Bigman’s Training Reports

[DJ75]

And so the first week of pre-season comes to an end.

Nearly everyone showed up in some form or fashion today, bar a select few - Ah Chee, ANB and Rankine. Cumming made his first appearance for the year, while Sid finally showed his face - although he only watched from the sidelines alongside Ludowyke.

The rehab group was much the same as previous. Fog, Max and Strachan did a chunk of running and were joined by Marsh who was again held off from main training. Hinge and Keays were managed at times while Soligo finished up before the late session running. Rachele and Tex did their running work separately rather than with the main group, but otherwise trained fully. Foot, McGuane and Cotton were once again held off from the running portion. I’m surprised Foot didn’t have to do the running given his age and experience.

Curtin trained without knee strapping unlike Wednesday. I wonder if the new fitness bloke is trying to ween him off the bandage? It’s a curious case nonetheless. Jones and Pedlar both wore some slight knee strapping but neither seemed hindered in any way.

After the warm up, which involved sprint work, there was a ‘gauntlet’ drill which started with a loose ball at half back and focussed on moving the ball up the wing quickly with fast hands and speed, with opposition players trying to put on frontal pressure and cut them off.

The squad then split up into three different drills which they would rotate through. One was all about ground ball and quick hands in traffic whilst being tackled. Another was inside 50 entries from the corridor kicking to a solitary lead, while the other group was at half back and had one designated kicker (Tex, Dawson) choosing between multiple leading options on the wing.

The final main drill involved three teams with two active at a time, and similar to Wednesday would only allow ball movement via the wings. Each time there was a score, the ball would then have to move via the opposite wing. With one team rotating in and out, plus the attacking side becoming the defenders and vice versa, it was quite the complicated drill and really emphasised maintaining concentration - it also looked pretty buggering!

Finally the lads finished up with a bit more running than they had done the previous two sessions. The group would stride from one end of the ground to the other at about 80%, before jogging back and doing it all over again about 7-8 times. Usual suspects Dowling and Curtin were often leading the pack but the surprises near the front were Pedlar, Butts and, believe it or not, Welsh. Pleasingly no one was really languishing at the back - Laird was one of the slower runners but to be fair he’s not even required to be training yet and was likely just pacing himself.

Probably no absolute standout today though I was once again impressed by Cook’s intensity out there, he’s really involving himself and training with vigour which he needs to in a contract year. Seems to be in a good space. Pedlar was the other one - he was a ball of energy today, ran to the right spots and used it really well, often hitting targets on his right boot.

Other player notes:

6. Curtin - late in the session the lads broke into different groups to work on specific skills. Dan worked with the two rucks on reading their taps at stoppage and taking the ball at speed. A good little sign for his midfield chances.

11. Edwards - they did the same kicking test as Wednesday with the hoops, and in today’s group it was Edwards who performed best hitting 5 of the 6 stationary targets. Got a bunch of congrats from the boys. Is moving really well with his sleeker physique and used his speed a bit more. Worth noting in the final drill he appeared to be playing across half back, though I’m not sure how locked-in positions are yet.

20. Hinge - did almost all the session and looks really fit. A few times he was able to shrug tackles with a swivel of the hips and his general movement and speed was sharp. Big year for him after falling away last season.

22. Ryan - early days still but just want to see a bit more razzle dazzle from him, he’s playing a bit within himself and not showing quite the same flair as he did in year one. Not training poorly, just a bit pedestrian.

27. Nankervis - good again today. Took a serious contested mark on the far wing and his kicking has generally been rock solid. We need to find a way to get him in the team, he has too many AFL qualities.

31. Dowling - mentioned it in a previous report but there’s no doubt he has bulked up a fair bit from last year where I thought he was just too skinny. Still not a beast by any measure but he’s obviously put in the work and hopefully it helps his contested game which has been a weakness.

32. Fogarty - still in the rehab group and a little bit chunky particularly through the legs, but it is impressive seeing his work rate out there. He led the running even with Max being there and covers the ground better than he probably should.

33. Cotton - bit quieter today but just does some things that make you take notice. One instance was a reflex intercept where he jumped and stuck an arm out to intercept a handball, very clearly a basketball trait. Got lots of love for it. Also a very nice mark at full stretch.

36. Maley - did surprisingly well in the kicking test (3 out of 6 - Curtin only got 1 for comparison!) but you can see the cogs turning in his head when he gets it. Just not a natural footballer.

38. Sholl - about as muscly as I’ve seen him which isn’t saying much, but he does look in great condition and trained well. It’s easy to forget that he was really quite good in 2024 and I think that pre season knee injury really affected him last year.

40. McGuane - likes to put a nice little flourish on his kick and is a neat player, but gee he looks small out there even compared to short blokes like Rachele. Seems a good trainer and no-fuss player but I’m not seeing anything to really excite me yet.

41. Butts - the Adonis! Even his running is the best I’ve seen from him. Still an awkward kick of course but he’s going to give Murray serious competition this year.

42. McAndrew - surprisingly good skills for a bloke his size and pretty mobile too. If he can take advantage of his height in marking contests he could be an asset with the new rules as he jumps better than ROB, not that that’s a huge achievement.

