Training Pre-Season Training '25 - '26

[Vindicater]

Can track watchers let me know what we are doing with the ruck?

Not who it will be, but more are they making them run to each contest or are they holding them back and letting someone else do the ruck in the forward half?

 

[ant555]

Can track watchers let me know what we are doing with the ruck?

Not who it will be, but more are they making them run to each contest or are they holding them back and letting someone else do the ruck in the forward half?

Wright and May have been doing the forward ruck. Blakiston and Vigo staying outside the F50.

 

[Vindicater]

Wright and May have been doing the forward ruck. Blakiston and Vigo staying outside the F50.

Think this will be fairly common with the new ruck rules. Big guys just won't be able to make it in time.

I can actually see cases where a jumper like Langford, Durham or Duursma even go at it in a pinch.

 

[FootyGuru]

With no sub and 5 on the bench might be able to. Esp with likely dry conditions early IMO.

I suspect that 5th spot will be used on a versatile tall, so may could be selected as someone who could play fwd/back/ruck.

Cox, Harry jones or blakiston might also feature in this spot.

 

[jdstorm]

You mean before they delisted him?

I'm hopeful they're just mucking around in with some positions in preseason, but it would be SO frustrating to finally have two genuine, hard working wingers in the team... and then start one of them half forward.

The counter to that is if your HF can have more impact then a winger and Dursma is also the best HF on the team then he should potentially play there.

Between 1 D7 spot, two wings and 1 HHF theres quite a few people wanting those spots. Dursma has one but then you have Clarke, Johnson, Farrow, Perkins, Prior, SEH, Nguyen.

Thats 7 players into 3 spots and wing is a position replacement level AFL players regularly succeed at.

 

[ant555]

I suspect that 5th spot will be used on a versatile tall, so may could be selected as someone who could play fwd/back/ruck.

Cox, Harry jones or blakiston might also feature in this spot.

Blakiston will feature in the ruck as number 1 early. He is way in front of Visintini right now and Bryan will not be ready for the first 4 weeks or so and will likely need 2 or 3 VFL games. Going forward he would be a chance to be a bench option if Bryan takes over the ruck at some stage.
Jones not in the picture early either. Still only running.
Cox played mainly wing in yesterday's match sim. His pre-season is going okay so he would be an option as a multi spot player.

 

[ant555]

Some thoughts on yesterday and pre-season so far.

Duursma. Has been discussion on him playing as a forward. He has done a few forward stints in match sim and there is some comment from training watchers that it may be where he will play. My mail is he will still play mainly wing (from a decent source who has given me more good tips than bad ones). He is playing a bit of forward in Sim for two reasons.
1. To bed in a few other wing options with game plan. Fiorini has had control of his wing to fast track him. Cox / Prior / Clarke / Johnson have all had a run on the other wing at stages or against Fiorini with Binns from the VFL also filling in.
2. Langford looks like he will have a high forward role which will include rolling onto the wing at stages. This is where Duursma will fit in as a forward. He will have some sort of rotation with Langford if the plan works.

McGrath has done pretty much all of the match sim as a defender. He always has a decent pre-season.

Farrow. Back to half back yesterday and looked more comfortable there. He is a while off being a regular midfield option from what I have seen so far.

Parish going along well.

Langford back into it yesterday after miss some sessions. Not sure why he missed. looks set to be higher half forward with some of the wing role he played late last year.

Tsatas. Nothing wrong with his preseason so far. You would not say he is burning up the track, but it has been solid with no hiccups. His clearance work has been good in match sim. Kicking better but still a bit meh.

Caldwell. Nothing that jumps off the page other than he is simply ticking off the boxes and has been at a consistent level.

Merrett. Ticking along well. Just getting on with business.

Fiorini. About what I expected. Has voice on the track and trains hard. Looks like he will nail down one wing spot.

Robey. Not much to see so far but is back running. His season will start by being eased in via the VFL.

Kako. As far as training standards go, he has raised the bar. Super fit. Been doing some midfield minutes. Forward work just as impressive.

Gresham. Much fitter than last year. Looks to have recovered from the groin issues he had. Been training well. Obviously will have a lot of competition for a spot in the side.

Setterfield. Only just started light skill work. Probably VFL round 2/3.

Cox. His preseason has gone well since returning from the break. Doing all the contact work and playing match sim. Has been playing wing. Hard to say if it has improved. Still think he is more a flanker. Anyway, he is really fit and his endurance has looked decent.

Ridley. Very limited match sim but lots of running and intermittent skills work. He may well be still on target for round 1 but they are giving him a more solid running base.

Sharp. Been good. Will be in the mix for round 1.

Perkins. Mainly running so far. Not likely for round 1.

Visentini. Looks good physically but Blakiston has had it over him in the ruck contests. Better not be the number 17 curse.

Hayes. Only running with very light skills so far.

Gerreyn. Being used as a KPD. Has had his ups and downs with Wright and Caddy when he has had them as a match up. Jury is still out but the main thing is his fitness levels have jumped up with the progression into his second preseason.

