Bigman’s Training Reports (Update: 21st Jan)

[adelaidecrows]

Imo, Day out will make it unlikely Hawks can finish top 4.

I posted in the Cats v Hawks thread, that a fit Day is likely the difference as to which team would finish higher.

They look like us. Good forwards and defence but the midfield is a little meh that just lacks the class to go that extra level.

 

[Cromulant]

They made top 4 without him last year.

This.

Worpel leaving also hurts a bit, but theyve covered him before and will do so again.

Now if Newcombe gets hurt or suspended.....

 

[Drugs Are Bad Mackay?]

100% a bigger impact. Day is a phenomenal player, but Hawthorn was without him in 17 of their 23 games.

Rankine played 22 of our 23, was good enough to make the All Australian squad. IMO him and TT are by far our most important players when you look at our list.

By that logic it was an advantage that Thilthorpe was out for an extended period in 2024 because we got used to it.

Unfortunately the finals showed a number of things, one of which that as good as we were during the minor round we were carrying some flaws.

The underlying system wasn't strong enough. It was overly reliant on individuals. We couldn't have 97 AA Mark Ricciuto out injured on the eve of finals and carry on.

Our obsession with continuity (don't rest young players, don't rest old players, don't change a winning team etc) meant that we didn't have a group of players who could step up a few percent each to cover a big loss. In fact we ended up recycling Laird and Keays in the middle we were so bereft of creative spark.

Maaaaaaybe this was simply an inexperienced finals coach and we'll be better for it, but I fear we will not change a single thing.

 

[AFC979810]

By that logic it was an advantage that Thilthorpe was out for an extended period in 2024 because we got used to it.

Nope - thats not the logic at all.

The 2025 Hawks were a very good team. They were a very good team without Day. His impact was negligible in their 2025 success.

Rankine was a massive part of our success. He was a huge part of our gameplan. On the opposition coaches white board in 2025 - most of em would have TT and Rankine circled as players to stop.

Unfortunately the finals showed a number of things, one of which that as good as we were during the minor round we were carrying some flaws.

The underlying system wasn't strong enough. It was overly reliant on individuals. We couldn't have 97 AA Mark Ricciuto out injured on the eve of finals and carry on.

They did. There were numerous issues with our finals series. Nicks coaching was one. Missing Rankine and Rachele was another. Our Captain having a disaster of a finals series was another. 16 players playing their first finals series was another. The impact of the Rankine fiasco is another.

Our obsession with continuity (don't rest young players, don't rest old players, don't change a winning team etc) meant that we didn't have a group of players who could step up a few percent each to cover a big loss. In fact we ended up recycling Laird and Keays in the middle we were so bereft of creative spark.

Well - I think we did rest old players. We had two healthy players over 30 and we rested them both during the season (Laird / Walker).

He managed minutes for our stars (Gold Coast game).

Not sure about all this talk of resting young players.... Which youngsters needed a rest?

Maaaaaaybe this was simply an inexperienced finals coach and we'll be better for it, but I fear we will not change a single thing.

Who knows. You are more likely to be right (to be the last one standing out of 18 - it's much better to bet against success).

For me - I am excited by 2026. There were a whole host of problems I had with Nicks at the beginning of 2025 that he fixed and overcame. The Rankine drama is enough for me to give him a mulligan for the finals series.

Time will tell.

 

[Kane McGoodwin]

They made top 4 without him last year.

Sydney to finish higher this year imo.

 

[conVINCEd]

Sydney to finish higher this year imo.

Possible. A lot resting on Curnow’s scarred knees as their KPP stocks are essentially trash across the board, aside from a very old and undersized Rampe.

 

[CrowToon]

Dan Curtin is still over 75% potential. How is his loss for part of the season being used as an excuse? It's impossible.

What he showed last year was awesome for his stage of development. But let's not forget he went through patches of mediocrity. And that's okay at his stage. We loved what we saw because we extrapolated that play in our minds for what he could be consistently doing in the future.

