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

 

[Bender_]

Has anyone found out who the new player is with the red hair?

 

[mattyc75]

I got a Hewy cookbook for Christmas one year and one of his recipes was a fried egg on toast with parsley

There used to be CCTV footage of hewy having sex in a st kilda club, (maybe traffic?)
Pretty glad I never saw it

 

[Barrybran]

Solid session that ran through until almost 11.30 - I believe they started around 9.15 but I only arrived a bit before 9.45

Warmups were clearly finished by that time and they were working in line groups at various spots around the oval, with a group of about 6-8 players working with trainers away from everyone else

My initial watch was Naitanui working with a ruck quartet made up of Flynn, Reid, Jilliams and CDT on their ruck craft. Then wandered over to see who was in the rehab/modified program group

Not long after they did a skills drill as a group kicking to a leading player in a cross-cross pattern. Went for about 10 minutes and was very sharp with only a handful of balls hitting the grass

After that the session was mainly focused on moving the ball, with on emphasis on kicking, either in a confined space or the length of the ground. These were interspersed with other work in their line groups that again seemed focused on disposal by foot

To end the session a group of 20-25 players did some repeat sprint work with some words of encouragement from Mini as they were recovering at the end.

Wrapped up with players doing some skill work either individually or in small groups

All up it was a pretty good session, sharp for the most part with plenty of voice from the players. Good positive vibes

Going through the players individually:

1. Duursma - kid is a rolls Royce the way he moves. One little passage where he collected the ball off hands and hit a 40m kick was silk - one might say Bont like. As with all the first year players he was involved in only about half the drills
2. Waterman - modified program. Did some running but little else. Looked untroubled so more load management than anything sinister
3. Baker - trained with the backs when they split. Typical Baker session, plenty of voice and banter with the players
4. Starcevich - no midfield experiment yet. Looks a complete professional out there
5. Lindsay - that left foot is a thing of beauty and needs to be insured
6. Yeo - didn’t do all the drills but did most of them with some additional boundary running. Used his left foot predominantly early but was later using his right as well. Moving pretty freely in an encouraging outing
7. Ginbey - run, Rueben run. Spent the session running up and back along the boundary. Feel like they’ve put the handbrake on him to protect him from himself
8. Hewett - not super noticeable but looks to be covering the ground well. Was close to the front in the repeat sprints they did at the end
9. Reid - looks in great shape. Leaner than I’ve ever seen him without the sort of half puppy fat/half muscle he used to have. Now he’s just trim. At one point did a nice short kick and follow up chip scab handball receive before a longer launch into F50 which is a part of his game he can build with
10. Brockman - didn’t see much of him but looked like he did most of the session
11. Kelly - did a full modified program with Owies for company that was just running and repeat two thirds pace sprints which was exhausting to watch
12. Allen - was out there doing some low intensity rehab work early on but wasn’t out there for long
13. Long - another in good shape and used the ball well in drills. Bigger across and through the shoulders
14. Duggan - in and out of drills with a lot of extra running around the boundary. Is in very nice shape
15. Cripps - mainly running with Duggan and Robertson. Looks trimmer
16. Owies - see Kelly
17. Graham - not prominent but did the full session
18. McCarthy - seemed to be training with the mids. Finished the repeat sprints off well
19. Hough - looks like a senior player. Very composed and professional in everything he does. Trained with the backs
20. Young - modified program only. Reasonable amount of running as he looks to be eased into training
21. Duff-Tytler - not overly noticeable. Seems to be taking things in and adjusting to the pace of everything
22. Reid - did the whole session as far as I could tell without being a standout
23. Maric - back with the backs. Seem like they’re keen to get the ball in his hands still
24. Johnston - seems to be with the forwards. Didn’t see a lot of him
25. Flynn - full session. Not noticed much which is kinda what you want from a ruck in ball movement drills
26. Allan - with the mids. Covering the ground well and was up the front in the end of session sprints
27. Gross - unsighted
28. Cole - what you’d expect from a senior player at the start of another preseason. In good shape and professional in what he does
29. Hall - saw that white blond head of his consistently. Went well enough without being a standout
30. Barnett - knee still strapped but no brace. Some light running and a few kicks but not much else
31. Grego - still with the backs and had a solid session
32. Billiams - came out late, stood around and watched for a bit but little else. Have to assume he’s nursing something
33. Bazzo - right now the best case scenario for him is getting through a full preseason unscathed. So far, so good. Is moving nicely
34. Jilliams - did some of the drills but was primarily doing extra running. Does look in the best shape he’s been and was running well
35. Shanahan - didn’t see much of him but from what I did he hasn’t lost his ability to catch a footy
36. Tilliams - modified program only with minimal running
37. Champion - looks a bit bigger. Got involved in some good passages
38. Davis - running/covering territory won’t be an issue. Lead the sprint. Still needs to work on his kicking as he did miss a couple of targets
39. Rodriguez - didn’t see him much today unfortunately. In and out of drills as a first year didn’t help that
40. Robertson - did some running at good pace with Duggan and Cripps but nothing else. Got a decent number of kms in
41. Brock - defender obviously but they look the ball going through his hands
42. Edwards - full session which is a tick for Harry. Seem like they’re setting him up to be the deepest defender
43. Dewar - in and out of drills with a fair bit of running often with Jilliams as company. Looks in good shape Seems to be with the mids
44. Hutchinson - good shape and running well but looks to be with the mids rather than forwards though
45. Macrae - can’t say I really saw him. Assume he was out there
46. Newton - not as prominent as the other couple of sessions but did take a nice one handed mark. Looks ready to have an impact though
48. Schoenberg - bit like Macrae but I did see him at least
??. Watt - doesn’t look out of place so good signs for the WAFL side. Didn’t see Johnson

