Report coming soon.
Curtin trained without knee strapping.
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Bigman’s Training Reports
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The boy is serious
It’s going to be strange seeing a competent number 4 out there.
Draper gets Scott Thompsons old number. Let us hope for a good year from the kid.
Bond gets a proper number not in the 40s.
Draper gets Scott Thompsons old number. Let us hope for a good year from the kid.
Bond gets a proper number not in the 40s.
Training 24/11/2025
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Great to be back. Not sure the boys were feeling the same by the end of the session though, she was hot!
This is probably my favourite session of the pre season as we get to see who has really put in the hard yards to get a step ahead of their teammates. No time trial today (that’ll likely be next week) but still plenty to take out of it.
Most of the squad was there aside from a few absences. Interestingly Dawson wasn’t there, while Draper apparently was but didn’t train outside at all. No Sholl, Neal-Bullen or Cumming. No Ah Chee either but he’s not allowed to be back training yet seeing as he played in the GF.
Thankfully not too many in the rehab group. Fog was in there and probably needs to fine down a touch over the next few weeks, doesn’t look in peak condition. Max and Hinge were also in rehab though Hinge looked basically ready to return to the main group. Max seems not too far off, did a mix of running and bike work along with Fog.
The biggest body change would probably go to Edwards. Last year he returned like a player who had eased off a bit, but this year he’s incredibly trim. I’d wager he’s dropped at least 3-4 kilos. Puts him in really good stead to impress the coaches.
As for the fittest, time trials are yet to come but clearly Rankine and Curtin are right up there. Rankine looks supremely fit and Curtin moved as good as I’ve seen - plus he trained without knee strapping for the first time. Both dominated the end of session running block, putting a sizeable gap on their teammates.
I was surprised just how quick and energetic the drills were. There wasn’t much easing in at all after the initial warm up, it was pretty gung ho actually. Skills were pretty sharp though the typical rust showed up from time to time, particularly late as the temperature reached 30 degrees and fatigue really set in.
Marsh and Cotton did a surprising amount of work for their first session, only being held out of the running part. It was certainly a lot more than Draper and Welsh did last year.
Ludowyke is still recovering from his PCL injury and was solely on the bike. Poor bloke was buggered by the end of it and looked to be chucking his breakfast up. The lads got around him as he was cycling which was good to see, Rachele even spraying water in his mouth and Tex having a chat which I’m sure is surreal for the kid.
Both Marsh and Cotton handled themselves well. Marsh is a great shape for a footballer and his kicking class already stands out. Loved seeing him put on a step to get out of trouble in defence during one of the drills.
Cotton was particularly impressive. Took a little bit of time to get into it but soon found his confidence and took a couple of lovely grabs at full stretch including an intercept mark on Laird. Ball drop is a touch loose but nothing worrying. Moves great for his height and although on the skinny side has the frame to put on size.
Maley is more solid than I thought, quite thick in the legs. Reasonable mover though a bit of a waddler. As expected, hands were good but kicking action leaves a lot to be desired. Had one awful grubber out of defence that led to an opposition goal.
Just to clarify, there were no set positions or groups of any kind. There were also no train on players though Drury was there and it would appear Strachan will play again this year as was training in the rehab group.
Aside from Rankine and Curtin, I thought Soligo was the other standout today. Looks noticeably trimmer than this time last year and clearly had his acceleration back.
Some player notes:
1. Jones - wish he played like he trained. Still looks a touch stocky to me but he trained great, can’t see how he gets into the team though unless we cop a bunch of injuries.
2. Keays - did most of the session, and as always was the last to head inside after doing a bunch of goal kicking practice. Has shaved the locks again.
3. Berry - looks super fit and noticeably tanned. Has his work cut out though after his finish to the year.
7. Thilthorpe - was great as you’d expect, not sure about the bucket hat though.
8. Rachele - looks in good nick though he did languish a little in the running. Trained with sunnies on which is questionable…
9. Murray - trained pretty well but is still pretty bulky, hopefully can get his speed and agility back this summer.
10. Pedlar - looks pretty trim and moved well, kicking was great. Curious to see his time trial.
15. Cook - definitely the best he’s looked physically though im not sure he will ever look ripped like some of his teammates.
17. Welsh - not rock hard fit but certainly an improvement. Kept up just fine in the running though there wasn’t a heap of it. Will be an interesting watch.
19. Taylor - didn’t see any noticeable change in physique but did fine in the running and thought he trained particularly well in the full ground drill where his class stood out.
21. Bond - just a much more assured player than his early days. Unsurprisingly is in great condition.
22. Ryan - pleasingly looks to have bulked up a bit more which should help break tackles and not lose possession which he is susceptible to doing at times.
