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

 

[THE A5]

Do these instagram Vids work for other non users? In the past I had no issues watching them but lately they don’t work

 

[FKASC]

This clip?

A pisstake based on DSP's recent comments, methink

keep up keyser

 

[Truly Lazuli]

Do these instagram Vids work for other non users? In the past I had no issues watching them but lately they don’t work

Works fine for me

 

[Matera92]

Rueben being Rueben

View attachment 2494714

Jobe looking swole

View attachment 2494715

Jobe's going to run this league for the next decade.
yuuuuuuuuuuge unit.

 

[twce13]

Do these instagram Vids work for other non users? In the past I had no issues watching them but lately they don’t work

Same. I have the same problem in WhatsApp group with mates who send some pretty.. umm let’s say juicy content.. it’s ultimate tease.

 

[Dom sheed pocket]

Harry looking absolutely awful and likely to be discarded at first opportunity based on that clip

Notice he’s always coming in from the side and intercepting in those clips?

When he engaged Waterman in a 1v1 in the 4th clip he lost (convincingly) and Archer took the mark without a Harry being able to impact the contest at all.

Kinda backs up what I said.

 

[Farmer Lister]

Are the boys still training on oval 2? Thinking about heading down to watch this morning hopefully catch some match sim

 

[Matera92]

Notice he’s always coming in from the side and intercepting in those clips?

When he engaged Waterman in a 1v1 in the 4th clip he lost (convincingly) and Archer took the mark without a Harry being able to impact the contest at all.

Kinda backs up what I said.

Yeah right, losing to an AA caliber Full Forward makes him trash, delist.

 

[LittleFires]

Good news - Malakai Champion is out there and doing some light run throughs with the rehab group.

Jack Williams training with the forwards.

 

[FatPizza]

Notice he’s always coming in from the side and intercepting in those clips?

When he engaged Waterman in a 1v1 in the 4th clip he lost (convincingly) and Archer took the mark without a Harry being able to impact the contest at all.

Kinda backs up what I said.

I saw Waterman lose a 1-on-1 to a non-AA fullback once. Trash personified.

 

[EagleMan87]

Notice he’s always coming in from the side and intercepting in those clips?

You know that's probably the drill, right?

 

[HoneyBadger35]

You know that's probably the drill, right?

Yeah but note that Harley can’t kick without first rounding the blue cone and always seems to come back via the white?

Delist imo.

 

[Dom sheed pocket]

You know that's probably the drill, right?

For context- my criticism of Harry was he got towelled up when playing on oppo best forward (like when King kicked 6 on him and he got dropped), and his uptick in form correlated with using Ginbey to play tall and Edwards was essentially playing loose as an interceptor.

I don’t think Edwards is trash. I just think his ‘improvement’ was more to do with re-shuffling of roles then an anything else.

And the drill and video doesn’t do anything to dispel that…

 

[bzparkes]

Notice he’s always coming in from the side and intercepting in those clips?

When he engaged Waterman in a 1v1 in the 4th clip he lost (convincingly) and Archer took the mark without a Harry being able to impact the contest at all.

Kinda backs up what I said.

If you watch the clip, pretty much everyone comes in from the side when defending.

It's almost as if they're coached to do so...

 

[Dom sheed pocket]

If you watch the clip, pretty much everyone comes in from the side when defending.

It's almost as if they're coached to do so...

And? A poster posted in here implying that that video shows I’m wrong about Harry’s improvement.

All I’m saying is it doesnt dispute what I said at all.

 

[bzparkes]

And? A poster posted in here implying that that video shows I’m wrong about Harry’s improvement.

All I’m saying is it doesnt dispute what I said at all.

He ended the season as the only player from WCE rated in Champion data's top 100, so he definitely improved.

 

[Dom sheed pocket]

He ended the season as the only player from WCE rated in Champion data's top 100, so he definitely improved.

Are you unable to read, mate?

Where did I say he didn’t improve? I said his improvement was down to moving into a role where he was playing loose interceptor.

For context- my criticism of Harry was he got towelled up when playing on oppo best forward (like when King kicked 6 on him and he got dropped), and his uptick in form correlated with using Ginbey to play tall and Edwards was essentially playing loose as an interceptor.

I don’t think Edwards is trash. I just think his ‘improvement’ was more to do with re-shuffling of roles then an anything else.

And the drill and video doesn’t do anything to dispel that…

 

[bzparkes]

Are you unable to read, mate?

Where did I say he didn’t improve? I said his improvement was down to moving into a role where he was playing loose interceptor.

Great, except you also said said he played as a loose interceptor, which is completely wrong.

 

[Dom sheed pocket]

Great, except you also said said he played as a loose interceptor, which is completely wrong.

He wasn’t taking the oppo’s best forward.

 

[bzparkes]

He wasn’t taking the oppo’s best forward.

Correct, he wasn't always taking the best forward, he was taking the tallest/deepest forward.

Which is what every club does with their fullback.

 

[Dom sheed pocket]

Correct, he wasn't always taking the best forward, he was taking the tallest/deepest forward.

Which is what every club does with their fullback.

Harry was not playing deepest defender when he came back in the team.

He was when King kicked 6 on him though.

This is my whole point. Harry came back I tot he team and wasn’t playing the same role.

He was rarely on oppo best forward and Ginbey was often playing on last line.

 

[bzparkes]

Harry was not playing deepest defender when he came back in the team.

He was when King kicked 6 on him though.

This is my whole point. Harry came back I tot he team and wasn’t playing the same role.

He was rarely on oppo best forward and Ginbey was often playing on last line.

Again, he played on the tallest forward because that's what KPDs do.

Or do you expect him to play on Jamie Elliott (Collingwood's best forward)when we play Collingwood next and not Dan McStay?

Tall backs generally play on the tallest forward.

Jeremy McGovern rarely played on the opposition's best forward either.

 

[flyinghi64]

Notice he’s always coming in from the side and intercepting in those clips?

When he engaged Waterman in a 1v1 in the 4th clip he lost (convincingly) and Archer took the mark without a Harry being able to impact the contest at all.

Kinda backs up what I said.

But aren't they training?
With the whole idea being to work on your weaknesses and improve.
This is still pre-christmas pre-season.
He has some experienced/tall/powerful/skillful players to test himself against now who have slightly different styles as well.
Not saying he will turn into Rance/Scarlett/Glass etc but also not writing him off just yet.

 

[Dom sheed pocket]

Again, he played on the tallest forward because that's what KPDs do.

Or do you expect him to play on Jamie Elliott (Collingwood's best forward)when we play Collingwood next and not Dan McStay?

Tall backs generally play on the tallest forward.

Jeremy McGovern rarely played on the opposition's best forward either.

It’s funny you mention that because when we did play the pies Edward barely matched up on McStay and spent majority of his time on debutant West which is exactly what my criticism of Edward is. He gets given easy jobs and everyone hails it as improvement- I see it as a severe lack of confidence from Mcqualter in him.

But each their own.

Redirecting

 

[Dom sheed pocket]

But aren't they training?
With the whole idea being to work on your weaknesses and improve.
This is still pre-christmas pre-season.
He has some experienced/tall/powerful/skillful players to test himself against now who have slightly different styles as well.
Not saying he will turn into Rance/Scarlett/Glass etc but also not writing him off just yet.

I have no issues with the video or the drill.
My issue is posters using it as evidence that Harry got dropped and came back as Gov 2.0.