Training 2020 Training Blog - Training Reports only - *NO DISCUSSION*

[ferrisb]

Ok, so now for part 2 of my observations:

12. Paddy Dow: Came on the ground 4th quarter and the mini match simulation at the end. Showed some nice moves in traffic. Was clean with ball in hand but nothing stood out to say he's going to have a breakout year. Had a bit of opportunity to play in the midfield which was nice to see. Still needs to put on a bit more size in time.

13. Lochie O'brien: It was a mixed bag from Lochie. It was at the far side for me but I believe it was him who started off specacularly with a very classy left foot snap for goal. He started off on the wing. Appeared to be playing on the far/fat side of the ground so didn't rack up too many touches. He does need time to develop and take the really bad clangers out of his game. Had one moment in defensive 50 where he decided to centre the ball and missed a target that was literally 15m away. The other notable was when he was on the wing in an uncontested situation and he completely overran the ball whilst trying to pick it up. Just needs to tidy up these moments where he's prone to fumbling the ball. In the mini match simulation at the end, he moved into the centre bounces. Thought he held his own very well here. Displayed quick and clean hands. Would like to see him develop this aspect of his game at the lower level to improve his overall game.

14. Liam Stocker: Not much to say here really. Seemed to be playing as a small forward/half forward in his allotted game time. Didn't have much impact on the day but was a presence in the contest. Will be interesting to see what role he plays this year, because I didn't have him pegged for half forward.

15. Sam Philp: He had moments to bring down the house with his explosiveness but didn't take the opportunity. He was running very hard defensively from what I could see, so he may have been gassed by the time his opportunities presented. His disposal was fairly neat for the most part and he was applying great defensive pressure across the day. He got his first goal from a holding the ball decision inside forward 50. Definitely has a presence about him for a first year player. A lot to like. Hopefully we'll see his pace come out a bit more in time once he's had a few more preseasons.

16. David Cuningham: Came on in the 4th quarter and played in the midfield. Got plenty of the ball, made good decisions and his disposal was great. He's a goal kicking midfielder for my liking. Expect more consistent performances from Cuningham. Looked really good today.

17. Cameron Polson: Showed signs in defense. He's definitely not a small lockdown defender, well at least not at this stage, but had his moments showing a bit of poise at times. He did win a really nice one on one contest (believe it was against Sidebottom) where he used his body from behind to outwork Sidebottom, grabbed the footy and worked his way through traffic to spot up a target. He didn't find much of it, but for the most part he looked relatively comfortable with ball in hand. Just one more thing on Polson, he applied a block on an opponent whilst one of our guys were walking the ball out of defense and probably came off second best in the end. It was a team first act that really impressed me.

18. Will Setterfield: He looks in really good physical condition. Was tackling exceptionally well and looked very clean with ball in hand. Covered the ground nicely and looked the grade. Don't think he had any wow moments tonight, but everything he did was done really well. He'll step up his game this year.

19. Jack Silvangi: The one thing I noticed with Jack was that he was marking the ball very well tonight. Had a few really good contested marks. Applied pressure whilst on and did the team things. I have him ahead of Kennedy based on tonights performance.

20. Matthew Kennedy: Had a quiet night. Kicked a goal at the end, but was relatively unsighted throughout the match. He was competing well in the air and put his body on the line. Hopefully he'll show a bit more in our next practice match.

21. Ed Curnow: Ed did was Ed does. He'll most likely have a similar season to last unless he's moved out of the centre. Nothing more to report. He did kick a really good snap goal from memory.

22. Michael Gibbons: He played early on in the match and looked really good across half forward and midfield. I think with Eddie Betts in our forward line, he might go under the radar and surprise a few this year. He's becoming more opportunistic around the big sticks and looks lively. We were missing quite a few up forward tonight, however, he's definitely making a strong case to get selected. I think he'll play more games than what some on here realise.

23. Matthew Owies: He came on the back end of the match sim. He did some nice things and was heavily involved when he first went on the ground but went quiet after that. In saying that, he did impress me. He kicked a behind for the night from a great mark on the goal/point line (sent on the angle), which was his main opportunity for the night. One thing needs to be clear here in assessing Owies. He wasn't playing in the first 3 quarters when Carlton were controlling the game. When he was on, Collingwood had more control of the game, which made life tough for our forwards. Based on his efforts when presented with opportunities, he looked lively and wasn't out of place. It wouldn't surprise me if he got a game at some stage this year. Definitely one to watch.

