Training 2026 Off-Season & Preseason reports and discussion

[Strapping Young Lad]

Just to add to Strapping Young Lad report.

LeRay and Greeves both being poor runners were told to go out hard in one of the running drills to push themselves and see how much they could stretch themselves.

Its a great way for coaches to know their limits and try to keep pushing them past it

I disagree that LeRay is a poor runner. I’ve only missed the Saturday training sessions so far this year and in every running session LeRay is at or near the front in every group he’s run with(generally the other kids other than Dalton) in the majority of cases. I see a kid who has a real desire to improve and impress those around him.

I couldn’t say the same of Greeve’s running wise as he’s generally one of the last few along with Noodle and Hilly and is a real loper, but he’s also had his moments where the assistants have run with him and really guided him along and encouraged him where he’s placed much better.

 

[matey]

I disagree that LeRay is a poor runner. I’ve only missed the Saturday training sessions so far this year and in every running session LeRay is at or near the front in every group he’s run with(generally the other kids other than Dalton) in the majority of cases. I see a kid who has a real desire to improve and impress those around him.

I couldn’t say the same of Greeve’s running wise as he’s generally one of the last few along with Noodle and Hilly and is a real loper, but he’s also had his moments where the assistants have run with him and really guided him along and encouraged him where he’s placed much better.

Yeah recall Mitch yelling out to one of the boys when being overtaken by Mass …… “keep the head still while running look just like Mass”! Can’t remember who it was directed towards but the advice applies to all.

Greeve’s head is moving up and down from side to side all at the same time. Every kid that comes into the system has to work on certain areas and for Greeves it’s his running and I’m sure he is up for the challenge.

Forgot to mention Nairn he had a really good crack in the running and did well

 

[Strapping Young Lad]

Yeah recall Mitch yelling out to one of the boys when being overtaken by Mass …… “keep the head still while running look just like Mass”! Can’t remember who it was directed towards but the advice applies to all.

Greeve’s head is moving up and down from side to side all at the same time. Every kid that comes into the system has to work on certain areas and for Greeves it’s his running and I’m sure he is up for the challenge.

Forgot to mention Nairn he had a really good crack in the running and did well

Yeah I reckon he was talking to LeRay too.
I’d noticed Matt had a bit of a head wobble going on, but was still well placed in the group, then Sam chimed in with the comment about keeping your head steady to help breathing, and within 5m of that LeRay decided it was time to test himself and went out passed everyone and opened up the 50m gap.

 

[TheFourPillars]

I disagree that LeRay is a poor runner. I’ve only missed the Saturday training sessions so far this year and in every running session LeRay is at or near the front in every group he’s run with(generally the other kids other than Dalton) in the majority of cases. I see a kid who has a real desire to improve and impress those around him.

I couldn’t say the same of Greeve’s running wise as he’s generally one of the last few along with Noodle and Hilly and is a real loper, but he’s also had his moments where the assistants have run with him and really guided him along and encouraged him where he’s placed much better.

LeRay is definitely in the last 4 or 5 runners at the club mate. I have seen him finish with Greaves in some instances. Lets keep an eye on them for next time

 

[TheFourPillars]

Yeah I reckon he was talking to LeRay too.
I’d noticed Matt had a bit of a head wobble going on, but was still well placed in the group, then Sam chimed in with the comment about keeping your head steady to help breathing, and within 5m of that LeRay decided it was time to test himself and went out passed everyone and opened up the 50m gap.

Yep Ollie did the same thing one iteration later.

 

[Newmo89]

https://www.zerohanger.com/track-wa...promise-in-gruelling-two-hour-session-171639/

 

[hawkinoz]

View attachment 2207486-44bb535e3dc9e377e2657d1039828e6a.mp4

this video was uploaded by Pinoy Hawk earlier.. shows the head wobble of a few... Dalton has Zero and seems like he is on a stroll

 

[Simon Crawshay]

View attachment 2493463

this video was uploaded by Pinoy Hawk earlier.. shows the head wobble of a few... Dalton has Zero and seems like he is on a stroll

Dalton looks like he could play round 1 next year (from a physical perspective).

 

[Judd2Sewell]

Dalton looks like he could play round 1 next year (from a physical perspective).