Wright. Much better preseason so far. Has looked more like the better version of 2MP. Solly was riding hard early in preseason, but he is now one of the better performers.

Roberts. Has looked good wherever he has been played. Just cracks in.

Durham. Like Caldwell he is simply having a smooth consistent preseason.

Jones. Not much to report. Only running laps right now.

Bryan. Getting close to more skill work. Would be looking at maybe round 4 of the VFL to return.

Prior. Been doing wing and half back. Looks okay on the wing. Is a bench option to cover half back / wing.

May. Is looking okay. Mobile enough for a big guy who is not quick. Okay at ground level. Currently looks like he is third in line as far as KPF goes behind Caddy and Wright. Has been doing some forward ruck work.

Redman. Good so far. Looks to have stepped it up on the leadership front. Good voice on field and has been engaging with the fans at the end of training most sessions. Looks in good nick physically.

Kondogiannis. Looks super composed with the footy and has good skills. Good intercept player. Actual physical defence is a work in progress. Lightly built but he has the tools to play attacking defender.

Caddy. Having a good preseason. His mobility had troubled Reid and McKay at times.

Reid. So far so good.

McKay. Has generally been good. Back in the match sim much earlier this year and has generally been good.

El Achktar. Has surprised me a little. I thought he would be a work in progress, but his fitness levels have kept improving and he has been pretty sharp around the forward line. McGrath had his number yesterday, but he has had a good preseason so far.

Guelfi. To be honest I have not noticed him much.

Clarke. Another who looks better physically and is in the leading endurance runners. Match sim form okay.

Unwin. Has been doing some handy stuff. Does look like he has something to work with. Nguyen had the better of him yesterday.

Bourke. Looked to be going well before the hamstring issue. Back running. Should be ready for VFL R1.

Johnson. Physically better. Has had a couple of good match sims from half back but the defence still needs work.

El-Hawli. Certainly, better endurance wise which has translated into some decent match sim form.

Nguyen. Been a bit patchy before yesterday where he took control of Unwin and showed a bit more dash.

Day-Wicks. Has been one of the bigger improvers. has had a real presence around the forward line. The talk would be bigger if he had of nailed a few more of his goal opportunities.


Edwards. Back into skills training. Chance for early VFL action.

Blakiston. Looks to have the number 1 ruck spot to start the season. Has been very good in match sim other than he has had an issue with his marking. Very mobile and gets around the ground.

McMahon. has not done much wrong but is 4th in line for a KPF spot.

What does all this mean?

Game plan looks to be at the next stage as far as more forward attack and faster ball movement. There is still a bit of sideways stuff to control the game at times but in general it looks like we will take a few more risks to move the footy quicker and forward.
Having Fiorini who can also run defensive patterns allows us to use attacking half backs and roll our wings back in cover. It is a role that could suit Cox as well. Pushing back as a third man intercept or cover.
I think into the future our ball use from half back will be with the likes of Farrow / Clarke / Johnson / Kondogiannis / Prior / Roberts etc
The wings may be less possession as far as the link up play and more defensive / forward attacking.
The key to it all will be keeping players on the field and the combination of Wright and Caddy having a decent impact along with Langford nailing down the high forward role.

The ruck will be what it will be. it is a bit of a holding pattern this year. Bryan will most likely take until mid-season before we see if he has retained the level or even takes a step forward.

Midfield looks good. All of them are having a good preseason so far other than Setterfield being a bit behind.

Guess we now wait and see how it translates to match day.

Robey missing most of the action so far has been disappointing but as long as we can get him playing VFL by the start of April it will not hurt too much. All of the other draftees have had very good preseasons.

Innes v Murphy. Well, it has been different. From my observations Innes is certainly pushing harder early. In Murphey's defence here we had a history of fading out late in the season so despite Scott giving the players a solid program for their break and expecting them back in full fitness the build-up was more a steady incline. Intensity had been building season by season but there was still a steadier start. Not this year. It has been hit the ground running. literally.
Despite the injury issues Innes has benefited from the fact most of the soft tissue injury guys were ready to resume full training early and we have had less guys on modified programs into January.
Will be interesting to see how much gas we have in the back 1/4 of the season and what we do as far as fatigue management goes.
Anyway, we had to do something different, and it is certainly different.

My tips

If we let Merrett be Merrett and just let him loose in the midfield with an attacking role, he will finish top 3 in the Brownlow.

Blaksiton will have his moments skill wise but will more than compensate with his ability to get around the ground and ability to read the play.

Kako will play at another level.

HEA may nail down a forward spot sooner rather than later.

Max Kondo will impress anyone who gets a look at him.

Sharp will have no issues stepping into AFL level.

Duursma / Fiorini / Prior can make a decent wing combo.

 

[ScrappyCoCo]

Some thoughts on yesterday and pre-season so far.

