Training 2026 Off-Season & Preseason reports and discussion

[arupist]

God's country.

God's country would have more than one pub.

 

[ppphawk]

Hah yeah just kidding. This reports were of high quality. I would donate to a go fundme if axeman agrees to follow thru

Axe was unrivaled. I don’t think your comment had any more hyperbole than other comments here.

I once asked axe to make up a training report and it was brilliant

 

[Mojo]

Yep. 3 preseasons ago.
It's a long way from NSW to Dingley.

The commitment obviously just isn't there.

 

[Simon Crawshay]

Whenever I think back to The Axemans Pre Seasons Reports (please note this is not a crack at all the fantastic current day posters who post their reports more an ode to an all time great)

 

[The_Axeman]

Thanks for the love folks. They were good days. All those summer mornings down at Waverley with the other regulars when I should have been at work. Then heading back to the office to write up my report which took me through to lunchtime. A solid days work.

I reckon training reports have gone to another level. Newmo, Pinoy, SYL, T4P and others providing a level of detail and analysis that is second to none. I'd be flabbergasted if any other team's board has anywhere near the quality of training reports that ours does.

 

[Strebi3]

Thanks for the love folks. They were good days. All those summer mornings down at Waverley with the other regulars when I should have been at work. Then heading back to the office to write up my report which took me through to lunchtime. A solid days work.

I reckon training reports have gone to another level. Newmo, Pinoy, SYL, T4P and others providing a level of detail and analysis that is second to none. I'd be flabbergasted if any other team's board has anywhere near the quality of training reports that ours does.

You ran so others could walk

 

[grumbleguts]

Axe was unrivaled. I don’t think your comment had any more hyperbole than other comments here.

I once asked axe to make up a training report and it was brilliant

Here's an entirely made up training report in the vein of axey.


Hawthorn Training Report – Mid-Preseason Session

Training held under clear skies with a decent crowd of members lining the fence. Intensity was solid without being brutal - typical mid-preseason hit-out where coaches are still experimenting with roles rather than flogging bodies. Skills session into match simulation.

General Notes

Training group looked noticeably fitter than this time last year. Less walking between drills.

Skills by foot were generally sharp, though there’s still a tendency for corridor kicks to float rather than punch.

Coaching staff very vocal - clear focus on decision-making under pressure rather than raw speed.

Line-by-Line Observations

Defence

Hawthorn Football Club defenders worked mostly as a unit.

James Sicily: Still the general. Organised the back six constantly, barking instructions. Intercept work excellent - reads the drop of the ball better than anyone on the track. Spent some time forward late, likely just load management rather than role change.

Josh Weddle: Continued to split time between half-back and wing. Looks more confident running through traffic. Disposal still a bit hit-and-hope when rushed, but upside obvious.

Blake Hardwick: Quiet but effective. Rarely loses his man. Coaches trust him.

Jack Scrimshaw: Moving freely after last year’s issues. Took several intercept marks but still hesitant with first option kick - second-guessing himself.

Takeaway: Sicily remains the defensive cornerstone. Weddle’s versatility is clearly valued.

Midfield

This was where most of the session focus sat.

Will Day: Training like a genuine A-grade mid. Clean hands, quick decision-making, and real burst from stoppage. Was tagged briefly in match sim and still found ways to impact.

Jai Newcombe: Bullish as ever. Did a lot of contested work and body positioning drills. Disposal not flashy but effective.

Conor Nash: Played mostly inside with stints pushing forward. Physical presence noticeable - opposition mids didn’t enjoy contact.

Cam Mackenzie: Ran hard all session. Still working on strength at the contest but covers ground exceptionally well.

Takeaway: Day is clearly being groomed as the primary midfield driver, not just a burst player.

Forwards

Mixed bag, but structure improving.

Mitch Lewis: Limited involvement early but came alive in match sim. Leading patterns looked sharper. Finished well on both sides.

Dylan Moore: One of the standout trainers. Pressure elite. Coaches love his work rate.

Luke Breust: Doesn’t train like a young bloke anymore, but still incredibly smart. Rarely wastes a touch.

