Training 2019 Pre-Season

[Hootini]

He’s in the leadership group great man
We can’t pretend he’s the bastardised love child we keep hidden in a room


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we could try

 

[Snake_Baker]

Ruck commentary

The main man

Todd Goldstein has shouldered the Roos' ruck duties nearly singlehandedly in recent seasons. His elite endurance means he can get to contest after contest and ruck for almost entire games. The 30-year-old is also highly skilled and provides a decent target when resting in attack – his 12 goals in 2018 were topped only by Max Gawn (13) among the competition's specialist ruckmen.

Next in line

After Braydon Preuss joined Melbourne in last year's trade period, the Roos pounced on delisted Bulldog Tom Campbell. Campbell could not break into the Dogs' senior team last season despite solid VFL form, but has impressed in match simulation sessions against Goldstein and has also shown he can go forward and kick goals. The 27-year-old appears a readymade AFL ruckman but will enter 2019 as a clear No.2 behind Goldstein.

Can they play together?

Roos coach Brad Scott has been reluctant to play two specialist ruckmen in the past and is unlikely to change that policy in 2019. Campbell's hopes of playing alongside Goldstein rest largely on his ability to have an impact in attack, where he would have to spend most of his time. He could find himself competing with young forward Nick Larkey to fill the considerable hole left in North's attack by Jarrad Waite's retirement.

Break glass in case of emergency

Tristan Xerri, 19, is North's other specialist ruckman but still needs time to develop in the VFL. Majak Daw's long-term hip and pelvis injuries mean Larkey, Ben McKay and Sam Durdin could emerge as support options this season given the Kangaroos will be reluctant to move Ben Brown from their forward line.

Danger signs

Goldstein bounced back to form last year after a difficult 2017, on and off the field. However, at 30, the question is whether his renaissance will continue in 2019 or whether he will begin to show signs of decline.

We say

Goldstein golden age not over yet. – Nick Bowen

 

[shintemaster]

I think Nick has this one right. I actually think Goldy is going to have one of his best ever year's in 2019 after a very good 2018.

 

[Horace]

Until a year or so back, I worked with an Indian dude who was about 7' tall. He used to put whiteboard markers on the top of the boards where nobody else could reach, and he had to duck under the projectors in meeting rooms.

Horace will no doubt have known Ab Fox (Albert) who was Australia's tallest man. He was over 7' but I can't quite recall how tall exactly. Came from around where H grew up. He was a really great guy as I recall (I was fairly young when he died).

I certainly do remember Ab, SoS. He was a huge bloke and in the days when Port Campbell had a football team (played in South Melbourne/Sydney colours) he was the great hope as a ruckman for the side. Unfortunately like me, he had little ability as a footballer and even more unfortunately died relatively young. It was rumoured locally that because he was so tall, his heart wasn't strong enough to support his great height and weight to enable him to live to an old age. Whether that was right or not I don't know, but I do know, blokes like Spider Burton would have had to look up at him.

 

[Black2Blue]

Can always tell pre-season is starting to test our capacity to find stuff to post about when Horace's ubiquitous "in the days" appears in the Pre-Season thread.

BTW it's a terrific anecdote Horace.

 

[Black2Blue]

I certainly do remember Ab, SoS. He was a huge bloke and in the days when Port Campbell had a football team (played in South Melbourne/Sydney colours) he was the great hope as a ruckman for the side. Unfortunately like me, he had little ability as a footballer and even more unfortunately died relatively young. It was rumoured locally that because he was so tall, his heart wasn't strong enough to support his great height and weight to enable him to live to an old age. Whether that was right or not I don't know, but I do know, blokes like Spider Burton would have had to look up at him.

The reference to Spider Burton's height reminds me of his cult status at North in the day... Loved seeing Spider alongside Peter Bell, looked like a comedy duo, but worked magic on the field. We've had some characters in the ruck at Arden St over the years - thinking of Spider, Crackers Keenan, the Galloping Gasometer, Lurch Goodingham, the Big Russian, etc.

 

[Caracas]

I think Nick has this one right. I actually think Goldy is going to have one of his best ever year's in 2019 after a very good 2018.

Since Sandilands is still getting around at 36, I fully expect at least “four more years” for Todd.


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[SonofSamsquanch]

I certainly do remember Ab, SoS. He was a huge bloke and in the days when Port Campbell had a football team (played in South Melbourne/Sydney colours) he was the great hope as a ruckman for the side. Unfortunately like me, he had little ability as a footballer and even more unfortunately died relatively young. It was rumoured locally that because he was so tall, his heart wasn't strong enough to support his great height and weight to enable him to live to an old age. Whether that was right or not I don't know, but I do know, blokes like Spider Burton would have had to look up at him.

