Bigman’s Training Reports

[Redline]

Hard to know from the outside but surely guys not in, or barely in, the best 23 should be eliminated immediately. Max and Fog play like leadership types. I’m not sure about Keays, he just seems flat out running his own game.

I'd be going with a maximum of four.

As tempting as it is I wouldn't put Max in just yet. It's only his third year, there are things he can do to develop without the distraction of a small leadership group.

I'd have none of the old guard which rules out Smith, Laird, Tex and RoB.

Hinge had an up and down year last year. I think he needs to consolidate his form and place in the team now with some new players coming in and younger players improving.

Dawson. Keys, Fog and ANB are my picks

 

[Cromulant]

Absolutely. You continue to ignore the stuff that was publicly said.

Rachele actually said this.

"We didn’t get a lot of inside-50s on the weekend, and I didn’t play a lot (in the) midfield again, (instead) playing mainly up the ground" - "It’s something that I probably don’t really know what’s going on"

Rachele had no idea why he wasn't playing midfield.

I'm not ignoring it, I didn't like what was said publicly. Nicks is not a smart man, and nor it seems are a couple of his assistants.

He's clearly as flexible as concrete, goes into the game with a plan and doesn't change things up terribly much. Hence why Josh stays forward. Not saying it's right, it's clearly not... but that's it.

The Dowling thing was very strange, because the player himself knew he wasn't far away. Again, I see it as a dumb choice of words than any vendetta.

You don't play 22 of 23 games in Josh's case, and finish top 10 in the BnF if the senior coach has a vendetta against you. And if he thought that was the case, he'd have wanted out the door pretty quick.

 

[Flip Side]

Agreed Keane is great, Hawthorn were pricks for years and won 4 flags in that time.

He should give it a go on Tex though, just for our entertainment.

I think Worrell might have a bit of edge but Murray seems too nice.

Nice or not, when Murray hits a pack everyone needs to watch out, because he takes no prisoners and the hurt train is off the rails and coming through.

 

[Kane McGoodwin]

I'd be going with a maximum of four.

As tempting as it is I wouldn't put Max in just yet. It's only his third year, there are things he can do to develop without the distraction of a small leadership group.

I'd have none of the old guard which rules out Smith, Laird, Tex and RoB.

Hinge had an up and down year last year. I think he needs to consolidate his form and place in the team now with some new players coming in and younger players improving.

Dawson. Keys, Fog and ANB are my picks

Hinge had a poor 1st month... but so did the whole team! Was good after though.

 

[Kane McGoodwin]

Nice or not, when Murray hits a pack everyone needs to watch out, because he takes no prisoners and the hurt train is off the rails and coming through.

Reckon Muzz has improved his awareness since his 1st year, where he was kamikaze taking out anyone in his way.

 

[Coopers]

Agreed Keane is great, Hawthorn were pricks for years and won 4 flags in that time.

He should give it a go on Tex though, just for our entertainment.

I think Worrell might have a bit of edge but Murray seems too nice.

Murray seems to nice?

Are we watching different teams?

 

[GrommoT]

Lord Bigman

 

[cmndstab]

Nice or not, when Murray hits a pack everyone needs to watch out, because he takes no prisoners and the hurt train is off the rails and coming through.

Absolutely. Opposition forwards will have to worry about Keane deliberately hurting them, and Murray doing it just by accident!

 

[hugecannon]

After doing a tour of Adelaide this morning, it was a nice surprise to stumble upon a scratch match today at AAMI Stadium, which oddly started at 12pm. The game consisted of three quarters of varying length (a couple went 25 minutes, the other just 20) and was a genuine hit out with centre bounces, umpires and some big hits.

Two sour notes were possible injuries to Cumming and Welsh.

Cumming only played the first two quarters, which didn’t worry me. It was the limping afterwards which did. Now this could just be some post-match stiffness and soreness, plus I didn’t see him walk up the race with any ice. But it’s definitely something to keep an ear out for especially given his history.