47. Foot - still hard to judge as he struggled to get involved today. Looks the part with his speed, size and general movement, but his kicking action isn’t fluent at all. He seems to pause just before kicking and it’s an odd ball drop. I’ll wait a bit longer to make a call but I’m not enamoured with either of the train ons, for different reasons.

Feel free to ask questions.

I love Bigman.

 

[Mutineer]

Good to see we've decided who our new whipping boy is.

Well if he doesn't do a fair bit more next season than he produced this season he would certainly be a candidate though I fully expect ROB will have that honour no matter what

 

[Floating Doughnut]

Good to see we've decided who our new whipping boy is.

Was played out of position .

 

[Drugs Are Bad Mackay?]

Murphy only played five games across the entire year. I was surprised with one of those that he was preferred to Dowling, tbh.

Smith - I just think coaches want to win. Smith was going to deliver more in those games than Edwards. It will be different going forward.

Unfortunately we've heard this every time a similar choice has been made in the last 30 years.

Next season it will be different

No it won't

 

[Peter Doherty]

People need to let Murphy go.

 

[LoBu]

That's good news re. Pedlar.

I did hear that the penny has finally dropped in regards to his off field professionalism over the last 12 months.

I thought he played well against Collingwood, not just his three goals, but the way he presented and clunked those marks and of course finished.

 

[Drugs Are Bad Mackay?]

I thought he played well against Collingwood, not just his three goals, but the way he presented and clunked those marks and of course finished.

Definitely

Finals stage
Team was struggling

But he stepped up. Very positive signs

 

[CrowinNT]

People need to let Murphy go.

He is already gone
I value the crows jacket that he sold me at Crowmania
From Darwin this really matters xx

 

[Coopers]

Unfortunately we've heard this every time a similar choice has been made in the last 30 years.

Next season it will be different

No it won't

Maybe Balme has had an actual effect with no Murph or Smith.

Like we literally CANNOT select them.

This could be the magic we've been waiting for.




Nek minnit - what if they nominate for the MSD? Glorious!

 

[LoBu]

People need to let Murphy go.

 

[Milo Cyrus]

Are we going to play the same style of football that stacks up in finals as last year.
Is there any backwards handballing tripe being allowed?

 

[Syd Crow]

View attachment 2487326

quoting Nicks here

 

[Scorpus]

Definitely

Finals stage
Team was struggling

But he stepped up. Very positive signs

Pedlar was one of about 5 players that performed well in at least one of the finals. He has to be in the 23 next year on that basis

 

[Cromulant]

Definitely

Finals stage
Team was struggling

But he stepped up. Very positive signs

He stepped up for a week

Then like many of his teammates he didnt fire a shot in the semi.

Im far from convinced on him yet, but I want to be.

 

[Crow-eater]

And so the first week of pre-season comes to an end.

Nearly everyone showed up in some form or fashion today, bar a select few - Ah Chee, ANB and Rankine. Cumming made his first appearance for the year, while Sid finally showed his face - although he only watched from the sidelines alongside Ludowyke.

The rehab group was much the same as previous. Fog, Max and Strachan did a chunk of running and were joined by Marsh who was again held off from main training. Hinge and Keays were managed at times while Soligo finished up before the late session running. Rachele and Tex did their running work separately rather than with the main group, but otherwise trained fully. Foot, McGuane and Cotton were once again held off from the running portion. I’m surprised Foot didn’t have to do the running given his age and experience.

Curtin trained without knee strapping unlike Wednesday. I wonder if the new fitness bloke is trying to ween him off the bandage? It’s a curious case nonetheless. Jones and Pedlar both wore some slight knee strapping but neither seemed hindered in any way.

After the warm up, which involved sprint work, there was a ‘gauntlet’ drill which started with a loose ball at half back and focussed on moving the ball up the wing quickly with fast hands and speed, with opposition players trying to put on frontal pressure and cut them off.

The squad then split up into three different drills which they would rotate through. One was all about ground ball and quick hands in traffic whilst being tackled. Another was inside 50 entries from the corridor kicking to a solitary lead, while the other group was at half back and had one designated kicker (Tex, Dawson) choosing between multiple leading options on the wing.

The final main drill involved three teams with two active at a time, and similar to Wednesday would only allow ball movement via the wings. Each time there was a score, the ball would then have to move via the opposite wing. With one team rotating in and out, plus the attacking side becoming the defenders and vice versa, it was quite the complicated drill and really emphasised maintaining concentration - it also looked pretty buggering!

Finally the lads finished up with a bit more running than they had done the previous two sessions. The group would stride from one end of the ground to the other at about 80%, before jogging back and doing it all over again about 7-8 times. Usual suspects Dowling and Curtin were often leading the pack but the surprises near the front were Pedlar, Butts and, believe it or not, Welsh. Pleasingly no one was really languishing at the back - Laird was one of the slower runners but to be fair he’s not even required to be training yet and was likely just pacing himself.

