Training 2026 Pre Season & Training Reports

[roos_fanatic08]

Daniel haters - who are you replacing him with?

None of FOS, Kerch, Lmac, or Hardeman count, as they're already in the best 23.

The only real options are Goater, who by all accounts is really struggling to return to form, and Harvey, who's a worse runner and has no proven defensive chops.

Scott and Fisher are both worse.

I’d be happy for Hardeman to play his role and we go out and get the best mature age small defender/accountable half back with an SPP selection.

 

[marklovesbeer]

 

[Chadwiko]

Again, we'll see what our lineup looks like in the intraclubs/practice matches, but so far I do not believe we'll see FOS in the back 6 this year.

 

[shimaburnsgrieg]

Daniel haters - who are you replacing him with?

None of FOS, Kerch, Lmac, or Hardeman count, as they're already in the best 23.

The only real options are Goater, who by all accounts is really struggling to return to form, and Harvey, who's a worse runner and has no proven defensive chops.

Scott and Fisher are both worse.

I think we have answered this already.

Daniel has been 'replaced' with Kerch and Hardeman.

The talls are Logue, Comben and Pink (for now).

Lmac and FOS are the mediums.

Daniel is no longer required - stop trying to do a Clarko and force him into the side.

Forget names like Goater, Harvey, Scott and Fisher - if they come good then great but they aren't in the conversation now.

Daniel is not required - move on.

 

[Makeshift Park]

Lmac and FOS are the mediums

Hasn’t the latter spent much of the preseason with the midfield?

My point is that if Finn is destined to a lions share of wing time in 2026, then it’s slim pickings to replace Caleb.

 

[The Nostradamus]

Daniel haters - who are you replacing him with?

None of FOS, Kerch, Lmac, or Hardeman count, as they're already in the best 23.

The only real options are Goater, who by all accounts is really struggling to return to form, and Harvey, who's a worse runner and has no proven defensive chops.

Scott and Fisher are both worse.

Cooper Harvey who has been training as the lockdown defender

Pump preseason games into him and let him play round 1

 

[Makeshift Park]

Cooper Harvey who has been training as the lockdown defender

Pump preseason games into him and let him play round 1

I need to see it to believe it with him.

(I know you disagree. Thats fine)

He had SFA defensive intensity in his role last year.

 

[Caracas]

A drill? And what would be the purpose of that drill? Make Caleb feel good about himself? Or to mask the atrocity of that trade ever being made?

What’s that old adage? Train as you play.

I know not. I merely stated that’s what it looked like.

 

[Chip Scab1]

Cooper Harvey who has been training as the lockdown defender

Pump preseason games into him and let him play round 1

Yes.. the reasons for playing Daniels are zero. He can't defend and his lack of kicking penetration invites untold pressure upon our pox backline.

Hello.

Cooper or Hugo by lengths.

 

[Caracas]

It's the aggressive full ground zones most teams are playing that he struggles to penetrate. He is good at ball retention, but that isn't much help here. Those dinky little kicks to the advantage of his teammates worked when there was more space, now they get picked off. So he goes back and sideways to retain possession, but this just helps the zone press further.
The way to get through the zone is fast ball movement preferably before it sets up. Run and carry, long kicks over the back of it and exploiting the stand rule to gain territory. Daniel isn't much help with this, so what is he actually there to do?

Or it could be that he’s playing in a team whose shortcomings magnify his weak points and nullify his strengths

 

[Zondor]

I hear you, and generally speaking I agree.

However... playing Devil's Advocate.

You're Clarko. You take the job, and very quickly you identify that there's a bad culture of laziness or unaccountability permeating your playing list. You can't turnover the entire list, so you try and repair the culture.

You do this by bringing in guys who work their ass off and have a proper culture/attitude, like Liam Shiels. You also see young stud Harry Sheezel really setting high standards right from his first year, so you give him the Syd Barker in his first season (which he earned, obviously).

The culture is slowly improving, but not fast enough. So what do you do? Even though you're no where near competing for a flag, you bring in three top-age veterans who you know for a fact work their asses off and can help set standards and repair the culture in Parker, Darling, and Daniel.

Of course you're going to play them if your goal is repairing the culture, which will in turn (you hope) lead to more wins and more competitive football. But first that mesh of young and old standard setters needs to fix the culture, slowly but surely...

View attachment 2519404

So Chad, are you saying the coaches we have are not capable of cracking the whip and demanding that training standards be met, so they need to recruit some senior types from other clubs to set those standards? Why have the coaches? :stern look

Yah don’t need to recruit washed up footballers like Daniel and Darling to set training standards. If yah can coach, you get this done regardless. :stern look

 

[Chadwiko]

So Chad, are you saying the coaches we have are not capable of cracking the whip and demanding that training standards be met, so they need to recruit some senior types from other clubs to set those standards?

