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

 

[RustyShacklefordFalcon]

BRIS and GCS are going to block out their flag window and it’s going to be glorious, then we’ll come into ours.

I feel like we've just snuck our rebuild in at the perfect time too. With tassie confirmed, we've managed to hit the draft and get our list profile headed on the right track.

QLD have their academies which will no doubt soften the blow for them, but at least the rules will be tightened. The likes of Collingwood, Melbourne, Port etc are going to be in a world of shit though.

 

[bzparkes]

I feel like we've just snuck our rebuild in at the perfect time too. With tassie confirmed, we've managed to hit the draft and get our list profile headed on the right track.

QLD have their academies which will no doubt soften the blow for them, but at least the rules will be tightened. The likes of Collingwood, Melbourne, Port etc are going to be in a world of shit though.

You just hate to see it...

 

[Keys]

We're just lucky Merriman fell into our lap because Freo didn't want to give him more money.

The transition from Inness to Merriman as our High Performance Manager has worked out quite nicely. Was disappointed when the news of Inness departing came out, but Merriman shapes as the ideal replacement to build on the foundations put in place by Inness

 

[FKASC]

 

[Farmer Lister]

So am I putting the house on Reid or McCarthy for Brownlow?

Yes

 

[Avalor]

The transition from Inness to Merriman as our High Performance Manager has worked out quite nicely. Was disappointed when the news of Inness departing came out, but Merriman shapes as the ideal replacement to build on the foundations put in place by Inness

Gotta say I am feeling super optimistic for 2026, boosted on high, and expecting a steady climb up the ladder. Thrilled with the development of our kids - McCarthy,

The transition from Inness to Merriman as our High Performance Manager has worked out quite nicely. Was disappointed when the news of Inness departing came out, but Merriman shapes as the ideal replacement to build on the foundations put in place by Inness

 

[RanaNaved]

I'm already sick of winning

 

[amazingjoshy]

Hmmm.

Ice baths are freakin painful.

AND you need to be resiliant to jump into one as well.

.

Im intrigued about the thinking behind the no ice bath in pre season thing

Is it none in PS means that allowing them in season will make the players feel amazing?

Or are they just not that effective?

Or likely something else obvious that Im missing

 

[bzparkes]

Im intrigued about the thinking behind the no ice bath in pre season thing

Is it none in PS means that allowing them in season will make the players feel amazing?

Or are they just not that effective?

Or likely something else obvious that Im missing

Ice baths help prevent inflammation, which is great when you're playing but when you're going through an 'adaption' stage, is reduces muscle growth, as well as the effects of said training on the body.

I presume this is counterproductive to the training they are currently doing but it makes sense in season when you have a much larger focus on recovering as quickly as possible.

 

[amazingjoshy]

Ice baths help prevent inflammation, which is great when you're playing but when you're going through an 'adaption' stage, is reduces muscle growth, as well as the effects of said training on the body.

I presume this is counterproductive to the training they are currently doing but it makes sense in season when you have a much larger focus on recovering as quickly as possible.

Cheers, great explanation

 

[Goroyals22]

I feel like the only thing missing from this optimistic training update thread is a montage.

Set to the rocky theme track

 

[Bender_]

Ice baths help prevent inflammation, which is great when you're playing but when you're going through an 'adaption' stage, is reduces muscle growth, as well as the effects of said training on the body.

I presume this is counterproductive to the training they are currently doing but it makes sense in season when you have a much larger focus on recovering as quickly as possible.

Beat me to it (and by some margin)

Great for recovery, shit for gainz.

 

[bzparkes]

Beat me to it (and by some margin)

Great for recovery, shit for gainz.

You were more eloquent though.

 

[Bender_]

You were more eloquent though.

Gym-bro lingo.

 

[Wooshaaaa]

Ice baths help prevent inflammation, which is great when you're playing but when you're going through an 'adaption' stage, is reduces muscle growth, as well as the effects of said training on the body.

I presume this is counterproductive to the training they are currently doing but it makes sense in season when you have a much larger focus on recovering as quickly as possible.

Yep. Counterproductive.

The inflammation is what contains the 'soup' of chemicals that make the adaptations at a cellular level.

When I read that I was encouraged BC the ice bath craze is finally showing scientific evidence of more harm than good in elite athletics populations.

 

[Byron_Clanger]

Recruits’ families visit Eagles HQ

West Coast welcomed draftee and recruits’ families for their first visit to the club

www.westcoasteagles.com.au

Oh really? Well that's bloody news to me..it's not like they have a Youtube account or social media page that they can show these kinds of moments..they literally did it for the AFLW girls months ago.

 

[Obeanie1]

Yep. Counterproductive.

The inflammation is what contains the 'soup' of chemicals that make the adaptations at a cellular level.

When I read that I was encouraged BC the ice bath craze is finally showing scientific evidence of more harm than good in elite athletics populations.

All those who bagged out JHF for skipping ice baths what 4 years ago?

 

[bzparkes]

All those who bagged out JHF for skipping ice baths what 4 years ago?

Depends if he was dodging them during training or after a game.

If it were during training, explains a lot about North Melbourne and their poor standards for years.

 

[TheBudgies]

Depends if he was dodging them during training or after a game.