24. Matthew Cottrel: Didn't notice much of him tonight, but he may not have had much game time. Not much I can report on there.

25. Josh Honey: Honey looks like a player. Had moments but needs to tidy up aspects of his game such as his disposal and decision making. Definitely has the tools to work with and will be an excitement machine.

26. Fraser Phillips: Got a couple of touches but looks really undersized. Will need a couple of seasons to get his body right.

27. Sam Ramsay: Ramsay got a few touches. I noticed him more across half back tonight. He definitely had the cleanest disposal out of all our draftees tonight. He really does remind me of a slightly bigger version of Zac Fisher with his evasiveness. It's evident in his highlights but he really likes that dummy first step then switch to the other side.

28. Finbar O'dwyer: Played forward but didn't get much of it. On a positive note, he's noticeably bigger and moving a lot better than last year. Still finding his feet.

29. Lochie Plowman: Was very good in defense today. Pencil him in for round 1. His disposal was very good. Just looked composed and making all the right decisions.

30. Darcy Lang: Don't believe he had his best game today but played a role and applied defensive pressure. I'll be interested to see how he goes in the upcoming practice games. Probably outside the best 22 at the moment, but could still push his case for selection.

31. Hugh Goddard: He showcased bits and pieces but the ball was probably coming into our defensive 50 with a bit more freedom when he was on. The other thing was that he seemed to be playing on a more mobile opponent which really tested him. Despite this, he held his own which was good to see.

32. Ben Silvagni: Honestly didn't notice him so I can't really comment.

Note: I only saw Weitering out there for like the first quarter. Didn't notice him after that. I think he may have gone off the ground. Someone else might be able to confirm this.

Players that did not participate: Marchbank, SPS, McKay, Charlie, McGovern, Martin, Fisher, Kreuzer (and possibly Macreadie but not sure)

#BetterThanTheEiffelTower
#TrackTalk

 

[ferrisb]

Very happy with that afternoon at Princes park. I'm sure the coaching staff have walked away very happy too. As good a showing as we could have hoped for, and best of all no injuries.

First of all the game style. They want to move the ball. They are backing themselves in. The style Teague was pushing for last year is coming to the forefront, but defensively very good also. Very much looking forward to this year, we will be playing a good brand. Once we have the Key targets up forward to capatalise on it, it will be awesome to watch.

1- JSOS - Bout the same output we were used to from last year. Played a bit of a roll without doing anything amazing. Not a lock just yet.

2- Dow - Came on late in the game once all the senior guys were gone. If that is any indication I think he may start in the 2s this year to build up some form. Was hard going without senior guys around him, didn't do too much.

3- Murph - He was Murphy. Not much new to see here. Will start in the guts round 1.

4- LOB- Came on start of Q3. Straight into the action and kicked an amazing goal on his left from the boundary. Competed hard. Tackled hard. Ran hard. Used the ball well. In contention for a spot for sure.

6- Simmo - Been playing for 100 years, nothing new to report that we don't know.

7- Kennedy - Played mainly forward. Hardly got involved. Would have liked to see more from him. He would be disappointed. Far from guaranteed a spot.

9 - Cripps- Looking amazing. Just so used to him doing everything at such a high level. Will come close to a Brownlow if we win enough games.

12- TDK. Came on 4th qtr I think. Grundy did not disgrace him at all. He gets around the ground well and competes hard. Not shy to try to take a screamer. Tried taking a big mark within 5 mintues of coming on...didn't get near it but the intent was there. May get a look in if all of Curnow, McKay and McGovern are no good for round 1.

13- Stocker - Came on once all the senior guys were gone. Didn't notice much of him.

14 - Jones- Solid as a rock as we have come to expect. Will continue on from where he left off last year.

15- SAM ******* DOCHERTY- So goddam happy to see this man back out there. Didn't rack up prolific numbers like we became used to, but its his first game in almost 3 years so that's to be expected.
Does not look hampered by the knee at all. Attacked hard. Tackled hard. Skills looked good. Blind turned an opponent in the 2nd qtr and then hit Levi up. Will take a bit to warm into the year but our skipper is back. Hes leadership in the backline will be invaluable. The cheer when he took his first mark (Kicked to hi by cripps) was bloody heart warming. So happy he got through okay.

