Training 2025 Pre-Season Thread

[Johnny Bananas]

So, I think going into practice matches the thinking around Joe's replacement was something like

Smith - he is our man, we build from within this year, more ruck than forward but he can bring it to ground, he's had 4 or so games and knows our processes and he is our future in the ruck anyway.

Day, we will get for backup if that all goes wrong, he can hold the post down, old faithful, like a Volvo, boring but safe.

Ryan - bugger we didn't get that right

Two rucks with Forte up forward or benched, maybe, yeah nar, we loose maybe 40 goals for the season. Reversed with big O up forward, not really, Forte was great in the Granny but we got lucky with motivation in the occasion.

Gallop - what tha? we weren't expecting that, hmmmmmm can the kid go the distance, we get goals, we get defence but then there is the rucking bit.

Play small, catch a few teams out early with a different game plan. Yep, might work but there is still the ruck thingy.

Hippy or another tall will just rob Peter to pay Paul.

Have to admit I'm none the wiser - 5 minutes a quarter helping out in the ruck seems the key to team unity and maybe 2 goals a game average. Maybe the answer is week to week just change it. Just don't know.

My thoughts haven't changed after, I still want Smith to play the role and I have faith he'll get better as the season progresses.

 

[Tom14]

So, I think going into practice matches the thinking around Joe's replacement was something like

Smith - he is our man, we build from within this year, more ruck than forward but he can bring it to ground, he's had 4 or so games and knows our processes and he is our future in the ruck anyway.

Day, we will get for backup if that all goes wrong, he can hold the post down, old faithful, like a Volvo, boring but safe.

Ryan - bugger we didn't get that right

Two rucks with Forte up forward or benched, maybe, yeah nar, we loose maybe 40 goals for the season. Reversed with big O up forward, not really, Forte was great in the Granny but we got lucky with motivation in the occasion.

Gallop - what tha? we weren't expecting that, hmmmmmm can the kid go the distance, we get goals, we get defence but then there is the rucking bit.

Play small, catch a few teams out early with a different game plan. Yep, might work but there is still the ruck thingy.

Hippy or another tall will just rob Peter to pay Paul.

Have to admit I'm none the wiser - 5 minutes a quarter helping out in the ruck seems the key to team unity and maybe 2 goals a game average. Maybe the answer is week to week just change it. Just don't know.

I agree with the rest but 2 goals a game average was top ten in the Coleman last year. I’d be delighted if whoever plays averages one a week.

 

[Sherrinator]

Reckon play short forward line by default and play Fort against tall defences until Day gets his shit together

 

[Elixuh]

 

[Perrip]

Flashbacks to Round 6 last year against Geelong at home.

 

[martinson]

View attachment 2237939

Please no repeat of last time or let's get a roof.

Let's hope the 10/1 chance gets up. Regardless it's going to be windy.

 

[BRAB]

Wonder if they’ll delay the flag unfurling if we have all that rain predicted to go down. It’s like 170mm in two days on the forecasts at the moment

It’s changing every day though.

 

[Thomasno]

They’d have to delay it until probably Easter then right? Because the only other home game we have until then is vs WCE which is at midday on a Saturday….you’d be lucky to crack 20k going to that one.

To be honest if the forecast doesn’t improve I’d be more worried about the game going ahead altogether. Not because of the rain, but how are Geelong going to get up here with sub-cyclonic winds? They won’t be able to leave for days either based on the forecast.

Maybe we should just swap their home game vs us in June like we did with the Collingwood games in 2021?

 

[Thomasno]

Actually scratch that, both Geelong and us have our early bye scheduled in Round 3.

Maybe we could just reschedule it for then? Make it the second Saturday night game, problem solved.

 

[BangyBangy]

They’d have to delay it until probably Easter then right? Because the only other home game we have until then is vs WCE which is at midday on a Saturday….you’d be lucky to crack 20k going to that one.

To be honest if the forecast doesn’t improve I’d be more worried about the game going ahead altogether. Not because of the rain, but how are Geelong going to get up here with sub-cyclonic winds? They won’t be able to leave for days either based on the forecast.

Maybe we should just swap their home game vs us in June like we did with the Collingwood games in 2021?

Winds are forecast to be southerly 20-30km/hr Monday to Wednesday. Pretty tame really, no problem.

I'm flying up on Wednesday, have been keeping an eye on flight conditions lol.

And the wind strength isn't really the problem if it's straight down the runway, it's the crosswind component.

 

[Perrip]

Closest most recent example I can find is the cancellation of Roar v Victory at Suncorp on Feb 20, 2015 as Ex-Tropical Cyclone Marcia was moving over Brisbane and the Gold Coast.
A-League: Brisbane Roar vs. Melbourne Victory postponed due to cyclone

 

[Squizz89]

Every chance the game gets postponed if what they’re predicting now holds, which is likely to change again given how much it has changed in the last week. If it does hold though I’d imagine it’ll be rescheduled to the third round where both teams were scheduled with the bye anyway. Would make the most sense I think.