Duursma. Has been discussion on him playing as a forward. He has done a few forward stints in match sim and there is some comment from training watchers that it may be where he will play. My mail is he will still play mainly wing (from a decent source who has given me more good tips than bad ones). He is playing a bit of forward in Sim for two reasons.
1. To bed in a few other wing options with game plan. Fiorini has had control of his wing to fast track him. Cox / Prior / Clarke / Johnson have all had a run on the other wing at stages or against Fiorini with Binns from the VFL also filling in.
2. Langford looks like he will have a high forward role which will include rolling onto the wing at stages. This is where Duursma will fit in as a forward. He will have some sort of rotation with Langford if the plan works.

McGrath has done pretty much all of the match sim as a defender. He always has a decent pre-season.

Farrow. Back to half back yesterday and looked more comfortable there. He is a while off being a regular midfield option from what I have seen so far.

Parish going along well.

Langford back into it yesterday after miss some sessions. Not sure why he missed. looks set to be higher half forward with some of the wing role he played late last year.

Tsatas. Nothing wrong with his preseason so far. You would not say he is burning up the track, but it has been solid with no hiccups. His clearance work has been good in match sim. Kicking better but still a bit meh.

Caldwell. Nothing that jumps off the page other than he is simply ticking off the boxes and has been at a consistent level.

Merrett. Ticking along well. Just getting on with business.

Fiorini. About what I expected. Has voice on the track and trains hard. Looks like he will nail down one wing spot.

Robey. Not much to see so far but is back running. His season will start by being eased in via the VFL.

Kako. As far as training standards go, he has raised the bar. Super fit. Been doing some midfield minutes. Forward work just as impressive.

Gresham. Much fitter than last year. Looks to have recovered from the groin issues he had. Been training well. Obviously will have a lot of competition for a spot in the side.

Setterfield. Only just started light skill work. Probably VFL round 2/3.

Cox. His preseason has gone well since returning from the break. Doing all the contact work and playing match sim. Has been playing wing. Hard to say if it has improved. Still think he is more a flanker. Anyway, he is really fit and his endurance has looked decent.

Ridley. Very limited match sim but lots of running and intermittent skills work. He may well be still on target for round 1 but they are giving him a more solid running base.

Sharp. Been good. Will be in the mix for round 1.

Perkins. Mainly running so far. Not likely for round 1.

Visentini. Looks good physically but Blakiston has had it over him in the ruck contests. Better not be the number 17 curse.

Hayes. Only running with very light skills so far.

Gerreyn. Being used as a KPD. Has had his ups and downs with Wright and Caddy when he has had them as a match up. Jury is still out but the main thing is his fitness levels have jumped up with the progression into his second preseason.

Wright. Much better preseason so far. Has looked more like the better version of 2MP. Solly was riding hard early in preseason, but he is now one of the better performers.

Roberts. Has looked good wherever he has been played. Just cracks in.

Durham. Like Caldwell he is simply having a smooth consistent preseason.

Jones. Not much to report. Only running laps right now.

Bryan. Getting close to more skill work. Would be looking at maybe round 4 of the VFL to return.

Prior. Been doing wing and half back. Looks okay on the wing. Is a bench option to cover half back / wing.

May. Is looking okay. Mobile enough for a big guy who is not quick. Okay at ground level. Currently looks like he is third in line as far as KPF goes behind Caddy and Wright. Has been doing some forward ruck work.

Redman. Good so far. Looks to have stepped it up on the leadership front. Good voice on field and has been engaging with the fans at the end of training most sessions. Looks in good nick physically.

Kondogiannis. Looks super composed with the footy and has good skills. Good intercept player. Actual physical defence is a work in progress. Lightly built but he has the tools to play attacking defender.

Caddy. Having a good preseason. His mobility had troubled Reid and McKay at times.

Reid. So far so good.

McKay. Has generally been good. Back in the match sim much earlier this year and has generally been good.

El Achktar. Has surprised me a little. I thought he would be a work in progress, but his fitness levels have kept improving and he has been pretty sharp around the forward line. McGrath had his number yesterday, but he has had a good preseason so far.

Guelfi. To be honest I have not noticed him much.

Clarke. Another who looks better physically and is in the leading endurance runners. Match sim form okay.

Unwin. Has been doing some handy stuff. Does look like he has something to work with. Nguyen had the better of him yesterday.

Bourke. Looked to be going well before the hamstring issue. Back running. Should be ready for VFL R1.

Johnson. Physically better. Has had a couple of good match sims from half back but the defence still needs work.

El-Hawli. Certainly, better endurance wise which has translated into some decent match sim form.

Nguyen. Been a bit patchy before yesterday where he took control of Unwin and showed a bit more dash.

Day-Wicks. Has been one of the bigger improvers. has had a real presence around the forward line. The talk would be bigger if he had of nailed a few more of his goal opportunities.


Edwards. Back into skills training. Chance for early VFL action.

Blakiston. Looks to have the number 1 ruck spot to start the season. Has been very good in match sim other than he has had an issue with his marking. Very mobile and gets around the ground.

McMahon. has not done much wrong but is 4th in line for a KPF spot.

