Training 2026 Pre-Season Training - reports, pics etc

[BlueLocke]

Little snippet on the club's Insta of Jagga shrugging a tackle and weaving through some congestion without the 'no-contact' cap; I'm trying to temper the expectations of a skinny kid coming off an ACL, but the lid is about to pop.

 

[The Bighouse]

Wright was the architect of that hawthorn golden era list so hopefully he is taking the same approach with us. Gotta say movements this off season / draft, v impressive in building out that deep role player approach. Just hope Voss and co get it and coach / build out game plan to accomodate accordingly.

By all reports, the vision and the staff/club are all aligned on the same page. Seems that this was a selling point in the new appointments - it’ll now be how well it is all implemented & taken on board (along with the players ability to deliver consistently on gameday).

Players also wanting to be there and digging in will help too. Hopefully the effort can bring the wins & confidence required.

 

[JustaBattler]

I think 2026 is a fair test of what Voss can and cant do - imo he has a muh more balanced list to work with - the only negative being so many new faces. Hopefully there is clean air in teh locker rooms and Walsh signs off as rumoured before trhe season starts - whcih sets up a nice handover period for a needd change in leadership.

 

[teddy-hopkins]

Well given McKay played 12 games for us last year, Moir played 9, Kemp played 5 and Hayward played 0 I am not sure how you could say it is the exact same system.

To me McKay looks great when he is high up the ground - he is involved in the game more and that gives him confidence which he really seems to feed off.

Playing Moir, Kemp and Hayward in front of McKay (closer to our goal) gives us multiple mobile marking options to keep defenders isolated.

The key to this is getting runners like Walsh, Smith, Chesser, Florent (who combined for 14 games for us last year) and co to create through the midfield so instead of a kick mark game generating off the McKay mark we get the overlap run started with the player getting the handball receive on the wing having the choice between 2 leading forwards coming up to him, a deeper marking forward behind them and at least one handball option alongside.

So no not the exact same system at all.

Last year CC was our #1 target in the forward line and he was, at best, disinterested. The chasing / second efforts were ordinary and that sort of filtered through the team. In fairness his knee was never right for the whole season.

Removing that will be a massive plus.

Ainsworth and Byrne are brand new options and EH + Cottrell will be back - he is usually a pretty smart ball user also.

When we were at our best under the Voss system in 2023 Martin, Cunningham and Fog all came in for the second half of that season and had career best form. There was nobody last year in that role - getting the ball between half forward and the wing and turning it into a score.

Which is why EH and these other mid-sized half forwards are critical. EH in particular is the most important because he's the best we've got with those long bullet passes on either foot. Just the small matter of getting him onto the list!

 

[Aphrodite]

 

[Just Kreuzing]

Kemp has got the leap to really worry defenders.

The sort of guy where you want to do your work early so he can't jump.

If he can be reliable on front of goal he'll do well this year

Agree with all of this.

He won’t have the class of Charlie but he will work harder at ground level if he doesn’t mark it and create possible opportunities for others and yes set shot goal kicking will need to improve!

 

[norway blue]

I love the blogs and thanks to all. We will pressure up more. In the mix cmon baggers

 

[SOS Rules]

How is Big H? Does anyone know where he is at?

 

[tragic]

How is Big H? Does anyone know where he is at?

Blue abroad said that he had completed training yesterday..just some hamstring tightness on Friday

 

[bigblueboy]

First practice match will be v Brisbane - midweek after origin.

 

[Treesloth]

It’s also 30 seconds out of tens of hours of training he’s done this pre season

Sort of got the feeling having watched through training footage from Heath Buck and Blue Abroad, not just club media*

Point taken though - it is still a very brief snapshot. Our ruck and forward stocks just have me nervous this year.

 

[JimmyRabbit49]

Last year CC was our #1 target in the forward line and he was, at best, disinterested. The chasing / second efforts were ordinary and that sort of filtered through the team. In fairness his knee was never right for the whole season.

Removing that will be a massive plus.

Ainsworth and Byrne are brand new options and EH + Cottrell will be back - he is usually a pretty smart ball user also.

