Bigman’s Training Reports

[UcantCme]

Nicks has openly "joked" that they didn't know where to play him

Nice to have a player with a varied skill set of course but a challenge for coaches given the options available.

It was Davis who suggested wing as an option during the preseason

After trying him as a 4th tall forward early in 2025 with limited effect and with Sholl struggling to impact they made that switch.

It's ended up working fine but it feels like a lot of circumstances (not of our design) had to fall a certain way for us to stumble into a good idea. Are we missing opportunities to develop other young players by waiting for fate to intervene? Or not knowing intuitively how to get talented players into their best role quickly?

Don’t don’t believe this is entirely true.

The draft plan was always to draft Curtin as a midfielder - everyone was aligned to that intent.

The challenge was where to start his career - the club wanted to get games into him but also knew midfield was too much to ask a 197cm player in his first year.

Finding a spot for Curtin for his first 30-50’games was the debate - it was never any debate about his long term role

 

[AFC979810]

Don’t don’t believe this is entirely true.

The draft plan was always to draft Curtin as a midfielder - everyone was aligned to that intent.

The challenge was where to start his career - the club wanted to get games into him but also knew midfield was too much to ask a 197cm player in his first year.

Finding a spot for Curtin for his first 30-50’games was the debate - it was never any debate about his long term role

Didnt the club say the same exact thing about Rachele?

Never believe what the club tells you.

 

[Drugs Are Bad Mackay?]

Don’t don’t believe this is entirely true.

The draft plan was always to draft Curtin as a midfielder - everyone was aligned to that intent.

The challenge was where to start his career - the club wanted to get games into him but also knew midfield was too much to ask a 197cm player in his first year.

Finding a spot for Curtin for his first 30-50’games was the debate - it was never any debate about his long term role

Yeah

That's what we're talking about

 

[Cromulant]

Didnt the club say the same exact thing about Rachele?

Never believe what the club tells you.

What the recruiters say doesn't align with idiot coaches

 

[Carmo]

You would have to assume this season is the last chance saloon for Brayden Cook.

Played games in all 5 seasons at the club, but still not found a best 22 position and held it.

Did think he looked like he finally has come back in better shape then he left though. Which is a positive.

Kid has the size, mobility, skills, goalsense and marking prowess to be a player. Even has a but of X Factor. I would love to see him finally piece it all together this year.

Bigman can you keep an eye on him this offseason?

Cook came on enormously this year in SANFL to regularly be one of our most influential players. You wouldn't call him too good for SANFL yet but by the end of this forthcoming year he'll be way too good for SANFL and at that point should be cementing a spot in the AFL team.

 

[Golumless]

Didnt the club say the same exact thing about Rachele?

Never believe what the club tells you.

Probably, recruiters/the club are always going to be a lot more optimistic with their draftees. After all, why are you even bothering to draft them if you don't see a bright future for them?

Whereas, the coaches have to deal with reality and for many players, what stops them from moving positions is purely who else is on the list or a flaw that gets exposed by a list composition.

 

[AFC979810]

Probably, recruiters/the club are always going to be a lot more optimistic with their draftees. After all, why are you even bothering to draft them if you don't see a bright future for them?

Whereas, the coaches have to deal with reality and for many players, what stops them from moving positions is purely who else is on the list or a flaw that gets exposed by a list composition.

The issue is that the coaches followed this plan with Rachele and then stopped.

 

[jenny61_99]

Like a lot of his choices.

I dunno. Seemed to have worked out this year. (Meaning Curtin).

 

[Amacca 23]

The plan was that Curtin would turn into a mid but played as a key defender/forward in his draft year with spurts in the midfield so to say we drafted him as a mid is incorrect .Its what we hoped he would happen because he had all the traits to become the elite big body mid we needed

 

[Mutineer]

The plan was that Curtin would turn into a mid but played as a key defender/forward in his draft year with spurts in the midfield so to say we drafted him as a mid is incorrect .Its what we hoped he would happen because he had all the traits to become the elite big body mid we needed

Did you listen to that Hamish video I posted from immediately after that draft? Clearly Hamish saw both Curtin and Edwards as future "tall" midfield prospects. That's not even debatable.