27. Nankervis - still very light but think he just has that body shape which struggles to put on size.
31. Dowling - similar to Ryan looks to have added some much needed size, though he will never be a particularly big lad with those skinny shoulders.
41. Butts - bit of an Adonis these days! Seriously impressive build, looks real fit. Good sign.
42. McAndrew - for his height his foot skills and mobility are actually pretty good. Similar to Strachan though he appears to struggle putting on much size, though with the new rules it may not matter as much.
Early sessions are more about seeing who’s there, who’s not and which players look fit and primed. Overall I was pretty chuffed with that I saw today. It wasn’t the longest sesh (90 mins) but despite the heat I thought the energy was good and there wasn’t much lethargy at all.
My comments will get more detailed as I see more sessions and match sim starts, for now it’s mainly about what shape they’re in.
As always, feel free to ask any questions.
This is probably my favourite session of the pre season as we get to see who has really put in the hard yards to get a step ahead of their teammates. No time trial today (that’ll likely be next week) but still plenty to take out of it.
Most of the squad was there aside from a few absences. Interestingly Dawson wasn’t there, while Draper apparently was but didn’t train outside at all. No Sholl, Neal-Bullen or Cumming. No Ah Chee either but he’s not allowed to be back training yet seeing as he played in the GF.
Thankfully not too many in the rehab group. Fog was in there and probably needs to fine down a touch over the next few weeks, doesn’t look in peak condition. Max and Hinge were also in rehab though Hinge looked basically ready to return to the main group. Max seems not too far off, did a mix of running and bike work along with Fog.
The biggest body change would probably go to Edwards. Last year he returned like a player who had eased off a bit, but this year he’s incredibly trim. I’d wager he’s dropped at least 3-4 kilos. Puts him in really good stead to impress the coaches.
As for the fittest, time trials are yet to come but clearly Rankine and Curtin are right up there. Rankine looks supremely fit and Curtin moved as good as I’ve seen - plus he trained without knee strapping for the first time. Both dominated the end of session running block, putting a sizeable gap on their teammates.
I was surprised just how quick and energetic the drills were. There wasn’t much easing in at all after the initial warm up, it was pretty gung ho actually. Skills were pretty sharp though the typical rust showed up from time to time, particularly late as the temperature reached 30 degrees and fatigue really set in.
Marsh and Cotton did a surprising amount of work for their first session, only being held out of the running part. It was certainly a lot more than Draper and Welsh did last year.
Ludowyke is still recovering from his PCL injury and was solely on the bike. Poor bloke was buggered by the end of it and looked to be chucking his breakfast up. The lads got around him as he was cycling which was good to see, Rachele even spraying water in his mouth and Tex having a chat which I’m sure is surreal for the kid.
Both Marsh and Cotton handled themselves well. Marsh is a great shape for a footballer and his kicking class already stands out. Loved seeing him put on a step to get out of trouble in defence during one of the drills.
Cotton was particularly impressive. Took a little bit of time to get into it but soon found his confidence and took a couple of lovely grabs at full stretch including an intercept mark on Laird. Ball drop is a touch loose but nothing worrying. Moves great for his height and although on the skinny side has the frame to put on size.
Maley is more solid than I thought, quite thick in the legs. Reasonable mover though a bit of a waddler. As expected, hands were good but kicking action leaves a lot to be desired. Had one awful grubber out of defence that led to an opposition goal.
Just to clarify, there were no set positions or groups of any kind. There were also no train on players though Drury was there and it would appear Strachan will play again this year as was training in the rehab group.
Aside from Rankine and Curtin, I thought Soligo was the other standout today. Looks noticeably trimmer than this time last year and clearly had his acceleration back.
Some player notes:
1. Jones - wish he played like he trained. Still looks a touch stocky to me but he trained great, can’t see how he gets into the team though unless we cop a bunch of injuries.
2. Keays - did most of the session, and as always was the last to head inside after doing a bunch of goal kicking practice. Has shaved the locks again.
3. Berry - looks super fit and noticeably tanned. Has his work cut out though after his finish to the year.
7. Thilthorpe - was great as you’d expect, not sure about the bucket hat though.
8. Rachele - looks in good nick though he did languish a little in the running. Trained with sunnies on which is questionable…
9. Murray - trained pretty well but is still pretty bulky, hopefully can get his speed and agility back this summer.
10. Pedlar - looks pretty trim and moved well, kicking was great. Curious to see his time trial.
15. Cook - definitely the best he’s looked physically though im not sure he will ever look ripped like some of his teammates.
17. Welsh - not rock hard fit but certainly an improvement. Kept up just fine in the running though there wasn’t a heap of it. Will be an interesting watch.
19. Taylor - didn’t see any noticeable change in physique but did fine in the running and thought he trained particularly well in the full ground drill where his class stood out.