Welsh copped a hit in a marking contest in the third term and left the field cradling his arm and didn’t return. Hard to make an exact diagnosis, hopefully it’s not too severe but looked like a shoulder to me.

As usual it was largely an A vs B affair. There were a few changes after each break but teams were kept mostly the same and didn’t have too many surprises. They were as follows:

Blue - Keays, Murphy, Crouch (switched to yellow for Q2 and Q3), Curtin (switched to yellow for Q2 and Q3), Thilthorpe, Rachele, Murray, Dawson, Soligo, Michalanney, Hinge, Rankine, Worrell, Peatling, Neal-Bullen, Laird, Milera, Fogarty, Sholl, O’Brien, Cumming, Keane

Yellow - Jones (switched to blue for Q3), Berry (switched to blue for Q2 and Q3), Pedlar, Edwards, Cook, Welsh, Taylor, Burgess, Ryan, Schoenberg, Nankervis, Dowling, Smith, Draper, Borlase, Gallagher, Drury, T. Murray (switched to blue for Q2 and Q3), Bond (switched to blue for Q2 and Q3), Butts, McAndrew

Cumming and Nankervis only played the first two quarters while Tex (and obviously Strachan) did not participate. Tex did a power of running and some of the early skills work however.

It was hard to keep track of scores as they were changed late in each quarter for a bit of scenario work (eg five points up late in the term). The blue team were pretty clear winners but weren’t as dominant as what we saw at Norwood a couple weeks ago. In fact for most of the game the yellow team were quite competitive and actually probably won the midfield battle, at least to the eye, but they couldn’t stop blue’s firepower.

Goal tallies were:
Q1
Blue: Rachele, Fogarty, Curtin
Yellow: Burgess, Gallagher

Q2
Blue: Thilthorpe 2, T. Murray, Keays
Yellow: Pedlar 2, Dowling

Q3
Blue: Thilthorpe, O’Brien, Keays, Soligo, Fogarty
Yellow: Burgess

As for centre bounce, quite a few names ended up going through there. Crouch, Dawson, Peatling, Rankine, Soligo, Draper, Berry and Schoenberg were the most common attendees. Rachele and Curtin both actually got some decent time in there as well, though only after quarter time. Thilthorpe and Murray both helped as the relief ruckman at times.

Some player thoughts:

Jones - solid enough on the wing before drifting into defence in the third quarter. Got the majority of his ball for blue as you’d expect but also took a couple nice intercept grabs late in the third term. Think he’s around the mark without really pushing his case.

Keays - two goals is a decent return (though one was a freebie from Rachele) but wouldn’t say he was particularly influential. Missed a sitter where he snapped when he should’ve just kicked a drop punt. Him and Neal-Bullen were both pretty quiet actually.

Berry - probably best on ground and did some of his best work for the yellow side against our prime mids. Had a number of centre clearances and unsurprisingly laid some great tackles including a run down on Draper. Minimal fumbles too. A couple of iffy kicks but overall may have been the most dominant mid.

Murphy - played solely for the A team which was interesting. Was very quiet for the first two quarters before getting into it in the third. Hit a lovely inside 50 pass to Toby Murray but also missed a reasonably easy set shot which we’ve seen before.

Curtin - kicked an easy goal in the first term courtesy of a howler turnover by Butts, otherwise struggled to get into it early on. Moved into the guts midway through the second term and immediately got amongst it. Some nice flashy moments where he streamed through traffic and also set up Pedlar’s second goal. Just bits and pieces but good signs.

Thilthorpe - misjudged a couple aerial contests early on but found his groove in the second term and became a bit of a menace. Kicked a terrific goal in the third where he picked the loose ball up at speed and instinctively snapped over his shoulder. Special talent.

Rachele - only the solitary goal but had a number of assists and would’ve been right up there in score involvements. Also got some centre bounce time late where he had one or two clearances. Very solid.

