Training Saints preseason 2026

[Tommy Wigs]

He had hardly any preseason and was severely underdone. Just started to get a bit of fitness then got 4 week.
His lack of preseason showed at the end of the season.
Wasn't unfavoured, but it would have been irresponsible to select an 18 y.o woth a back complaint into the seniors without any sort of conditioning.

Agree, not at all unfavoured. In the circumstances, they were very quick to put him in, particularly given it sounded like he was a show in the next week or two at the time of the suspension. It’s quite a thing for a first year to miss virtually the whole summer.

My guess on Trav is that they reset him a little - VFL coach reports alluded to more defensive roles, so perhaps positioning and that side of his game? I would have liked to have seen a little more from him, but there were snippets in tight that I didn’t think existed. And he’s chock full of all the right stuff.

 

[SG34]

Yes really. He did not get on the training track until January and was way behind in his conditioning.
He was playing as third defender, hardly a ' key' position.
Backmen play 85% as an average. And why not play him? We used Caminiti as a backmen when he is a forward. We had a thing call injuries.

It was an interesting call to play him but the context of the season demanded it - i am JUST guessing! WE were in a pile of prverbial s#$%& at that point of the season, sliding down hill like those crazy Swiss guys who roll down the hill with giant cheese balls.

 

[Tommy Wigs]

He missed the first two rounds due to stress fracture and then he debuted for Sandy. So it was definitely not a case of injured then AFL. It was a clear contrast to Toby's trajectory.

Sandy Games for Tauru, but my point is that he finished up far higher of the two.

	Date	Opposition	Result
3	April 6, 2025	GWS Giants	Loss
4	April 20, 2025	Footscray Bulldogs	Win
5	April 26, 2025	Brisbane Lions	Loss
10	May 31, 2025	Frankston Dolphins	Loss
12	June 14, 2025	Southport Sharks	Loss

I’m unclear what’s happening here. Crossed wires maybe?

Tauru didn’t even start full training until very late in the pre season. I don’t think anyone is making this up to support the case. He missed footy early in 2024 and I believe quite a chunk of 2023.

He was then suspended in his third game, so would never have been picked for seniors after 1 or 2.

As for TOG, most tall backs/third talls play high % TOG. Typically higher than 85%. Trav would have been rotating heavily with multiple mid sized runners (did the TOG factor the vest or that was all he played when not on the pine in the vest?). I suspect he was just constantly in the last 1 or 2 picked when he did play, but unsure why he played more time in the first couple of games - injuries to other players?

 

[maanco]

It would be great if we had just one small win from that draft period, if Hunter Clark becomes a tough wily old vet I won't be too disappointed.

The bloke makes Gerard Wheatley look like He-Man but he does have rare skills and not all afl stars are musclemen.

I will say that since I heard that he smokes ciggies, my optimism on his future in the game has all but evaporated. Maybe I'm being ridiculously nieve.

My unpopular opinion that should fuel a decent debate for today: anyone wishing to make it as a player in the AFL in the 2020s who either drinks &/or smokes AT ALL (not just during the season) isnt really serious.

I'm sure some do, but if you want to give yourself the best chance in a very competitive and limited industry and you are compromising your physical condition because you started on the booze or cigs when you were young, you're just not trying hard enough. And smokers and drinkers in the game are only getting rarer. Just because there's ****-all else to do as a teenager in whatever tiny little shithole you were unlucky enough to grow up in does not excuse you. This is professional sports: get professional.

Plenty of time for that shit when you're a washed-up 40-year old with his whole life ahead of him.

Not the AFL or even the VFA but in my footy league when I use to play. The two best players in my team would punch darts at half time and they could certainly run fast and forever.
I was pretty fit running 5km in 19mins (couldn't do that now) and they would bust my arse with their running and physicality.

No idea how they were so fit, 1 of them won the league best and fairest.

 

[beside the seaside]

My memory of him in his draft year was as a player that was into attack as soon as the ball hit his hands. I thought of Siciliy but he doesn't play as a third tall interceptor like him, then I thought of a better comparison. I think it's the Lizzard. Blakey grabs the ball and he's off loping away with it. That was Trav.

One of the good signs with him is that he has absolutely dominated VFL games already as a mid. He will end up a gun player, probably the next step for him this year is finding his best position. Ultimately you want him as a plug and play best 22 guy that just does his job. Like Jaspa Fletcher from the Lions.