I think (or hope) that they're doing both.

I also think part of that is we might see a bit more of 'Angry Clarko' at training/game days this year.

 

[Zondor]

I think (or hope) that they're doing both.

I also think part of that is we might see a bit more of 'Angry Clarko' at training/game days this year.

Clarkson has sadly been underwhelming as our senior coach. Our ability to defend under his watch has been very ordinary. This for me has been the biggest disappointment of his time at North. His inability to get our team to defend better. Until this is rectified. Our ability to defend. Our ability to nullify the opposition. We are going nowhere in a hurry. :stern look

Hopefully we do see the return of angry Clarko. The coach that demands effort. That doesn’t tolerate the defensive slop that we have had to bear witness to for years. :stern look

 

[Gasometer]

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Have played that Golf Hole

Absolutely spectacular

 

[Gasometer]

And chips and beer

Wat

 

[The Nostradamus]

Reminder for training times this week

Training (Arden Street Oval)
Monday, February 2
9am-11.15am AEDT

Training (Arden Street Oval)
Wednesday, February 4
8.45am-10.45am AEDT

Training (Arden Street Oval)
Friday, February 6
8.45am-11.15am AEDT

 

[Chip Scab1]

Have played that Golf Hole

Absolutely spectacular

7 Old... A ripper. The whole course is great, my favourite. 17 is also a genuine cracker.

 

[perplexed]

Or it could be that he’s playing in a team whose shortcomings magnify his weak points and nullify his strengths

Na. He had the same issues at the dogs, it is why they stopped using him in the role. We bought a lemon.

 

[FootySmartSimpson]

I worry a bit about Larkey moving up the ground as I don’t highly rate his contested marking. Those CHFs who move up the ground I find are best when they are a big contested threat or at least get ball to ground. Otherwise high risk of turnovers

I see the opposite. Larkey is a near-elite mark on the lead. The problem is that deep inside 50, he doesn’t have the room to lead, knows his contested marking weaknesses, and calls for the Joe the goose pass over the top.

 

[Reagan Smash]

From FoxSports

“NORTH MELBOURNE


Role changes and who’s tearing up the track: The arrivals of first-round draft pick Lachy Dovaston, a livewire 178cm small forward from Eastern Ranges, free agent Charlie Spargo

13

Charlie Spargo

Age

26

Ht

172cm

Wt

75kg

Pos.

Fwd

Career

Season

Last 5

D

11.7

3star

K

6.4

3star

HB

5.3

4star

M

3.5

4star

T

2.7

4star

G

0.6

4star

D

8.0

2star

K

6.0

2star

HB

2.0

1star

M

1.0

1star

T

0.0

1star

G

0.0

1star

D

13.6

4star

K

6.8

3star

HB

6.8

5star

M

4.4

4star

T

2.6

4star

G

1.2

4star

(Melbourne) look certain to add an element of zip and depth to North Melbourne’s attack in 2026. Throw in second-rounder Blake Thredgold down back, and it’s hard to see how the Roos don’t incline this year, even if we’ve said it before. Of the three aforementioned names though, it’s Dovaston who simply has to make their debut come Round 1. In both pre-season match simulations and track sessions, Dovaston has turned heads with his crafty skills, relentless pressure, and agility — the latter hardly a surprise given he won last year’s Draft Combine agility test. CODE Sports suggested last month that a question mark hangs over the second tall forward for North, with last year’s mid-season draftee Cooper Trembarth a chance to pip 320-game veteran Jack Darling

27

Jack Darling

Age

33

Ht

191cm

Wt

95kg

Pos.

Fwd

Career

Season

Last 5

D

12.1

3star

K

7.9

3star

HB

4.2

3star

M

5.0

5star

T

3.0

5star

G

1.9

5star

D

8.0

2star

K

4.3

2star

HB

3.7

3star

M

2.7

3star

T

2.4

3star

G

1.3

5star

D

14.6

4star

K

7.6

3star

HB

7.0

5star

M

6.0

5star

T

4.0

5star

G

1.4

5star

in that role.