What does all this mean?

Game plan looks to be at the next stage as far as more forward attack and faster ball movement. There is still a bit of sideways stuff to control the game at times but in general it looks like we will take a few more risks to move the footy quicker and forward.
Having Fiorini who can also run defensive patterns allows us to use attacking half backs and roll our wings back in cover. It is a role that could suit Cox as well. Pushing back as a third man intercept or cover.
I think into the future our ball use from half back will be with the likes of Farrow / Clarke / Johnson / Kondogiannis / Prior / Roberts etc
The wings may be less possession as far as the link up play and more defensive / forward attacking.
The key to it all will be keeping players on the field and the combination of Wright and Caddy having a decent impact along with Langford nailing down the high forward role.

The ruck will be what it will be. it is a bit of a holding pattern this year. Bryan will most likely take until mid-season before we see if he has retained the level or even takes a step forward.

Midfield looks good. All of them are having a good preseason so far other than Setterfield being a bit behind.

Guess we now wait and see how it translates to match day.

Robey missing most of the action so far has been disappointing but as long as we can get him playing VFL by the start of April it will not hurt too much. All of the other draftees have had very good preseasons.

Innes v Murphy. Well, it has been different. From my observations Innes is certainly pushing harder early. In Murphey's defence here we had a history of fading out late in the season so despite Scott giving the players a solid program for their break and expecting them back in full fitness the build-up was more a steady incline. Intensity had been building season by season but there was still a steadier start. Not this year. It has been hit the ground running. literally.
Despite the injury issues Innes has benefited from the fact most of the soft tissue injury guys were ready to resume full training early and we have had less guys on modified programs into January.
Will be interesting to see how much gas we have in the back 1/4 of the season and what we do as far as fatigue management goes.
Anyway, we had to do something different, and it is certainly different.

My tips

If we let Merrett be Merrett and just let him loose in the midfield with an attacking role, he will finish top 3 in the Brownlow.

Blaksiton will have his moments skill wise but will more than compensate with his ability to get around the ground and ability to read the play.

Kao will play at another level.

HEA may nail down a forward spot sooner rather than later.

Max Kondo will impress anyone who gets a look at him.

Sharp will have no issues stepping into AFL level.

Duursma / Fiorini / Prior can make a decent wing combo.

Superb thank you for keeping us informed.

 

[Blind Turn]

Some thoughts on yesterday and pre-season so far.

Duursma. Has been discussion on him playing as a forward. He has done a few forward stints in match sim and there is some comment from training watchers that it may be where he will play. My mail is he will still play mainly wing (from a decent source who has given me more good tips than bad ones). He is playing a bit of forward in Sim for two reasons.
1. To bed in a few other wing options with game plan. Fiorini has had control of his wing to fast track him. Cox / Prior / Clarke / Johnson have all had a run on the other wing at stages or against Fiorini with Binns from the VFL also filling in.
2. Langford looks like he will have a high forward role which will include rolling onto the wing at stages. This is where Duursma will fit in as a forward. He will have some sort of rotation with Langford if the plan works.

McGrath has done pretty much all of the match sim as a defender. He always has a decent pre-season.

Farrow. Back to half back yesterday and looked more comfortable there. He is a while off being a regular midfield option from what I have seen so far.

Parish going along well.

Langford back into it yesterday after miss some sessions. Not sure why he missed. looks set to be higher half forward with some of the wing role he played late last year.

Tsatas. Nothing wrong with his preseason so far. You would not say he is burning up the track, but it has been solid with no hiccups. His clearance work has been good in match sim. Kicking better but still a bit meh.

Caldwell. Nothing that jumps off the page other than he is simply ticking off the boxes and has been at a consistent level.

Merrett. Ticking along well. Just getting on with business.

Fiorini. About what I expected. Has voice on the track and trains hard. Looks like he will nail down one wing spot.

Robey. Not much to see so far but is back running. His season will start by being eased in via the VFL.

Kako. As far as training standards go, he has raised the bar. Super fit. Been doing some midfield minutes. Forward work just as impressive.

Gresham. Much fitter than last year. Looks to have recovered from the groin issues he had. Been training well. Obviously will have a lot of competition for a spot in the side.

Setterfield. Only just started light skill work. Probably VFL round 2/3.

Cox. His preseason has gone well since returning from the break. Doing all the contact work and playing match sim. Has been playing wing. Hard to say if it has improved. Still think he is more a flanker. Anyway, he is really fit and his endurance has looked decent.

Ridley. Very limited match sim but lots of running and intermittent skills work. He may well be still on target for round 1 but they are giving him a more solid running base.

Sharp. Been good. Will be in the mix for round 1.

Perkins. Mainly running so far. Not likely for round 1.

Visentini. Looks good physically but Blakiston has had it over him in the ruck contests. Better not be the number 17 curse.

Hayes. Only running with very light skills so far.

Gerreyn. Being used as a KPD. Has had his ups and downs with Wright and Caddy when he has had them as a match up. Jury is still out but the main thing is his fitness levels have jumped up with the progression into his second preseason.

