Training Report .....21st Dec 2016
**************** Copyright 2016 ********************

as if
Firstly great crowd showed up, took me most of the session to work out who was who ......some wearing full Santa suits, Eddie a Santa dress .....and nearly all players wearing Santa hats ......who the F...k could tell anyone apart, then the changing of colored tops constantly made the identification process near on impossible
Last years session was all about kicking into the forward 50 ...20-30mtr spot up kicks to congested leading players ....today it was a lot of ball up contested work
That said , star performers just stick out & you simply can't miss them
All players look in great nick,many have a different build, some heavier, some lighter .. and you left the session really feeling there's a list chock full of talent
Players i simply could not find & therefore cannot comment ....
Greenwood, Milera, Seedsman, .....Jenkins didn't train & Lynch, who i've never seen lighter or better condition, made cameo appearances
Charlie wore a strange training outfit that made him look like an Academy schoolboy .....so small he looked that i even thought he may have been Jarman from a distance ....so didn't pay a lot of attention to him, thinking he was an Academy associate of Edwards
Draftees
Agree completely that
Sig is so uncoordinated, so skinny, that he will not be ready till 2019 at the earliest. His running was impressive being last on the first full oval boundary run, but improved with each run ......has very good hands though, but looks a real schoolboy footballer ATM
Sig was still getting confused with some of the drills
My pick of the draftees has to be
Himmelberg ....not through athletic exploits today, but his on-field moves and marking maneuverings .....make no mistake, this kid can play and has a football brain!
Gallucci is already to play AFL now ...his kicking today no problems short, but can't comment on long kicks. He's quick we know, but in the aerobic running he was nothing stand-out .......AFL players have a sharpness about how they move and execute on the field ....
Gallucci and
Poholke still look to be traveling at Vic Metro levels & will take at least until the 2nd half of the season to have any show of a game this year .....IMO unlikely
Jarman ? .....didn't notice, so on todays session Meh!
Main Group
Gee, i eventually identified most players, but the talls, nah .....so won't comment
The stars of the session from my perspective were:
Hampton .....this guy left nothing on the field today, and was dominant in the midfield, where he trained .....mean looking athlete, who is quick and was simply outstanding
Menzel .....i mentioned b4 that AFL star players have a sharpness and self confidence in their presence on the field ......Menzel will play a lot of AFL this year, today he was playing HF and man, everything he did was at pace and full of class ......he's now ready !!
He was running multiple lines after disposing to follow-up for another disposal .....worked his arse off
Knight .....not a lot new from Knight, but he was in the midfield today & was a standout, being aggressive and quick .....pencil him in !
Milera ......didn't see much of his training, but he's certainly bigger than last year, and his full oval lap running had him clearly in front of draftees
Brad Crouch .....guy has spent solid time in the gym, unusual for him, and looks a million dollars .....just trained as a star player should
Other Comments
CEY looks in the best shape i've seen .....but after training, frankly i didn't see anything that i haven't seen b4 .....honestly, other players mentioned were noticeably bigger / thinner / faster / improved .....think he'll need some luck
Betts .....can't believe the cult status by supporters .....he's now almost at "Rockstar" levels
Gore .....hasn't put on any bulk, as he needed to do, and didn't standout today ....what's that tell us ??
Harry Dear ......big big muscular unit ....bigger than Jenkins
Jake Kelly ......easily winning distance running ......and easily still missing targets by foot
That was hard today ...questions?