 

[CaptainRisky]

I believe Max's problem this year was that the initial surgery on his knee was a misdiagnosis so they just completely screwed it up. Max was still hearing clicking in his knee so that was when Misson came out and said all this stuff about the operation on the mechanical stuff or something like that

Then he went under the knife again and thats when he got ruled out for the season. A few months on and there haven't been any issues so I'm guessing they've finally got it right

Unless there's some disgusting luck next year, I'm looking forward to a big year from Winx

From what has been released to the media its highly unlikely he is going to have issues jogging half pace in a straight line , lets see him do some decent training before saying its sorted

 

[phantom13]

It would be great if we had just one small win from that draft period, if Hunter Clark becomes a tough wily old vet I won't be too disappointed.

The bloke makes Gerard Wheatley look like He-Man but he does have rare skills and not all afl stars are musclemen.

I will say that since I heard that he smokes ciggies, my optimism on his future in the game has all but evaporated. Maybe I'm being ridiculously nieve.

My unpopular opinion that should fuel a decent debate for today: anyone wishing to make it as a player in the AFL in the 2020s who either drinks &/or smokes AT ALL (not just during the season) isnt really serious.

I'm sure some do, but if you want to give yourself the best chance in a very competitive and limited industry and you are compromising your physical condition because you started on the booze or cigs when you were young, you're just not trying hard enough. And smokers and drinkers in the game are only getting rarer. Just because there's ****-all else to do as a teenager in whatever tiny little shithole you were unlucky enough to grow up in does not excuse you. This is professional sports: get professional.

Plenty of time for that shit when you're a washed-up 40-year old with his whole life ahead of him.

Cigs absolutely not, maaaaaaybe as a social smoker (couple of darts with a beer once a month) but youd need to be a top 5% on talent alone to offset that (Dusty absolutely enjoyed a beer and a dart on occasion).

Booze is a bit tougher, you can definitely drink but the impact that has on recovery (which is the most critical aspect of fitness in season) for more than one or two drinks is enormous. Weirdly athletes are better off, body wise, having a once a month blow out on coke or pills than they are drinking.

Ultimately any athlete is going to be better off performance wise if they eat all the right stuff, dont drink, focus on sleep and recovery and whatever (listen to Pendles on the Howie Games podcast and you get the ultimately professional talking about his program) but then there is a natural mental health offset to that. Some guys cant be locked in 24/7 and need some sort of an outlet. MJ was the greatest basketballer ever (IMO) and he worked bloody hard but partied just as hard. Theres no way to know if he would have been better if he cut out the cigars, drinking and gambling. He might have been worse off for it.

I’m no ITK but I do know a little about this, and your account is pretty spot on. Took a couple of specialist opinions to figure out the actual root cause of the issue, but the season-ending job got to the bottom of it. Fingers crossed now it’s the turning point for our big full forward!!

They misdiagnosed him and did the wrong surgery at least once, theyve admitted that privately.

From a few accounts they seem to have a handle on the issue now and barring contact issues should be good this year.

 

[Saintos The ITK]

I wonder what Hunters most consecutive games is.
Would have to be pretty low wouldn’t it.
Minger wouldn’t be much better. Or the Poo for that matter.

 

[The Punter]

I wonder what Hunters most consecutive games is.
Would have to be pretty low wouldn’t it.
Minger wouldn’t be much better. Or the Poo for that matter.

King is 22 (every game in 2022)
Clark is 23 (2019-20)
Pou is 31 (first 31 games of career 2023-24)

 

[Saintos The ITK]

King is 22 (every game in 2022)
Clark is 23 (2019-20)
Pou is 31 (first 31 games of career 2023-24)

Wow thanks. All of them way more than I thought.

 

[The Punter]

Wow thanks. All of them way more than I thought.

Clark essentially missed 2 games in 2 seasons before having his jaw broken.

 

[gringo2011]

One of the good signs with him is that he has absolutely dominated VFL games already as a mid. He will end up a gun player, probably the next step for him this year is finding his best position. Ultimately you want him as a plug and play best 22 guy that just does his job. Like Jaspa Fletcher from the Lions.

I saw him warming up at Marvel pregame and he looked dominant with Nas, Sincs and Wilkie around him. Oozed class and had the full suite of skills. Was taking marks at their highest point, picking up ground balls at high speed and hand balling accurate long raking passes under pressure. He really looks like if it comes off he could be a pretty nice player to me. I thought he was the safe bet for the more speculative Tauru when we took him.

A lot more players are slow burn than hit the ground running types. We have been spoiled recently with a lot of our players hitting the field looking competent early.

