Training 2026 Pre Season & Training Reports

[roos_tt29]

IMO Daniel suffered from doing everything possible to get the handball receive for himself rather than actually playing contests on their merit.

The amount of times he didn't lay blocks, didn't contest, didn't help out his mates (poor FOS copped it way too many times), or called for the ball in a horrible position directly led to a lot of problems for our offensive transition.

I wonder if he was told to be the main distributor and focus on driving us forward, but he took it too far due to perceived lack of options/someone to help him drive out. May have lead to all those poor decisions.

Because historically he's been a pretty solid decision-maker.

 

[RooInNorthLondon]

Daniel was brought in to lead the backline and dictate play. His decline in athleticism and kicking range has made him unable to deliver as envisaged. Rather than recognising his growing limitations and playing within them he is trying to be the player we thought we were buying. This sees him ball-hogging, compounding his reduced skills with selfish decision making and unforced errors. He was the number one liability in our 18 last season IMO.

Perhaps he can still have value used in the right situations and position (wing? Half forward?) coming off the interchange bench or as an occasional spot starter if forced by injuries but he simply cannot be in our best 18.

 

[Themanbun]

I wonder if he was told to be the main distributor and focus on driving us forward, but he took it too far due to perceived lack of options/someone to help him drive out. May have lead to all those poor decisions.

Because historically he's been a pretty solid decision-maker.

He got pushed out of the bulldogs best 23 for a reason I think

 

[roos_tt29]

He got pushed out of the bulldogs best 23 for a reason I think

True - they have plenty of talent in every line he could play on.

 

[The Nostradamus]

if daniel plays it cannot be in defence

rather he start the year in vfl prove himself in another position

 

[shintemaster]

Some interesting takes on Daniel in here. I wasn't doing cartwheels when we got him but I do find some of the assessments on here last year and this pre season extreme. I refuse to believe that one single player can be so detrimental to our team structure. I mean, I get it if they didn't run at all, didn't get the ball at all, but if we are so fragile on field that we can't have a player like Daniel out there at times I think we are ultimately expecting an unreasonable output from him. Did we want more from him (and to pay less to get him) last year - sure. Did he fundamentally ruin our team and any ability to structure defensively from now until the day he leaves the club, just, no. We have played much worse players last year and I suspect we will also play some worse players next year. Was Daniel fundamentally different to say McDonald who played a solid year with less errors - likely because he played much, much more in his limitations. That's fine and all, but a big part of our issue is that we have too many stodgy players down back - which is why we have kept McKercher there and played Sheezel there early on.

I'm personally interested to see how that backline looks this coming season. I'm not convinced Daniel can't play a useful role in the interim with a less defensively loose backline and if we don't rely on so many slow players that can't defend.

if daniel plays it cannot be in defence

rather he start the year in vfl prove himself in another position

I very much doubt he will start in the VFL, but stranger things have happened. Personally, I could see him up field more often and I'm hopeful that Logue is ready to play actual football and we can roll with a more defensive unit down back with him Comben, Hardeman and a more rotating selection of smalls.

 

[Chadwiko]

I will bet 1x NMFC membership that (assuming healthy/no mitigating factors), Caleb Daniel

5

Caleb Daniel

Age

29

Ht

171cm

Wt

72kg

Pos.

M/F

Career

Season

Last 5

D

21.3

5star

K

11.5

4star

HB

9.8

5star

M

3.5

4star

T

2.9

4star

CL

1.4

4star

D

19.5

4star

K

11.1

4star

HB

8.4

4star

M

3.6

4star

T

2.0

3star

CL

1.0

3star

D

16.4

4star

K

7.2

3star

HB

9.2

5star

M

3.4

4star

T

2.6

4star

CL

0.2

2star

doesn't start in the VFL next year.

 

[Loose_Cannon]

I will bet 1x NMFC membership that (assuming healthy/no mitigating factors), Caleb Daniel doesn't not start in the VFL next year.

