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

 

[TwoStriders]

Just for you:
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That's Lucca Grego right?

 

[beagles]

With the recent training reports posted, what would our starting line-up look like?

 

[Cuzz09]

So has the actual standard of training lifted?

I kept hearing about how we aren't training properly?

Has it improved? What are/were others teams doing so much better than we do/did?

 

[DorothyG]

So has the actual standard of training lifted?

I kept hearing about how we aren't training properly?

Has it improved? What are/were others teams doing so much better than we do/did?

“You have a day, which is a travel day, probably when we do have the sessions, you know, we’re touching the footies enough, but it’s just f****** really executing the fundamentals, even if it is a low-touch session, it’s like, ‘Alright boys, we’re not going to be going quick here, but let’s make sure we hit every handball, hit every kick’,” Graham said.

From an outsider coming into the club.

 

[Byron_Clanger]

This randomly appeared on my Youtube page just now. It's funny, 12 years later and the club still only uploads one minute long clips of pre-season trainings.

 

[FKASC]

With the recent training reports posted, what would our starting line-up look like?

Duggan, Giles, Vardy, Mitchell, Priddis, Shuey, Rioli, Le Cras, Sheed, Petrie, Darling, Venables, McGovern, Mackenzie, Bayok, Cripps, Nelson, Suma, Masten, Cole, Partington, Hill

 

[Schtinker]

Setting them standards.

Has anyone at the club looked that buff since Cuz?

 

[Cuzz09]

View attachment 2492607

Starcevich

 

[eaglespremiers]

He could realistically player that Courtney Demspey role.

 

[bzparkes]

Made me go back and check my post. Thought I fixed it to Ollie at the time, LMFAO.

 

[Truckosaurus]

Made me look him up to make sure I was thinking of the right player and saw this gem on his Wikipedia page:

In 2024, Dempsey was named at Number 94 in Don The Stat’s Top 100 Essendon Players since 1980.

No wonder they haven't won a final in 20 years

 

[bzparkes]

Made me look him up to make sure I was thinking of the right player and saw this gem on his Wikipedia page:

No wonder they haven't won a final in 20 years

I remember typing it at the time and thinking "****, that's not right".

I even looked it up and forgot to change it.

 

[Bender_]

Made me look him up to make sure I was thinking of the right player and saw this gem on his Wikipedia page:

No wonder they haven't won a final in 20 years

Did the blonde dude with the dreds from the Matrix come in at 87?

 

[bzparkes]

Did the blonde dude with the dreds from the Matrix come in at 87?

Courtney Johns? I remember thinking he was gonna be a superstar at the time.

 

[Bender_]

Courtney Johns? I remember thinking he was gonna be a superstar at the time.

That's it - knew there was another Courtney. He was about 95% athlete and 2% footballer.

 

[bzparkes]

That's it - knew there was another Courtney. He was about 95% athlete and 2% footballer.

Yeah but he was huge with blonde dreads.

Basically paved the way for Tom Lamb's 1 game AFL career.

 

[THE A5]

Starcevich

Og post was about Starcevich.

But adding to tge above post. Jd and Bunga both have been pretty jacked throughout their careers

 

[Tyberious Funk]

Good to see Jack Williams being written off already, at the age of... [checks notes]... 21, with ~40 games to his name.

Oh BigFooty, don't ever change

 

[Happy Mastenator]

Og post was about Starcevich.

But adding to tge above post. Jd and Bunga both have been pretty jacked throughout their careers

Was going to say the JD and Bunga erasure in this thread is unacceptable.

Both would break the kid. He needs a few more preseason of lifting to get to their levels.

 

[Ambrose Burnside]

This randomly appeared on my Youtube page just now. It's funny, 12 years later and the club still only uploads one minute long clips of pre-season trainings.

The club probably includes 56k warnings with everything they upload too.

 

[juice568]

Good to see Jack Williams being written off already, at the age of... [checks notes]... 21, with ~40 games to his name.

Oh BigFooty, don't ever change

No one is writing him off. Hes behind waterman shanahan reid and cdt. Hard to see him getting consistent games.

 

[Eastern Rangers]

No one is writing him off. Hes behind waterman shanahan reid and cdt. Hard to see him getting consistent games.

I've got doubts about him, but he's not behind these 2 yet.

 

[THE A5]

No one is writing him off. Hes behind waterman shanahan reid and cdt. Hard to see him getting consistent games.

Rana a few posts back literally did

 

[Tyberious Funk]

No one is writing him off. Hes behind waterman shanahan reid and cdt. Hard to see him getting consistent games.

No-one, except for this guy...

Nah, I've definitely given up on J Williams. He can do all the running he likes, his legs and footwork are just too slow for modern footy. He's a truck

Plus, I'd argue that if you are putting a KPF coming into his fifth year, behind a draftee that's been training for literally a few weeks only, you are pretty much writing him off. Half the board didn't even want to draft CDT. Now he's displacing a 5th year player, based on hype alone.

BigFooty and massively overrating new draftees -- name a better match?

 

[Convocation]

The West Training Report

https://archive.md/GaEp1

Baker - Hamstring Awareness