Training 2025 Preseason Thread

[schmuttt]

Geez we missed McVee down there.

I know Riv has trained on ball but he probably needs to go back until McVee is fit.

 

[markm106]

Geez we missed McVee down there.

I know Riv has trained on ball but he probably needs to go back until McVee is fit.

Yep. Dreadfully missed his composure.

 

[Grimey Sylvia]

I like Langford longterm but actually think I'd prefer Lindsay in our round 1 team. Good kick, good decision maker, bit more pace and suprisingly mature looking body - think he is a point of difference we need.

Proper Gander - quick shoulder check if you could? I would have believed he was was a mature ager with that definition.

 

[Crimson Azure]

11.24

Gonna just wrap myself up in that safety blanket.

 

[markm106]

First half particularly second quarter was putrid. The chipping around the backline was not it. I get what they are trying to do. But too many costly turnovers.
Second half was much better. We dominated clearance and didn’t allow many inside 50s for them. We just couldn’t convert. Really missed JVR up forward.
Billings for me doesn’t play again. Sharp was a little quiet but get him in over Billings.
So good to have Trac and Clarry back to close to their best.
AJ looked ok. Can definitely play straight up.
Adams looks like he’ll be a player. But Tmac or Petty steady the ship.
We missed Kozzy and will do so in the first 3 games.
I liked the forward handball out of stoppage.
Sparrow played really well.
Lack of small forwards will be an issue.
Lindsay and Langford look like they’ll be great pickups.
Get the ball in Windsor’s hands more.
I didn’t mind Salem’s game. Wasn’t necessarily damaging but had some composure.
Bowey lacked the composure McVee brings. But he’s good when he has a little bit of time.
We can’t let Gawn play that much ruck every week. Oppo love to hurt him.
Langdon I liked playing in the middle.
I also liked the look of Howes down back.

Overall I’m not sure how to feel. I wasn’t convinced on Freo either. Bring on round one and see how we come out at the G.

 

[Demon Attack]

Danster had been hot on no goal kicking at training yeah? Good shout.

Clarry's left foot goal was something else.

 

[Demon Attack]

Also why does Walters always play like it's 2019 against us

 

[Simon_Says]

Chandler 3 disposals lol

Our only small forward.

The grand canyon Is obvious now without everyone's favourite Mouth Breather.

 

[I Love Lamb]

Saw Langford only got 55% game time. Must not have the required tank yet to run out games.

 

[Topkent]

Bowey, Turner, Sparrow, Billings, Salem, so many guys that if they missed the season with injury I wouldn't even blink.

Brilliant move of Windsor to the back half, 9 disposals what a ripping move. We love his run an carry so instead of starting him near the play, let's make him sprint to each contest to do the same thing instead

Langdon 19 handballs, if there's anyone in the side who sets up play by hand it's Ed Langdon

Same forward set up for height

It's 4 years after my childhood dreams were made winning a flag and I just laugh when we lose now, doesn't even make a dent on my day

 

[Undisputed]

The loss of Toby Bedford continues to hurt Melbourne. He would be the perfect replacement up forward for a second pressure forward instead of chandler.
I also think we missed a trick not going harder for Tom lynch or even Jack Darling. They both offer way more then turner and could straighten our forward line up.

We really need Tholstrup to become a damaging player so he and Trac can swap mid to forward.

I’ve watched enough football to see when a player won’t make it and Jefferson won’t make it and everyone crying out for him to play needs to realise he is not our saviour.

 

[mrmonkey]

The loss of Toby Bedford continues to hurt Melbourne. He would be the perfect replacement up forward for a second pressure forward instead of chandler.
I also think we missed a trick not going harder for Tom lynch or even Jack Darling. They both offer way more then turner and could straighten our forward line up.

We really need Tholstrup to become a damaging player so he and Trac can swap mid to forward.

I’ve watched enough football to see when a player won’t make it and Jefferson won’t make it and everyone crying out for him to play needs to realise he is not our saviour.

Bedford would suffer in this team like the rest of the team. The reason he looks good now is he is in a good team or in a team that that plays a style that suits him. Chandler would look better at gws as well.

I agree with Jefferson, I'm not completely writing him off, but it's hard to see it in him.

 

[Topkent]

Jefferson albeit from the handful of times I've seen him isn't it for me. I was trying to work out how to describe him, some forwards when they jump at the footy they are the threat and they have to be moved or intercepted. JVR has that, he has presence and he jumps straight line at the footy.
Jefferson isn't the main object, he's jumping around the main target trying to effect the contest. It's not a straight line it's an angle. He uses his body like his Mitch Hannan going for it.