 

[perplexed]

Some interesting takes on Daniel in here. I wasn't doing cartwheels when we got him but I do find some of the assessments on here last year and this pre season extreme. I refuse to believe that one single player can be so detrimental to our team structure.

This is fair enough, Daniel wasn't really the problem himself, it was the gameplan (of which he was a central part) that was the real issue. We were ineffective at getting the ball out of our defense because we slowed things down and tried to retain possession rather than counter-attack. Too often we played through Daniel when he just doesn't have the weapons to hurt the opposition.

 

[Chadwiko]

View attachment 2498052

Hahaha deserved. Edited.

 

[shintemaster]

This is fair enough, Daniel wasn't really the problem himself, it was the gameplan (of which he was a central part) that was the real issue. We were ineffective at getting the ball out of our defense because we slowed things down and tried to retain possession rather than counter-attack. Too often we played through Daniel when he just doesn't have the weapons to hurt the opposition.

I think we struggled full stop outside of maybe McKercher (blazing speed) and later Hardeman who has some toe and a big kick to get the ball forward from defence and reverted to slow play that continually allowed teams to setup defensively and squeeze us. I find it hard to criticise Daniel too much when he has often zero to poor options and the big difference is that unlike the majority of his team mates he isn't willing to just slowly chip it around sideways and make it someone else's problem. I reckon part of the reason he was in was because he is willing to play the way the coaches are asking the team to play.

Ideally next season there are more options in the backline as well as more movement up field - all of which will make us more unpredictable. I'm not convinced he is "the problem" that everyone insists he is even though he does have some limitations. I suspect by the time he is the problem he will be a bit part player or already retired.

If by end of the year we have moved on from Daniel in our team so be it, but to my eye we have much weaker links still.

 

[ferball]

AI commentators for the footy will be an improvement 3 times out of 4 tho.

That's a pretty low bar something that will essentially wipe out society.

 

[ferball]

IMO Daniel suffered from doing everything possible to get the handball receive for himself rather than actually playing contests on their merit.

The amount of times he didn't lay blocks, didn't contest, didn't help out his mates (poor FOS copped it way too many times), or called for the ball in a horrible position directly led to a lot of problems for our offensive transition.

This is on the coaching staff and system's isn't it?

He wouldn't be going rogue and doing what he wanted, he'd be playing to instruction.

 

[perplexed]

I think we struggled full stop outside of maybe McKercher (blazing speed) and later Hardeman who has some toe and a big kick to get the ball forward from defence and reverted to slow play that continually allowed teams to setup defensively and squeeze us. I find it hard to criticise Daniel too much when he has often zero to poor options and the big difference is that unlike the majority of his team mates he isn't willing to just slowly chip it around sideways and make it someone else's problem. I reckon part of the reason he was in was because he is willing to play the way the coaches are asking the team to play.

Ideally next season there are more options in the backline as well as more movement up field - all of which will make us more unpredictable. I'm not convinced he is "the problem" that everyone insists he is even though he does have some limitations. I suspect by the time he is the problem he will be a bit part player or already retired.

If by end of the year we have moved on from Daniel in our team so be it, but to my eye we have much weaker links still.

To me, Daniel offers very little as a defender. To justify playing him back there he has to hurt the opposition when we have the ball, he has to offer a lot more than ball retention. Good rebounders don't just wait for their teammates to provide options, they create them by running at the opposition.

 

[shintemaster]

To me, Daniel offers very little as a defender. To justify playing him back there he has to hurt the opposition when we have the ball, he has to offer a lot more than ball retention. Good rebounders don't just wait for their teammates to provide options, they create them by running at the opposition.

You can't make your teammates run to provide options - no matter how much you run at opponents and from what I saw Daniel did exactly that anyway, if anything ran himself into trouble as often as not. You can't be suggesting that Daniel regularly refused to run before biting off kicks surely?

 

[Makeshift Park]

That's a pretty low bar something that will essentially wipe out society.

Let’s be honest.

Who among us is not prepared to let Sam Altman wipe out society if it means we never have to hear Mark Howard commentate again?