Wright. Much better preseason so far. Has looked more like the better version of 2MP. Solly was riding hard early in preseason, but he is now one of the better performers.

Roberts. Has looked good wherever he has been played. Just cracks in.

Durham. Like Caldwell he is simply having a smooth consistent preseason.

Jones. Not much to report. Only running laps right now.

Bryan. Getting close to more skill work. Would be looking at maybe round 4 of the VFL to return.

Prior. Been doing wing and half back. Looks okay on the wing. Is a bench option to cover half back / wing.

May. Is looking okay. Mobile enough for a big guy who is not quick. Okay at ground level. Currently looks like he is third in line as far as KPF goes behind Caddy and Wright. Has been doing some forward ruck work.

Redman. Good so far. Looks to have stepped it up on the leadership front. Good voice on field and has been engaging with the fans at the end of training most sessions. Looks in good nick physically.

Kondogiannis. Looks super composed with the footy and has good skills. Good intercept player. Actual physical defence is a work in progress. Lightly built but he has the tools to play attacking defender.

Caddy. Having a good preseason. His mobility had troubled Reid and McKay at times.

Reid. So far so good.

McKay. Has generally been good. Back in the match sim much earlier this year and has generally been good.

El Achktar. Has surprised me a little. I thought he would be a work in progress, but his fitness levels have kept improving and he has been pretty sharp around the forward line. McGrath had his number yesterday, but he has had a good preseason so far.

Guelfi. To be honest I have not noticed him much.

Clarke. Another who looks better physically and is in the leading endurance runners. Match sim form okay.

Unwin. Has been doing some handy stuff. Does look like he has something to work with. Nguyen had the better of him yesterday.

Bourke. Looked to be going well before the hamstring issue. Back running. Should be ready for VFL R1.

Johnson. Physically better. Has had a couple of good match sims from half back but the defence still needs work.

El-Hawli. Certainly, better endurance wise which has translated into some decent match sim form.

Nguyen. Been a bit patchy before yesterday where he took control of Unwin and showed a bit more dash.

Day-Wicks. Has been one of the bigger improvers. has had a real presence around the forward line. The talk would be bigger if he had of nailed a few more of his goal opportunities.


Edwards. Back into skills training. Chance for early VFL action.

Blakiston. Looks to have the number 1 ruck spot to start the season. Has been very good in match sim other than he has had an issue with his marking. Very mobile and gets around the ground.

McMahon. has not done much wrong but is 4th in line for a KPF spot.

What does all this mean?

Game plan looks to be at the next stage as far as more forward attack and faster ball movement. There is still a bit of sideways stuff to control the game at times but in general it looks like we will take a few more risks to move the footy quicker and forward.
Having Fiorini who can also run defensive patterns allows us to use attacking half backs and roll our wings back in cover. It is a role that could suit Cox as well. Pushing back as a third man intercept or cover.
I think into the future our ball use from half back will be with the likes of Farrow / Clarke / Johnson / Kondogiannis / Prior / Roberts etc
The wings may be less possession as far as the link up play and more defensive / forward attacking.
The key to it all will be keeping players on the field and the combination of Wright and Caddy having a decent impact along with Langford nailing down the high forward role.

The ruck will be what it will be. it is a bit of a holding pattern this year. Bryan will most likely take until mid-season before we see if he has retained the level or even takes a step forward.

Midfield looks good. All of them are having a good preseason so far other than Setterfield being a bit behind.

Guess we now wait and see how it translates to match day.

Robey missing most of the action so far has been disappointing but as long as we can get him playing VFL by the start of April it will not hurt too much. All of the other draftees have had very good preseasons.

Innes v Murphy. Well, it has been different. From my observations Innes is certainly pushing harder early. In Murphey's defence here we had a history of fading out late in the season so despite Scott giving the players a solid program for their break and expecting them back in full fitness the build-up was more a steady incline. Intensity had been building season by season but there was still a steadier start. Not this year. It has been hit the ground running. literally.
Despite the injury issues Innes has benefited from the fact most of the soft tissue injury guys were ready to resume full training early and we have had less guys on modified programs into January.
Will be interesting to see how much gas we have in the back 1/4 of the season and what we do as far as fatigue management goes.
Anyway, we had to do something different, and it is certainly different.

My tips

If we let Merrett be Merrett and just let him loose in the midfield with an attacking role, he will finish top 3 in the Brownlow.

Blaksiton will have his moments skill wise but will more than compensate with his ability to get around the ground and ability to read the play.

Kako will play at another level.

HEA may nail down a forward spot sooner rather than later.

Max Kondo will impress anyone who gets a look at him.

Sharp will have no issues stepping into AFL level.

Duursma / Fiorini / Prior can make a decent wing combo.

I’m reading some discouraging reports from Blitz watchers on Unwin’s inability to impact in match sim. I liked his movement/agility last season but nothing to suggest he might impact the scoreboard. You seem more optimistic. Is this just an example of Blitz being a haven of negativity?