16- Lang- He would be dirty on that outing. Fumbled balls. Hit the post from 2m. Just not looking an AFL level footballer. Think young guys are going to fly past him this year. Will want to pull his finger out or he is on borrowed time.

18- Walsh- Picked up where he left off. Hard to believe he is 19. Just a gun.

19- Betts- So good to see him back. Let me tell you, he is far from finished. Still has tricks. Competed really hard. 3rd and 4th efforts to try win the ball and keep it in our forward line. If he doesnt kick at least 40 goals this year I'll eat Andrew Walkers hat.

20- Plow- He knows he doesn't get enough love so he has decided to kick some goals too. Solid as usual. Lock him in.

23- Weitering- Went off apparently but I didn't really notice to be honest as we were playing the game in our front half those first 3 qtrs. Was good whilst he was on though. Going to be a rock in our defence this year.

24 - Newman- Few nice runs and nice kicks. Will be competing hard for a spot.

27- Pittonet- After that showing im not worried if Kruez misses round 1. Competed hard against grundy and was really getting under his skin. Went back and took a huge contested mark deep in our defensive 50. Did his job well. Well done.

28 - Cuningham - Would have liked to see him out there with most of the senior squad. Did as much as he could of with teh guys he had around him. Was lively in the middle and kicked a nice goal. Think he needs to back himself sometimes and use his speed. Im sure Teague will encourage him to do so.

29- Polson- Meh

31- Williamson- Was bloody everywhere. Contested marks. Don't argues. Quick. Skillful. Read the play well. Lock him in. Then lock him in again. If russel keeps this guy fit we have a star in the making. Highlight of my day.

32- Newnes- Competed hard whilst he was out there. Don't know if he is a lock for round 1, but he will certainly play some footy in 2020.

33- Ramsay- Came on late with the rest of the ressies. Not too much to note good or bad

34- Philp- Wow. Surprise packet. Was not on my radar at all before today. Has great agility and speed. Read the play well and picked the right option. Tidy skills too. Did not look out of place at all. Will debut this year for sure. Very impressive first outing.

35- Ed- See Murphys write up. Stock standard Ed. Never gives anything less than 100%

36- Honey - Has mongrel this boy. Was surprised how solid he was up close. Strong legs and looks like a solid core and strong through the shoulders. Just has that hard looking body already. I think we will see this guy debut this year. Seems to have it.

38- Odwyer- Came on late. Don't want to pot him but I didnt see any afl traits. Another development year for the Fin.

40- Gibbons - Was pretty good. Will be in the side.

41- Casboult- The big lug was awesome. If we deliver the ball to him he will kick 50 this year. Was really really good. Credit to him how he just keeps improving and keeping himself in the side. Looking in great shape. The lighter frame is paying off.

43- Setterfield- His looking more like an AFL footballer this year. Will come on in leaps and bounds. Was good today.

Notable players missing - SPS, Kruezer, McKay, McGovern, Martin, Marchbank, Fisher, Charlie.

Hell of alot of talent missing. Competition for spots will be fierce this year.

Can't wait to watch next week.

Footy is back people.

Props for listing everyone by sequential jumper #
#TrackTalk

 

[ferrisb]

Went along today and got to watch the 7 quarters of football... err... not quite quarters... maybe 7 periods.

I thought overall we played really well and dominated the game. It was clear we were playing the Teague brand of football from last year with the Footy spending most of the time in our forward half throughout the game.

Although Collingwood had quite a number of outs, to me they still had their starting midfield line up for almost all 7 periods. This included Grundy, Pendlebury, Sidebottom, Treloar, Adams, Wills and Mayne. The only player really missing from that midfield group was Phillips. Then up forward and down back they still had keys in Cox, Moore and Cameron play whilst Thomas, Hoskey-Elliot, Daicos and the Moores also buzzed around. So not exactly a pushover of a team.