Connor Macdonald: Spent time rotating through midfield. Clean below the knees, but still learning when to pull the trigger on goal.

Takeaway: Forward pressure has clearly been a point of emphasis - repeat efforts everywhere.

Rucks

Ned Reeves: Took the lion’s share of ruck duties. Improved tap direction, especially to the defensive side.

Lloyd Meek: Played more as a marking option around the ground. Competes well but still slightly behind Reeves in cohesion with mids.

Takeaway: Reeves looks first choice right now.

Young Watch

Nick Watson: Small, lively, and confident. Not afraid to take the game on. Still gets caught holding it once or twice but crowd loved him.

Josh Ward: Solid session. Cleaner with ball than in previous years, but still needs to assert himself more physically.

Final Impressions

The list profile is clearly young, but there’s a noticeable increase in system understanding.

Coaching staff appear focused on ball movement discipline and defensive transition.

Still a work in progress, but the trajectory is positive.

If this session is any guide: Hawthorn won’t be contending just yet, but they’re no longer the easy beat of two seasons ago.

(Axeman was writing these when we were still not genuine contenders)

 

[JaegarTime]

Ok, so most of this is probably covered by Newmo who disappointingly did not wear his illustrious salmon cargo shorts today....

As previously posted, everyone out on the track early and only Day running laps for the first third of the session before Sic, Dear, Karl and Finn did their own separate running.

Dimma and Wiz.
These two are like two little terriers constantly trying to one-up one another. Whether it's an agility run where they are competing for 1st place, match sim where they're in each others face or like last week, deciding to settle it all with a wrestling after training, they are pushing each other like brothers.

There was a drill today where half the squad started in the middle of the ground(the other half would have shots at goal from deep forward before swapping), and 5-6 players would then try to spread from the centre to pressure/intercept and corral the 6 assistant coaches who were set up around the square(one on each wing, 3 at either end of the square, so CHB/CHF and two flankers).
The emphasis was on the players pushing hard to each zone, imitating how we would defend a side that's just taken possession in the back half and is looking to switch or transition the ball. Some players like Scrim, Weddle, Morrison, McCabe, Ward and Moorey all put in great defensive efforts to either impact or intercept the assistant ability to switch and move the ball.

There was some contested stoppage work close to the goals at the south end, which had players very vocal and combative. Ramma trying to break a Ginni tackle, who just didn't give in and dumped him, was a nice little highlight.
There's quite a bit of footage from today floating about on twitter, I will see if I can upload some of mine to bf, but not sure how that will work.

Match sim started with Gold v Purple bibs.

Deep forward for Gold we had Ramma, Gunner, Lewis, Wiz, Moorey and Ginni, with Chol starting off the ground, rotating in a 3 way with Lewis and Ramma.

In the middle Newk was in the purple bib, and swapped out of the side with Weddle.
Gold mids were Meek, Croc, Nash, Ward and Harry.
The match sim was willing and played at a high pace, with the umpires on site being hot on high tackles and also the play on from out of bounds.
Frenchy, Moore, Newk, Weddle, Wiz, Battle, Greeves, Naarn, Chol all had good moments in the sim.

The session was topped off by some lengthy running, with a relayed shuttle from wing to wing, followed by a break and then a relayed endurance run, where each pair would take turns running 2-3 laps before handing over to their teammate.
Finn was as strong as we'd expect, combining with Dmac, they were pretty much unstoppable. Moorey, Wardy, Butts, McCabe, JD and Karl all put in massive efforts.
It was also noted today by other track watchers that Noodle looks the fittest he's been, and seems to improved his agility a little also. Some of his tap work, and in particular one tap straight down Wiz's throat deep forward in the match sim, was very good.

I was left impressed again by Schu and LeRay's running for each other, with Schu's stride seeing him swallow up Meeky in one of his last sets, and by this stage, despite LeRay having just completed his own set, he'd made his way over to the other side of the ground to urge on his mate and then ran alongside him 20m in from the boundary.
a couple of senior players had also done similar with Hilly, to help him finish off.

There's a lot of love in this group, and a lot of enjoyment which is great to see in a hard session to end the year.