 

[King Corey]

His respective B&F placing vs Darling was an indictment on the coaching staff for mine.

 

[kaboom kid]

This Caleb Daniel

5

Caleb Daniel

Age

29

Ht

171cm

Wt

72kg

Pos.

M/F

Career

Season

Last 5

D

21.3

5star

K

11.5

4star

HB

9.8

5star

M

3.5

4star

T

2.9

4star

CL

1.4

4star

D

19.5

4star

K

11.1

4star

HB

8.4

4star

M

3.6

4star

T

2.0

3star

CL

1.0

3star

D

16.4

4star

K

7.2

3star

HB

9.2

5star

M

3.4

4star

T

2.6

4star

CL

0.2

2star

fella seems to be ripping up the track ATM..I wonder if he could be the solution to our backline woes? With his precise disposal and elite decision making he's the perfect weapon to unpick opposition zones.

 

[Ball Dont Lie]

Why do we need Caleb in defence if we have Colby FOS and hardamen? Surely all 3 are ahead?I can’t say of those 3 pushing to the midfield and wings given our stocks there so not sure Caleb is a guaranteed start.

 

[ferball]

Let’s be honest.

Who among us is not prepared to let Sam Altman wipe out society if it means we never have to hear Mark Howard commentate again?

Fair point.

 

[King Corey]

This Caleb Daniel fella seems to be ripping up the track ATM..I wonder if he could be the solution to our backline woes? With his precise disposal and elite decision making he's the perfect weapon to unpick opposition zones.

At 195cm with a 2.79 20m he's a handful to compete with too.

Reference: Mills & Boon "My Dream Half-back"

 

[speedy]

Na. Daniel was a half-forward when they won the flag. He had a couple of good years in defense and then the game changed, making him largely useless in the role. Firstly, the use of higher or full ground zones took away the space for those accurate 30m passes of his. Secondly, the way to counter the zone is speed out of defense, preferably before it can set up; overlap run, fast territory gain and exploitation of the stand rule. All Caleb can do is dodge and shimmy and hit a short pass to retain possession, but this just buys time for the opposition to set-up. The dogs recognised this and had stopped using Caleb at half-back. They moved him to half-forward / sub well before he came to us.

And we gave up pick 25 and a four year contract for him.

 

[speedy]

Daniel was brought in to lead the backline and dictate play. His decline in athleticism and kicking range has made him unable to deliver as envisaged. Rather than recognising his growing limitations and playing within them he is trying to be the player we thought we were buying. This sees him ball-hogging, compounding his reduced skills with selfish decision making and unforced errors. He was the number one liability in our 18 last season IMO.

Perhaps he can still have value used in the right situations and position (wing? Half forward?) coming off the interchange bench or as an occasional spot starter if forced by injuries but he simply cannot be in our best 18.

Vice captain of the vfl. They are short on mids too.

 

[Waynesworld]

I like Caleb Daniel

5

Caleb Daniel

Age

29

Ht

171cm

Wt

72kg

Pos.

M/F

Career

Season

Last 5

D

21.3

5star

K

11.5

4star

HB

9.8

5star

M

3.5

4star

T

2.9

4star

CL

1.4

4star

D

19.5

4star

K

11.1

4star

HB

8.4

4star

M

3.6

4star

T

2.0

3star

CL

1.0

3star

D

16.4

4star

K

7.2

3star

HB

9.2

5star

M

3.4

4star

T

2.6

4star

CL

0.2

2star

.

 

[perplexed]

You can't make your teammates run to provide options - no matter how much you run at opponents and from what I saw Daniel did exactly that anyway, if anything ran himself into trouble as often as not. You can't be suggesting that Daniel regularly refused to run before biting off kicks surely?

Yes, I am. The aim is to run and gain territory to increase your options. But you have to run forward and past players, you can't crab sideways and look for short options like Daniel does. You end up going nowhere and bringing more opponents into the zone. I don't really blame Caleb for this, I'm sure he is playing to instruction. But it is an ineffective role that we need to get rid of and use someone who can defend first, then run and carry in his place.