taking it easy and ended up taking part in a good chunk of the session, running it out well. One highlight was once the whole group was out, he and Hewitt were in the middle of one of the running groups and both were tasked to chase down the front pack, which they did, with Hewitt taking the overall win in a sprint to the line. Lots of encouragement from the boys in the race - good vibes.
• Waterman's leadership was a highlight - loudest voice in the forward line, spending good chunks of time with Shanahan explaining leading patterns and field positioning, similar with Malakai and lots of encouragement in general for the boys. At one stage was telling Oscar where to position. Good with the crowd too, cracking jokes post training.
• Owies looked OK, was nippy and trained hard but was a little fumbly at times... Like for like replacement for Cripps in 2026 if he retires.
• Didn't see/hear much from Baker and Graham, but might just have been where I was sitting. Baker paired up with Hall quite often in the drills, might be giving him some mentorship. Seem similar personalities.
• Brock is a great size and has good skills, but his positioning was a bit off and was beaten by Shanahan (or almost whoever else were on him) in match sims. Misjudged the flight of a ball at one stage, with Waterman marking behind him. I'd trial another train on option, and thought Barnett looked just as good as him on the day. Barnett definitely had the edge fitness wise, leading many of the running packs for the bigger blokes, so is (hopefully) building towards a decent 2025. He was also good with the crowd after training.
• On Shanahan, he looks bloody good, nice size and overhead marking was a highlight, taking the ball at the highest point with strong hands. Confident too, but also keen to learn. Reckon we've got a good one here. Was with the forwards.
• Hall has a bit of mongrel about him, very vocal and not always in a positive way. The 1 on 1 wrestle with Hewitt at the end was a classic - the boys formed a ring which he and Hewett smashed through grappling each other, Hewett well on top pinning Hall down, where it then almost descended into a proper scrap, with the boys eventually pulling them apart. Boys got around Hall afterwards, he wasn't happy losing, but was out there till the end signing autographs and joking with the crowd - clearly a passionate/intense bloke.
• Like others, thought, Hewett looked good - probably one of the standouts from an effort/involvement perspective, with lots of encouragement from coaching team too. Was in/out of the match sims at times, with some direction from staff. Looks hungry/determined for a big 2025.
• Ginbey still being held out of quite a few sessions, he's being managed or has a minor niggle. Spent a fair amount of time in front of us just watching sessions, holding a pair of runners. Spent some time one on one with a trainer doing kick to kick.
• Hough looking bloody good, super consistent in everything he does as always, and has put on some bulk, going to be even better in 2025.

Match sims were entertaining, couple of observations/highlights:

• Lots of focus on moving it forward, and quickly, as others have said. At one stage, Brock called for a switch/backwards kick in the backline which Maric honored - coaching team called it back to Maric to take a more direct approach. Lots of pushing to go straight up the guts, rather than down wings or switching play. Fast ball movement a highlight.
• Maric got a bit of it, including breaking some lines from defence and looked good, but also made a couple of kicking errors so still has a bit to learn in his new position.
• Harley with a monstrous fend off in the middle at one stage, sprinted off then a bullet pass to a team mate.
• Oscar took a massive hanger in a pack, would have been a mark of the week season proper.
• Oscar and Jake key forwards, with Shanahan subbing in. Didn't see Oscar play back on the day. As mentioned, Jake the strongest of the key forwards. Didn't see much of A.Reid, but he played forward but didn't spend much time at our end of the ground.
• Thought Brockman was pretty average in training, but like Ryan, came alive in match sims. Positioning was great, fast and good skills - actually looked pretty dangerous.
• Malakai is tiny height wise, but already becoming a nugget. Going to be a solid unit. Popped up and did a few nice things in the sims, but was in/out of play. Needs to spend a good chunk of time in the WAFL, but there's a bit to work with.
• Gross got a fair bit of the ball, highlight was a 360 spin out of a tackle and burst through the centre, then hitting a leading player on the chest. Fubbed a kick into the forward line after taking a mark later, but the coaches brought it back and gave him another crack. May be nudging for a spot in the senior side sooner than expected next year. Long and he look similar types, and not much between them performance wise.

All in all, it was positive session to end the year. Still a lot of work to do for the boys, but vibe was decent and the young blokes coming through are having a good crack.

thanks, very comprehensive and great read.
Not to mention anyone in particular but watched Gross highlights recently and the comparison to Toby Greene seem to be fitting by his training reports, looks like we got a ripper there?

 

[SurfnTurf]

thanks, very comprehensive and great read.
Not to mention anyone in particular but watched Gross highlights recently and the comparison to Toby Greene seem to be fitting by his training reports, looks like we got a ripper there?

Yeah he looks solid. I don't think he has the explosiveness and athleticism of Greene, but he was pretty gassed during components of the training/sims so that could be fatigue based. Seems like he has good footy smarts and knows where to position himself, natural footy player, like Greene, and will probably end up a similar build.

 

[Astro7]

View attachment 2189943

This is what I was referring to. Very strange drill that I’ve never seen before

Like primary school sports carnival? Leapfrog, potato sack and egg&spoon?