Training 2018 Training Blog - *Training Reports only - NO DISCUSSION*

[Aphrodite]

Same principle as the Bluemour File - this thread is for TRAINING REPORTS ONLY

No discussion is to take place in this thread!​

It's an easy reference point for training reports without having to sift through pages & pages of posts.

By all means copy and paste training reports from this thread using #TrackTalk hashtag which can be referenced back for discussion in the
'Pre-Season 2018 - Training reports, pics etc' thread:-

https://www.bigfooty.com/forum/thre...ining-pics-etc.1181385/page-145#post-54377280

This will be a valuable reference tool for those of us that love reading training reports and can't make it to training sessions whether it be to due to work commitments, living interstate etc.

The time and effort some of our posters put in attending training sessions and keep us up to date on how our players/new recruits are tracking is invaluable and we all love reading their informative training reports.

 

[Aphrodite]

Sorry everyone, slept in, kids to school, late to work etc, so now I'm here I can concentrate on training report.

Arrived at the Twin ovals Kingston for the first time as ground is only a few years old and I'm not a follower of the local side. What a surface!! Like a bowling green, and really big, so I spoke with a local Kingborough Tigers Administrator who informed me the dimensions were the same as the G.

The conditions:
Beautiful evening with sun in my face, worried about getting burnt....not supposed to be like this in Tassie at 7pm.
Boys ran out onto the track and what was immediately noticeable was the tans...everywhere....even pasty old Kruze had browned up a treat. All looked fit, no-one stood out as having a Dean Rioli turtle diet this pre-season.

Athletes can be dumb
Their GPS's and vests were all lined up on one sid of the fence and some ran out onto the ground without them and had to come back. Now CHarles, Charlie, Prince, The Franchise, Kouta Mk2....when you are the future star of the club, you don't jump the wire fence with footy boots on, to land on slippery concrete when the @#$%!@ open gate is 3mtrs to your right....god I had visions of Dane Rampe last year!!!

Initial Observations:
My first live and up close look at these lads so some initial observations:
- SPS: man he is little but he has that special look about him, I swear even running out through the race no-one could get within a 2 foot of touching him.
- Garlett is really wirey strong
- Fish looks noticeably stronger through the arms and legs - nice
- Kruz looked very fit
- HeyZeus Patty Cripps is enormous, what a chunk of man flesh!!
- Paddy Dow - looks 12yo, a bit slight up top but really solid core and legs - the Danger comparisons (in terms of build) I've read from other posters ring true - lets hope his footy progresses the same
- JGM - could possibly be THE worst haircut I've seen, I tried to get a photo but struggled to get a good one with the sun. It's like the dusty haircut from last year but grown more - he's gone full Daniel Boone on top - damn thing looked like a pelt...anyway I suppose it's one way to get noticed.
- TDK - really slight but looks like a good athlete - a fair way off playing
- Scheuy was really slight of build but more on him later

Training Drills
Immediately noticeable that Bolton is in full command - small groups, targeting specific skills, lots of carrot, not much stick, but he moves from group to group and you will do it his way or you repeat until correct, and he even coached the coaches, at one point educating Davenport whilst he was running a drill on how the drill should be done and then taking over himself. So to 2 specific drills and what I saw:
Drill 1:
drill aimed at making an under pressure kick (on both sides) along the line look like you were trying to keep it in but the bounce of the ball took it out so you could try to avoid a free against. Some funny results:
- Bunsen - no idea on his left, Bolton had to keep bringing him back to show him the right way to hold the ball
- Harry, Fish, LeBois, T-Willy, TDK (do you see the common thread here) are all like me and Scott Lucas, our right legs are painted on and serve no real purpose - almost comical trying to watch them execute a "skill" kick under pressure with their right pegs opposed to a simple drill where they can mask it.
- Kennedy did both easily and has a physical presence about him just at training...nice
- Saw some players I didn't recognise, then realised Penrith, Strahan and one or two others from the Northern Blues were there too.
- Bolts was funny too - never heard Levi referred to as "Meat" before...Bolts" Lovely kick Meat...Nice"
Drill2:
AN attacking drill where a big guy led up from CHF took the mark, dished off hands to quick blokes running past and delivering quickly into fwd line to the right option - fwds were in 360 degree motion and kicker looked for the fwd on the short hit-up, the lateral move or the over the back into space. Really nice drill but exposed a few things:
- I actually like Kerridge but his kicking into the fwd line was terrible - missed 2 targets in space and scrubbed another along the ground - we don't want him playing this role
- Fisher moved beautifully but tried a bit too much sometimes with his kicking when there was a simple option, looked good though, lovely hands & touch
- Murph....silk....weighted his kicks perfectly, especially the over the back ones. If he plays more of a high HFF role this year he will cause havoc kicking into the fwd 50
- Schuey - now this guy can kick - long, short, flat, hard, soft, weighted. Not sure how far he is from getting a game size and conditioning wise as he is slight but his left foot was elite
- Mullet also looked like a really good kick too into the fwd 50 - might be a wing option instead of HBF?
- Jack....really really disappointing, you can't judge a kid on 1 session but I saw - poor kicks, dropped marks, not strong enough for key fwd but not quick enough for medium fwd. I hope it was just a shocker session for him.
- Jesus....JGM hair is shocking,It's like someone took a shave to the sides of Sticks' SBYM mullet but didn't touch the rest....some really good spoils