 

[SupercoachHQ]

Some thoughts on yesterday and pre-season so far.

Duursma. Has been discussion on him playing as a forward. He has done a few forward stints in match sim and there is some comment from training watchers that it may be where he will play. My mail is he will still play mainly wing (from a decent source who has given me more good tips than bad ones). He is playing a bit of forward in Sim for two reasons.
1. To bed in a few other wing options with game plan. Fiorini has had control of his wing to fast track him. Cox / Prior / Clarke / Johnson have all had a run on the other wing at stages or against Fiorini with Binns from the VFL also filling in.
2. Langford looks like he will have a high forward role which will include rolling onto the wing at stages. This is where Duursma will fit in as a forward. He will have some sort of rotation with Langford if the plan works.

McGrath has done pretty much all of the match sim as a defender. He always has a decent pre-season.

Farrow. Back to half back yesterday and looked more comfortable there. He is a while off being a regular midfield option from what I have seen so far.

Parish going along well.

Langford back into it yesterday after miss some sessions. Not sure why he missed. looks set to be higher half forward with some of the wing role he played late last year.

Tsatas. Nothing wrong with his preseason so far. You would not say he is burning up the track, but it has been solid with no hiccups. His clearance work has been good in match sim. Kicking better but still a bit meh.

Caldwell. Nothing that jumps off the page other than he is simply ticking off the boxes and has been at a consistent level.

Merrett. Ticking along well. Just getting on with business.

Fiorini. About what I expected. Has voice on the track and trains hard. Looks like he will nail down one wing spot.

Robey. Not much to see so far but is back running. His season will start by being eased in via the VFL.

Kako. As far as training standards go, he has raised the bar. Super fit. Been doing some midfield minutes. Forward work just as impressive.

Gresham. Much fitter than last year. Looks to have recovered from the groin issues he had. Been training well. Obviously will have a lot of competition for a spot in the side.

Setterfield. Only just started light skill work. Probably VFL round 2/3.

Cox. His preseason has gone well since returning from the break. Doing all the contact work and playing match sim. Has been playing wing. Hard to say if it has improved. Still think he is more a flanker. Anyway, he is really fit and his endurance has looked decent.

Ridley. Very limited match sim but lots of running and intermittent skills work. He may well be still on target for round 1 but they are giving him a more solid running base.

Sharp. Been good. Will be in the mix for round 1.

Perkins. Mainly running so far. Not likely for round 1.

Visentini. Looks good physically but Blakiston has had it over him in the ruck contests. Better not be the number 17 curse.

Hayes. Only running with very light skills so far.

Gerreyn. Being used as a KPD. Has had his ups and downs with Wright and Caddy when he has had them as a match up. Jury is still out but the main thing is his fitness levels have jumped up with the progression into his second preseason.

Wright. Much better preseason so far. Has looked more like the better version of 2MP. Solly was riding hard early in preseason, but he is now one of the better performers.

Roberts. Has looked good wherever he has been played. Just cracks in.

Durham. Like Caldwell he is simply having a smooth consistent preseason.

Jones. Not much to report. Only running laps right now.

Bryan. Getting close to more skill work. Would be looking at maybe round 4 of the VFL to return.

Prior. Been doing wing and half back. Looks okay on the wing. Is a bench option to cover half back / wing.

May. Is looking okay. Mobile enough for a big guy who is not quick. Okay at ground level. Currently looks like he is third in line as far as KPF goes behind Caddy and Wright. Has been doing some forward ruck work.

Redman. Good so far. Looks to have stepped it up on the leadership front. Good voice on field and has been engaging with the fans at the end of training most sessions. Looks in good nick physically.

Kondogiannis. Looks super composed with the footy and has good skills. Good intercept player. Actual physical defence is a work in progress. Lightly built but he has the tools to play attacking defender.

Caddy. Having a good preseason. His mobility had troubled Reid and McKay at times.

Reid. So far so good.

McKay. Has generally been good. Back in the match sim much earlier this year and has generally been good.

El Achktar. Has surprised me a little. I thought he would be a work in progress, but his fitness levels have kept improving and he has been pretty sharp around the forward line. McGrath had his number yesterday, but he has had a good preseason so far.

Guelfi. To be honest I have not noticed him much.

Clarke. Another who looks better physically and is in the leading endurance runners. Match sim form okay.

Unwin. Has been doing some handy stuff. Does look like he has something to work with. Nguyen had the better of him yesterday.

Bourke. Looked to be going well before the hamstring issue. Back running. Should be ready for VFL R1.

Johnson. Physically better. Has had a couple of good match sims from half back but the defence still needs work.

El-Hawli. Certainly, better endurance wise which has translated into some decent match sim form.

Nguyen. Been a bit patchy before yesterday where he took control of Unwin and showed a bit more dash.

Day-Wicks. Has been one of the bigger improvers. has had a real presence around the forward line. The talk would be bigger if he had of nailed a few more of his goal opportunities.


Edwards. Back into skills training. Chance for early VFL action.