Out of curiosity… cause a midfielder can mean so many things these days… is Weddle working on CBA or just around ground stoppage?

 

[JaegarTime]

Anyone know when the boys return? Have sustained an injury at work meaning I’m off for a bit… love going to training and seeing what’s going on

 

[dommat]

Anyone know when the boys return? Have sustained an injury at work meaning I’m off for a bit… love going to training and seeing what’s going on

Hawthorn Open Training

All the information you need to attend Hawthorn Football Club's next open training session. Stay across main training sessions, Burra's Yama and special event sessions.

www.hawthornfc.com.au

 

[Blackhawk42]

Sounds like we need to start a go fund me page so The_Axeman can go to Dingley and give us one last training report!

Only if it's at the Jindera Bulldogs, who absolutely nobody on this board has played at for the past 10 years....

 

[stevehawkington]

Thanks for the love folks. They were good days. All those summer mornings down at Waverley with the other regulars when I should have been at work. Then heading back to the office to write up my report which took me through to lunchtime. A solid days work.

I reckon training reports have gone to another level. Newmo, Pinoy, SYL, T4P and others providing a level of detail and analysis that is second to none. I'd be flabbergasted if any other team's board has anywhere near the quality of training reports that ours does.

 

[Gut Runner]

Get Hawks Nest voucher - log on less than 12hrs later - every decent size already gone.

Happens every year - hopefully they can do this better eventually.

 

[Strapping Young Lad]

Out of curiosity… cause a midfielder can mean so many things these days… is Weddle working on CBA or just around ground stoppage?

Just general stoppage work.

 

[Gut Runner]

When do the guys break for the year?

Will they train Monday/Tuesday next week?

 

[MrPremiership]

Get Hawks Nest voucher - log on less than 12hrs later - every decent size already gone.

Happens every year - hopefully they can do this better eventually.

Spoke to Aidan at HawksNest KCC, loads of new stock coming end of January.

The pink range has sold very well.

 

[MrPremiership]

When do the guys break for the year?

Will they train Monday/Tuesday next week?

Wednesday this week was their last session. Players are already on break

 

[Gut Runner]

Spoke to Aidan at HawksNest KCC, loads of new stock coming end of January.

The pink range has sold very well.

Thanks very much Mr P. I will wait until then.

 

[Coathanger]

I liked big Meeky when he camped inside the goal square and stuck those big dukes up in the finals.

Imagine trying to move Lord Meek once he has his feet set, you'd need a front end loader

Another thing about Lloyd is that he is as pure a kick for goal as I have seen from a ruckman (aside from Paul Salmon). He doesn't miss many.

Who knows maybe we could play both in the same team, Meek has definitely improved his forward craft the last two years.

Meek 24.17 career.
Big Boy 106.42 career.

Ever reliable shot was the great man.

 

[moginie]

Shoutout to RustyHawk whose training reports in the noughties were essential reading.

You're not forgotten either, mate.

 

[Simon Crawshay]

Meek 24.17 career.
Big Boy 106.42 career.

Ever reliable shot was the great man.

I did think to myself that I forgot about Big Boy after I posted, sorry big fella!

Hale was a very reliable kick for goal as well.

 

[SSSSSS]

Not sure if this is the thread for it but Dimma and Battle have been selected to play for the Big V.

Bit of a mickey mouse game but some good recognition for the two of them.

TB lining up for WA.

 

[Newmo89]

'Not good enough': Hawks gun reflects on disappointing 2025 finish

Despite being a step closer to the flag this year, the Hawks know they have some way to go.

www.zerohanger.com

 

[The_Axeman]

Shoutout to RustyHawk whose training reports in the noughties were essential reading.

You're not forgotten either, mate.

I was thinking last night that it was Rusty's reports that gave me the inspiration to start doing them back in 2011.

 

[Rushed_Behind]

Anyone know when the boys return? Have sustained an injury at work meaning I’m off for a bit… love going to training and seeing what’s going on

Hope you have a speedy recovery. Just remember never leave home without your neck brace. Never carry anything other than crutches. Never walk more than 30-40 m without having to mimic pain and rest. Never know who’s watching.