Probably no absolute standout today though I was once again impressed by Cook’s intensity out there, he’s really involving himself and training with vigour which he needs to in a contract year. Seems to be in a good space. Pedlar was the other one - he was a ball of energy today, ran to the right spots and used it really well, often hitting targets on his right boot.

Other player notes:

6. Curtin - late in the session the lads broke into different groups to work on specific skills. Dan worked with the two rucks on reading their taps at stoppage and taking the ball at speed. A good little sign for his midfield chances.

11. Edwards - they did the same kicking test as Wednesday with the hoops, and in today’s group it was Edwards who performed best hitting 5 of the 6 stationary targets. Got a bunch of congrats from the boys. Is moving really well with his sleeker physique and used his speed a bit more. Worth noting in the final drill he appeared to be playing across half back, though I’m not sure how locked-in positions are yet.

20. Hinge - did almost all the session and looks really fit. A few times he was able to shrug tackles with a swivel of the hips and his general movement and speed was sharp. Big year for him after falling away last season.

22. Ryan - early days still but just want to see a bit more razzle dazzle from him, he’s playing a bit within himself and not showing quite the same flair as he did in year one. Not training poorly, just a bit pedestrian.

27. Nankervis - good again today. Took a serious contested mark on the far wing and his kicking has generally been rock solid. We need to find a way to get him in the team, he has too many AFL qualities.

31. Dowling - mentioned it in a previous report but there’s no doubt he has bulked up a fair bit from last year where I thought he was just too skinny. Still not a beast by any measure but he’s obviously put in the work and hopefully it helps his contested game which has been a weakness.

32. Fogarty - still in the rehab group and a little bit chunky particularly through the legs, but it is impressive seeing his work rate out there. He led the running even with Max being there and covers the ground better than he probably should.

33. Cotton - bit quieter today but just does some things that make you take notice. One instance was a reflex intercept where he jumped and stuck an arm out to intercept a handball, very clearly a basketball trait. Got lots of love for it. Also a very nice mark at full stretch.

36. Maley - did surprisingly well in the kicking test (3 out of 6 - Curtin only got 1 for comparison!) but you can see the cogs turning in his head when he gets it. Just not a natural footballer.

38. Sholl - about as muscly as I’ve seen him which isn’t saying much, but he does look in great condition and trained well. It’s easy to forget that he was really quite good in 2024 and I think that pre season knee injury really affected him last year.

40. McGuane - likes to put a nice little flourish on his kick and is a neat player, but gee he looks small out there even compared to short blokes like Rachele. Seems a good trainer and no-fuss player but I’m not seeing anything to really excite me yet.

41. Butts - the Adonis! Even his running is the best I’ve seen from him. Still an awkward kick of course but he’s going to give Murray serious competition this year.

42. McAndrew - surprisingly good skills for a bloke his size and pretty mobile too. If he can take advantage of his height in marking contests he could be an asset with the new rules as he jumps better than ROB, not that that’s a huge achievement.

47. Foot - still hard to judge as he struggled to get involved today. Looks the part with his speed, size and general movement, but his kicking action isn’t fluent at all. He seems to pause just before kicking and it’s an odd ball drop. I’ll wait a bit longer to make a call but I’m not enamoured with either of the train ons, for different reasons.

Feel free to ask questions.

Love your work, Bigman

 

[Kane McGoodwin]

He stepped up for a week

Then like many of his teammates he didnt fire a shot in the semi.

Im far from convinced on him yet, but I want to be.

Can play, but just needs continuity without getting injured.

It's been the biggest problem sp far in his career.

 

[Cromulant]

Can play, but just needs continuity without getting injured.

It's been the biggest problem sp far in his career.

Id agree, with workrate a close 2nd.

Capable of big things

 

[Kane McGoodwin]

Id agree, with workrate a close 2nd.

Capable of big things

He's more burst than endurance, compared to others... but no reason we can't use him in centre clearances & run forward.

 

[WeeBlake]

Was played out of position .

He’s experienced enough and paid enough to deliver more. HB and wing aren’t the same but they’re as close as any 2 posns.

 

[Cromulant]

He’s experienced enough and paid enough to deliver more. HB and wing aren’t the same but they’re as close as any 2 posns.

Not really.

Especially in a side who doesnt use their wings like us.

Isaac does need to lift though, he had his moments but not enough

 

[betterthanu]

Other player notes:

6. Curtin - late in the session the lads broke into different groups to work on specific skills. Dan worked with the two rucks on reading their taps at stoppage and taking the ball at speed. A good little sign for his midfield chances.

 

[Trigger13]

The only reason you suggest Jones has a higher ceiling is due to where he was picked in the draft. There's nothing he's shown at AFL level to suggest otherwise.

My point is they both aren’t any good.

 

[crows dude]

Draper looking good

 

[crowutopia]

He's more burst than endurance, compared to others... but no reason we can't use him in centre clearances & run forward.

Possibly 5 on the bench rather than a sub will help him and others like him?

 

[crowutopia]

Not really.

Especially in a side who doesnt use their wings like us.

Isaac does need to lift though, he had his moments but not enough

From the sounds of Bigmans training reports, the lack of using the wings is being addressed in drills..
How do you tag people in here?