Reckon he will get a crack at playing HFF when he eventually gets his debut. MM mentioned the HFF role first when discussing drafting Dalton. The club was very keen to get up the draft order to snag him, so IMO they have a role in mind.

He's a workhorse runner with a huge tank, tenacious and has that midfielder nous, so he will hopefully be able to find the ball and push hard into space.

Ginnivan, Watson, Moore and MacDonald all play that similar role, and all may spend some time in the middle as well - so maybe Dalton will be able to release them to spend more time further afield. Either way we may be able to run teams ragged and always have an extra around the ball with another power runner in the side.

 

[unitedhawk2]

Today the squad trained on the AFLW oval, with a bit of cover from the Westerly wind.

Everyone was accounted for apart from Stanley. I’m not sure I spotted Daysy, edit. Spotted by Brownbird .
Newk and Calsh took part in some drills also, while Sicily and Karl stayed out of most things and ran.


Percy and Ben were involved in some early drills and kicking(some nice shots from 50 too) but sat out much of the main drills and watched on.

Our NGA over-ager Keenan Boi completed most of the main drills, as did his mate from the Eastern Ranges/AIS, whose name I have forgotten.

There were some ball movement drills today, with the ball being cleared from a stoppage up the wing, and the group working white singlets v purple bibs.

Some interesting things within this was LeRay taking two contested marks up the line, Noodle getting the better of Meek with a pack mark or two, Weddle being everywhere(then slicing through congestion) and Perez dancing his way through a bit of congestion on the wing to deliver to full forward. TB being the only bloke out there in a bucket hat that he’d tied quite tightly to his head, had him somewhat looking out of place as he steamed off half back and delivered through the middle.

There was also a lot of running in the back half of training today(Calsh and Karl watched on from the stand), with the squad split into groups. Groups A and B ran, while some of the senior players worked on ball skills and mobility through uprights as the others ran.

Similar to other sessions, this was interval running and each group had the opportunity to break and then run back the other way, so first become last and last become first.

In his group, LeRay decided that he wanted to test himself nearing the last set and sprinted out to a 50m lead on his group before slowing and getting swallowed up as the run came to an end.

Butler, Moore and Dalton were impressive as always. Moorey very vocal today also.

I think I’ve said this previously, but Lewis and Meek look very trim and fit.

After training Dalton and Greeves were both overheard asking Mass and Moorey if they could spend 5 mins with them working on their kicking after training. Dalton in particular wanted to work on his opposite with Mass.

Sam had Mraz on the boundary late, chasing a loose ball that he’d throw down for himself, he was then to collect the ground ball “explode like you’ve got Wiz behind you” and deliver a 20m pass to Mitchell who wanted the ball delivered in his phone box. Mraz’s ball drop is much improved, and his kicking has improved too as a consequence.

It was a good 2.5 hour session with most players looking pretty spent by the end of it.

Later on when most players had finished and had moved back inside to the KCC Dimma and Wiz, for whatever reason decided it was time for wrestlemania and were seen rolling around on the ground over the boundary trying to get the better of each other. Maybe these two didn’t burn all their energy after all.

Love the level of detail you're providing with your reports this pre-season!

I'm sure it's being appreciated by all, especially those of us who live interstate, and I wouldn't be surprised if the legendary Axeman is nodding along very approvingly too... many thanks!

 

[bigmaxi]

I thought this was interesting. Last week, sitting with an ex AFL player and a well know Sport performance coach at brekky and I thought of these fitness discussions and asked both their takes. They both said pretty much the same thing: 80/20 rule is 3 preseasons to reach AFL fitness, yes there are unicorns for strength and aerobic fitness but for game hardened bodies with the core, the tank and the arm/leg strength to take and stick a tackle and mental toughness to push thru a full game it is 3 preseasons. Take what you will from this.

 

[kazzooka]

View attachment 2493463

this video was uploaded by Pinoy Hawk earlier.. shows the head wobble of a few... Dalton has Zero and seems like he is on a stroll

Fascinating how much technique is involved in just running. Dalton clearly just very efficient and steady. His back, shoulders and head and hips all stay straight and it's all legs and arms moving. Morrison the same. The guys at the back Greeves and Schubert you cant see when they swing their arms the shoulder goes too so they are twisting their torso, leaning from side to side and the head wobbles.