Blakiston. Looks to have the number 1 ruck spot to start the season. Has been very good in match sim other than he has had an issue with his marking. Very mobile and gets around the ground.

McMahon. has not done much wrong but is 4th in line for a KPF spot.

What does all this mean?

Game plan looks to be at the next stage as far as more forward attack and faster ball movement. There is still a bit of sideways stuff to control the game at times but in general it looks like we will take a few more risks to move the footy quicker and forward.
Having Fiorini who can also run defensive patterns allows us to use attacking half backs and roll our wings back in cover. It is a role that could suit Cox as well. Pushing back as a third man intercept or cover.
I think into the future our ball use from half back will be with the likes of Farrow / Clarke / Johnson / Kondogiannis / Prior / Roberts etc
The wings may be less possession as far as the link up play and more defensive / forward attacking.
The key to it all will be keeping players on the field and the combination of Wright and Caddy having a decent impact along with Langford nailing down the high forward role.

The ruck will be what it will be. it is a bit of a holding pattern this year. Bryan will most likely take until mid-season before we see if he has retained the level or even takes a step forward.

Midfield looks good. All of them are having a good preseason so far other than Setterfield being a bit behind.

Guess we now wait and see how it translates to match day.

Robey missing most of the action so far has been disappointing but as long as we can get him playing VFL by the start of April it will not hurt too much. All of the other draftees have had very good preseasons.

Innes v Murphy. Well, it has been different. From my observations Innes is certainly pushing harder early. In Murphey's defence here we had a history of fading out late in the season so despite Scott giving the players a solid program for their break and expecting them back in full fitness the build-up was more a steady incline. Intensity had been building season by season but there was still a steadier start. Not this year. It has been hit the ground running. literally.
Despite the injury issues Innes has benefited from the fact most of the soft tissue injury guys were ready to resume full training early and we have had less guys on modified programs into January.
Will be interesting to see how much gas we have in the back 1/4 of the season and what we do as far as fatigue management goes.
Anyway, we had to do something different, and it is certainly different.

My tips

If we let Merrett be Merrett and just let him loose in the midfield with an attacking role, he will finish top 3 in the Brownlow.

Blaksiton will have his moments skill wise but will more than compensate with his ability to get around the ground and ability to read the play.

Kako will play at another level.

HEA may nail down a forward spot sooner rather than later.

Max Kondo will impress anyone who gets a look at him.

Sharp will have no issues stepping into AFL level.

Duursma / Fiorini / Prior can make a decent wing combo.

Brilliant write up

 

[ant555]

I’m reading some discouraging reports from Blitz watchers on Unwin’s inability to impact in match sim. I liked his movement/agility last season but nothing to suggest he might impact the scoreboard. You seem more optimistic. Is this just an example of Blitz being a haven of negativity?

He is not at Kako level, so I guess it is seen as a negative. A lot of players have not impacted match sim a lot. Nguyen dominated him yesterday. He has a lot to go. He has the basic tools, but he has to improve his disposal which has always been his issue. He has looked better than he did last year which is why I think he has something to work with. He is still a work in progress and is far from certain as far as being a player. Like most things in football people see different things when they are looking at it. I have liked some of the stuff he has been doing but I do acknowledge he is far from a finished product. I would say HEA is actually ahead of him.

 

[ant555]

Have seen a bit written about Tsatas and playing defensive midfielder. I am with Rick Edwards on this. He has not been defending in any sort of lock down role. It has been more starting from the defensive spot at stoppage and putting a bit more effort into being accountable and not all in win the footy.

 

[Keystone agony]

Guelfi, Gresham and Perkins. Same old, same old.

I wouldnt pick any of the latter 2. Definitely not Gresham and hope Scott doesnt. Perkins due to injury perfect time to make him prove himself in the VFL

HEA is pushing past Perkins aswell

 

[Keystone agony]

Apparently May got himself a mini bag in match sim today (4 goals 1st half), also Kako winning some center clearances, eventually we could see him play some minutes in there like Kozzie.

Kako already attended a bucketload in the last 4 wks last year. Thats what kozzie does each week

 

[Wahooti Fandango]

 

[jannissary]

from what i've seen elsewhere, i'm thinking the training standards have lifted somewhat this year, and it appears that our new s&c bloke has done significant work to improve us on the track.

i'm most keen on reid (if he's able to stay fit) and blakiston (being a #truebeliever) being important cogs throughout the year. the changes to how ruck contests will work should favour someone with a pretty solid vertical leap like blakiston, and hopefully him and bryan as the season progresses (or vigo) make it challenging for opposition rucks. i also hope we get AA darcy parish

3

Darcy Parish

Age

28

Ht

180cm

Wt

81kg

Pos.

Mid

Career

Season

Last 5

D

20.4

5star

K

9.2

4star

HB

11.2

5star

M

3.2

3star

T

3.3

5star

CL

3.2

5star

D

16.6

4star

K

7.4

3star

HB

9.1

5star

M

1.4

2star

T

2.0

3star

CL

3.1

4star

D

22.2

5star

K

7.6

3star

HB

14.6

5star

M

3.2

4star

T

4.4

5star

CL

3.6

5star

back this season, i've got the sneaking suspicion that he's doing very well so far.

