Training Training reports 2024

[DarkPhoenix]

Pink showed enough to see that there's definitely something there to work with.

My arseh*le physically puckers whenever I see Chom barrelling into a contest.

 

[Sphynx]

It's hard to take anything but positives from an intraclub setup, but just like with the Australia day outing, my biggest takeaway is how lucky we are to be witnessing Sheezel, Wardlaw, and McKercher all coming through at the same time.

They are still only teenagers! I can't state enough how special that trio is. They have the chance to be the face of our club for the next fifteen years. If those three are our reward for these last three awful years, then the early signs are that it was all worth it.

Sellers was the only VFL-listed player to have a number, and also the only player to have a stint in the blue team. You'd think he is close to earning that final list spot if it hasn't already been decided.

Plenty to like from names like Duursma, Dawson, Hardeman, George, and Maley with an eye to the future. It was also hard not to love the efforts from Lazzaro, Xerri, and Goater.

David King specifically called Sellers out on Twitter last night also.

I suspect you are right.

Maley, whilst promising in the air, moved and looked like a ruckman in that game (awkward kicking and all), full AFL footy is only quicker. It's harsh to make judgement this early, but speed and agility isn't something development coaches can improve. He'd have to be a ruck/fwd at AFL level and I'm not sure he has the size at 197cm.

With Comben moving back, we need a viable second tall forward options and he's the best available. Sellers looked really good next to Larkey, almost like they had been training together for years.

He looked more athletic than I thought he would, definitely some similarities with someone like Mihocek.

Mihocek is 192 and Sellers is 193. They have similar body shapes and athletic ability imo.

Sellers kicked 34 odd goals for the VFL season, but he actually kicked about 25 in the second half of the season. Burgess won the Frosty Miller with 51.

The only consideration would be if we are likely bottom 2-3 and there's no long term injuries in the first half of the season, then we wont have a MSD pick.

Sellers is almost at the point of disregarding that. I actually think he'd play plenty of footy at AFL level this year based on yesterday if he was added to the list.

 

[Only Forwards]

It's hard to take anything but positives from an intraclub setup, but just like with the Australia day outing, my biggest takeaway is how lucky we are to be witnessing Sheezel, Wardlaw, and McKercher all coming through at the same time.

Sheezel and Wardlaw have walked into the club as top draft picks to a bottom club and it is pretty clear that they see it as their job to move us off the bottom.

Sheez especially oozes this sort of leadership.

For those that believe in footy gods then this is the antidote to how we came to have the picks to accumulate those two. We lost a rat and gained a pathway out.

It feels like we are building a critical mass of players who are going to push each other to get better.

 

[Makeshift Park]

The only consideration would be if we are likely bottom 2-3 and there's no long term injuries in the first half of the season, then we wont have a MSD pick.

The TT situation might render that a non-issue too.

 

[JGreezy]

Based on today and previous preseason reports:

Goater Pink McDonald
Sheezel Comben Mckercher

Scott LDU Lazzaro
Xerri Wardlaw Phillips

Tucker Zurhaar Simpkin
Curtis Larkey George

I:The rest

S:Stephenson

FB: Dawson - Pink - Goater
HB: Scott - Corr/Comben - Sheezel
C: Stephens - Powell - Tucker
HF: Stevo - CCJ - Simpkin
FF: Zurhaar - Larkey - Curtis
Foll: Xerri - LDU - Lazzaro

Int: Wardlaw, McKercher, Lmac, Duursma/Ford
Sub: Fisher/Greenwood

CHF could be CCJ, Greenwood or Sellers. Or maybe even Ford.
If Corr is fit then he kicks out one of Pink, Comben or Dawson. I'm not certain which one.

Ford probably kicks Duursma out but it depends on his fitness level.

 

[Makeshift Park]

FB: Dawson - Pink - Goater
HB: Scott - Corr/Comben - Sheezel
C: Stephens - Powell - Tucker
HF: Stevo - CCJ - Simpkin
FF: Zurhaar - Larkey - Curtis
Foll: Xerri - LDU - Lazzaro

Int: Wardlaw, McKercher, Lmac, Duursma/Ford
Sub: Fisher/Greenwood

CHF could be CCJ, Greenwood or Sellers. Or maybe even Ford.
If Corr is fit then he kicks out one of Pink, Comben or Dawson. I'm not certain which one.

Ford probably kicks Duursma out but it depends on his fitness level.

I don't really get why we're trying to move Scott back to HBF when we have more talent available to play at half back than on our wings.

What does he bring that Sheezel, McKercher, Goater and Fisher don't?

Meanwhile, he's the only proven wingman we have.

 

[roos_fanatic08]

David King specifically called Sellers out on Twitter last night also.

I suspect you are right.

Maley, whilst promising in the air, moved and looked like a ruckman in that game (awkward kicking and all), full AFL footy is only quicker. It's harsh to make judgement this early, but speed and agility isn't something development coaches can improve. He'd have to be a ruck/fwd at AFL level and I'm not sure he has the size at 197cm.