21. Bond - just a much more assured player than his early days. Unsurprisingly is in great condition.
22. Ryan - pleasingly looks to have bulked up a bit more which should help break tackles and not lose possession which he is susceptible to doing at times.
27. Nankervis - still very light but think he just has that body shape which struggles to put on size.
31. Dowling - similar to Ryan looks to have added some much needed size, though he will never be a particularly big lad with those skinny shoulders.
41. Butts - bit of an Adonis these days! Seriously impressive build, looks real fit. Good sign.
42. McAndrew - for his height his foot skills and mobility are actually pretty good. Similar to Strachan though he appears to struggle putting on much size, though with the new rules it may not matter as much.
Early sessions are more about seeing who’s there, who’s not and which players look fit and primed. Overall I was pretty chuffed with that I saw today. It wasn’t the longest sesh (90 mins) but despite the heat I thought the energy was good and there wasn’t much lethargy at all.
My comments will get more detailed as I see more sessions and match sim starts, for now it’s mainly about what shape they’re in.
As always, feel free to ask any questions.
Last edited:
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- Oct 2, 2022
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Maybe not naive, but there was no version of us coming up with enough trading capital to satisfy Melbourne and that was made clear to Petracca early on. That seems pretty clear.
Amazing work, thanks mate
I think it used to be John street
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When do SSP potentials join in?
Golumless
A bigger deal out west.
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If it comes off, he is someone you can easily build a midfield around. Such a big body to clear a path for Rankine, Draper, Soligo, Rachele et al.
The Bont 2.0
Like what you had to say in regards to Marsh and Cotton
Golumless
A bigger deal out west.
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So if Curtin goes in the middle, who gets his wing? Ah Chee? Marsh? Dawson? Hinge? Sholl?
Probably Draper. It's a "who gives a shit" position, so it's probably just given to the other inside midfielder we are developing.
The right one can be damaging
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So if Curtin goes in the middle, who gets his wing? Ah Chee? Marsh? Dawson? Hinge? Sholl?
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I'd be surprised - think we're on a "win now" footing and, as you pointed out, we were reluctant to give Draper minutes anywhere other than midfield last year.
Golumless
A bigger deal out west.
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Sure, but we come to the elephant in the room which is whoever genuinely can be damaging on a wing is urgently needed elsewhere. There aren't too many teams who can afford to run gun wingers without there being a secondary part to their game (think your Chad Warners who run through an inside mid for 30-50% CBA's), seeing most of the locked in wingers tend to have really odd profiles which don't really translate to being moved anywhere (Dempsey, Langdon, X.Duursma as examples).
The problem when you have a genuine gun is your faced with either being forced to move them to the inside midfield, seeing damage is becoming more and more important over time, or half back flank to be the guy who you build your outside ball movement game around. Even nowdays, half/small forward is certainly claiming a fair share of would be gun wingers. A lot of the newer breed would carve it up and them some on a wing.
Not much (well, nothing) changes in regards to selection whether a club is in "win now" or a "rebuilding" mode. That's more about expectation setting with results then a genuine attitude shift with coaching. Those terms purely belong in a list management space.
It's a move we do have form with in the past in this rebuild, after all, wing is where we settled Jake Soligo for a couple of years. It's also been one of the go-to spot to develop inside midfielders who need a bit more time in the oven for a while around the league.
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The who gives a shit position is a stupid call
Golumless
A bigger deal out west.
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- Colorado Rockies :'(, Colorado Avalanche
And these gun specialists wingers are where exactly?
Whilst I appreciate 'Who gives a shit position" is a harsh statement, it works for what I wanted to describe. Whatever benefits there are to maximising the wing pales to just developing your next inside midfielder or you just need the players who could be star wings in more impactful positions (half back flank/half or small forward) with wing just being a spot to dump your excess outside players.
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Thanks, Bigman.
Pretty encouraging on their shape, overall.
Do you have any info on why Fog is behind, and why Draper was inside?
These are two players who can't afford any slips this year.
We really need Fog to step up and take over from Tex, and Draper needs to be fit, bulked and ready to go in the firsts from game 1. He needs a Curtin year of clear improvement, or it's a failure of drafting, perhaps.
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Particularly love watching Bont when he uses his height to spread centre, reach high and handball “over the top” to hit
a running teammate. It’s a unique skill only some can do and I see it in Dan.
a running teammate. It’s a unique skill only some can do and I see it in Dan.
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Clubs choose at different parts of the today vs. tomorrow trade-off when it comes to team selection all the time. Soligo was hardly a comparable situation – we were a bottom-five side then, not the reigning minor premiers. Draper could be the best choice to start on the second wing, but based on his form last season, and the aforementioned fact of us being reluctant to use him outside of the midfield, I'd be surprised (although not disappointed).
