Training 2026 Preseason

[Sherriff Incorporated]

I can here to read some training reports and got pages of Banfield …JFC…. Just let it go.

There is no hate, I don’t read any hate.

The consistent message in the posts I read is Banfield is serviceable but if we want to be a top side pushing for premierships , he needs to be squeezed out of the best 23.

Meaning, the quality of our side needs to improve enough so he is depth. Simple’s.

I did a lengthy report from Monday. It’s on the previous page

 

[Minz]

39? Snowing over here. Come train in that.

In Tonga?!! Weird!

 

[Tonga Bob]

In Tonga?!! Weird!

I'm shivering in my lungi.

 

[lint]

Great listen, thanks for posting.

Easy to gloss over how interrupted his pre season was last year, and how good he was off that prep when he was available. Full program this year sounds good!

Thought his commentary around our (lack off) possession game last year was interesting too. Obviously a focus point.

Is anyone else a little nervous with Adam Beard taking the reins from Phil Merrimen this pre-season as our Director of Peformance?

Thought we had a pretty good year in terms of running games out and injury management under Phil last year. An
internal promotion, the first thing Adam seems to have done is get rid of the 2km time trial and replace it with a 30/15 repeated sprint beep test (Wagner, Frederick, Whan standouts), as he belives it is more relevant to Afl-style fitness.

Adam I note comes from a Rugby Union background. The last ex-Rugby Union head of Strength and Conditioning we had was one Jason Weber. He seemed about as adept at limiting soft tissue injuries to players as rats were at preventing the bubonic plague.

 

[s_wd6]

Is anyone else a little nervous with Adam Beard taking the reins from Phil Merrimen this pre-season as our Director of Peformance?

Thought we had a pretty good year in terms of running games out and injury management under Phil last year. An
internal promotion, the first thing Adam seems to have done is get rid of the 2km time trial and replace it with a 30/15 repeated sprint beep test (Wagner, Frederick, Whan standouts), as he belives it is more relevant to Afl-style fitness.

Adam I note comes from a Rugby Union background. The last ex-Rugby Union head of Strength and Conditioning we had was one Jason Weber. He seemed about as adept at limiting soft tissue injuries to players as rats were at preventing the bubonic plague.

I thought we dropped the 2km time trial several years ago in favour of 4x1km trials

 

[AstonSouffle]

Is anyone else a little nervous with Adam Beard taking the reins from Phil Merrimen this pre-season as our Director of Peformance?

Thought we had a pretty good year in terms of running games out and injury management under Phil last year. An
internal promotion, the first thing Adam seems to have done is get rid of the 2km time trial and replace it with a 30/15 repeated sprint beep test (Wagner, Frederick, Whan standouts), as he belives it is more relevant to Afl-style fitness.

Adam I note comes from a Rugby Union background. The last ex-Rugby Union head of Strength and Conditioning we had was one Jason Weber. He seemed about as adept at limiting soft tissue injuries to players as rats were at preventing the bubonic plague.

Tbh was our injury management better? Or did Freo just outright lie about it and said everything was all good when it wasn't?

 

[2big2strom]

Securing accommodation for Grand Final week well in advance would be my guess.

Genuinely one of the ways I had to sell Melbourne to myself when I moved here this year

 

[Sherriff Incorporated]

Here's some extra comments on training Ive remembered
Riddle looks way stronger and did well in marking duels.
Freddy seemed to be playing further up the field and was often at half back. Im pretty sure he was playing wing. Freddy excelled in the running drills.
Ryda Luke also had a couple of very promising moments in the match sims.
Very difficult to work out players with so many wearing hats.

 

[Vintage]

Is anyone else a little nervous with Adam Beard taking the reins from Phil Merrimen this pre-season as our Director of Peformance?

Thought we had a pretty good year in terms of running games out and injury management under Phil last year. An
internal promotion, the first thing Adam seems to have done is get rid of the 2km time trial and replace it with a 30/15 repeated sprint beep test (Wagner, Frederick, Whan standouts), as he belives it is more relevant to Afl-style fitness.

Adam I note comes from a Rugby Union background. The last ex-Rugby Union head of Strength and Conditioning we had was one Jason Weber. He seemed about as adept at limiting soft tissue injuries to players as rats were at preventing the bubonic plague.

All I know is that repeat sprints are far more reflective of actual game day fitness needs for most players.

 

[Ghost Pig]

Is anyone else a little nervous with Adam Beard taking the reins from Phil Merrimen this pre-season as our Director of Peformance?

Thought we had a pretty good year in terms of running games out and injury management under Phil last year. An
internal promotion, the first thing Adam seems to have done is get rid of the 2km time trial and replace it with a 30/15 repeated sprint beep test (Wagner, Frederick, Whan standouts), as he belives it is more relevant to Afl-style fitness.

Adam I note comes from a Rugby Union background. The last ex-Rugby Union head of Strength and Conditioning we had was one Jason Weber. He seemed about as adept at limiting soft tissue injuries to players as rats were at preventing the bubonic plague.

Weber definitely outstayed his welcome.

Beard apparently started his career as a strength and conditioning coach at Freo in 2001, so the rugby background is far from exclusive.

He looks to be a bit of a journeyman, he was hired under or adjacent to Merrimen 3 years ago, so it's not as if he's coming in straight off cracking the whips on a bunch of cauliflower eared, no necked, sheep herders.

If he's continually grown along his journey and digested what he learnt under Merrimen then theres no reason he can't be an upgrade, we need to change something, even for the placebo effect it will have on the players.