With Comben moving back, we need a viable second tall forward options and he's the best available. Sellers looked really good next to Larkey, almost like they had been training together for years.

He looked more athletic than I thought he would, definitely some similarities with someone like Mihocek.

Mihocek is 192 and Sellers is 193. They have similar body shapes and athletic ability imo.

Sellers kicked 34 odd goals for the VFL season, but he actually kicked about 25 in the second half of the season. Burgess won the Frosty Miller with 51.

The only consideration would be if we are likely bottom 2-3 and there's no long term injuries in the first half of the season, then we wont have a MSD pick.

Sellers is almost at the point of disregarding that. I actually think he'd play plenty of footy at AFL level this year based on yesterday if he was added to the list.

I seen a bit of Maley late in the season last year for Coburg and despite looking awkward, he is deceptively quick and has a good leap. His kicking, particularly his short kicks need a lot of work though. Definitely more suited to playing as a forward than a ruck though.

I really wouldn’t mind if we torched the MSD pick, in favour of Sellers. Despite having early picks in the MSD we have yet to nail one and I’m not confident that will change. Additionally, come mid season it’s very rare for a club to not have one player on the LTI so there is still a chance of a pick.

Sellers just has natural footy craft, he is a strong contested mark, works hard and is pretty solid at ground level too. Plenty of upside as well considering he hasn’t played the elite level.

 

[lockheed]

FB: Dawson - Pink - Goater
HB: Scott - Corr/Comben - Sheezel
C: Stephens - Powell - Tucker
HF: Stevo - CCJ - Simpkin
FF: Zurhaar - Larkey - Curtis
Foll: Xerri - LDU - Lazzaro

Int: Wardlaw, McKercher, Lmac, Duursma/Ford
Sub: Fisher/Greenwood

CHF could be CCJ, Greenwood or Sellers. Or maybe even Ford.
If Corr is fit then he kicks out one of Pink, Comben or Dawson. I'm not certain which one.

Ford probably kicks Duursma out but it depends on his fitness level.

Harvey is probably knocking on the door for an interchange position.

 

[ferball]

What struck me watching the 10 min match sim highlights, was that he never actually HAD the ball. Some tackling and harassing, but didn't touch it. Selective clips? Or genuinely didn't have a good day?

I didn't notice him alot in yellow till I worked out who he was. Some of his kicking was ridiculously good.

 

[Sphynx]

Harvey is probably knocking on the door for an interchange position.

If Harvey plays like he did yesterday, he's booting PC out of that pocket.

As promising as PC is, he's had 36 games of AFL footy and had more than 11 disposals 6 times.

With the amount of talent on the list we need to keep a more open mind moving forward than we've previously had.

I'd have no problem starting PC in the VFL if Harvey repeats that performance against Collingwood and St Kilda.

 

[berniemccarthy]

Think you are a bit deluded and bias if you think we’re top 8 this year. I’m just not living in fantasy land like some of our fans.

Biased. Bias is a noun. It’s a thing. Biased is an adjective. It’s used when describing someone with bias. Please feel free to adopt. Herewith endeth the lesson.

 

[My Left Foote]

I don't really get why we're trying to move Scott back to HBF when we have more talent available to play at half back than on our wings.

What does he bring that Sheezel, McKercher, Goater and Fisher don't?

Meanwhile, he's the only proven wingman we have.

He brings experience, Sheezel aside whose football intelligence is belies his age, all of K Dawson, Pink, Comben, Goater and McKercher have so little AFL experience. I suspect it's a stop gap and will change once Fisher, Corr, McDonald and eventually Logue are injury free and playing regularly.

 

[Makeshift Park]

Biased. Bias is a noun. It’s a thing. Biased is an adjective. It’s used when describing someone with bias. Please feel free to adopt. Herewith endeth the lesson.

Another good example of an adjective is pernickety.

 

[Makeshift Park]

He brings experience. Sheezel aside whose football intelligence is belies his age all of K Dawson, Pink, Comben, Goater and McKercher have so little AFL experience. I suspect it's a stop gap and will change once Fisher, Corr, McDonald and eventually Logue are injury free and playing regularly.

That makes sense.

But what I saw of McKercher yesterday suggested to me that he'll have little issue adjusting to the top level in that position.

Though its possible my assessment is being distorted by how damn excited I am at the prospect of pairing him up with the Sheeze.

 

[berniemccarthy]

FB: Dawson - Pink - Goater
HB: Scott - Corr/Comben - Sheezel
C: Stephens - Powell - Tucker
HF: Stevo - CCJ - Simpkin
FF: Zurhaar - Larkey - Curtis
Foll: Xerri - LDU - Lazzaro

Int: Wardlaw, McKercher, Lmac, Duursma/Ford
Sub: Fisher/Greenwood

CHF could be CCJ, Greenwood or Sellers. Or maybe even Ford.
If Corr is fit then he kicks out one of Pink, Comben or Dawson. I'm not certain which one.

