Training 2026 Pre-Season Training - reports, pics etc

[CoachB]

Tell me, to improve skill level, going to a lower level competition does that or is training the time to sort that out.

If you have a better option, going to the VFL is the motivation to improve!

 

[teddy-hopkins]

In my opinion, the worst offender is the coach who even last year was still getting the players to bomb it long to contests (where any coach can work out that they just need to outnumber us) instead of shortening up the ball movement and running it up the field in numbers.

We have a lot of players that I think have neat at best disposal like most teams but they’re made to look a lot worst with a game plan that revolves around moments and opportunities instead of system and ball movement.

Couldn't agree more. Luckiest bloke in the AFL to still have a job.

 

[jj1978]

This won’t be popular but it must be said.

My Blue Heavens, sweeping comments on Acres, the Campos and Ollie having bad disposal is not ‘factual reporting’.
Like many of us, he obviously has a bias towards certain players and is drilling it. If I were Blue Heaven, at the very least, I would follow such comments with video highlighting my statements. It’s not as if he doesn’t take a bit of video.
That is the way to report!!

As a fact in the below example, Ollie’s disposal is better than Florent, who we traded to assist our disposal. This also includes Florent coming in from arguably a more structured team.

Oliver Hollands and Oliver Florent AFL Stats Comparison

Oliver Hollands and Oliver Florent AFL Stats Comparison.

www.footywire.com

Oliver Hollands and Oliver Florent AFL Stats Comparison

Oliver Hollands and Oliver Florent AFL Stats Comparison.

www.footywire.com

I’m not saying these guys are perfect, far from it, especially someone like Acres, but sweeping comments should be treated as such. I haven’t seen Ollie or even the Campos for that matter ‘turn’ the ball over much in that training footage or even this preseason. So does a non-standard ball release make bad disposal?

The other example is his latest report, was the Ison discussion. He has made this kid out as being ‘elite’ in every part of his game. That is just not right or if it were, he would have been drafted in the top 10, like Dean. This is not helping the kid, as the expectation will be unbearable from people on the outside listening to him. Again, footage seen shows Ison miss a standard handball or two but he is a kid developing!!

I enjoy watching and reading these reports and appreciate the time and effort these guys put in and I feel MBH is one of the better ones but I would not hold everything these guys, that includes BlueAbroad, say as gospel. They are just like many of us, standard football followers with standard football knowledge. We aren’t always right or wrong, it’s an opinion.

It's the guys point of view.

But in all honesty from the data we've seen over the journey you think Acres has good disposal?

Ollie's had his moments in games but you can see he's been working hard.

The Campo's not enough data in AFL, but as juniors their kicking was always a query from various sources and in VFL at times it can be seen they're no Darren Jarmen, again like Ollie they do look like they're working on it.

 

[Aphrodite]

 

[Michael Jezz]

This won’t be popular but it must be said.

My Blue Heavens, sweeping comments on Acres, the Campos and Ollie having bad disposal is not ‘factual reporting’.
Like many of us, he obviously has a bias towards certain players and is drilling it. If I were Blue Heaven, at the very least, I would follow such comments with video highlighting my statements. It’s not as if he doesn’t take a bit of video.
That is the way to report!!

As a fact in the below example, Ollie’s disposal is better than Florent, who we traded to assist our disposal. This also includes Florent coming in from arguably a more structured team.

Oliver Hollands and Oliver Florent AFL Stats Comparison

Oliver Hollands and Oliver Florent AFL Stats Comparison.

www.footywire.com

Oliver Hollands and Oliver Florent AFL Stats Comparison

Oliver Hollands and Oliver Florent AFL Stats Comparison.

www.footywire.com

I’m not saying these guys are perfect, far from it, especially someone like Acres, but sweeping comments should be treated as such. I haven’t seen Ollie or even the Campos for that matter ‘turn’ the ball over much in that training footage or even this preseason. So does a non-standard ball release make bad disposal?

The other example is his latest report, was the Ison discussion. He has made this kid out as being ‘elite’ in every part of his game. That is just not right or if it were, he would have been drafted in the top 10, like Dean. This is not helping the kid, as the expectation will be unbearable from people on the outside listening to him. Again, footage seen shows Ison miss a standard handball or two but he is a kid developing!!

I enjoy watching and reading these reports and appreciate the time and effort these guys put in and I feel MBH is one of the better ones but I would not hold everything these guys, that includes BlueAbroad, say as gospel. They are just like many of us, standard football followers with standard football knowledge. We aren’t always right or wrong, it’s an opinion.

I think Bucky from My Blue Heavan is absolutely qualified to comment on disposal due to having played the game and immersing himself in statewide U18s football
You might say as a modern wingman elite disposal is not as necessary compared to half back but I think it was Bucky who identified that Hollands does not break stride before he kicks, resulting in missing targets. Bucky values Hollands but that does not mean his surgical insight should not request improvement

 

[Blue__Balls]

I think Ollie's value is as a metres gained guy who generates movement and panics defences by surging through.

His kicking isn't poor, just average and his features can complement Chesser's

This.

But we're on the internet, land of extreme generalisations.

A player can be an elite kick, or a shit kick, but a lot of people struggle with the notion that 75% of AFL footballers are neither, and sit somewhere in the middle. Same goes for a lot of other attributes. If they're not a contested beast they're flaky. If they're not blindingly fast they're too slow for the modern game.

Ollie's biggest issue disposal-wise is the time it can take him to straighten and get boot to ball when he's on a run. He lacks the ability to very rapidly squeeze out a kick to avoid getting tackled with it.