Pedlar - ice cold in the first quarter but kicked two in a flash in the second term and looked much more confident. Was wearing the fluro hat but still copped a big hit in an aerial contest (thankfully he was fine). Funnily had an altercation with Keane, who proceeded to grab the hat and throw it over the boundary.

Edwards - had one poor moment defensively against Keays but thought he was pretty decent overall. Still needs to drive his legs more but used the ball well including a couple of lovely long kicks which resulted in scores.

Michalanney - solid as a rock in defence and actually played quite high up the ground at times. Looking to use his pace whenever possible which has been a consistent theme for him this summer.

Welsh - prior to the injury I thought he looked quite decent today. Found space a couple of times in the forward line and was busier than I’ve seen previously. Hopefully isn’t out for too long.

Taylor - just can’t seem to get into it at the moment. Looks a bit frustrated out there and doesn’t quite have his usual twinkle toes, seems to be getting caught more. Also didn’t get used in the centre which was strange - even Drury spent a little bit of time in there. Can’t say I’m overly happy about that.

Burgess - credit to him, thought he presented well today and was rewarded with two goals. Isn’t easy playing forward for the B team but he was sharp today.

Rankine - played slightly more forward than previous but still had his fair share of CBAs. Not as dominant as he was at Norwood but still very good as you’d expect. Does it easy out there.

Worrell - took a good mark on Burgess but I still want to see a bit more from him. Was by no means bad but he’s got heaps of talent, at the moment he’s playing it a touch safe. Want to see a bit more dash and wow factor which he’s capable of.

Peatling - if Berry wasn’t BOG then it was probably this guy. For a bloke who isn’t elite aerobically his work rate is excellent. Got involved in all spots on the ground, won clearances, took a good contested mark, laid some great tackles, won a couple of high frees (get ready for plenty of those). Well-rounded player.

Schoenberg - along with Berry thought he set the tone early for the yellow side and was really solid in the guts. Hit Welsh inside 50 with an absolute dart that got a lot of love from his teammates. Thought he started going to ground too much later on however as he fatigued.

Nankervis - good to see him back but aside from one lovely moment where he stepped past a couple opponents, he otherwise looked like someone who had missed a block of training. Once again played for the B side - given he only just returned I won’t look too much into it, but it’s not the first time this summer.

Laird - looked very much at home at half back. Obviously was only against the yellow forwards but he got a stack of it and for the most part used it well. Generally moved it on quickly too which was good to see.

Milera - once again selected for the A team. Definitely moving with confidence out there although uncharacteristically had a couple of absolute sacks off the boot, including one that barely scraped the outside of his foot and went out on the full.

Dowling - more involved today which was good to see. Got some CBAs where he seemed to play more of a defensive role. Work rate was good, a number of times worked hard back into defence to provide an outlet.

Smith - bit of a mixed bag. Started like a house on fire including a lovely dash on the wing that set up the yellow team’s first goal. But also had a couple of moment he’d rather forget including a shot at goal that he should’ve passed to Pedlar, as well as being caught by Soligo which reminded me of early last season.

Draper - got heaps of opportunity at the centre bounce. Was clean with his ball take and would’ve had at least 3-4 clearances, but was a bit handball happy and got caught a couple of times. Some good signs but also some evidence he’s not quite there yet.

Borlase - played on Fogarty and despite the Fog kicking two, I thought Borlase beat him. Did some really nice body work and even had one terrific dash through traffic that I had to double check was him. Only issue I had was a couple of times he went the double fist when he should’ve backed himself to take the grab.

Gallagher - didn’t get a heap of it but took a great contested mark under serious heat, he’s deceptively strong overhead. Also kicked a nice goal and set up Pedlar’s first. Still erratic at times with ball in hand but definitely improving.

Toby Murray - could’ve had a decent day out if not for some wayward kicking at goal. There’s something there but expect some ups and downs. Good to see him get some time in the A team.