Ford probably kicks Duursma out but it depends on his fitness level.

At the moment the only asset CCJ has is size.

Another good example of an adjective is pernickety.

So is ignorant

 

[Sphynx]

That makes sense.

But what I saw of McKercher yesterday suggested to me that he'll have little issue adjusting to the top level in that position.

Though its possible my assessment is being distorted by how damn excited I am at the prospect of pairing him up with the Sheeze.

Nah, like Sheezel, it's obvious from the very first moment you see him, this kid is destined to be in the top 1% of players in the comp.

I'm completely comfortable in saying he will be in our best half a dozen players by the end of the first qtr of Rnd 1.

With JHF (to a lesser extent) Phillips, even the likes of Cunners, Ziebell, LDU, Hansen, Thomas, McDonald etc There were plenty of question marks initially around parts of their games. Endurance, speed, strength, ability to find the ball at AFL level, adapt to the speed.

Wardlaw was a little different given how underdone he was. He looked better than all of the above in his first game of footy.

Wells probably belongs with Sheez and McKercher imo. Wells almost won a Sandover as a 17 year old and was ready to go from day 1.

McKercher just reeks of being a borderline elite footballer already.

He reacts quicker than 40 odd blokes on our list already, he has better running patterns, he knows how to accumulate with ease, he runs harder, his physical gifts in terms of his speed are insane and he's a damaging user.


He probably has the potential to be the best of the lot tbh (Wardlaw will give him a run for his money long term imo).

 

[My Left Foote]

That makes sense.

But what I saw of McKercher yesterday suggested to me that he'll have little issue adjusting to the top level in that position.

Though its possible my assessment is being distorted by how damn excited I am at the prospect of pairing him up with the Sheeze.

I agree, hard to see McKercher having any issues adapting to the step up to AFL level however as a collective we are so inexperienced down back. When the heat is on and GWS, Pies etc. are coming hard in the 3rd quarter that's when we need some experienced heads down back.

 

[Nate1993]

Read this article I wrote for The Inner Sanctum about the Intraclub

North Melbourne intraclub wrap: Young talent time at Arden Street

We take a look at which players impressed during North Melbourne's intraclub match at Arden Street on Wednesday morning.

www.theinnersanctum.com.au

 

[JGreezy]

Harvey is probably knocking on the door for an interchange position.

I think he'd be knocking on the door but, right now, I think Curtis, Stevo and Ford would hold their spots for round 1. That could very well change.

 

[JGreezy]

At the very least, its nice to have some pressure on Curtis and Stevo in terms of non-kpd goal kickers. Harvey and Duursma will take their spots if they don't put in effort.

We didn't have that threat last year and I think that it showed, at times.

Although, credit to Curtis for how he responded to being dropped mid-year.

 

[Ligma]

We are making the 8

 

[marklovesbeer]

It's hard to take anything but positives from an intraclub setup, but just like with the Australia day outing, my biggest takeaway is how lucky we are to be witnessing Sheezel, Wardlaw, and McKercher all coming through at the same time.

They are still only teenagers! I can't state enough how special that trio is. They have the chance to be the face of our club for the next fifteen years. If those three are our reward for these last three awful years, then the early signs are that it was all worth it.

Sellers was the only VFL-listed player to have a number, and also the only player to have a stint in the blue team. You'd think he is close to earning that final list spot if it hasn't already been decided.

Plenty to like from names like Duursma, Dawson, Hardeman, George, and Maley with an eye to the future. It was also hard not to love the efforts from Lazzaro, Xerri, and Goater.

 

[kool kangas]

Read this article I wrote for The Inner Sanctum about the Intraclub

North Melbourne intraclub wrap: Young talent time at Arden Street

We take a look at which players impressed during North Melbourne's intraclub match at Arden Street on Wednesday morning.

www.theinnersanctum.com.au

Nice read Nate however the game against the Pies is now at AIA stadium NOT Arden st...

 

[ohmygewd]

Intraclub is an intraclub, next week against the Pies will be a truer test but a few that l observed:

Skills - these floaty 10-15m kicks; if a VFL player can close and tackle a player on the end of these kicks, why do them!!
Skills & Composure - Under no pressure, you have to hit your target 25-40m out on their own!!
Handball chains - if we are to play this style of football, kids better be prepared for the turnover game...it looks pretty when it comes off but can go back with interest if it doesn't!!
Class of '22 - Sheez and Wardlaw are forming quite a duo with Wardlaw hopefully able to manage his hammies, Harvey seems to have found his confidence as Drury and Sausage needs game time. So apart from H.Free, this draft class could be maturing into a great one (fingers crossed) if they all regularly play this year.

And just cos l'm still salty...the The Wiz would have looked great in that forward line

 

[Nate1993]

Nice read Nate however the game against the Pies is now at AIA stadium NOT Arden st...

Ouch! I have been played by the temporary fence!