I've seen a few comments around the Pies midfield getting on top but i really didn't see it this way. We dominated the centre clearances and around the ground thought we were on top on the contest. Although collingwood had the ball i thought our pressure was really good and didn't really allow much direct or positive play from them. We pushed them wide and into the pockets to exit their backline and just really held up their play.

I thought Pittonet really contested in the ruck and gave Grundy a tough time. Perhaps couldn't go with him on the lead but equally did the team thing and pushed into the backline and took a couple of marks, funnily enough off some of Grundy's kicks.

Starting lineup for the game and the majority of the first 3 quarters was as follows:

Jones, Plow, Weitering, Simmo, Doc, Willo
Newnes and Walsh on the wings
Pittonet, Cripps, Murph, Setters
Casboult, SOS, Kennedy, Betts, Gibbons, Lang

Then we rotated Ed, Philps, Newman throughout the first 3 with TDK, LOB and Polson joining in on the 3rd.

I think come the 4th we then included Honey, Dow, Cunners and 38 which i think people are saying was Sturgess.

Come the 5th onwards it really became our youngest team with all experienced and senior players out whilst Stocker, Cottrell, Goddard, Owies, Phillips, BSOS, Finbar, Ramsay and then 47, 50 and 42 also getting games. Pretty sure these were Moore, Webb and Cunico. Basically our only senior players still on the park over these quaters were Dow, Kennedy, Cunners and Lang. I think at the start of the 6th our forward line was just bizarre with a collective 6 senior games experience between them and that was Stocker on his own.

The last 3 quarters were a bit of a nothing game given they still had pendles, Brody etc still out playing against our young'ns but pleasingly they didn't blow us out of the water and although they had a lot more possession and massively outsized us, we still competed really well.

Stand out players for me today were Setters, Betts and Casboult.

Didn't play: SPS, Kreuzer, McKay, McGovern, C Curnow, Fisher, Macreadie, Martin, Kemp, Marchbank

Thoughts on individual players...

1. SOS - competed really well, ahead of Kennedy in the pecking order and an important part of our forward setup and structure. Some good overhead marks, involved in a lot of defensive pressure and tackling, brought the ball to ground a few times which will be so much more valuable with betts around now. Had a really solid game and consistent with his end of 2019. Really wish he had an extra yard of speed as he'd be 10 x more dangerous given his intent and reading of the game.

2. DOW - only got a bit of gametime with the 'seniors' but was visibilty one of the better players in the 'ressies'. Clean with his ball use and had a few decent deliveries into 50. Seemed to be more controlled with his kicking and good signs.

3. MURPHY - contributed really well today and played in the guts. Linked up well and had some nice handball. Typical murphy game.

4. LOB - great goal and did well in the seniors. you can see he had a lot more desire today and his running is just so impressive. continued to work hard in the ressies and again worked hard to stand up with lesser likes around him. Had some really good ball use around the outside of the ground and could have had a second goal but did the team thing and centered it although to no-one. Played on ball as a rover in the last few terms i'm guessing to build his tank. Was often LOB, Kennedy and Cunners as the starting square with TDK towards the end of the game.

6. SIMMO - uncharacteristically fumbled a bit the first 2 quarters and a couple of hospital balls to teammates that put them under pressure. Chalking it down to cobwebs and the fact it's a pre-pre-season game with Simmo saving the goodstuff for when it counts.

7. KENNEDY - competed in the air up forward for the first 3 qtrs and worked hard but didn't really have much of an impact. Suprisingly played in the guts for the last few quarters and was one of our better players towards the end of the game.

9. CRIPPS - Lots of clearances, damaging with possession, typical game from Cripps without really getting out of 2nd gear

12. TDK - When he came on he played forward whilst Pittonet was in the ruck. Competed without really creating many clear opportunities for himself but equally didn't really get beaten either. You can see there's some rawness to his game which when moved to the ruck allowed him to be far more involved. Worked really hard to use his body in the ruck and when the ball hit the ground and enjoyed his physicality. I think because of this he got a lot of ball as a midfielder rather than a ruckman in a similar vein to how Kreuz contributes when the ball hits the deck. Thought he was in our best and really stood out and did well up against Grundy and others.

13. STOCKER - really disappointed with stockers game but really blame the coaches as he played full forward in quarters 5 and 6 before being given 10 minutes in the midfield in the last. Took a couple of marks, a couple of kicks although one bad one. Good voice and direction even when not involved but often the furtherest carlton player from the play which was frustrating.