 

[King Patty]

from what i've seen elsewhere, i'm thinking the training standards have lifted somewhat this year, and it appears that our new s&c bloke has done significant work to improve us on the track.

i'm most keen on reid (if he's able to stay fit) and blakiston (being a #truebeliever) being important cogs throughout the year. the changes to how ruck contests will work should favour someone with a pretty solid vertical leap like blakiston, and hopefully him and bryan as the season progresses (or vigo) make it challenging for opposition rucks. i also hope we get AA darcy parish back this season, i've got the sneaking suspicion that he's doing very well so far.

Full seasons from Caldwell and Parish in the middle will help us.
Ruck is so questionable, I hope Blakiston and Bryan go well, but at best hoping for break even there.
Reid could be in AA frame if full season and no injuries.

Ridley and Langford need to get their bodies right durable. otherwise I would be looking to move them on, as they cannot be relied upon. Both need top 10 B&F years.

 

[FootyGuru]

A fit Darcy parish

3

Darcy Parish

Age

28

Ht

180cm

Wt

81kg

Pos.

Mid

Career

Season

Last 5

D

20.4

5star

K

9.2

4star

HB

11.2

5star

M

3.2

3star

T

3.3

5star

CL

3.2

5star

D

16.6

4star

K

7.4

3star

HB

9.1

5star

M

1.4

2star

T

2.0

3star

CL

3.1

4star

D

22.2

5star

K

7.6

3star

HB

14.6

5star

M

3.2

4star

T

4.4

5star

CL

3.6

5star

would be an interesting watch.

A his best I never truly rated him, I could see through the high possession, low impact stats. His defensive side was non existent and his stoppage craft and positioning mimicked the true superstars of the game, but was far from it.

There have been reports of his improved tackling and strength improving each off season. Standing up in a tackles and delivering the handball instead of giving it before the tackle were big areas of improvement for him. Injuries haven’t allowed us fans to witness it consistently.

I can see the ability of his to collect possessions, get in handball chains, be extremely clean at ground level in the wet and dry and sometimes even hit the scoreboard on his best days.

So for me, I hope he swallows his ego and plays a more team oriented game style that is far more evenly balanced on attack and defence.

If he can’t do this, he will end up a list clogger that no team values. The game has changed and he probably ends in an early retirement like Tom Mitchell.

Hoping for a healthy 2 way parish though.

 

[Lance Uppercut]

Draper in a moon boot with a stress fracture, same foot as his Achilles injury - now sidelined for 8 weeks.

This ****ing club

 

[King Patty]

Dodged a bullet there.

In other news, Farrow, Sharp and Robey are all looking promising as the shiny new toys, even Kondo and Huss look to have decent potentially and may not be long term projects.

From a team perspective - Caddy and Kako having great preseasons, but if they can start being dangerous threats at goal, it makes us much more potent.
Wright also looking to have a decent preseason so far.

Ball movement in defence with 2 x Zacs will be good as well.

 

[fairbump_playon]

Dodged a bullet there.

In other news, Farrow, Sharp and Robey are all looking promising as the shiny new toys, even Kondo and Huss look to have decent potentially and may not be long term projects.

From a team perspective - Caddy and Kako having great preseasons, but if they can start being dangerous threats at goal, it makes us much more potent.
Wright also looking to have a decent preseason so far.

Ball movement in defence with 2 x Zacs will be good as well.

You thinking top 4?

 

[Big Fresh]

Dodged a bullet there.

In other news, Farrow, Sharp and Robey are all looking promising as the shiny new toys, even Kondo and Huss look to have decent potentially and may not be long term projects.

From a team perspective - Caddy and Kako having great preseasons, but if they can start being dangerous threats at goal, it makes us much more potent.
Wright also looking to have a decent preseason so far.

Ball movement in defence with 2 x Zacs will be good as well.

Has Robey even touched a ball?

 

[King Patty]

You thinking top 4?

Top 10 if everything goes well, win an elimination final get the monkey off the back and attract some free agents while we have some cash.

 

[Old Campaigner]

Has Robey even touched a ball?

He scratches two of them every morning

 

[fairbump_playon]

Top 10 if everything goes well, win an elimination final get the monkey off the back and attract some free agents while we have some cash.

Yep that's exactly my hope. Outperform expectations a bit and finally start that ball rolling towards glory.

The fact so many players got a game last year will mean we have 40 guys super hungry for opportunity, believing they deserve it. Competition for spots can only be a great thing.

We have had too many years where our bottom ten players were absolutely nowhere near it. That middle group of talent (players 10-30) just got way too comfortable and complacent.

Not helped by the post saga vibe where no-one around the club seemed to be willing to tell/hear the hard truths. The turnover is pretty much complete now, maybe it's clear air.