If it were during training, explains a lot about North Melbourne and their poor standards for years.

It has an impact but it wouldn't explain the North catastrophe. Ice baths probably impact less than a couple of %. It is a point of contention for some and debate is still had.

• It might slow down muscle growth after an individual session - so shouldn't do it in an accumulation period.
• it might reduce inflammation and improve recovery to allow more or harder workouts sooner after. - so really should do it in an accumulation period so that more workouts can be performed and total gains improve.

I personally think its a little of both and it has merit (overstated by some) but it should really be tailored to individuals. If someone is struggling to get back up and be ready for the next session then maybe do it on shorter turn around. Eg. Post Monday/Wednesday sessions but not Fridays.

It's quite interesting the nuances of pain management in S&C.

 

[wadistance]

Ice baths help prevent inflammation, which is great when you're playing but when you're going through an 'adaption' stage, is reduces muscle growth, as well as the effects of said training on the body.

I presume this is counterproductive to the training they are currently doing but it makes sense in season when you have a much larger focus on recovering as quickly as possible.

Came here to say this. You want inflammation so that muscle repairs and grows

 

[lloydbraun]

Yep. Counterproductive.

The inflammation is what contains the 'soup' of chemicals that make the adaptations at a cellular level.

When I read that I was encouraged BC the ice bath craze is finally showing scientific evidence of more harm than good in elite athletics populations.

Ice baths, the Soup Nazi of muscle growth.

 

[DorothyG]

That vid might be one of the best the Eagles have put out in years.
Good to hear point of views from others apart from the usual coaches and players

 

[Campaigner for good]

I'd be shocked if both CDT and Duurs weren't debuting round 1.

Way to tempt the injury gods Pants!

 

[FKASC]

Imagine how huge Cuz would have gotten if he wasn’t on ice after every training sesh

 

[NSLK]

Sneak peek at the 2026 Grand Final Match Report based on all the posts in this thread. Merry Christmas y'all.

2026 AFL Grand Final — Full Match Report (from the future)​

West Coast 14.11 (95) def. Brisbane 11.10 (76)
Margin: 19 points

Norm Smith Medal: Harley Reid (West Coast)​

28 disposals, 8 clearances, 2 goals, 7 score involvements

---

First Quarter – The kids aren’t here to play; they’re here to take it​

West Coast settle fastest.
Harley Reid bursts out of the very first centre bounce, fends off Dunkley and hits Waterman lace-out. The goal lands 58 seconds into the match. It settles the group immediately.


Archie Reid wins the early ruck battle and gives the midfield the clean looks they need. Hough cools Cameron early. The Eagles kick 4 in the first, including a running bomb from McCarthy that has every West Coast fan believing this could actually happen.


Quarter time: WCE by 11.

---

Second Quarter – Brisbane punch back​

Brisbane lift their pressure. Neale takes control for a stretch and Hipwood kicks two in three minutes. The crowd senses the shift.


This is where it could’ve tilted.


Instead, young Coops Duff-Tytler takes a soaring one-on-one grab on the southern wing, plays on, and drills a 55-metre bullet to Waterman, who snaps his second. It steadies the boys and stops Brisbane’s run.


Right on half-time, Harley squeezes through a goal from the pocket that makes the stadium gasp.


Half-time: WCE by 7.

---

Third Quarter – The moment it breaks open​

This becomes the premiership quarter.


Starcevich leads a defensive wall that gives Brisbane nothing clean. Ginbey plays like he’s been built in a Perth lab for grand finals: brutal, relentless, unstoppable. He sets the tone with a chase-down on McCluggage that changes the energy.


Then comes the moment.


Harley storms through a centre bounce, taps the ball to himself, takes three bounces, and drills it from 45. The stadium erupts. You can feel the belief surge.


Right after, Lindsay hits Shanahan inside 50 with a left-foot dart that should be put in a museum. Shanahan goals. The margin hits 20.


Three-quarter time: WCE by 18.

---

Final Quarter – They hold, absorb and finish the job​

Brisbane come again — they always do. Berry nails a long one, and suddenly it’s 12 points.


Enter Waterman. He flies over Payne, clunks a huge contested mark and drills his third. The Eagles’ bench explodes. The players sprint to him from everywhere.


From there, the backline locks in:
Edwards cool. Young disciplined. Hough flawless. Duggan organising like a general.


With three minutes left, Dewar roves a pack, gives to Hall, and Hall hits Duursma who strolls in to seal it. The kid from across the country pumps both fists toward a bay of travelling Eagles fans who are losing their minds.


The siren sounds.
West Coast are premiers again.

---

Key Performers​

Harley Reid (Norm Smith) – Complete domination. The game moved when he decided it would.
Jake Waterman – 3 goals, including the sealer. Massive presence.
Tom McCarthy – Line-breaking run all day.
Brandon Starcevich – Saved goals, won contests, set the tone.
Gilly Ginbey – 10 tackles, all violent.
Willem Duursma – Ice-cold finish.
Archer Reid – Outplayed the Lions’ rucks and gave West Coast field position all day.

---

The Moment That’ll Live Forever​

Harley’s third-quarter run-and-bomb goal.
It becomes the new montage clip they show before every Eagles home game for the next decade.