 

[gringo2011]

From what has been released to the media its highly unlikely he is going to have issues jogging half pace in a straight line , lets see him do some decent training before saying its sorted

Supposedly his knee is good now and they have cleaned up some stuff that got missed before.... touch wood anyway.

 

[SG34]

Cigs absolutely not, maaaaaaybe as a social smoker (couple of darts with a beer once a month) but youd need to be a top 5% on talent alone to offset that (Dusty absolutely enjoyed a beer and a dart on occasion).

Booze is a bit tougher, you can definitely drink but the impact that has on recovery (which is the most critical aspect of fitness in season) for more than one or two drinks is enormous. Weirdly athletes are better off, body wise, having a once a month blow out on coke or pills than they are drinking.

Ultimately any athlete is going to be better off performance wise if they eat all the right stuff, dont drink, focus on sleep and recovery and whatever (listen to Pendles on the Howie Games podcast and you get the ultimately professional talking about his program) but then there is a natural mental health offset to that. Some guys cant be locked in 24/7 and need some sort of an outlet. MJ was the greatest basketballer ever (IMO) and he worked bloody hard but partied just as hard. Theres no way to know if he would have been better if he cut out the cigars, drinking and gambling. He might have been worse off for it.

They misdiagnosed him and did the wrong surgery at least once, theyve admitted that privately.

From a few accounts they seem to have a handle on the issue now and barring contact issues should be good this year.

I’m fascinated with all of this. Great post. I do t have time for the Pendles podcasts etc. but if anyone has a bullet point -like summary of what we might learn about health n fitness from it it would be great to see!
Alcohol damage and Tobacco damage and the whole ‘living happily’ thing is such a fragile mix. Strangely - as a smoker in my 30s around the turn of the century , I looked better, drank way less, ate less - of course quitting was the right thing to do, but boy or boy , the things that smoking did for me positively was huge. (Ugly on the outside for sure- but inside - mentally!) and alcohol? I do better drinking once a week more than complete abstinence- I think ! Even though it ‘costs’ me three days! Each time! And fro king once a week is hard too. Twice is easier

 

[stavro#4]

From what has been released to the media its highly unlikely he is going to have issues jogging half pace in a straight line , lets see him do some decent training before saying its sorted

That’s actually precisely what would happen last time.

He could complete all activities and then randomly, like running in a straight line - the pain would return.

So they de-loaded. Loaded him back up and again it happened.

The issue needed imaging whilst under load to detect.

It’s positive we are at the end of November and he has been in rehab for a few months and nothing.

 

[phantom13]

I’m fascinated with all of this. Great post. I do t have time for the Pendles podcasts etc. but if anyone has a bullet point -like summary of what we might learn about health n fitness from it it would be great to see!
Alcohol damage and Tobacco damage and the whole ‘living happily’ thing is such a fragile mix. Strangely - as a smoker in my 30s around the turn of the century , I looked better, drank way less, ate less - of course quitting was the right thing to do, but boy or boy , the things that smoking did for me positively was huge. (Ugly on the outside for sure- but inside - mentally!) and alcohol? I do better drinking once a week more than complete abstinence- I think ! Even though it ‘costs’ me three days! Each time! And fro king once a week is hard too. Twice is easier

Its hard to summarize it cause it was effectively an audio diary of his pre season leading into week 1 of the season but it was more him talking about the work (training) the preparation and the recovery which he was incredibly diligent with (albeit its clearly all part of his lifestyle because none of it is flagged as extra work, its just what hes become accustomed too).

FWIW i played TAC and VFL a looooong time ago now and was in the same draft year as Pendles, to see him still going (and being a very handy contributor) is remarkably impressive.

 

[Train12]

Jackson Warne did a podcast with Max King

Multiple players found. Use birthday to differentiate. eg [PLAYERCARD="23/11/1962"]Joe Smith[/PLAYERCARD]

, that’s being released today at 6pm. Should get an idea of how he is traveling and what happened this year…

 

[SainterinSydney]

Jackson Warne did a podcast with Max King, that’s being released today at 6pm. Should get an idea of how he is traveling and what happened this year…

Hopefully Max has the strength to lower himself into the chair for the podcast.

 

[seasonedsainter]

Not the AFL or even the VFA but in my footy league when I use to play. The two best players in my team would punch darts at half time and they could certainly run fast and forever.
I was pretty fit running 5km in 19mins (couldn't do that now) and they would bust my arse with their running and physicality.

No idea how they were so fit, 1 of them won the league best and fairest.