We were excited this year because he had bulked up and we wanted to see him in the midfield more but to suggest his absence is comparable to Thilthorpe's is ludicrous. You picking a hulking forward/second ruck long before a winger (that's where we played him albeit we want to get him to midfield).

If we miss finals because we didn't have Curtin for the first 8 weeks of the season we have WAY bigger problems.

Dawson, Rankine, Soligo, Rachele, Berry will do me just fine for the first 8 weeks. Obviously Draper too but I hear he is battling.

Apparently Nank was training the house down? Maybe he gets one last shot.

We are a way better list than Dan Curtin.

 

[Crow_Magnon]

Dan Curtin is still over 75% potential. How is his loss for part of the season being used as an excuse? It's impossible.

What he showed last year was awesome for his stage of development. But let's not forget he went through patches of mediocrity. And that's okay at his stage. We loved what we saw because we extrapolated that play in our minds for what he could be consistently doing in the future.

We were excited this year because he had bulked up and we wanted to see him in the midfield more but to suggest his absence is comparable to Thilthorpe's is ludicrous. You picking a hulking forward/second ruck long before a winger (that's where we played him albeit we want to get him to midfield).

If we miss finals because we didn't have Curtin for the first 8 weeks of the season we have WAY bigger problems.

Dawson, Rankine, Soligo, Rachele, Berry will do me just fine for the first 8 weeks. Obviously Draper too but I hear he is battling.

Apparently Nank was training the house down? Maybe he gets one last shot.

We are a way better list than Dan Curtin.

The likes of Berry and Soligo will have to vastly improve their midfield craft if we're to improve on last year. They need to watch Newcombe, Will Ashcroft, Neale, Crisp, Pendles, etc. to note their positioning, deft little touches and body work, along with the blocking employed by their teammates, etc. This is where we lost, and where we need to make the most improvement. The Hawthorn final in particular was like watching boys against men. TBH possibly the best change we could make is in the coaches box...i.e. midfield coach!

 

[George CantStandYa]

Nope - thats not the logic at all.

The 2025 Hawks were a very good team. They were a very good team without Day. His impact was negligible in their 2025 success.

Rankine was a massive part of our success. He was a huge part of our gameplan. On the opposition coaches white board in 2025 - most of em would have TT and Rankine circled as players to stop.



They did. There were numerous issues with our finals series. Nicks coaching was one. Missing Rankine and Rachele was another. Our Captain having a disaster of a finals series was another. 16 players playing their first finals series was another. The impact of the Rankine fiasco is another.




Well - I think we did rest old players. We had two healthy players over 30 and we rested them both during the season (Laird / Walker).

He managed minutes for our stars (Gold Coast game).

Not sure about all this talk of resting young players.... Which youngsters needed a rest?



Who knows. You are more likely to be right (to be the last one standing out of 18 - it's much better to bet against success).

For me - I am excited by 2026. There were a whole host of problems I had with Nicks at the beginning of 2025 that he fixed and overcame. The Rankine drama is enough for me to give him a mulligan for the finals series.

Time will tell.

I don’t get the logic, there were clear numerous coaching errors and you’re giving him a mulligan because Rankine wasn’t playing? You don’t think he’d make those errors if Rankine was playing?

 

[AFC979810]

I don’t get the logic, there were clear numerous coaching errors and you’re giving him a mulligan because Rankine wasn’t playing?

I have expressed this numerous times. It's not just the fact that Rankine wasn't in the best 22 on the day. It was the effect the Rankine scandal had on the group. It was the fact that this was compounded by our lack of finals experience (16 players first final). It was the fact that our captain had his worst day of the year in the Collingwood final.

And I am happy with Nicks getting a chance to coach us in 2026 - based of the entirety of the 2025 season. I thought he did a lot right. I have always been a big fan of what he has done with our culture and player retention. I saw some big improvements in 2025. As a club - we are in a much better spot with regards to our list. He is a slow learner, but he does learn.

You don’t think he’d make those errors if Rankine was playing?

I think we have a much better chance of winning if the Rankine saga doesn't happen.