Reckon we’ll know by Tuesday if it’s going ahead or not given they need to give Geelong time to get here and more importantly back out, as to not screw up the following week.

 

[BangyBangy]

Every chance the game gets postponed if what they’re predicting now holds, which is likely to change again given how much it has changed in the last week. If it does hold though I’d imagine it’ll be rescheduled to the third round where both teams were scheduled with the bye anyway. Would make the most sense I think.

For those of you interested, windy.com is a pretty good site. According to their forecasting the low moves back towards the coast on Wednesday & Thursday. Going to be a wet week coming up, winds won't be too bad on land though. Certainly wouldn't want to be on a boat out there tho, 60+kt winds out at sea.

 

[Elixuh]

For those of you interested, windy.com is a pretty good site. According to their forecasting the low moves back towards the coast on Wednesday & Thursday. Going to be a wet week coming up, winds won't be too bad on land though. Certainly wouldn't want to be on a boat out there tho, 60+kt winds out at sea.

View attachment 2237999

As a golfer Windy is the Goat

 

[BangyBangy]

As a golfer Windy is the Goat

And a cyclist. Nothing worse than turning around at the half way point & finding out the trip home is into a headwind. Fatties like me need a tailwind for the home leg.

 

[Gadzorks]

For those of you interested, windy.com is a pretty good site. According to their forecasting the low moves back towards the coast on Wednesday & Thursday. Going to be a wet week coming up, winds won't be too bad on land though. Certainly wouldn't want to be on a boat out there tho, 60+kt winds out at sea.

View attachment 2237999

I sail and use willy weather - wind forecast looks awesome for a sail but the sea state and 30-60mm rain will more than cancel the fun wind. And it will likely be very squally which is tough in a dinghy.

Wetsuit pants and spray jacket could get a rare mid week outing on Thursday night.

Are there rules around cancelling games?

 

[Perrip]

Are there rules around cancelling games?

There's no specific wet weather rule in their extreme weather policy, aside from lightning. The decision to postpone the game would either come from, 1. Player safety being an issue or 2. Consulting with the government/QFES and being advised to postpone it.

They were close to postponing SUNS v Roos in Cairns in 2018 because of Cyclone Nora.
Wet and wild: AFL considered postponing Gold Coast’s clash with North Melbourne in Cairns

 

[briztoon]

And a cyclist. Nothing worse than turning around at the half way point & finding out the trip home is into a headwind. Fatties like me need a tailwind for the home leg.

erggghhhh. Winter Redcliffe rides (from the southside, over the Gateway). Awesome ride up, battling all the way home. From a fellow fattie.

 

[The Flying Belgian]

Most of the weather sites are just using the freely available forecast models. Windy is a good visualisation tool, but they're not using anything ground-breaking that other sites don't have access to. If you change the forecst model to Access (BoM's own model) it's got him crossing down near Ballina.

Important to know that in forecasting terms 5 days is quite a while, especially when it comes to forecsating tropical cyclones in the Coral Sea (one of the most challenging weather systems to predict). Just yesterday, most of the forecast models had Alfred spinning off down to NZ like so many TC's do.

 

[NotQuiteJezza]

If the prediction is rain then I’d prefer to go 2 tall / 4 small forwards. Maybe Bruce or Linc because they are one touch players.

 

[Tassie4ever]

Just my take- what right, what spark of commonsense, does our assistant coach have to voice an opinion on Starcevich's concussion incident. The third such similar incident in recent days.

Why would this nong feel he should give us the benefit of his undoubted intelligence [I mean, look at his track record] by in effect excusing what on the replay looked like a deliberate push forward into an opponent resulting in a serious head collision.

If you have nothing valuable to contribute then STFU.

 

[notliondown]

Try this site -

Oz Forecast - Brisbane Radar, Forecast, Tides and Weather Stations

Brisbane QLD weather radar, lightning, tides times, weather stations and 7-day forecast.

ozforecast.com.au

It's used a lot in farming and actually uses 3 models used by most forecasters and bureaus so you can see a range of predictions....

You're not going to like it but.... I don't with flights and accommodation booked

 

[Dalions]

Just my take- what right, what spark of commonsense, does our assistant coach have to voice an opinion on Starcevich's concussion incident. The third such similar incident in recent days.

Why would this nong feel he should give us the benefit of his undoubted intelligence [I mean, look at his track record] by in effect excusing what on the replay looked like a deliberate push forward into an opponent resulting in a serious head collision.

If you have nothing valuable to contribute then STFU.

It was a body check, not a push. It was in the side not the back.
You would have to change the rules for that to even be given a free kick let alone anything more serious.

 

[The Flying Belgian]

It was a body check, not a push. It was in the side not the back.
You would have to change the rules for that to even be given a free kick let alone anything more serious.

If the ball is more than 5 metres away when it happened, then it's an illegal shepherd. Just one of the rules the AFL chooses to ignore.

 

[Nathan Barley]

If the ball is more than 5 metres away when it happened, then it's an illegal shepherd. Just one of the rules the AFL chooses to ignore.

Would be 100s of frees a game if they paid that one