 

[johnnymossop]

First half particularly second quarter was putrid. The chipping around the backline was not it. I get what they are trying to do. But too many costly turnovers.
Second half was much better. We dominated clearance and didn’t allow many inside 50s for them. We just couldn’t convert. Really missed JVR up forward.
Billings for me doesn’t play again. Sharp was a little quiet but get him in over Billings.
So good to have Trac and Clarry back to close to their best.
AJ looked ok. Can definitely play straight up.
Adams looks like he’ll be a player. But Tmac or Petty steady the ship.
We missed Kozzy and will do so in the first 3 games.
I liked the forward handball out of stoppage.
Sparrow played really well.
Lack of small forwards will be an issue.
Lindsay and Langford look like they’ll be great pickups.
Get the ball in Windsor’s hands more.
I didn’t mind Salem’s game. Wasn’t necessarily damaging but had some composure.
Bowey lacked the composure McVee brings. But he’s good when he has a little bit of time.
We can’t let Gawn play that much ruck every week. Oppo love to hurt him.
Langdon I liked playing in the middle.
I also liked the look of Howes down back.

Overall I’m not sure how to feel. I wasn’t convinced on Freo either. Bring on round one and see how we come out at the G.

Lots to like. Fritsch for me is bludging. Id like to see Spargo and Tholstrup with JVR and Kozzy. Chandler can go back to VFL

 

[Crusty Demon]

Meh. 2nd half good. Love that from Clarry. Best he's played for a long time. Looks invested. Same with Trac.

Thought we looked mostly the better side. If the kicking was straighter we'd feel a little differently about the result.

Still don't rate the Windsor move. Would much rather see him on a wing. Desperately need another mid to stand up so Trac can play more forward. Our F50 is still terrible. The game requires mobile and dangerous small forwards and we have one good one. Chandler is terrible. Which means Trac needs to spend more time forward.

Desperately missed McVee also. No Koz or Mcvee early days spells trouble.

 

[Proper Gander]

Up to page 64, quality reading so far. Hope we lost comfortably so the next ~five pages are equally excellent.

Great jumper

 

[Proper Gander]

I like Langford longterm but actually think I'd prefer Lindsay in our round 1 team. Good kick, good decision maker, bit more pace and suprisingly mature looking body - think he is a point of difference we need.

Proper Gander - quick shoulder check if you could? I would have believed he was was a mature ager with that definition.

Yes he is well above average in the good shoulders department, with just a little way to go to catch Windsor who is in the elite category

 

[Bluelegs]

If the kicking was straighter we'd feel a little differently about the result.

No offence but we've been saying this for three years now.

 

[danster168]

Positives:

• Form of Oliver and Trac.
• The team never gave up. Fought back into the contest despite the impending blow out. Can't fault the effort.
• Sparrow was really good again. One of the best long kicks for goal in the team too.
• Jed Adams showed something
• Seems like AJ is ahead of Jefferson in the coaches eyes. Which i think should've been pretty obvious but thats fine. Should play Round 1.

Negatives:

• Goal kicking accuracy. I'll be totally triggered when Goodwin comes out and says we work 'incredibly hard' on it .Total lie.
• Inability to defend after a turnover. Our defensive structure seems off. It shouldn't be so vulnerable that any mistake or turnover results in an easy goal.
• Billings. 0.4 (including the one that fell short). Can never and will never see what he offers as a player other than being a soft outside receiver with poor skills. Missed his shot to the right and didn't have the insight to correct it. Kept missing to the right. Good Lord.
• Bowey Hack kicks out of defence.
• I thought we were going to play a different brand of football this year? The chip chip game style is something we've seen before.

 

[Demon Attack]

Like lots of people I don't really understand the position switches. Langdon into the midfield which pushes Rivers out of the midfield but because he is no longer in the backline we move Windsor to the backline and now have no wings so we move Lindsay, the half back we drafted, to the wing.

 

[Crusty Demon]

No offence but we've been saying this for three years now.

I'm not too concerned about accuracy in a preseason game.

I think there were some really good signs in that second half. We looked the better team. Can't change what we have up forward unfortunately. JVR went down within 30 seconds which probably threw us out a bit. McAdam injured preseason who would have been in the forward setup. Tholstrup would have been in the mix as well. ANB left. F50 already the weakest area of our list. Would have liked Jefferson to have played and not sure why he wasn't. Our list management in regards to our F50 has been horrible but if we find a way to get the ball into Fritta and JVR's hands more, they are accurate kicks at least and we seemed to be more attacking than last year, just couldn't convert. Thought our mids looked good. Clarry kicking goals is a positive. We know Trac will, but we need our mids to kick more goals. Our backline was ok although we did miss McVee a lot. Freo are tipped to be a top 4 side and have had our measure in recent years. Not all doom and gloom IMO.

 

[Seattle Mariners]

We looked the better side in the second half because Freo put the cue in the rack by taking off Serong and Treacy.

 

[Toump Ass]

Really solid practice for getting absolutely fingered by Fremantle like we do every ****ing year ****.

 

[Toump Ass]

On the positive side at least there's no conjecture about how shit we're gonna be lmao.

 

[Lord Nev]