Nicks was a part of the finals problem - not the entire problem.

 

[George CantStandYa]

I have expressed this numerous times. It's not just the fact that Rankine wasn't in the best 22 on the day. It was the effect the Rankine scandal had on the group. It was the fact that this was compounded by our lack of finals experience (16 players first final). It was the fact that our captain had his worst day of the year in the Collingwood final.

And I am happy with Nicks getting a chance to coach us in 2026 - based of the entirety of the 2025 season. I thought he did a lot right. I have always been a big fan of what he has done with our culture and player retention. I saw some big improvements in 2025. As a club - we are in a much better spot with regards to our list. He is a slow learner, but he does learn.




I think we have a much better chance of winning if the Rankine saga doesn't happen.

Nicks was a part of the finals problem - not the entire problem.

Yes but you are specifically giving Nicks a mulligan for his coaching in the finals because Rankine wasn’t playing. Rankine not playing doesn’t excuse the coach for dumb errors and he made a lot.

The knock on Nicks coaching has been for the stupid shit he pulls out, we saw that come to the fore in the finals. That has nothing to do with Rankine.

 

[AFC979810]

Dan Curtin is still over 75% potential. How is his loss for part of the season being used as an excuse? It's impossible.

I think the only one who brought up the excuse was negative Nelly scorpus.

Not sure why people are automatically thinking we will need an excuse.

What he showed last year was awesome for his stage of development. But let's not forget he went through patches of mediocrity. And that's okay at his stage. We loved what we saw because we extrapolated that play in our minds for what he could be consistently doing in the future.

We were excited this year because he had bulked up and we wanted to see him in the midfield more but to suggest his absence is comparable to Thilthorpe's is ludicrous. You picking a hulking forward/second ruck long before a winger (that's where we played him albeit we want to get him to midfield).

I don't think anyone is suggesting his impact could be anywhere near what TT's impact was.

However - Curtin is a freak a nature. He is a unicorn. Who knows what he could become.

If we miss finals because we didn't have Curtin for the first 8 weeks of the season we have WAY bigger problems.

Dawson, Rankine, Soligo, Rachele, Berry will do me just fine for the first 8 weeks. Obviously Draper too but I hear he is battling.

I think you are looking at it too short term. For me the disappointment is that it's bloody tough to have a great season when you sit out all preseason with a serious injury - this is amplified with a really young player.

He was training the house down and my worry is that we miss out on what he could have looked like when September rolls around and he has 50 games under his belt. He looks like the type of player that could be a top 5 player at our club and win a final off his own boot.

Apparently Nank was training the house down? Maybe he gets one last shot.

We are a way better list than Dan Curtin.

Lets hope Nank solidifies that open spot in the best 22 (but it aint a last shot for Nank).

 

[AFC979810]

Yes but you are specifically giving Nicks a mulligan for his coaching in the finals because Rankine wasn’t playing. Rankine not playing doesn’t excuse the coach for dumb errors and he made a lot.

Incorrect.

It's not just because Rankine wasn't playing. It's because of the Rankine saga. Our club looked 5-10% off during the finals. The national circus would have had a massive impact on the playing group.

The knock on Nicks coaching has been for the stupid shit he pulls out, we saw that come to the fore in the finals. That has nothing to do with Rankine.

Yeah but didnt your boy Murray Davis fix that (remember when he came in and dropped Murphy after the first time he ever saw him play?).

There were lots and lots of knocks on Nicks - Not making finals for 5 years, losing at the G, losing to certain teams, losing close games. He managed to correct all of those.

If the club and players weren't embroiled in a national scandal - then I would probably be far less lenient on him. I am very content having him at the helm in 2026. If 2025 turns out to be the odd season out and we miss the finals - get rid of him.

It's clear the playing group love him and play for him. Get on board in 2026 - maybe have a little excitement for the upcoming season! Anything is possible!

 

[George CantStandYa]

Incorrect.

It's not just because Rankine wasn't playing. It's because of the Rankine saga. Our club looked 5-10% off during the finals. The national circus would have had a massive impact on the playing group.