14. JONES - typical Jones game and was dependable and did his job well. probably wasn't really challenged that much but still flew for his marks and punches in Jones fashion.

15. DOCHERTY - really happy he got through 3 quarters and was solid. Fantastic spin out of danger midway through the game. A couple of turn overs but thats to be expected given how much he's been out of the game. Directed the backline, pushed up where he could, was a nice outlet without ever needing to take risky kicks. Actually i must admit we didn't really ever have any overly adventurous play or dangerous moves given how comfortable we looked out there today. A couple of hack kicks early in the game out of a pack that i'd like to see him tidy up but overall a really positive game.

16. LANG - bit of a nothing game from Lang. Got a bit of the ball but nothing overly noticeable and don't think he's in or really near our 22.

18. WALSH - i think i said after the 2nd that i was surprised we hadn't seen more of Walsh. Not that he didn't have the ball in the first 2 but just that he was a link player rather than being on the end or start of chains. Probably more about the fact he played wing and we were keeping the ball locked in the forward half. Definitely became more noticeable with some nice kicks and marks in the 3rd and by the end of the 4th he was one of our best on and highest possession earners. A real workmanlike performance. Can't remember who said it above but on today's showing i'd be expecting slightly improved output on last year rather than a big leap improvement but equally happy to be proven wrong!

19. EDDIE!!! - love that he is back and exciting the fans. Just knows how to get the ball in the forward line and almost everytime the ball hit the ground he was in it pressuring, tackling or an outlet for a shot. Hit 3 of the 4 posts at the club shop end and still ended with a few goals and a handful of assists. For LOBs goal the ball just seemed to go into his hands without him making any effort to bend down and get it, it was like he magnetically attracted the ball to his hand. Have no doubt he will kick around 35-40 goals this year and love how he adds a dimensions we've not had in our team for a while.

20. PLOW - solid, dependable, reliable, typical plow game where he does his job, doesn't ask for the limelight but just contributes consistently. Kicked a goal too!

23. WEITERS - seemed good for the little gametime he had. Played on Cox and didn't let him get a mark.

24. NEWMAN - Had the ball quite a bit but we didn't see the damaging side of his game or even really his long kicking. Still had his typical few turnovers each game however without them hurting us. Did well to get in front of a Pies forward for an interception which looked great only to drop the mark and them kick the goal.

27. PITTONET - was pretty impressed with him. contributed far more in the ruck, around the ground, on the contest than what we've had from Phillips and Lobbe. Not too many hit outs to advantage but still had his share of taps. I thought Grundy was their best player however won his ball around the ground on the lead more than in the ruck.

28. CUNNERS - was really looking forward to seeing him play and disappointed he only really got a quarter with the seniors. Really involved, clearly a class above the rest of the guys, kicked a good goal, had a few clearance and got involved. Was played as a rover when playing and often was lined up against Treloar yet still found lots of the ball so had Wills moved to him.

29. POLSON - played more than i expected and defended his man well and never really made any mistakes. was up against sidebottom a bit and wore him really tight.

31. WILLOW - started the game on fire and you could feel the energy and point of difference he brings to our team. confident in the air, fantastic kick, physical pressure, intensity, game smarts. Really excited by his outing today. Perhaps slowed a bit as the game progressed but will be feeling a million bucks for the run and to me is closer to the back 7 than Newman or Marchbank at this point. May even be ahead of SPS given SPS has missed the last few weeks of training.

32. NEWNES - thought he was involved in quite a lot of play and clearly is favourite for rd 1 wing at this point. No real clangers, no real stand out plays either but you could tell his experience helped and that he fit in really well with the rest of the midfield unit.

33. RAMSAY - i was really impressed with his game. Picked up quite a bit of ball around the backline and kicked well. Clearly is a hard runner as was involved in a few possession chains as he gut ran from oneside of the ground to the other. Kicked a few up and unders forward but to be fair our forward line was full of 18 year olds. Reckon he would be right at home playing with the seniors and an exciting one for the future.

34. PHILP - loved his game today and his speed. A few chases, a few tackles you could really see this is his strength and how he can use it to hurt opposition players both offensively and defensively. A few great tackles, a goal and looked at home playing alongside Murph and Cripps.

