Training Preseason Training Thread - 2026

[Keys]

The below is the OG faux training report from nearly 9 years ago - often imitated but never surpassed

In the absence of Keys I went down for a trundle this morning to check them out on return. Just a few random notes I took down...

• A lot of running work again, clearly a focus even in the heat.
• Duggan looked on and was hitting targets left and right. Set for a huge 2017.
• Giles went up against Vardy in the ruck contests and I'd say that Giles has the inside running at the moment.
• Mitchell looked a class above the other midfielders bar Priddis. Just knew how to find the footy and wouldn't miss a target all session. Shuey was very quiet and seemed to be taking direction from Mitchell. Doesn't bode well for his captaincy credentials, maybe he doesn't want the gig?
• Won't say too much about it in case I was just reading too much into it, but Rioli looked as though he'd enjoyed the Christmas break a bit too much. A few of the coaches pulled him aside and they were having quite an animated conversation before Rioli was sent to do laps for the rest of the session. Good news for Le Cras, I suppose.
• Sheed kicked on his right foot for 80% of the session, I reckon. Nice to see players working on their non-preferred so readily.
• Petrie looked like he was doing a great job 'coaching' the younger forwards in between the drills. Darling in particular seemed to be following him around.
• Gee Venables has some skills. He mainly jogged laps before spending the last half hour or so on set shots - curled a few beauties from behind the boundary line at the end for a bit of fun. Hardly saw him miss a kick.
• What interested me the most was that McGovern split his time between the defenders and the forwards, could be seeing a swingman role in 2017. He was his usual dominant self down back in some match simulation drills before going head-to-head with Mackenzie in a forward role.
• Bayok is very fast - Cripps was in most of the drills with him and couldn't keep up.
• Nelson is pale as buggery and still doesn't really have the body shape you'd expect of an AFL player.
• There was a big bloke who pulled up next to me and I could have sworn it was Suma, but I'm sure I was wrong...
• Masto was the player picked to kick the goal at the end today and nailed it. Celebrations were huge.
• No sign of Cole, Parto or Hill. Couldn't tell you why.

Will upload pics later if I have time. Let me know if you have any questions!

You might wonder why I’ve put this up and stickied it

Because this is the standard all copies should be measured against and it’s a reminder of how high the bar was set

And to hopefully discourage sequels.

If you want to have a crack in my absence, go ahead but if it doesn’t equal the standard set (as judged by me), then expect

• A one week threadban for a first offence
• A two week threadban for a second offence
• A one year threadban for a third offence

Actual training reports, minus discussion, can become found here:

Training - Preseason Training Reports -2025/26

This thread has been setup for training reports only and won’t be open for replies Informative reports from the preseason thread will be copied into this thread so posters have access to the quality work from the likes of LittleFires without wading through pages of general posts

www.bigfooty.com

 

[Avalor]

Is there any way to find out when you first signed up on here? If I had to guess I'd say I'd been on here roughly 15 years.

I signed up in 2009 - many moons ago.

 

[PremiershipNo4]

I've been on this site since I was 22.

I'm now 41.

It's about the friends you make along the way.

Just a spring chicken

 

[RustyShacklefordFalcon]

In case anybody wanted to know, I signed up Dec 26, 2024.

 

[bzparkes]

Just a spring chicken

If only I felt like one

 

[PremiershipNo4]

In case anybody wanted to know, I signed up Dec 26, 2024.

I’m happy to know that, a true supporter that gets behind their team, even when they are at their lowest ebb, good for you

 

[PremiershipNo4]

If only I felt like one

Wait until ya get to 53, I still coach junior footy, sometimes after training when I’ve kicked the ball 300 times the arthritis kicks in and I feel about 80.

 

[RustyShacklefordFalcon]

If only I felt like one

Coulda fooled me, with yer interweb forums and yer vidya games.

 

[bzparkes]

Coulda fooled me, with yer interweb forums and yer vidya games.

If you glaze me any more I might bust out a 6 + 7 gif.

 

[quackish]

The true Reddit experience is expressing a different political opinion to the moderator, no matter how mild, and having the basement-dwelling mod insta-ban you and adjust the rules of the sub-reddit to accommodate, even if it's completely unrelated to the topic, or nobody was offended.