Yeah but didnt your boy Murray Davis fix that (remember when he came in and dropped Murphy after the first time he ever saw him play?).

There were lots and lots of knocks on Nicks - Not making finals for 5 years, losing at the G, losing to certain teams, losing close games. He managed to correct all of those.

If the club and players weren't embroiled in a national scandal - then I would probably be far less lenient on him. I am very content having him at the helm in 2026. If 2025 turns out to be the odd season out and we miss the finals - get rid of him.

It's clear the playing group love him and play for him. Get on board in 2026 - maybe have a little excitement for the upcoming season! Anything is possible!

Simple question, did he make a number of mistakes in the finals?

 

[AFC979810]

Simple question, did he make a number of mistakes in the finals?

He did.

And just a note - if you could answer my questions in future like I did yours - I would appreciate it. You have a nasty habit of not answering.

 

[George CantStandYa]

He did.

And just a note - if you could answer my questions in future like I did yours - I would appreciate it. You have a nasty habit of not answering.

You asked a legitimate question which wasn’t a smart arse?

 

[jtav13]

anyone see will crouchs tweet. rankine had went to doctors speaking about his knee, hes then tweeted that he has done match sim and is fine but was a scare for a little there

 

[AFC979810]

You asked a legitimate question which wasn’t a smart arse?

Many times old friend.

 

[jtav13]

hopefully bigman can tell us that he trained the house down

 

[Peter Doherty]

AFC979810 You do offer a pragmatic view on the Nicks situation which is refreshing from the usual echo chamber in here. I generally feel the same.

The big fear some have is we end up in a Hinkley situation where he continues on and on. Regardless of when the rebuild started, he really is our first rebuild coach, this has afforded him more time than previous coaches. Any grace period he had from that is now over. The 1 year extension I think would have been a pretty mature discussion, he knows the bar has risen.

I can see them moving him on if this year does not go well, we generally aren't shy in moving coaches on.

 

[Coopers]

View attachment 2513352
hopefully bigman can tell us that he trained the house down

Holy shit. Curtin is bad enough, but he's still all potential. Rankine would be a disaster.

 

[CrowToon]

The likes of Berry and Soligo will have to vastly improve their midfield craft if we're to improve on last year. They need to watch Newcombe, Will Ashcroft, Neale, Crisp, Pendles, etc. to note their positioning, deft little touches and body work, along with the blocking employed by their teammates, etc. This is where we lost, and where we need to make the most improvement. The Hawthorn final in particular was like watching boys against men. TBH possibly the best change we could make is in the coaches box...i.e. midfield coach!

Yes absolutely. But Dan Curtin wasn't entering the 2026 season as a guaranteed upgrade. Thats my point. There are a lot of players needing to improve if we want to go deep.

 

[Drugs Are Bad Mackay?]

Time to call it quits on preseason

 

[jtav13]

Holy shit. Curtin is bad enough, but he's still all potential. Rankine would be a disaster.

yeah i saw the first tweet and my heat dropped... then i saw the second one and said thank fk. Crouch does to tend to go early on a potential news story

 

[GameofSloanes]

By that logic it was an advantage that Thilthorpe was out for an extended period in 2024 because we got used to it.

Unfortunately the finals showed a number of things, one of which that as good as we were during the minor round we were carrying some flaws.

The underlying system wasn't strong enough. It was overly reliant on individuals. We couldn't have 97 AA Mark Ricciuto out injured on the eve of finals and carry on.

Our obsession with continuity (don't rest young players, don't rest old players, don't change a winning team etc) meant that we didn't have a group of players who could step up a few percent each to cover a big loss. In fact we ended up recycling Laird and Keays in the middle we were so bereft of creative spark.

Maaaaaaybe this was simply an inexperienced finals coach and we'll be better for it, but I fear we will not change a single thing.

Well we didnt do anything about recruiting additional depth or talent, so clearly the approach is to double down. What i fear is nicks will continue with the garbage ultra defensive game plan we saw at the end of the season & finals. Wont make finals if we do that