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

 

[Proeagle]

Harleys uncle was his main training coach for his pre AFL days.
Now I'm not trying to throw shade on the guy, but knowing country lads, the training routine probably would have been ending with a few tins.

Good on him, he did a great job to get Reid to where he was, but as all draftees who come from a non academy/FS/PSA/other elite junior pathways find out, the AFL is a completely different beast.

Too Reid's credit, he seems to have figured that part out this off season

I remember watching their training and I thought it seemed a lot for a kid his age and could see why he was such a good player. His Uncle setup an ice bath, sauna, area for judo training and they did a lot of football practice from what I saw.

It seems he slacked off a bit after his first season and went home and probably just partied with mates. Can't completely blame a kid for that but hopefully he has grown out of it.

 

[Bleedblueandgold]

I miss having multiple train on players vie for an SSP spot. I wonder how many clubs were lining up for Macrae & Schoenberg's signature that we had to sign them immediately.

 

[WCErevival]

I miss having multiple train on players vie for an SSP spot. I wonder how many clubs were lining up for Macrae & Schoenberg's signature that we had to sign them immediately.

You can look at the extra rookies as a 12 month train on. Winner gets another contract.

 

[Keys]

I miss having multiple train on players vie for an SSP spot. I wonder how many clubs were lining up for Macrae & Schoenberg's signature that we had to sign them immediately.

I suspect the plan was to leave a spot open but they weren’t expecting someone the quality of Rodriguez to go undrafted which changed their plans

 

[Proeagle]

I suspect the plan was to leave a spot open but they weren’t expecting someone the quality of Rodriguez to go undrafted which changed their plans

I hate to leave a spot free, ie category B. Anyway we can fill this spot without a trip the the US or Ireland you think?

 

[Eastcoasteagle]

Well not that it deserves any particular bragging rights, more so it’s just a unimportant fact, but I can confirm that I am indeed older than Keys

I am officially an “Old Fart” and I am more than happy with that status, because getting old is a privilege that’s not afforded everyone, so I am grateful for it.

Being a father and now a grandparent are two of life’s greatest blessings.

What maters in life is family and friends.

And flags

 

[mattyc75]

I suspect the plan was to leave a spot open but they weren’t expecting someone the quality of Rodriguez to go undrafted which changed their plans

If Banfield lasted to the rookie draft we probably wouldve taken him there, and if Evans did he'd be on the catch b list so still no list spot

 

[MaxHunt]

Is Harry Schoenberg going to be our new Chad Rintoul?

Fingers crossed. Been a while since supertoul was running around.

 

[FKASC]

Don’t forget flags guys

 

[Cuzz09]

Im still hopeful Owies can produce the goal tallies of his Carlton seasons when he was at the feet of Curnow and McKay with a semi decent midfield supply.

Hopefully a fit Waterman and Shanahan and more competitive midfield can see him and others reap more rewards.

 

[Bleedblueandgold]

Don’t forget flags guys

*flag

 

[Yeahnahmate]

Im still hopeful Owies can produce the goal tallies of his Carlton seasons when he was at the feet of Curnow and McKay with a semi decent midfield supply.

Hopefully a fit Waterman and Shanahan and more competitive midfield can see him and others reap more rewards.

Oh sweet child. Even if he does score more due to better opportunity he stinks so much when playing any working part of forward chains and breaks up otherwise good plays far too much. A liability either way imo and would prefer we uncover other goal sources instead of giving him more chances to fk things up

 

[Bender_]

If anyone heads down to training today, can you let us know who the new pasty red-head is for us?

Cheers

 

[Goldfish]

I hate to leave a spot free, ie category B. Anyway we can fill this spot without a trip the the US or Ireland you think?

Pretty sure Wes Walley could be listed as a Cat B if we wanted to?

 

[bzparkes]

If anyone heads down to training today, can you let us know who the new pasty red-head is for us?

Cheers

Shoenberg or Watt?

 

[Doashuey]

Pretty sure Wes Walley could be listed as a Cat B if we wanted to?

Yep and we left a spot vacant after punting Livingstone and yet decided to not fill it with WW. I can't think of one good reason why we have done that. Anyone got any theories?

 

[Keys]

Genuinely want Owies to settle into a role and become a valuable contributor for us in 2026 after a disappointing 2025

Whether he’s capable of doing that I’m not so sure but that won’t stop me from hoping it happens

A lot will depend on Cripps though as I don’t believe we should have both in our side - it’s one or the other, not both

 

[RanaNaved]

Yep and we left a spot vacant after punting Livingstone and yet decided to not fill it with WW. I can't think of one good reason why we have done that. Anyone got any theories?

Yeah, they must not rate him

 

[Yeahnahmate]

Genuinely want Owies to settle into a role and become a valuable contributor for us in 2026 after a disappointing 2025

Whether he’s capable of doing that I’m not so sure but that won’t stop me from hoping it happens

A lot will depend on Cripps though as I don’t believe we should have both in our side - it’s one or the other, not both

Going forward from here, I’m a huge fan of neither. But I do agree that if Owies can produce 25+ goals after a reset then most is forgiven

 

[Ambrose Burnside]

So long as a Dev or someone steps up to be this generation's RoJo, Harley's gonna rip the competition a new one this year

 

[southcoast]

Is Harry Schoenberg going to be our new Chad Rintoul?

Our new Tyson Stenglien?

Premiership player and all that - gotta have standards and high bars to aim for.

 

[fullbull]

Genuinely want Owies to settle into a role and become a valuable contributor for us in 2026 after a disappointing 2025

Whether he’s capable of doing that I’m not so sure but that won’t stop me from hoping it happens

A lot will depend on Cripps though as I don’t believe we should have both in our side - it’s one or the other, not both

We just need to hope and pray that Mini agrees with this part

 

[Jeremy McLovin]

As we all know, running is a focus in the heat - so what would they be working on with the recent cool weather?

 

[mattyc75]

Yep and we left a spot vacant after punting Livingstone and yet decided to not fill it with WW. I can't think of one good reason why we have done that. Anyone got any theories?

He's not very good? Is it a minimum 2 yr contract? If it is might make attaining more talented NGAs next year more difficult?

 

[Doashuey]

He's not very good? Is it a minimum 2 yr contract? If it is might make attaining more talented NGAs next year more difficult?

Maybe, I mean he was rated a Top 20 draft talent by many at the start of the year so you would think there is something there to work with even if he didn't come on this year.
But if that is the case, why not just extend Livo for an additional year instead of having an empty spot?