I’m banned from the AFL sub because I told the hawks mod to “eat shit” after he removed my comment from a match thread because I said something about the hawks getting the rub of the green. Does that count?

 

[Wild Kelly]

Tell 'im he's dreamin'

You were supposed to ask "how much"!!!

 

[RustyShacklefordFalcon]

If you glaze me any more I might bust out a 6 + 7 gif.

fr fr

 

[bzparkes]

I’m banned from the AFL sub because I told the hawks mod to “eat shit” after he removed my comment from a match thread because I said something about the hawks getting the rub of the green. Does that count?

Sounds rather Reddit.

Like Discord and Twitch mods, roles on those sites usually attract weirdos on a power trip who like to force their own agenda.

 

[RustyShacklefordFalcon]

Mini: What's wrong with your lip?

Owies: I was born with big gums, sir!

Mini: Well, you better tuck that in. Gonna get that caught on a tripwire.

 

[eagleskickass]

I've been on this site since I was 22.

I'm now 41.

It's about the friends you make along the way.

I was 15...I'm not any more

 

[Ilkka Sinisalo]

this is one of the issues having your stoppage/mid coach directly go straight into coaching within the same organisation.

Yeah it's a tough one, especially in the west where if a guy wants to go into coaching at the top level there are only two options (as opposed to retiring Vic players where they have way more clubs to choose from) if the retiring player has grown roots with a young family and doesn't want to move interstate. I would definitely have preferred retiring players to take on a role elsewhere, whether it be in WAFL or with Freo, rather than going straight into a coaching role with his mates.

One question this does raise in my mind is whether the problem is an issue of personnel or coaching. There has (justifiably) been a lot of focus on the Eagles' stoppage woes but is it because the Eagles don't have players who are good at reading the ball out of the ruck and lack the quickness to manoeuvre in these tight spaces? Or is the problem poor coaching which, as the video shows, results in players not having a good sense of where they should be at the stoppage and too many players either ball watching or running to the ball and leaving the outside runners free for the release handball? I don't really know what the answer is, but if the problem is coaching and structures then it doesn't matter how many Dyson Sharps you draft, you're still going to keep getting smoked in clearances.

 

[Astro7]

I signed up in 2009 - many moons ago.

I joined in 2009 also. Then left, but I rejoined in 2017...and the years fly by.

 

[Astro7]

Just sinking in...I've been watching Crippa play footy (to some extent) since I was 2 years old. Glad he got another year, and hope he gets a big farewell game near the end to send him off properly. Underrated career and will go out a legend of the club. Looking forward to what he brings to the AFL and hopefully the WAFL too in the meantime.

I wonder why you weren't watching him when you were 1 years old, weren't you into footy then?

 

[UseR2006]

Noticed there's been no notes on Grego, how has the kid been going?

 

[SAweagle]

Alleged senior midfielder and leadership consultant Tim Kelly

11

Tim Kelly

Age

31

Ht

184cm

Wt

83kg

Pos.

M/F

Career

Season

Last 5

D

23.6

5star

K

13.5

5star

HB

10.1

5star

M

3.4

3star

T

4.0

5star

CL

4.9

5star

D

19.9

5star

K

12.3

5star

HB

7.6

4star

M

3.1

3star

T

4.7

5star

CL

3.6

4star

D

21.6

5star

K

10.4

4star

HB

11.2

5star

M

2.8

3star

T

3.8

5star

CL

3.8

5star

still MIA

Take as long as you need mate, after a 1 win season there's little point in getting out there early i guess

 

[jdisc]

I wonder why you weren't watching him when you were 1 years old, weren't you into footy then?

2008 was a forgettable season tbf

 

[jdisc]

Alleged senior midfielder and leadership consultant Tim Kelly still MIA

Take as long as you need mate, after a 1 win season there's little point in getting out there early i guess

hes been doing his own running program, even in the heat, clearly a focus during this off season

 

[TY24]

I’ll let our resident rangas TY24 and HoneyBadger35 to gingerly touch tips

You'd love that wouldn't you Vish

 

[The_Reaper]

Signed up to bigfooty as a 13 year old way back in 2006. Made about 90% of my posts by age 21

 

[bUCKET__]

I would never sign up to this awful website with you losers.

 

[THE A5]

You'd love that wouldn't you Vish

I mean wouldn’t love it but wouldn’t hate it either