Positive session and the first non-Wednesday one I’ve been to. Encouraging signs overall

Being in jumper number order is oddly satisfying

 

[Byron_Clanger]

Players went to hang with the Wildcats yesterday. Of course Duursma looking the most comfortable of the lot

 

[RustyShacklefordFalcon]

BY GOD THATS LittleFires AND Keys MUSIC

Just when you thought we were in for a trundleless Friday...

 

[BG__]

Players went to hang with the Wildcats yesterday. Of course Duursma looking the most comfortable of the lot

We can now say everyone has a basketball background

 

[Ilkka Sinisalo]

Players went to hang with the Wildcats yesterday. Of course Duursma looking the most comfortable of the lot

This may have been Newton's first time dribbling a basketball.

 

[EagleEgo]

Players went to hang with the Wildcats yesterday. Of course Duursma looking the most comfortable of the lot

Players went to hang with the Wildcats yesterday. Of course Duursma looking the most comfortable of the lot

When come to basketball, why not CDT?

 

[Bender_]

This may have been Newton's first time dribbling a basketball.

Certainly looked like he's never used his left hand before.

 

[SaintsofSteel]

Howdy I was just wondering what Liam Ryan

1

Liam Ryan

Age

29

Ht

181cm

Wt

76kg

Pos.

Fwd

Career

Season

Last 5

D

11.3

3star

K

8.6

3star

HB

2.7

2star

M

3.0

3star

T

2.0

4star

G

1.3

5star

D

9.9

3star

K

8.0

3star

HB

1.9

1star

M

3.3

3star

T

1.6

3star

G

1.3

5star

D

11.4

3star

K

9.0

4star

HB

2.4

3star

M

3.8

4star

T

1.8

4star

G

1.6

5star

's fitness and running capacities have been like in past preseasons at your club? He has turned up at the Saints and has been really dragging the chain in any of the running.

Is there an excuse or explaination like did he end the season with an injury that required surgery/treatment (off feet)?

Thanks in advance!

 

[Bender_]

Howdy I was just wondering what Liam Ryan's fitness and running capacities have been like in past preseasons at your club? He has turned up at the Saints and has been really dragging the chain in any of the running.

Is there an excuse or explaination like did he end the season with an injury that required surgery/treatment (off feet)?

Thanks in advance!

Sounds like the turned up to the Saint's preseason much the same as he has West Coast's in the past. Historically bad trainer and left multiple training camps early - but that may have been for personal reasons.

 

[Ilkka Sinisalo]

Howdy I was just wondering what Liam Ryan's fitness and running capacities have been like in past preseasons at your club? He has turned up at the Saints and has been really dragging the chain in any of the running.

Is there an excuse or explaination like did he end the season with an injury that required surgery/treatment (off feet)?

Thanks in advance!

Welcome aboard the Liam Ryan Experience.