Of course a lot of this matters little when it comes to football as some players while slower, know where the ball will be before others. Also some players can't push themselves as well when running is the goal, but in game they just keep going and going because they have a ball to chase. I was a bit like that, id collapse "exhausted" at training during running. But during a game I'd still be running hard deep into the last quarter because i'm not thinking about how far i've ran, or i have 5x more 200m runs to do. I'd just go where I need to.

 

[Strebi3]

Ginni seems to be a fan of Perez

 

[hawkmang]

Link please

It was one of their stories which expires after 24 hours… unfortunately was posted more than 24 hours ago so I can’t find it now

 

[kanga kanga kanga]

Don’t know where to put this but think you might have found one in Perez, thought he was a pretty good athletic rebounding half back for us but struggled with constant injuries and was harsh to be delisted. Will fit perfectly into the way u guys play.

 

[Strapping Young Lad]

LeRay is definitely in the last 4 or 5 runners at the club mate. I have seen him finish with Greaves in some instances. Lets keep an eye on them for next time

Nah, he's not. Unless we are delisting Noodle, Chol, JUH, Blancky, Hill and Greeves in the next 24 hours. But you're right, let's watch.

 

[Strapping Young Lad]

Ginni seems to be a fan of Perez
View attachment 2493498

They’re long time mates.

 

[Hawker399]

How similar or dissimilar are Hustwaite and Greeves?
Their profiles sound alike. Taller inside mids who are slower than desirable but with ball getting talent. We haven't seen Greeves in AFL matches so you can't fully compare. But, for those track and junior watchers I'd be interested in a comparison.

 

[ahhhhhh]

How similar or dissimilar are Hustwaite and Greeves?
Their profiles sound alike. Taller inside mids who are slower than desirable but with ball getting talent. We haven't seen Greeves in AFL matches so you can't fully compare. But, for those track and junior watchers I'd be interested in a comparison.

Greeves has better foot skills and superior forward craft. Also uses his height in marking contests, which Hustwaite does not.

 

[Dewnior]

How similar or dissimilar are Hustwaite and Greeves?
Their profiles sound alike. Taller inside mids who are slower than desirable but with ball getting talent. We haven't seen Greeves in AFL matches so you can't fully compare. But, for those track and junior watchers I'd be interested in a comparison.

Draft combine comparisons:

Hustwaite

Type: Tall, powerful midfielder/forward.

Combine Strengths: Excellent endurance (good 2km time trial for his size), follow-up work at ground level, strong skills.

Greeves

Type - Medium-tall, athletic midfielder.

Combine Strengths: Known for agility, speed (good 20m sprint), and clean hands, making him a versatile player.

Key Differences

Hustwaite = power and endurance
Greeves = more explosive speed and agility

 

[Simon Crawshay]

From a body perspective they seem quite different (despite both being similar heights).

HH is more the tall, lanky type with long arms (and neck ) whereas Greeves is built like a brick s..t house (like Cameron Ling).

 

[bigmaxi]

What’s the word on Cody Anderson? Any chance of a debut this season ?

 

[To the Hawk]

Greeves has better foot skills and superior forward craft. Also uses his height in marking contests, which Hustwaite does not.

Huss is a neat kick and a very good decision maker. Elite by hand.

His inability to use his height in marking contests is a problem. Something Greeves looks to excel at.

Huss' issue at AFL level is that he's a centre mid or nothing. He hasn't showed any ability to play forward, back or wing. And probably lacks the speed and overhead marking to do so.

He's also a ball hunter at clearance and not effective as a defensive mid.

Makes it tough for him really. But after Newcombe, Worpel was our next best clearance player. He might get a chance there with Ward and Mackenzie more balanced mids... But he'd have to really dominate clearance to carve out a career.

 

[cryptor]

Draft combine comparisons:

Hustwaite

Type: Tall, powerful midfielder/forward.

Combine Strengths: Excellent endurance (good 2km time trial for his size), follow-up work at ground level, strong skills.

Greeves

Type - Medium-tall, athletic midfielder.

Combine Strengths: Known for agility, speed (good 20m sprint), and clean hands, making him a versatile player.

Key Differences

Hustwaite = power and endurance
Greeves = more explosive speed and agility

I thought Greeves didn’t test at the combine?

 

[hawkinoz]

Some good clips.. Good to see Greeves was able to stand up to Weddle's tackle and dispose cleanly in addition to the top 5 listed