 

[Amacca 23]

Did you listen to that Hamish video I posted from immediately after that draft? Clearly Hamish saw both Curtin and Edwards as future "tall" midfield prospects. That's not even debatable.

My point is how many 195 mids play much in the midfield in their first 18 months ?

 

[Coopers]

My point is how many 195 mids play much in the midfield in their first 18 months ?

How many even exist?

It's going to be a small sample size.

 

[Amacca 23]

How many even exist?

It's going to be a small sample size.

Exactly im pretty sure both cripps and bont never played full time mids their first 2 seasons because your body ISNT ready for that

 

[Coopers]

Exactly im pretty sure both cripps and bont never played full time mids their first 2 seasons because your body ISNT ready for that

I'm not sure any conclusion can be drawn at all from any of the data?

I'd be able to do it, for example. If I was 30 years younger, 8 inches taller and could football at all.

 

[Danger_zone]

Sooo we got any of those Training Reports coming up?

 

[ams4crows]

Have we not started back yet due to playing finals?? Other teams are already out on the track officially

 

[Gtowncrow]

Have we not started back yet due to playing finals?? Other teams are already out on the track officially

This is fair enough for the backline but the rest of the team hardly had a massive September.

I hope they all come back angry and savage about their September effort. Without a ruthless and personal disappointment in each player, there's a great risk September haunts us into a mojo shattering year.

Off topic a bit but we really should have sacked Nicks after that debacle so we could reset with a fresh attitude.

 

[Mutineer]

Have we not started back yet due to playing finals?? Other teams are already out on the track officially

November 24

 

[Ian Dunross]

If Curtin does play mainly in the guts, then Cook on a wing wouldn't be the worse option to replace him.

Cook has got some elite traits, spatial awareness, clean with ball, silky, difficult type to match up on. He doesn't always put them together and seems to struggle for confidence, but he's got some tricks.

 

[Golumless]

If Curtin does play mainly in the guts, then Cook on a wing wouldn't be the worse option to replace him.

It wouldn't be a good option, mind you, but it would be better than the Butts/Borlace's of the world.

Cook doesn't have the ball winning ability to be an AFL player.

 

[Thylacinus]

It wouldn't be a good option, mind you, but it would be better than the Butts/Borlace's of the world.

Cook doesn't have the ball winning ability to be an AFL player.

We also have Luke Nankervis and potentially Indy Cotton to choose from to play as wings who are on the taller side.

 

[1970crow]

It wouldn't be a good option, mind you, but it would be better than the Butts/Borlace's of the world.

Cook doesn't have the ball winning ability to be an AFL player.

Maybe he could play on Cumming's wing where you don't have to get the ball. Cook's ball winning ability playing ahead of the ball in a poor side in 2024 isn't far off Cumming's ability off a wing in an 18 win season. Wouldn't mind seeing him on a wing before his time is done.

 

[Coopers]

It wouldn't be a good option, mind you, but it would be better than the Butts/Borlace's of the world.

Cook doesn't have the ball winning ability to be an AFL player.

I said last year that it was his year to thrive... or not.

He's got another shot at it I guess, but I sadly think he's not going to put it together. He'll remain on the fringes of the team.

I'd just love him to get all aggro and powerful. He's got all the tricks, good kick, good size, good decisions. Hell, he's just about elite with those things. Just can't command the ball and stay present, be physical. Like, whatever you call the opposite of elite in those things.

 

[Blue Red and Gold]

On a different note, I was in the West Lakes area earlier this week with a work colleague from WA who is a made Freo fan so we swung past the training facility, what an embarrassment it is.
Turf surface is horrible, looked so dry.
I know we are not training there at the minute so I expect it will improve significantly but at the moment you can nearly hear the shin splints forming over summer.

 

[Peter Doherty]

On a different note, I was in the West Lakes area earlier this week with a work colleague from WA who is a made Freo fan so we swung past the training facility, what an embarrassment it is.
Turf surface is horrible, looked so dry.
I know we are not training there at the minute so I expect it will improve significantly but at the moment you can nearly hear the shin splints forming over summer.

Calm down. It's normal for them to scarify the turf in spring.