 

[ZergMinion]

Howdy I was just wondering what Liam Ryan's fitness and running capacities have been like in past preseasons at your club? He has turned up at the Saints and has been really dragging the chain in any of the running.

Is there an excuse or explaination like did he end the season with an injury that required surgery/treatment (off feet)?

Thanks in advance!

Hoo boy. He's not the most fastidious trainer and preparer I'm afraid.

 

[bzparkes]

Howdy I was just wondering what Liam Ryan's fitness and running capacities have been like in past preseasons at your club? He has turned up at the Saints and has been really dragging the chain in any of the running.

Is there an excuse or explaination like did he end the season with an injury that required surgery/treatment (off feet)?

Thanks in advance!

Oh boy, you're in for a treat.

Don't expect Ryan to perform particularly well in training that doesn't involve a football.

 

[WCEswift]

Howdy I was just wondering what Liam Ryan's fitness and running capacities have been like in past preseasons at your club? He has turned up at the Saints and has been really dragging the chain in any of the running.

Is there an excuse or explaination like did he end the season with an injury that required surgery/treatment (off feet)?

Thanks in advance!

Running laps of an oval? probably hiding behind the trees or a building. Also dont expect him to participate in any sort of bootcamps etc

 

[Ilkka Sinisalo]

Turning up unfit to training in November/December is pretty much guaranteed. The best you can hope for with Ryan is that he doesn't get hurt in the post-Christmas training period and he's most of the way up to speed by the opening round (or week 1, whatever the hell it is now).

There's also every chance that because of some niggles or just poor pre-season efforts he'll be pretty lousy for a few weeks until he plays himself into game shape.

 

[Matera92]

Players went to hang with the Wildcats yesterday. Of course Duursma looking the most comfortable of the lot

The Shaq swingman, absolute winner along with the DT Jordan.

 

[Rowan18]

Not sure how to do it so I’ll just throw the alley oop up for someone to finish it

Just go to archive.md and paste the link into their search bar. Odds are someone has already archived it, otherwise it will do it for you in a few minutes.

 

[Rowan18]

Howdy I was just wondering what Liam Ryan's fitness and running capacities have been like in past preseasons at your club? He has turned up at the Saints and has been really dragging the chain in any of the running.

Is there an excuse or explaination like did he end the season with an injury that required surgery/treatment (off feet)?

Thanks in advance!

He's a lazy prick and never seemed to get his mobility quite right after doing his 2 hammies. I'd expect him to be a serviceable forward with the flash of brilliance and the tendency to go missing for a quarter or two.

 

[RustyShacklefordFalcon]

After this the focus of the session shifted more from skills to ball movement, starting with a drill which involved chipping the ball around in the backline

You could have just stopped right there to be honest.

 

[flyinghi64]

Howdy I was just wondering what Liam Ryan's fitness and running capacities have been like in past preseasons at your club? He has turned up at the Saints and has been really dragging the chain in any of the running.

Is there an excuse or explaination like did he end the season with an injury that required surgery/treatment (off feet)?

Thanks in advance!

Well everyone seems to have answered this one for you quite accurately.
But on a side note, just be prepared for him looking like he has been snipered from the stands and sustained a season ending horrific injury only to amazingly bounce back 10 minutes later with a miraculous bit of play and turn into superman.

 

[jdisc]

Howdy I was just wondering what Liam Ryan's fitness and running capacities have been like in past preseasons at your club? He has turned up at the Saints and has been really dragging the chain in any of the running.

Is there an excuse or explaination like did he end the season with an injury that required surgery/treatment (off feet)?

Thanks in advance!

 

[stallon]

• When they split into line groups I noted down where some players of interest trained:
  • McCarthy, Duursma, Allan and Hutchinson were with the midfield group

Perfect

• • Maric, Dewar, Hough, Baker, Grego, Lindsay and Watt with the backs

I expected Baker to be fwd but I like regardless, nothing unexpected

• • Johnston, Newton, Duff-Tytler and Archer Reid with the forwards
• There was one stage where Nic Nat took the rucks through some tap work - this group consisted of Flynn, Duff-Tytler, Jack Williams and Archer Reid

No Bailey Williams?

 

[Matele]

Has anyone found out who the new player is with the red hair?

Yeah it’s actually a new Waterboy by the name of HoneyBadger35

 

[RustyShacklefordFalcon]

No Bailey Williams?

Seems to be rehabbing something.