When we were at our best under the Voss system in 2023 Martin, Cunningham and Fog all came in for the second half of that season and had career best form. There was nobody last year in that role - getting the ball between half forward and the wing and turning it into a score.

Which is why EH and these other mid-sized half forwards are critical. EH in particular is the most important because he's the best we've got with those long bullet passes on either foot. Just the small matter of getting him onto the list!

Yep, Mckay would hit the wing and Curnow would be all the way back in the goal square requiring Motlop, Fogarty, Evans & Williams to be the link men with only 1 one them being listed above 6ft.

If we can get Kemp, Moir & Hayward playing the link marking role it not only makes hitting the target easier but allows the smalls to be more dangerous.

 

[jimsta10]

"Crappa" ouch

hes in beast mode..

but we need some contingences

 

[Sharks On A Plane]

I honestly wouldn't be against playing Lewis Young

33

Lewis Young

Age

27

Ht

202cm

Wt

99kg

Pos.

D/F

Career

Season

Last 5

D

11.6

3star

K

7.5

3star

HB

4.1

3star

M

4.4

4star

T

1.6

4star

MG

197.9

3star

D

4.0

1star

K

3.0

1star

HB

1.0

1star

M

3.0

3star

T

0.0

1star

MG

26.0

1star

D

14.4

4star

K

8.2

4star

HB

6.2

4star

M

6.4

5star

T

2.0

4star

MG

181.6

3star

as our number one ruck. I quite like him in the ruck (he and Jack split ruck duties during a couple of games in our 2023 winning streak and he was solid), and I think the sum of his contribution would be greater than that of Pittonet (who obviously has him covered in the actual hit out contest).

If Reidy doesn't impact as hoped I think Young is a good option and I hope we continue to develop him as a ruck first and a forward second (he is unselfish and plays his role pretty effectively in the forward line).

 

[ItsAllAboutMe]

I honestly wouldn't be against playing Lewis Young as our number one ruck. I quite like him in the ruck (he and Jack split ruck duties during a couple of games in our 2023 winning streak and he was solid), and I think the sum of his contribution would be greater than that of Pittonet (who obviously has him covered in the actual hit out contest).

If Reidy doesn't impact as hoped I think Young is a good option and I hope we continue to develop him as a ruck first and a forward second (he is unselfish and plays his role pretty effectively in the forward line).

That is a frightening proposition.. He is 201cm which is fine, but 88kg.. compared to Max Gawn who is 208cm & 111kg or Darcy Cameron at 203cm & 105kg.. Crippa would need to get used to reading the oppo rucks.

 

[The Bighouse]

That is a frightening proposition.. He is 201cm which is fine, but 88kg.. compared to Max Gawn who is 208cm & 111kg or Darcy Cameron at 203cm & 105kg.. Crippa would need to get used to reading the oppo rucks.

Horses for courses…

And horse steak for all courses day & night. Build him up.

Edit: you shouldn’t be able to get a hold of a players weight these days…

 

[Jimmae]

To me McKay looks great when he is high up the ground - he is involved in the game more and that gives him confidence which he really seems to feed off.

I feel like you're confusing McKay in a secondary ruck rotation with McKay out of CHF.

I feel the second Charlie's inability to push up the ground came to the fore, Harry's output as a forward suffered, the team's ability to move the ball declined, and he was left stranded on centre wing a bunch.

Harry's work rate was exceptional last year, and I think he's good for 50+ if he gets a reasonable amount of time as the deep target, but if we play the same system and have him constantly demanding the ball <40m out from goal he will get blocked, bodied, and scragged until he starts to break down.

He could instead be our Jeremy Cameron or Lance Franklin if we want to setup that way, but you can't have him roaming all the way down to HB all game.

When we were at our best under the Voss system in 2023 Martin, Cunningham and Fog all came in for the second half of that season and had career best form. There was nobody last year in that role - getting the ball between half forward and the wing and turning it into a score.

Which is why EH and these other mid-sized half forwards are critical. EH in particular is the most important because he's the best we've got with those long bullet passes on either foot. Just the small matter of getting him onto the list!

Moir, Hayward, and Ainsworth are our new Martin, EH, and Fog, with a spare mid seemingly in the forward mix given we've got so many now.