I wonder if port still run out in those colours?

My old team merged and wears Melbourne colours now.

Ahhhh... The old days.

 

[SpiderBurton22]

I wonder if port still run out in those colours?

My old team merged and wears Melbourne colours now.

Ahhhh... The old days.

They don't exist anymore.

My young fella played against your Demons in the juniors last year. They were dirty snipers. A favourite move was to pretend our kids at the bottom of the packs were football's and sink the slipper. Not hard enough to cause injury, just enough to evoke a response.

 

[SonofSamsquanch]

dirty snipers

We always were. s**t campaigners... Even in my day we abused umps. We were told by club people to not cross a certain line. The umps came from warnambool so if they reported us they had to come back on Monday for the tribunal.

So long as we were not crossing the line the umps would just threaten to report us.

 

[SonofSamsquanch]

My young fella played against your Demons

Back in my day we wore St Kilda jumpers but we were the nothings. Some tried to call us saints but we were St nothing so it never stuck.

Sorry about the young bloke. I had a fractured cheekbone from somebody throwing a boot into a pack. Knocked me rotten.

 

[SpiderBurton22]

We always were. s**t campaigners... Even in my day we abused umps. We were told by club people to not cross a certain line. The umps came from warnambool so if they reported us they had to come back on Monday for the tribunal.

So long as we were not crossing the line the umps would just threaten to report us.

They breed them tough down that way. All the cow cockies, as Cunners is a prime example

 

[SonofSamsquanch]

Y

They breed them tough down that way. All the cow cockies, as Cunners is a prime example

You ought to see Horace

 

[Horace]

They don't exist anymore.

My young fella played against your Demons in the juniors last year. They were dirty snipers. A favourite move was to pretend our kids at the bottom of the packs were football's and sink the slipper. Not hard enough to cause injury, just enough to evoke a response.

Yes Port folded a long time ago. Of the old original Heytesbury League clubs only Simpson and the Timboon Demons, Nirranda and Allansford remain, in separate leagues, being the Colac & District League (Simpson) and the others in the Warrnambool & District League .

Clubs that no longer exist are Port Campbell, Heytesbury (now Timboon Demons), Scotts Creek, Princetown, Nirranda South, South Ecklin and briefly South Purrumbete. I hope I haven't missed any team. It used to be a fair standard going back in time but now there are just not the players or the money to sustain all of those clubs.

I remember well both the old Port ground and the old Timboon ground. Both had very significant slopes, which made for interesting games. Port had an even earlier ground which was atop the cliffs not far from Bass Strait/the southern ocean. I'm told in the middle of winter the wind and accompanying rain, coming all the way from the Antarctic, were to put it mildly, "very interesting" to play in.

 

[Horace]

Y
You ought to see Horace

Its not a pretty look. I scare myself most days when I forget and look in the mirror!

 

[SpiderBurton22]

Yes Port folded a long time ago. Of the old original Heytesbury League clubs only Simpson and the Timboon Demons, Nirranda and Allansford remain, in separate leagues, being the Colac & District League (Simpson) and the others in the Warrnambool & District League .

Clubs that no longer exist are Port Campbell, Heytesbury (now Timboon Demons), Scotts Creek, Princetown, Nirranda South, South Ecklin and briefly South Purrumbete. I hope I haven't missed any team. It used to be a fair standard going back in time but now there are just not the players or the money to sustain all of those clubs.

I remember well both the old Port ground and the old Timboon ground. Both had very significant slopes, which made for interesting games. Port had an even earlier ground which was atop the cliffs not far from Bass Strait/the southern ocean. I'm told in the middle of winter the wind and accompanying rain, coming all the way from the Antarctic, were to put it mildly, "very interesting" to play in.

Yeah, things have changed. Port's ground is still used for cricket. It's a shocking pitch and snakes are always a problem there. Timboon's a boghole in the winter, same with Nirranda but the facilties there are 1st class. I've got family in Simpson and it's a good set up there and coincidently one of my mates found out today he was part of a winning ticket for Simpson FC's cash draw. $2500 coming his way.

 

[Groin guru]

Since Sandilands is still getting around at 36, I fully expect at least “four more years” for Todd.