Half back and wing are both positions that can alleviate that, but probably more so the wing. Worst thing for him is to be sizing up the corridor from half back with a hungry small forward on his hammer.

 

[yibbida]

But in all honesty from the data we've seen over the journey you think Acres has good disposal?

You can go to the links provided and look at the actual data....... but, it might be hard to see over the barrow full of stuff you are pushing....

 

[yibbida]

I think Bucky from My Blue Heavan is absolutely qualified to comment on disposal due to having played the game

Why hasn't he taken up an AFL senior coaching role yet then?

 

[yibbida]

Acres becomes a back up now for mine.
I feel like now is the time we can and need to move past his lack of speed and kicking skills imo

How many 191cm wingmen do we have in our team that can take a mark and defend the goal line?

 

[Lukeblueboy]

How many 191cm wingmen do we have in our team that can take a mark and defend the goal line?

Yeah I get what you’re saying and have taken those points into consideration before I made my call.
Imo, it doesn’t outweigh his kicking efficiency and I’m still a little concerned with our leg speed around the midfield.
Also his shoulder worries me and how a lot of the time he’s playing hampered.
I hope he proves me wrong and gets really fit and has a great season though.

 

[ETET]

This.

But we're on the internet, land of extreme generalisations.

A player can be an elite kick, or a shit kick, but a lot of people struggle with the notion that 75% of AFL footballers are neither, and sit somewhere in the middle. Same goes for a lot of other attributes. If they're not a contested beast they're flaky. If they're not blindingly fast they're too slow for the modern game.

Ollie's biggest issue disposal-wise is the time it can take him to straighten and get boot to ball when he's on a run. He lacks the ability to very rapidly squeeze out a kick to avoid getting tackled with it.

Half back and wing are both positions that can alleviate that, but probably more so the wing. Worst thing for him is to be sizing up the corridor from half back with a hungry small forward on his hammer.

Yep agree, which leads him to telegraph his kicks, there is zero deception.

I like him, but I must admit there were times last year when I turned to my wife and asked "is he in the bottom percentile of half backs in the league for kicking skill?". Not just DE but the ability to creative, penetrate, open up opportunities with a kick.

In thinking about it, a lot of our players last year may have been in the bottom percentile for a few things.

 

[BlueJet]

Why hasn't he taken up an AFL senior coaching role yet then?

Perhaps a question best directed to him & not to someone defending his right to an opinion.

 

[katmanblue]

Perhaps a question best directed to him & not to someone defending his right to an opinion.

Well, why haven't they become a barrister?

#amidoinitright?

 

[BlueJet]

Well, why haven't they become a barrister?

#amidoinitright?

Love your work mate.

 

[Garters]

I haven’t watched that My Blue Heaven guy previously. But I enjoyed his training insights very much in that most recent video.

Enjoy the preseason positivity whilst it lasts!

I dont follow him religiously but enjoyed it as well. In season his vids take on a far more exasperated hue! (Plenty to work with to be fair given last season)

 

[branedotorg]

If he's one of our better draft picks then that just shows you how bereft of young talent we've been. 'If you want a guaranteed high floor/low ceiling player every four or so seasons, Nick Austin is your man!'... hardly a raving endorsement.

just quietly, i'd rather be majority high floor/low ceiling with some superstars as a team, than high risk/high reward individuals. I think it's clear that approaching drafting like that leads to a lot of busts, especially in the first round.

Back to the topic though, is anyone going to the open training on Friday, 9:45-12 with a signing session after?

 

[Soapy V]

dont know why Ollie gets the (negative) attention that he does tbh

young kid making a solid contribution

More than solid. I think he has been very good in a poor side

In a better structured side he will star.

 

[tarczonandjane]

More than solid. I think he has been very good in a poor side

In a better structured side he will star.

I am with you, Soapy. I maintain plenty of his miskicks are due to lack of movement up the field.

 

[Espio]

I am with you, Soapy. I maintain plenty of his miskicks are due to lack of movement up the field.

This exactly, being asked to kick 55 metres onto a dinner plate by your only target will not come off often. Teams with apparently great kicking skills rarely ask players to do that, they have the capacity to have players running into space and offering a simple kick.

 

[BlueBugs]

Any update from the training reports about our kick-in strategy for next season? This has been a serious deficiency for a number of years- too slow, too predictable and using Saad has robbed us of run from half-back.

 

[Graffy4242]

Any update from the training reports about our kick-in strategy for next season? This has been a serious deficiency for a number of years- too slow, too predictable and using Saad has robbed us of run from half-back.

Great question!

It has been SO predictable for several seasons now. Hopefully having Newman back will help a bit, but more important is having several strategies that allow easy exits.

 

[BlueNath]

More than solid. I think he has been very good in a poor side

In a better structured side he will star.

And it looks like Ollie is moving back to a wing, which is where he is best suited. Some of his run down efforts in his first season were so impressive for a kid with his frame.

 

[MileHigh]

More than solid. I think he has been very good in a poor side

In a better structured side he will star.

Tackles way above his weight range. Plays with intensity. Nowhere near his ceiling yet.

 

[yibbida]

Perhaps a question best directed to him & not to someone defending his right to an opinion.

if he posts on BigFooty I will. In the meantime, why can't I ask another poster a questions?
Doh, I did it again. Who should I have directed that question to oh wise one?

 

[Aphrodite]

Join us for Open Training on Friday, December 12!

Your last chance to watch the Blues in 2025.

www.carltonfc.com.au