5km in 19m is very solid running, fair play to you

Was clocking 19.5 at the Albert park Park run not too long ago, not a shade on that now though

The 40 min 10km was always a goal for me

Did a 91 minute half off very little training in my twenties

But these afl boys are next level

Like it’s underestimated how good are runners they are it’s elite

 

[SG34]

Hopefully Max has the strength to lower himself into the chair for the podcast.

Kane Corner was asked by Sam Edmund this morning about what would need a ‘pass mark’ for Maxy next year. Cornes said, just get on the ground 15 times and it’s enough. If he were to kick 28 goals, that would be more than enough considering the circumstances. Faith! Through the thick and thin!

 

[SainterinSydney]

Kane Corner was asked by Sam Edmund this morning about what would need a ‘pass mark’ for Maxy next year. Cornes said, just get on the ground 15 times and it’s enough. If he were to kick 28 goals, that would be more than enough considering the circumstances. Faith! Through the thick and thin!

Max to play 20 games would be epic and 40 to 50 goals. Even if it's coming home with a wet sail where he kicks bags at the end of the season.

 

[Broski]

I saw him warming up at Marvel pregame and he looked dominant with Nas, Sincs and Wilkie around him. Oozed class and had the full suite of skills. Was taking marks at their highest point, picking up ground balls at high speed and hand balling accurate long raking passes under pressure. He really looks like if it comes off he could be a pretty nice player to me. I thought he was the safe bet for the more speculative Tauru when we took him.

A lot more players are slow burn than hit the ground running types. We have been spoiled recently with a lot of our players hitting the field looking competent early.

Really liked the small moments I saw from Trav in his first season. I have no doubt that he will develop into a good player. He does the fundamentals very well and we saw that consistently in the midfield at VFL level.

Most importantly, he is one of the many kids we have on the list who have a bit of 'tism' about them and will leave no stone left unturned to become a great player at the level.

 

[seasonedsainter]

It would be great if we had just one small win from that draft period, if Hunter Clark becomes a tough wily old vet I won't be too disappointed.

The bloke makes Gerard Wheatley look like He-Man but he does have rare skills and not all afl stars are musclemen.

I will say that since I heard that he smokes ciggies, my optimism on his future in the game has all but evaporated. Maybe I'm being ridiculously nieve.

My unpopular opinion that should fuel a decent debate for today: anyone wishing to make it as a player in the AFL in the 2020s who either drinks &/or smokes AT ALL (not just during the season) isnt really serious.

I'm sure some do, but if you want to give yourself the best chance in a very competitive and limited industry and you are compromising your physical condition because you started on the booze or cigs when you were young, you're just not trying hard enough. And smokers and drinkers in the game are only getting rarer. Just because there's ****-all else to do as a teenager in whatever tiny little shithole you were unlucky enough to grow up in does not excuse you. This is professional sports: get professional.

Plenty of time for that shit when you're a washed-up 40-year old with his whole life ahead of him.

I’m sorry but “the bloke makes Gerard Wheatley look like He-Man” needs further love

 

[kosifantutti]

The other thing is he accumulates. When have we had a player in his rookie year regularly getting 20+ possies consistently? I think he has great scope, just needs to settle, and sadly part of me wants him in as a small defender replacing Webster just so he can get a regular AFL gig.

He accumulated less than 10 disposals per game with a season high of 19.
I'm not having a crack at you or Trav but trying to understand your point.

 

[seasonedsainter]

Cigs absolutely not, maaaaaaybe as a social smoker (couple of darts with a beer once a month) but youd need to be a top 5% on talent alone to offset that (Dusty absolutely enjoyed a beer and a dart on occasion).

Booze is a bit tougher, you can definitely drink but the impact that has on recovery (which is the most critical aspect of fitness in season) for more than one or two drinks is enormous. Weirdly athletes are better off, body wise, having a once a month blow out on coke or pills than they are drinking.

Ultimately any athlete is going to be better off performance wise if they eat all the right stuff, dont drink, focus on sleep and recovery and whatever (listen to Pendles on the Howie Games podcast and you get the ultimately professional talking about his program) but then there is a natural mental health offset to that. Some guys cant be locked in 24/7 and need some sort of an outlet. MJ was the greatest basketballer ever (IMO) and he worked bloody hard but partied just as hard. Theres no way to know if he would have been better if he cut out the cigars, drinking and gambling. He might have been worse off for it.

They misdiagnosed him and did the wrong surgery at least once, theyve admitted that privately.

From a few accounts they seem to have a handle on the issue now and barring contact issues should be good this year.

Really good post. There’s a lot in all of that.