If EH can come back in over the top, that's great, but he's not an automatic selection. Same goes for Newman, Dean, Kemp, Lord, Acres, Cottrell, Boyd, Haynes, McGovern, Saad, Ollie, Chesser, and - IMO - one of Pittonet and Reidy.

The talent and output level has gone up in that 12-35 rankings bracket, so players need to be sharper.

 

[Jimmae]

you shouldn’t be able to get a hold of a players weight these days…

In truth I would suggest that most of those weight listings are horribly out of date

I actually find it silly that you can't get reasonably accurate numbers. What started as protecting young AFLW players from psychological stress has morphed into declaring the public ignorant of the variance in body shape and basic requirements for a given role specialisation (eg. mobile ruck vs brawler, hybridised key forwards/defenders at a given height, strength vs mobility, core strength vs leg/glute strength).

I think it hurts the next 2 or 3 tiers of football because there's increasingly less and less to glean about an athlete's preparation in order for others to develop themselves without engaging high level experts who most will not have logistical and financial access to.

I think there's room for a mature and healthy conversation about body mass and the variety of builds and athletes that exist in sport, and the AFL and NFL are two elite leagues where a wide variety of athletes can thrive despite the extreme demands.

 

[JimmyRabbit49]

I feel like you're confusing McKay in a secondary ruck rotation with McKay out of CHF.

I feel the second Charlie's inability to push up the ground came to the fore, Harry's output as a forward suffered, the team's ability to move the ball declined, and he was left stranded on centre wing a bunch.

Harry's work rate was exceptional last year, and I think he's good for 50+ if he gets a reasonable amount of time as the deep target, but if we play the same system and have him constantly demanding the ball <40m out from goal he will get blocked, bodied, and scragged until he starts to break down.

He could instead be our Jeremy Cameron or Lance Franklin if we want to setup that way, but you can't have him roaming all the way down to HB all game.

Moir, Hayward, and Ainsworth are our new Martin, EH, and Fog, with a spare mid seemingly in the forward mix given we've got so many now.

If EH can come back in over the top, that's great, but he's not an automatic selection. Same goes for Newman, Dean, Kemp, Lord, Acres, Cottrell, Boyd, Haynes, McGovern, Saad, Ollie, Chesser, and - IMO - one of Pittonet and Reidy.

The talent and output level has gone up in that 12-35 rankings bracket, so players need to be sharper.

"He could instead be our Jeremy Cameron ....... if we want to setup that way, but you can't have him roaming all the way down to HB all game." - Have you watched the amount of ground Cameron covers?

"I feel like you're confusing McKay in a secondary ruck rotation with McKay out of CHF." Not really.

"I feel the second Charlie's inability to push up the ground came to the fore, Harry's output as a forward suffered, the team's ability to move the ball declined, and he was left stranded on centre wing a bunch." Exactly - Harry pushed to the wing, Charlie was still more than a kick away with defender sagging back on him. My plan is to have Harry hit the wing and have a Moir/Kemp/Hayward as the next target with another 1 of them playing deeper still - Harry doesn't get stranded and the ball stays in motion.

When Harry was out of the side last year we struggled to move the ball out of defence because we didn't have a reliable target - especially one who could take a contested mark. Harry plays higher, we move the ball better through him and he could still easily kick 40 goals but create many more for others.

 

[Jimmae]

Have you watched the amount of ground Cameron covers?

Yes, he has limited pressure acts relatively and rarely genuinely presents in the defensive half. He also tackled less than half as much as McKay, but even when directly compared when playing forward McKay would pressure more.

In soccer it would be called a free role, where he finds a channel to run onto or present for the ball when he's not operating in the 50.

My plan is to have Harry hit the wing and have a Moir/Kemp/Hayward as the next target with another 1 of them playing deeper still - Harry doesn't get stranded and the ball stays in motion.

That should be variant C when Kemp is deep, and variant D when he's not. You cannot disrespect most defensive setups like that.

When Harry was out of the side last year we struggled to move the ball out of defence because we didn't have a reliable target - especially one who could take a contested mark. Harry plays higher, we move the ball better through him and he could still easily kick 40 goals but create many more for others.

