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

 

[WCEswift]

Nephew and his Mrs did a breakfast in kings park this morning, said he saw a good portion of boys doing runs up that huge grass strip that goes right through the middle, said only ones he recognised were bakes and ginbey but was about 20 of them there

 

[Keys]

I thought that was because he went for a speccy, folded in half and popped both hamstrings?

He did a garden variety hammy in 2022 against Melbourne

After the game there was some vision that surfaced of Ryan totally half arsing the pregame warmup in the changerooms.

 

[Cuzz09]

Love going to Kings Park whenever Ive been to Perth, beautiful place.

Hope Shoenberg gets a crack at it in the seniors, got a decent group of mids coming along

 

[Dark Sharks]

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

 

[DorothyG]

Look at all those BASKETBALL BACKGROUNDS!!

 

[Boohemian]

View attachment 2487567

Harry Schoenberg doing his best Jack Darling impersonation here

View attachment 2487568

Harley looking ready to tear this season apart - seems to have matured a loti. New haircut helps too I think

Reid is looking pretty happy!

 

[SAweagle]

Love going to Kings Park whenever Ive been to Perth, beautiful place.

Hope Shoenberg gets a crack at it in the seniors, got a decent group of mids coming along

Shoenberg couldn't crack Adelaide shithaus midfield, the corpse of Brodie Smith was preferred to the Berg, lazy one way runner with shoddy disposal. At least Dev apparently has an inside game Berg and Mcrae are just cloggers.

 

[Byron_Clanger]

 

[DorothyG]

20 new footy staff!?

Jesus.

Really is a new era isn't it?
Exciting times

 

[Keys]

20 new footy staff!?

Jesus.

Really is a new era isn't it?
Exciting times

I’m guessing he’s including the new players (11 of them) in that 20

There’s two new assistant coaches - Duncan and Radford

A new High Performance Manager - Merriman

Mark Kilgallon (S&C) left to join the Western Force so he’s maybe been replaced without any announcement being made

Not sure about the rest but could be a turnover among physios/trainers that don’t warrant any external notification

 

[FatPizza]

Is it March yet?

 

[Obeanie1]

Reid is looking pretty happy!

He's smiling because he isnt the only midfielder now.

 

[Obeanie1]

Shoenberg couldn't crack Adelaide shithaus midfield, the corpse of Brodie Smith was preferred to the Berg, lazy one way runner with shoddy disposal. At least Dev apparently has an inside game Berg and Mcrae are just cloggers.

He played 60 games and did an acl.

2025 was his comeback season post injury.

Was getting great numbers in the reserves.

 

[squashface]

He played 60 games and did an acl.

2025 was his comeback season post injury.

Was getting great numbers in the reserves.

Why did he get delisted then

 

[SAweagle]

He played 60 games and did an acl.

2025 was his comeback season post injury.

Was getting great numbers in the reserves.

Horrid at AFL level

 

[DorothyG]

I’m guessing he’s including the new players (11 of them) in that 20

There’s two new assistant coaches - Duncan and Radford

A new High Performance Manager - Merriman

Mark Kilgallon (S&C) left to join the Western Force so he’s maybe been replaced without any announcement being made

Not sure about the rest but could be a turnover among physios/trainers that don’t warrant any external notification

Yeah I was thinking it would have to include the players.

Still it's a big number for the club that has been accused of being a bit of a stale boys club in the past

 

[Coasters7]

Horrid at AFL level

If all Dev, Schoenberg and Macrae do is dominate the WAFL then it has been a good use of free list spots. All 3 are very good state level players.

We wouldn’t be able to get them to the Beagles without the spots so it’s already a win for the development of everyone else and anything more is a bonus.

 

[TheBudgies]

Shoenberg couldn't crack Adelaide shithaus midfield, the corpse of Brodie Smith was preferred to the Berg, lazy one way runner with shoddy disposal. At least Dev apparently has an inside game Berg and Mcrae are just cloggers.

I think context has to be factored in here more than it is. 1 year off an ACL and looked reasonable statistically in the SANFL.

Also, Adelaide had a top 6-10 midfield. We were comfortably bottom 3. Even a middling player for a better team helps us. Even if its just as a depth piece, losing Harley and Graham together hurt our structures imagine plugging a hole with a mature body like Schoenberg. Not a player that will be the difference in us making it to the big dance but we wouldn't drop off as much if we had some AFL level midfield depth to support the kids that could be elite game changers if given enough support like Harley, Hewett or Duursma.

 

[Byron_Clanger]

If all Dev, Schoenberg and Macrae do is dominate the WAFL then it has been a good use of free list spots. All 3 are very good state level players.

We wouldn’t be able to get them to the Beagles without the spots so it’s already a win for the development of everyone else and anything more is a bonus.

The four extra rookie spots were designed for this very thing, to bring in 2/3 extra experienced bodies to the list to help with the competitiveness of the team and try to raise the overall standards at trianing and on gameday. It's supposed to help stabilise for the right now. The absolute worst use of it would've been to bring in four 18 year olds for more cannon fodder.

 

[KERRPOW]

Pay less attention to his running and focus more on his 1950s style of off season public boxing.

And his knack for flogging rugs and apparel

 

[ziad]

Shoenberg couldn't crack Adelaide shithaus midfield, the corpse of Brodie Smith was preferred to the Berg, lazy one way runner with shoddy disposal. At least Dev apparently has an inside game Berg and Mcrae are just cloggers.

The top of the ladder midfield, probably a touch better than ours

 

[Obeanie1]

Why did he get delisted then

Too many inside mids. List balance. Pedler is more versatile. They needed list spots.

Doesnt mean a player cant be of use for another list with needs in the position he plays.

 

[Dark Sharks]

I’m guessing he’s including the new players (11 of them) in that 20

There’s two new assistant coaches - Duncan and Radford

A new High Performance Manager - Merriman

Mark Kilgallon (S&C) left to join the Western Force so he’s maybe been replaced without any announcement being made

Not sure about the rest but could be a turnover among physios/trainers that don’t warrant any external notification

+ ThiccNat


Not sure if he might even be including some of the Beagles coaching staff too.

+ Potentially Wellingham

 

[Cornelius Roy]

Schoenberg is a footballer. He may have limitations that will mean he is never an elite footballer, but for his intended purpose of strengthening the bottom end of our list Id much rather have him on our list than guys that are banking one elite characteristic letting them be held on our list for years on the chance they become a footballer, all the while not being able to have a material impact on games at the wafl level.

 

[Avalor]

+ ThiccNat


Not sure if he might even be including some of the Beagles coaching staff too.

+ Potentially Wellingham

Wellingham, Oh! That's interesting. Do tell more.