AFL X Game Sim Session
- only went for 10-15 minutes and it was hard to get a good look as they were in the middle of the ground, other players were surrounding the field and players weren't wearing numbers, so not much to report
- lots of lefties - Mullet, FIsher, Schuey (I think) kicking was great
- Weiters looked excellent is intercept defender
- Simmo solid
- Didn't look that "X" to me

And then the Sun went down and in 10 minutes it went from a beautiful 21 to a Waverley Winter...WTF

The Game Sim
- ONly ended out going for 3 x 15ish min quarters and no time on.
- Q1 and 2 was best 22 v the Oranges
- Kerridge clearly didn't like being in the Oranges and tried to smash every opposition on baller
- Q3 was best fwds v best backs
- lots of vest swapping with the younger ones so hard to get a read o how some of them went
- SPS and Garlett didn't play and I presume the same for LOB - didn't see him after some of the initial drills
- Jabba asked who was in the Best 22 that were not in the Big Footy best 22. The answer (taking out Lang, SPS, Garlett, LOB who didn't play) was Lamb and Daisy

So to the highlights/lowlights
OK I'm just gonna get it out of the way....3 votes D Thomas...the only caveat being it is a big ground and no stands to get an elevated view so if I missed an on baller running rampant I humbly apologise but don't think I did.
- When the game started it was the Best 22 vs the rest and it was also clear that some players went back to just bombing the ball fwd to a pack rather than the drill they'd just done...I can see why Bolts picks Daisy, for all his limitations, he's smart - he moved into the space he was supposed to be in, he weighed his options, presented as a hit up HFF and did 2 kicks, whilst not blind they were long centred ones over the traffic from one HFF to the other (and there is no way he had time to see that option in congestion) to where the fwds and mids were were supposed to be streaming into...and guess what they were and got easy goals...does it translate to match day - I dunno but he's playing/training the way Bolton is drilling.
- Kennedy is a Bull, and if he is able to get to the right conditioning level following the shoulder issues then he is going to be a gem when teamed with Crippa- and also allowed Crippa to rest fwd.
- Murph looked sharp, very classy and quick. As I said above if he can play outside mid/HFF this year he will cause chaos
- Phillips stood out like Daisy, did really well at the centre taps opposed to Kruz but also went foward and kicked a couple of nice goals - 1 on the lead and another ripping snap across the body from the pocket about 35 out. NOt sure his around the ground or ground ball stuff is much but at least he looks fit and a viable option if the big fella goes down. Would I play him and Kruz...No...only if Levi is out would I play Phillips
- HArry - was in the orange team and whilst he did some nice things - his lead up/mark/ clean hands were noticeable, he simply does not have the conditioning at this point. Not sure how far away he is from full fitness but I'd be pleasantly surprised if he's a R1 starter, but he looks a player. Needs to work on the core and legs as skinny
- Fisher looked really good, again got caught a few times trying to do too much but his clean hands on the ground, one touch pick up and turn onto the left in one motions and steam fwd just oooozes class...and he did it often
- Schuey looked really nice, tried a bit too much and got caught a few times like Fish but a lot to work with and he was taking the kick outs for the Orange (2nd) team
- Didn't really notice Paddy Dow, but those fluoro oranges were hard to spot from each other
- Jack took his form from the training drills into the games - a non factor, dropped marks and a tad slow...not quite sure what to make of it
- I didn't see Patty Kerr at all despite looking for him
- And Lamb played as a HBF for a bit of the game and did some really nice kicks/switches of play, didn't notice him much apart from that
- Ooohh - and Weiters looked really good intercepting and playing CHB...really nice, classy.
- And JGM - that bonce mop is growing on me, I think I'll name it Kevin

Any questions shoot, I'd better go do some work, but will get to them later

D7, reporting from Tassie, out!!!!