Also I must say, a favourable injury run throughout the season and coming back hard in games late isn't necessarily going to win us a flag. I mean we'd all sell a kidney to have a game iced early like so many other teams around the mark seem to be capable of, superior fitness in the high km isn't an an immortal force in the face of demoralising early scoreboard pressue.

 

[King Huskii]

I can here to read some training reports and got pages of Banfield …JFC…. Just let it go.

There is no hate, I don’t read any hate.

The consistent message in the posts I read is Banfield is serviceable but if we want to be a top side pushing for premierships , he needs to be squeezed out of the best 23.

Meaning, the quality of our side needs to improve enough so he is depth. Simple’s.

Exactly Foitskill gets very upset over nothing

 

[Sherriff Incorporated]

I thought we dropped the 2km time trial several years ago in favour of 4x1km trials

We are not doing the 3 1km's either as far as I know. Just a ton of repeat sprinting drills is the go.

 

[King Huskii]

We are not doing the 3 1km's either as far as I know. Just a ton of repeat sprinting drills is the go.

Good to see Wagner running well

He's an important part of our squad. Can really break lines

 

[King Huskii]

We are not doing the 3 1km's either as far as I know. Just a ton of repeat sprinting drills is the go.

Good to see Wagner running well

He's an important part of our squad. Can really break lines

 

[pK75]

Here's some extra comments on training Ive remembered
Riddle looks way stronger and did well in marking duels.
Freddy seemed to be playing further up the field and was often at half back. Im pretty sure he was playing wing. Freddy excelled in the running drills.
Ryda Luke also had a couple of very promising moments in the match sims.
Very difficult to work out players with so many wearing hats.

Thanks sherriff, with all the HHF we have brought in, makes sense for Frederick to be trialled on the wing, keep these actual training insights coming please!

 

[pK75]

Exactly Foitskill gets very upset over nothing

Nah, your hate for Banfield is kinda out of control, what you seem to keep forgetting is that it doesn’t matter how many time you bag him online it’s actually the match committee that makes the call, and honestly without the sub I think Bailey is even more of a lock for the 23rd player every week as he offers the flexibility to play forward, Back or Wing and thus provide cover for in game injuries.

 

[freo84]

Good to see Wagner running well

He's an important part of our squad. Can really break lines

You can say that again!

 

[88mph]

"The data told us we needed to play quicker"



The data told them what everyone knew years ago? JLo please explain.

I'm ready for this new game plan to take my blood pressure to record highs.

 

[Ghost Pig]

Every year, more and more, I am astounded, not by the hill's some of us are very likely going to die on, but by the incredible patience on show, marching up that hill, catching your breath, planting your flag, taking in the view, stumbling back down, seeing that familiar notification and then turning around and marching up that hill again, rinse and repeat, over and over, year after year.

Anyone would think we were a bunch of Greenland sharks destined to roam the gloom under the icecap for half a millenia!

 

[Grandaddy Purple]

Banfeild got a game and you didn't.

Pre season is about a squad of players. We all know where and who has upside, that's what I am interested in. Which recruits are going to debut, which 1-4 year players are taking the next leap.

The likes of Reid, Johnson, Erasmus, , Simpson, Dudley and Voss all have upside to add this year, to name a few.. I am much more interested in their growth.

As long as the squad player who have reached their ceiling work hard then I am happy. Can't beat someone for giving their all.

 

[The Feeder Club]

Every year, more and more, I am astounded, not by the hill's some of us are very likely going to die on, but by the incredible patience on show, marching up that hill, catching your breath, planting your flag, taking in the view, stumbling back down, seeing that familiar notification and then turning around and marching up that hill again, rinse and repeat, over and over, year after year.

Anyone would think we were a bunch of Greenland sharks destined to roam the gloom under the icecap for half a millenia!

I read that last sentence and immediately imagined one shatk saying to another " Okay, who ate the other half of my millennial?"

 

[MakeshiftMartyr]

How is Jaren Carr looking?

Really hoping he's put on some more size.

 

[anchor man]

The consistent message in the posts I read is Banfield is serviceable but if we want to be a top side pushing for premierships , he needs to be squeezed out of the best 23.

With so many bagging the man, it to me becomes an attack of hate.
He is a damn good player, make no mistake. He has been been 23 for some time. Maybe only just, but the best of the rest.
He will only be squeezed out when someone else is bashing on the door with the versatitlity that BB shows.
We do not have another Mr Fix it like BB.

 

[Footskill]

Exactly Foitskill gets very upset over nothing

It's annoying to see you spam a thread with your one liners ..'he sux' , or can't kick. You do it enough in the banners 'appreciation' thread, which I've called you out on.

Maybe I root for the underdog who may not be the most talented but gives his all and his accomplishments shouldn't be discredited. I support our players. If there are those I don't particularly like, I don't spam it at every opportunity

Also, I I only commented in this thread about it due to some snide remarks referencing me, made by another poster..

 

[Andy Brennan]

Is anyone else a little nervous with Adam Beard taking the reins from Phil Merrimen this pre-season as our Director of Peformance?

Thought we had a pretty good year in terms of running games out and injury management under Phil last year. An
internal promotion, the first thing Adam seems to have done is get rid of the 2km time trial and replace it with a 30/15 repeated sprint beep test (Wagner, Frederick, Whan standouts), as he belives it is more relevant to Afl-style fitness.

Adam I note comes from a Rugby Union background. The last ex-Rugby Union head of Strength and Conditioning we had was one Jason Weber. He seemed about as adept at limiting soft tissue injuries to players as rats were at preventing the bubonic plague.

Pretty sure in recent year we did 4x 1km time trials not 2km?