35. ED - quietish game where he contributed but didn't have the midfield dominance that he did last year but equally didn't need to. Think Setters is being used a bit more ahead of him today although that may change come round 1.

36. HONEY - you can see his going to be something special as he has a lot of qualities to work with. Fast, has intensity, good tackling pressure and wants the ball. Some good kicks and some bad ones. A good holding the ball where he laid an awesome tackle. His shot on goal looked like he was caught in two minds between shooting and hitting up a teammate hence why his kick was average.

37. BSOS - defended well, don't think he was beaten despite playing on taller opponents.

38. FINBAR - put some pressure on as a half forward but not sure if he got a possession.

39. PHILLIPS - one or two possessions and was in and around the ball given he was playing on a wing but thats it.

40. GIBBONS - first quarter showed to me why his best 22. Really good link player. excellent kicking with low punchy kicks. Did make a few errors in the 2nd and didn't play in the 3rd or onwards so hope he wasn't injured. Kicked a good opportunist goal and unfortunately was on the receiving of some Bolton game plan where the ball was kicked on his head against much taller opponents.

41. CASBOULT - looked pretty unstoppable up forward and took some good marks and was a reliable shot at goal. Easily our number 1 forward right now and probably even when others return. Didn't ruck one notably or go to defence at any point.

43. SETTERS - thought he was everywhere today and clearly playing more on ball today than wing like last year. Involved in almost all positive chains. Took plenty of marks. Lots of tackling. A few clearance. Started most centre bounces. Perhaps had 1 ball centred to him just inside the square directly in front while free and stuffed his kick to Eddie in the pocket but this was the only mistake i can remember for the day in a 25+ possession day. Probably our biggest midfield contributer today.

44. OWIES - applied good pressure up forward and i think he had a mark just before one of the final sirens right on the boundary. Almost took the guy on the marks head off with the kick. Played his part against a much more experienced and taller pies backline.

45. GODDARD - played as basically our only tall and did well enough.

46. COTTRELL - not sure i really remember him doing much... to the point now i'm not sure if he played...?

Anyway, that's basically everything i remember from today. Thanks for reading and please excure the poor grammar and spelling. Too tired / too many beers to care.

#TrackTalk

 

[ferrisb]

Ok. Got there at the end of the first. We were up by 4 goals.

My observations:
NO Mcgovern Kruezer Harry Fish SPS Martin. Collingwood also with plenty out. Our fast game style served us well early vs Collingwoods possession game. Our pressure created numerous turnovers early, with Collingwood getting on top when Grundy Pendlebury Sidebottom treloar were afforded time and space by our youngsters. All in all, a nice hit out for the boys who looked sharp.

Firstly, Pittonet is a brute. He is extremely physical. Roughed up Grundy a few times. Doesn’t get across the ground too badly. Is a beast of a man.

Cripps Walsh curnow Murph Simmo Weiters and Plowman (yes Plowman is in this group) same same. Consummate professionals.

Doc is just a seriously good footballer. Balanced and solid. True leader. Was rusty today and rushed his disposal but will get better each week.

Weitering and Jones. Big and strong. Weitering off after the first quarter. Not sure why. Both look very Confident.

Willo and Newman are pure defenders. Played deep back at times as did Plowman. Both did their chances no harm. Plowman dependable with the odd brain fade. All comfortable with the 1 on 1’s.Newman looks fitter. Has dropped some weight. Plowman a lot leaner and lighter on his feet Sets up well. Is a real organiser down back.
Willo has not lost that booming left foot.

Polson played back. Did some nice things. Attacks the ball and niggles his opponent (Sidebottom). Better backman than forward i would suggest.

Setters didn’t get a heap of it. All class.

LOB still looks tiny. More confident with his kicking. Kicked a rippa from the pocket.

Newnes is a solid citizen. Good size.

JSOS and Kennedy both competed and led up hard. JSOS was better. Kennedy moved on ball in the last quarter when we played all the kids.

Eddie was brilliant early then quiet then rested. Gets to good spots, creating goals if he’s not kicking them and is so dangerous.