#TrackTalk

 

[Aphrodite]

Hi All,

Long time reader first time poster. Went to the intraclub last night at the twin ovals. Is a brilliant facility and conditions were perfect. Lads hit the track around 7ish. Finished up around 10:30

My quick thoughts were:

Notable inclusions in the proposed best 22 - Picket, Cuningham, kennedy, daisy
Williamson appeared to be playing docs role - Looked very good.
McKay and Petrevski did not participate in intraclub but did train
Lang and O'brien did not train
Jsos just find a way to get the footy
Picket very lively
Our captain look strong and spent a bit of time forward, as did cripps

When Charlie get the ball between wing and half forward and turns and goes - good things happen.

Small report - looking forward to dominators thoughts - and a bit more details

#TrackTalk

 

[Aphrodite]

It was a cute sort of session wasn't it?
Lots of laughs between the boys and it seems they may have welcomed the gentler pace today.

CCurnow looks awesome. Don't know what else to say. The 'Don't Argue' is working very well for him. may be a few bruised chins later today.

SPS just running the boundary and involved in lighter skills drills is a bit of a worry.
Lang not involved in much at all, but we know he's recovering from that ankle injury. Phillips & Rowe on very light duties.
Garlett, O'Brien, Graham and Macreadie started off in what may have been called the recovery group, but filtered their way into the drills a little later.

Yeah, Jones looks awesome. Looks to have better lateral movement than I recall last year. His spring from one step was eye-catching.

Can't be bothered writing to much more for now, but sure others will bulk up todays story

#TrackTalk

 

[Aphrodite]

Williamson was with the injured group and didn’t do any running. Other things I saw: the standout for me was big H. Moved well. Strong in one on one contests, albeit against smaller opponents. Dominated against Kerr. Was like watching an adult vs an U 15.
Macreadie trained with the forwards for an extended period. Swing man or possible move as a tall defensive forward??Byrne was sizzling with no knee strapping.
Weitering, only 1 shoulder strapped and cruised through the session. Kreuzer spent the entire session working with De Koning SPS running laps only but looked much stronger through the core. Dow trailed Murphy everywhere. His lower body/legs are very developed for such a young kid. I liked a lot of wha Schumacher did. Cunners noticeably bigger. JP, glides in running drills.
Daisy barely won a contest. JSOS looked very slow. Kerr, slow and well beaten. Didn’t notice Lobbe out there, and Phillips clearly moving poorly in the injured group.

#TrackTalk

 

[Aphrodite]

I'll add some observations, agree with Harker in that I'm surprised there haven't been more posts.

Our better players cruised a bit through the session which is to be expected. I don't really see a lot of point going over Murphy Simpson Kreuzer other than to say "seem fit and well". We know what we are going to get.

Younger player thoughts:
- Byrne moved really well. Back to his nimble best and I remain hopeful of him becoming a good afl player
- CC looked terrific. Is very competitive. Took all of the drills seriously. Am confident he will continue on from where he left off last year.
- Pickett looked ok but still not in superb afl shape for mine. But better. I'd expect a bit more from him this year from what I saw.
- both Obrien and Dow bothered me a bit I have to say. I Wont go too hard on young players. All I will say is 'things to watch for are decision making and cleverness in close'. Dow has huge legs and good power though. Obrien doesn't look afl ready body wise to me.
- cunners was his usual self. The best athlete out there, looks a million bucks, then inexplicably sprays a kick. I always leave scratching my head about him. Seems to be positioning for a backline role which is probably a good idea as he can then be led to the ball. Lacks the smarts required to find it himself.
- McKay looked stronger and imposing althoughhe will keep those chicken legs for life I'm afraid. Clunked a couple and looked impressive enough. I didn't get too excited though as he always seems to do the flashy stuff.
- Barely noticed Kennedy. Not sure why.
- fisher was terrific. Probably the standout of the young guys after Cc. Zippy. Into it. Kicked it really well. Was really evasive.
- jack was jack. No point continuing to call him slow. He is. He's also clever and showed that several times. I remain convinced he's a long term defender because he's so composed user pressure.
- Garlett did nothing to stand out to me. Although to be fair maybe did half the main session. Didn't actually look THAT quick which surprised me.

Happy to add more if anyone interested in anything specifically.

Overall I was pretty underwhelmed I have to say. Not massively excited about enough of the young guys.

#TrackTalk