Kemp was also out of the side through this period, and frankly would be better suited up the ground for two reasons:

1. You want both of them jumping as little as possible game to game to keep them fresh, so you encourage a system where the most mobile players are moving the ball between the arcs most of the time.

2. Kemp has enough of athleticism, the instincts and disposal skills of an attacking midfielder, so you want the ball in his hands between the arcs. Same for Moir, but his tank is a bit more suspect.

 

[Sharks On A Plane]

That is a frightening proposition.. He is 201cm which is fine, but 88kg.. compared to Max Gawn who is 208cm & 111kg or Darcy Cameron at 203cm & 105kg.. Crippa would need to get used to reading the oppo rucks.

You'd probably still wheel Pitto out to combat the Witts-type monsters but other than that I will take Young's marking/athleticism around the ground. Left-field view I know but the ruck is a strange position, in that sometimes you can get dominated there but still win pretty comfortably everywhere else.

 

[JimmyRabbit49]

Yes, he has limited pressure acts relatively and rarely genuinely presents in the defensive half. He also tackled less than half as much as McKay, but even when directly compared when playing forward McKay would pressure more.

In soccer it would be called a free role, where he finds a channel to run onto or present for the ball when he's not operating in the 50.

That should be variant C when Kemp is deep, and variant D when he's not. You cannot disrespect most defensive setups like that.

Kemp was also out of the side through this period, and frankly would be better suited up the ground for two reasons:

1. You want both of them jumping as little as possible game to game to keep them fresh, so you encourage a system where the most mobile players are moving the ball between the arcs most of the time.

2. Kemp has enough of athleticism, the instincts and disposal skills of an attacking midfielder, so you want the ball in his hands between the arcs. Same for Moir, but his tank is a bit more suspect.

You think Kemp at 192cm is better suited to being the get out target coming out of defence than Harry? Plus I would take Harry's field kicking over Kemp's.

" You cannot disrespect most defensive setups like that." Like what forcing them to either let Harry go or drag a defender with him and then present them with multiple mid sized marking options to cover both presenting to the ball carrier and playing deeper if we continue to chain up with handballs?

On Cameron - he last year he averaged 50% more metres gained than Harry and almost double the rebound 50's as Harry

 

[carlton09]

Lewis Young

33

Lewis Young

Age

27

Ht

202cm

Wt

99kg

Pos.

D/F

Career

Season

Last 5

D

11.6

3star

K

7.5

3star

HB

4.1

3star

M

4.4

4star

T

1.6

4star

MG

197.9

3star

D

4.0

1star

K

3.0

1star

HB

1.0

1star

M

3.0

3star

T

0.0

1star

MG

26.0

1star

D

14.4

4star

K

8.2

4star

HB

6.2

4star

M

6.4

5star

T

2.0

4star

MG

181.6

3star

is 1 who has had a very good pre season thus far.

 

[KJP7]

Lewis Young is 1 who has had a very good pre season thus far.

If he can improve his decisiveness with ball in hand then he'll be a handy asset for us.

 

[Jimmae]

You think Kemp at 192cm is better suited to being the get out target coming out of defence than Harry? Plus I would take Harry's field kicking over Kemp's.

I wouldn't, and I'm betting on mobility the circumvent the need of a relief kick, but that's on the smaller defenders and midfield as much as any forwards.

" You cannot disrespect most defensive setups like that." Like what forcing them to either let Harry go or drag a defender with him and then present them with multiple mid sized marking options to cover both presenting to the ball carrier and playing deeper if we continue to chain up with handballs?

By thinking they won't gobble up a poorly placed flat kick without appropriate mobility, or a high ball without forwards of genuine height.

On Cameron - he last year he averaged 50% more metres gained than Harry and almost double the rebound 50's as Harry

Metres gained are reflective of direct play without regards to turnover, but in this case the gap was largely due to gamestyle, where Cameron kicked more than twice as often as Harry.

Even discounting Harry's ruck minutes, that points to the dysfunction of the forward line and the ball movement up the ground, both by Harry and others.

Rebounds were 0.5 per game versus 0.3.

Stats notably go the other way in terms of defensive half pressure acts and contested marks, where Harry dominates.

Unless he was operating out of the square, Cameron went where he wanted and the ball was sent there.