Levi was awesome. Looks super fit. Gets to a lot of contests and just clunks then! Had a few Collingwood boys looking over their shoulders. Has a real presence does Levi. For those who don’t have him in their round 1 team....he’s a lock.

Cuningham & Dow played on ball later in the game. Nothing special today. Tough being the main on ballers against pendles Sidebottom treloar etc. with crippa Ed Murph Setters resting.

Honey and TDK also played the last three quarters. TDK is still light. Would have given Grundy 15-20 kg BUT is a competitor and has a huge leap. Won quite a few contests and seemed to also enjoy the physicality. Took some nice marks and flies for everything. No fear! Will be in ccontention for mark of the year one day.

NEWBIES
Really only noticed Philp and Honey who were both involved in a fair bit of play.

Philp played the first four quarters - Nice forward pressure tackle and goal. Showed some real dash and uses the ball well.

Honey. Is quick and strongly built. Hard at it and I liked his repeat efforts and competitiveness. Butchered it a few times.

Special mention to Phillips who admittedly hardly touched it. One bit of play in front of me on the wing. 1 on 2 our way. He really thought his way through it, made a great decision, got the ball back and used a very classy left foot to deliver to a teammate. Has neat skills. Smart.

4th quarter of 6. Doc Weiters Plowman Willo were off and we suddenly looked disorganised - they kick two quick ones. Doc came back on and we settled. In this quarter we played all of our first year players including rookies. Add them to TDK polson Dow and Cuningham and we had a really young team. Willo Levi Murph Doc Weitering Ed & Ed rested. I noted how Dow was explosive away from the contest.

5th & 6th (10 minute quarters) Phillips BSOS Hugh Goddard cottrell and stocker also came on withm Finbar!!! Basically an under 21 side. Pies mostly youngsters but had pendles Grundy treloar Adams Sidebottom still playing. All got a bit messy.

#TrackTalk

 

[ferrisb]

Please, no one spoil the surprise of me quoting his training report by tagging windows1.....

Ok fine, back by popular demand, here’s my training report.....

let’s start with the headline/summary:

THE LiD IS OFF!!!!!!!!!! Get excited FFS!!!!! God almighty what were you people watching today?

pies midfield: Grundy, Sidey, Pendles, Adams, Treloar. To be fair I found it hard to work out how serious they were taking it. But no matter, our guys looked superb.

Guys worth a mention:

- Setters is just a lovely player. Does everything right. Doesn’t fumble. Tackles superbly. Like chase ya down tackler. Smart decisions and good user. Love him.
- Pittonet and TDK actuslly did ok despite Grundy getting 423 free kicks. TDK was REALLY involved. So agile when the ball hits the deck. IS a ruckman. My lord he jumped straight over Grundy at times. Pittonet is a very solid backup and def AFL standard.
- Casboult is going to kick 50 this year. FIFTY. He just is. He’s in career best shape.
- Willo!!!!! Amazing. I thought they’d start him round one in VFl but they are just not going to be able to resist. He’s flying.
- SOs was fantatsic. Good hands. Hit up hard all day. Desperate. Smart decisions.
- Betts was dangerous as always
- Philp showed more than I have seen at training. Nice to see.

But the guy who just brought a tear to the eye today was Doc. He was just sensational. Smart. Fast. Agile. Used it well. Blind turns. Just an AA player again straight away. Took a mark on the wing and the crowd just about gave him a standing ovation.

Cunners and LOB showed plenty in the shortened end to the game. LOB really using his pace.

We would have won by 80 in the real part of the game if we had big forwards other than Cas to kick to. It was a procession in general play.

PS I was disappointed in Sam today. Some of the decision making was bizarre. But I’ll forgive the little s**t. Just don’t do it again.

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[ferrisb]

One more piece of info on the game for those interested:

I believe all of Webb, Cunico, Moore and Sturgess got a run.

Sturgess I'm sort of half guessing there because the other three were definitely out there and there was one other guy I didn't recognise by face or number, so can only assume it's him (played as a tallish defender).

• Webb's disposal looked the cleanest out of the lot.
• Moore showed energy but didn't have a huge impact.
• Sturgess showed promise for a draftee.
• Cunico looked off the pace tonight.

Based off what I saw today, I'd personally be picking one of Webb (ball use puts him above the rest) or Sturgess (because he's an unknown quantity).