“Injury latest: Small forward livewire Paul Curtis suffered a major scare during the off-season, after being diangosed with a rare condition known as empyema; a build up of pus and fluid on the lungs which is caused by pneumonia. The setback saw him lose six kilograms, and spend a notable amount of time this pre-season on a modified training program. A secondary scare went through the Ardren Street camp after he went down with a sore shoulder during match simulation, though scans have since confirmed no structural damage. Sadly, father-son product Jackson Archer wil miss the entire 2026 season after rupturing his ACL earlier last month in a cruel blow. In a further hit to North’s defensive stocks, Aidan Corr

4

Aidan Corr

Age

31

Ht

195cm

Wt

96kg

Pos.

Def

Career

Season

Last 5

D

10.2

3star

K

6.4

3star

HB

3.8

3star

M

3.4

3star

T

1.9

4star

MG

291.0

4star

D

13.9

3star

K

11.1

4star

HB

2.7

2star

M

5.3

5star

T

1.1

2star

MG

291.0

4star

D

7.2

2star

K

2.8

1star

HB

4.4

4star

M

2.0

3star

T

1.6

4star

suffered a moderate-grade calf strain at a similar time, which has pushed back his preparation for the club’s match simulation and pre-season games against Melbourne and Collingwood respectively. Forward Brayden George has been sidelined from training for a few weeks due to a hamstring issue, while 2024 draftee River Stevens is being nursed back into full training after suffering a broken rib. Stevens copped a heavy hit at training,
“prompting the Roos to send the father-son recruit to hospital for scans, which revealed no serious damage. George, who was taken at Pick 26 in the 2022 draft, has yet to play an AFL game primarily due to injury. A gastro outbreak swept through the club in recent weeks, leaving a number of players light on their feet in the second half of January.

 

[JZTIME!]

From FoxSports

“NORTH MELBOURNE


Role changes and who’s tearing up the track: The arrivals of first-round draft pick Lachy Dovaston, a livewire 178cm small forward from Eastern Ranges, free agent Charlie Spargo (Melbourne) look certain to add an element of zip and depth to North Melbourne’s attack in 2026. Throw in second-rounder Blake Thredgold down back, and it’s hard to see how the Roos don’t incline this year, even if we’ve said it before. Of the three aforementioned names though, it’s Dovaston who simply has to make their debut come Round 1. In both pre-season match simulations and track sessions, Dovaston has turned heads with his crafty skills, relentless pressure, and agility — the latter hardly a surprise given he won last year’s Draft Combine agility test. CODE Sports suggested last month that a question mark hangs over the second tall forward for North, with last year’s mid-season draftee Cooper Trembarth a chance to pip 320-game veteran Jack Darling in that role.

“Injury latest: Small forward livewire Paul Curtis suffered a major scare during the off-season, after being diangosed with a rare condition known as empyema; a build up of pus and fluid on the lungs which is caused by pneumonia. The setback saw him lose six kilograms, and spend a notable amount of time this pre-season on a modified training program. A secondary scare went through the Ardren Street camp after he went down with a sore shoulder during match simulation, though scans have since confirmed no structural damage. Sadly, father-son product Jackson Archer wil miss the entire 2026 season after rupturing his ACL earlier last month in a cruel blow. In a further hit to North’s defensive stocks, Aidan Corr suffered a moderate-grade calf strain at a similar time, which has pushed back his preparation for the club’s match simulation and pre-season games against Melbourne and Collingwood respectively. Forward Brayden George has been sidelined from training for a few weeks due to a hamstring issue, while 2024 draftee River Stevens is being nursed back into full training after suffering a broken rib. Stevens copped a heavy hit at training,
“prompting the Roos to send the father-son recruit to hospital for scans, which revealed no serious damage. George, who was taken at Pick 26 in the 2022 draft, has yet to play an AFL game primarily due to injury. A gastro outbreak swept through the club in recent weeks, leaving a number of players light on their feet in the second half of January.

Well gee they are an optimistic bunch. We are hanging on by a thread reading that. I think its quite the opposite save for the gastro last week.

 

[ChopChopDigDig]

I think we have answered this already.

Daniel has been 'replaced' with Kerch and Hardeman.

The talls are Logue, Comben and Pink (for now).

Lmac and FOS are the mediums.

Daniel is no longer required - stop trying to do a Clarko and force him into the side.

Forget names like Goater, Harvey, Scott and Fisher - if they come good then great but they aren't in the conversation now.

Daniel is not required - move on.

You're going to be very sad when you realize Daniel will play all 23 games this year!

 

[New_Roo]

Yep, the higher Daniel is up the ground, the less his weaknesses are exploited and the more his good kicking over 35 metres can help generate scores.

thats the role that Spargo was brought in to do though...

 

[shinboner magic]

You're going to be very sad when you realize Daniel will play all 23 games this year!

And so will our results be then

 

[JZTIME!]

Soooooo, anyone at training?