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[SonofSamsquanch]

Yeah, things have changed. Port's ground is still used for cricket. It's a shocking pitch and snakes are always a problem there. Timboon's a boghole in the winter, same with Nirranda but the facilties there are 1st class. I've got family in Simpson and it's a good set up there and coincidently one of my mates found out today he was part of a winning ticket for Simpson FC's cash draw. $2500 coming his way.

Nice. Hope he shouts you one.

Some things never change. Timboon outer wing used to have stagnant water, green slime and there were even tadpoles. The mud used to stink like s**t.

On topic: Preseason for us one year was to cover the ground with loam - wheelbarrows and shovels. It kinda came up alright but to make the water run off the centre was about 1m higher than the boundaries.

Footy stuff: Paul Couch was a Nirranda lad (in his junior days). Lots of Couches down there

Has Simpson still got the speedway?

Clubs that no longer exist are Port Campbell, Heytesbury (now Timboon Demons), Scotts Creek, Princetown, Nirranda South, South Ecklin and briefly South Purrumbete. I hope I haven't missed any team. It used to be a fair standard going back in time but now there are just not the players or the money to sustain all of those clubs.

I remember well both the old Port ground and the old Timboon ground. Both had very significant slopes, which made for interesting games. Port had an even earlier ground which was atop the cliffs not far from Bass Strait/the southern ocean. I'm told in the middle of winter the wind and accompanying rain, coming all the way from the Antarctic, were to put it mildly, "very interesting" to play in.

In my day; Timboon, Simpson, Princetown, Heytsbury, Nirranda, Nirranda South, Scotts Creek, Port Campbell.

The Princetown oval was open to Bass Strait. One day, in U14s I found a rabbit burrow on the ground, and some bugger had set a rabbit trap (had to tell the ump and they stopped the game while somebody brought on some dirt to fill the burrow). Hail directly off Bass Strait was bloody freezing.

 

[SpiderBurton22]

Nice. Hope he shouts you one.

Some things never change. Timboon outer wing used to have stagnant water, green slime and there were even tadpoles. The mud used to stink like s**t.

On topic: Preseason for us one year was to cover the ground with loam - wheelbarrows and shovels. It kinda came up alright but to make the water run off the centre was about 1m higher than the boundaries.

Footy stuff: Paul Couch was a Nirranda lad (in his junior days). Lots of Couches down there

Has Simpson still got the speedway?

Still plenty of Couch's playing there now and yes, the Simpson Speedway is still alive.

 

[Firestarter]

https://www.theage.com.au/sport/afl...for-bombers-in-jlt-match-20190225-p51063.html
Meanwhile the Kangaroos are likely to include their four recruits from the summer with Jared Polec, Dom Tyson, Jasper Pittard and Aaron Hall all likely to play. Emerging midfield star Luke Davies-Uniacke is also likely to play in the practice match as part of what will be a strong squad.

Key backman Robbie Tarrant is still recovering from a shoulder injury and will not play in the match against St Kilda at Chirnside Park on Saturday.

 

[marklovesbeer]

2019 Premiership odds: $29

There's been action

Into $26-1 now.

 

[LuvtheKangas]

https://www.theage.com.au/sport/afl...for-bombers-in-jlt-match-20190225-p51063.html
Meanwhile the Kangaroos are likely to include their four recruits from the summer with Jared Polec, Dom Tyson, Jasper Pittard and Aaron Hall all likely to play. Emerging midfield star Luke Davies-Uniacke is also likely to play in the practice match as part of what will be a strong squad.

Key backman Robbie Tarrant is still recovering from a shoulder injury and will not play in the match against St Kilda at Chirnside Park on Saturday.

Is the match at Chirnside Park or Avalon? That article says Chirnside, and the NMFC web site (helpfully) says Chirnside in the fixture, but when you click the hyperlink, it says Avalon. I've never been to either place, but I'm pretty sure they're both 40+ minutes out of the city, but in opposite directions. Meaning I probably won't go anyway ...

 

[Passmore]

Is the match at Chirnside Park or Avalon? That article says Chirnside, and the NMFC web site (helpfully) says Chirnside in the fixture, but when you click the hyperlink, it says Avalon. I've never been to either place, but I'm pretty sure they're both 40+ minutes out of the city, but in opposite directions. Meaning I probably won't go anyway ...

Chirnside Park is Avalon Oval before the sponsorship deal.

 

[LuvtheKangas]

Chirnside Park is Avalon Oval before the sponsorship deal.

OK, thanks. What suburb is it in?

 

[Passmore]

OK, thanks. What suburb is it in?

It's Werribee's home ground.

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