Moore kind of reminds me a bit of Cam O'Shea. High intensity with suspect disposal.

Need to see more of Cunico because he wouldn't be putting any pressure on at the selection table based on tonights performance.

#SPPWatch
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[windows1]

Was a light session. Skills and drills and a ten minute match sim- more on that later.

Stocker SPS Martin and Gibbons only forward/back in drills and aim. Cunners mids only drills. Seemingly at least for the start of the season that’s their role.

Kreuxer flying. Wouldn’t surprise to see him play this week.

In the big news of the day: McKay did most of it plus ran some laps half way through. Then engaged in match sim! He was...WAY too fast for Jones. He also towers over him. We just look a massively different outfit with him out there. Stunning impact straight away. Maybe they were right- he could be there round one!

Weiters did intervals and seemed fine. I’d expect him to miss this week and be back next.

SPS back in full training which was great. Marchy did everything and I expect him to play this week.

MCG slight load mgt and didn’t do match sim but seemed ok. Won’t play this week.

Plow did almost nothing. Has been a few weeks now. Maybe played a quarter last week. Hamstring tightness I reckon.

No match Sim:
Murph
Lob (did a lot of drills but then did kicking off to the side and went in?)
Cripps (started then left- Allies ?)
MCG
Kemp
Plow
Weiters
Macreadie
CC

Philp really starting to use pace to take gaps. Wow. I’m starting to become a believer. Cunners just a goal kicking mid. Amaze.

Don’t think I mentioned but they do a LOT of goal kicking practice these days.

Overall the list looks in great health. Like hardly anyone looks like they won’t be avail round one now. CC and Kemp really the only certain outs. McKay actually looks closer than mcg all of a sudden. Well done Russell. Really well done.
Happy to take any questions - jounros there so hardly a closed session.




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[Eiffel 65]

Went to Princes Park to check out the Northern Blues vs Essendon match tonight.

For those interested, reviews of some of our listed players below:

1. Matthew Owies: Thought he was sensational. His defensive pressure was first rate. Felt like whenever he was near the ball he was in the game. For those worried about us missing out on Papley, Owies is making some serious strides to replicate his game. He's looking really likely around goal and snagged a first class goal from reading the play and being front and centre from the contest. Really excited by what Owies can produce. I would really like to see him get a run in the second preseason match because he looks like he's ready to step up to the level. He was clean in the contest and showed his pace.

2. Caleb Marchbank: If someone else saw otherwise, please correct me but Marchbank must have been on limited minutes because he only appeared to play in the first half. In saying that, he looked good. Worked into the game really well. His defensive pressure was great, but most importantly he looked clean with the ball.

3. Fraser Phillips: This guy is all class and can find the goals from anywhere. Doesn't look out of place at all. Along with Stocker, he was probably our most composed player with ball in hand. Was able to show his creative side around goal, but most importantly was relatively consistent across all four quarters. He didn't rack up massive numbers, but he made it count when he had it. Was extremely impressed. Definitely a player to look out for across the course of the season.

4. Liam Stocker: Rotated between deep forward and midfield. He was nailing all his passes with pinpoint precision tonight. His positioning when in the midfield was first class, so much so that his first few possessions were intercept marks! Was really hoping he'd play more midfield time than what he did. Reckon he ended up playing a 50 50 split between forward and midfield. Can't comment much on his forward craft. Most of the time when he was forward, the ball was stationed at the other end of the ground. Played a solid game. Can definitely build off tonight's performance.

5. Josh Honey: Had some moments that would excite the fans. Showcased his electric speed a couple of times either sprinting away to deliver the ball inside 50 or running in to have a shot on goal. His finishing was off tonight. Should have had at least two goals, but in saying that, he did a lot right. Showed intent with his defensive pressure and looked dangerous near goal. There's a lot to like about Honey.

6. Sam Ramsay: Spent a fair bit of time in the midfield. Had a solid hitout. The one thing he did well was run from contest to contest to provide options for his teammates. Was clean with ball in hand and his decision making was pretty good tonight. Really like what he's producing. Really threw his body around in the contest when he had a chance. One thing to note is that I believe he went off limping in the last quarter. Didn't see the incident so can't make any further comments. Maybe one of our trusty ITK posters could fill us in



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