Mcandrew - aside from ROB kicking a goal on the run, I think McAndrew got the better of him again today. Outreached ROB on a number of occasions at stoppage with his sheer height. Doesn’t offer a massive amount around the ground but I was quite impressed today, and once again left a bit worried about O’Brien, who wasn’t terrible but shouldn’t be getting beaten by a state league footballer.

Keane - still having altercations with his teammates but gee he can play. Lovely soft hands and has become a master of the slight nudge to edge his opponent under the ball.

Feel free to ask any questions.

Love your work and dedication as always!!!!

Did it look as though Cook was playing more on the wing or forward in the simulation?

How’d he go?

 

[Jeffcrowe]

Struggling to work out why Jeffcrowe thinks Racheles midfield minutes were reduced because Berry had a "semi"

Very good point you make

 

[Jeffcrowe]

Keane is a flog. All preseason he’s doing this BS

I think we need competitors

I don’t mind it as long as he doesn’t do a setanta and kick someone

He’s showing he cares alot and it’s only training

 

[Jeffcrowe]

bigman one of our major weaknesses is intercept marks

Anyone look likely in that category other than Keane ?

 

[Kane McGoodwin]

bigman one of our major weaknesses is intercept marks

Anyone look likely in that category other than Keane ?

Keane, Worrell & Michaelanny are all good in this respect... but Murray is important for structure to lockdown the most dangerous key forward.

 

[Flip Side]

Very good point you make

It was all to do with ball handling skills and a few fumbles

 

[Slime Roy]

Absolutely. Opposition forwards will have to worry about Keane deliberately hurting them, and Murray doing it just by accident!

Long as they're not hurting each other!

 

[cmndstab]

Long as they're not hurting each other!

I can't promise that

 

[Jeffcrowe]

Keane, Worrell & Michaelanny are all good in this respect... but Murray is important for structure to lockdown the most dangerous key forward.

Statistically outside of Keane they’re not but they have the ability to be

It’s a key area outside of midfield where we need to improve

 

[AFC979810]

Statistically outside of Keane they’re not but they have the ability to be

It’s a key area outside of midfield where we need to improve

Interesting. Any particular reason you think it's a weakness?

Statistically its a bit of a nothing stat. Brisbane was #2. Sydney and GWS were #15 and #16 respectively (both lower than us). We also had similar numbers in allowed I50's to Sydney and GWS.

 

[Kane McGoodwin]

Statistically outside of Keane they’re not but they have the ability to be

It’s a key area outside of midfield where we need to improve

When Worrell & Michaelanny play together, they patrol the airways really well.

When one is out of the side, we are no where near as effective.

We just need the stability.

 

[Mostyn]

Interesting. Any particular reason you think it's a weakness?

Statistically its a bit of a nothing stat. Brisbane was #2. Sydney and GWS were #15 and #16 respectively (both lower than us). We also had similar numbers in allowed I50's to Sydney and GWS.

I've always thought that stat said more about your midfield and where you're looking to pressure the opposition for turnovers.

Forgetting us, there's some good sides who don't look to intercept marks for rebound, but try for it more around the contest. And good sides who try for intercepts.

 

[blighty]

Why doesn’t he have a crack at nicks?

Is it possible/probable that Keane has been encouraged to play with more aggression by the coach ?

 

[Gtowncrow]

Is it possible/probable that Keane has been encouraged to play with more aggression by the coach ?

Maybe??

But it might just be the way they roll in County Cork.

Good for us and good for footy I say...

 

[WaynesWorld19]

Maybe??

But it might just be the way they roll in County Cork.

Good for us and good for footy I say...

My take is Keane is just growing in self-confidence .....he knows his position in the side is cemented, and is just playing his natural game

It's a great sign

 

[cmndstab]

I think that for someone like Keane who is still fairly new to the game, training as you intend to play is the best option.

 

[cleanhands]

Long as they're not hurting each other!

It’s not supposed to be a friendly environment out there