Training 2021/22 Preseason Thread Lessssf*ngo

Horne & Hore.. a coaches nightmare..

Coach: “nice tackle Horey!..
Ass Coach: “ahhh that was Horney Nobes..”
Coach: “yeah thats what I said, Horney..”
Ass Coach: “nah you said Horey Nobes..”
Coach: “no, im dead certain I said, Horey..”
Ass Coach: “there you go again boss..”
Coach: “NICE TACKLE JASON!!!!..”
Why do we have an arse coach?
 
Aug 16, 2009
10,261
20,872
North Caulfield
AFL Club
North Melbourne
Went down to training for the first time in about two years today, it was just great to be back watching the boys have a run. I got there quite late, probably 11:15 or so but still got to see a fair bit. With so many on the track, there was a lot going on and didn't get to focus on too many players for an extended period so thought I would just list each player below and note what I briefly saw of each:

Mahoney - Continuing to develop his body after several preseasons now. Was unassuming but clean with the ball which I think will be his trademark throughout his career.
Stephenson - Was moving freely and is just a finisher in and around goals, kicked a few like it was nothing streaming into fwd 50 in one of the drills.
Corr - Without knowing much about him, for some reason to me he gives off vibes that he is a leader and will be a general down back for us (much like how Taz was). Has nice movement and disposal for a key defender, and in one of the drills was delivering nicely weighted passes into fwd 50 (albeit to an unmanned teammate).
Taylor - Curtis must really be looking to cement a wing/half fwd role this year and I think he will leave no stone unturned trying to get there. Is one that appears to train at a high intensity. When I see him running hard down a wing and delivering perfectly to one of our forwards, and then in another drill seeing him mark, line up for a set shot 40m out on a 45 degree angle and split the middle, I can't help but think he is so talented and versatile that he has to make it. Question is, where do the coaches rate him on the wing/half fwd pecking order?
JHF - My first live sighting of Jason and me oh my, this kid is a beast! Powerful is the word that comes to mind for me when you combine his already solid frame with that burst of speed and agility. On today's session I would rate his kicking as serviceable. There were a couple of times where he kicked 5-10m over a leading forwards' head, and then other times where his kicking was either a good low dart or just did the job. There was one bit of play where he gathered onto a loose ball, sidestepped an opposing player with ease and very quickly sent a dinky right foot kick which was looped perfectly for the forward to run onto. I think he had a few plays in his highlights video where he did exactly this and was very quick to get the ball to boot and to advantage to a forward. I think this will be a feature of his play in the future along with the bursts out of the middle and goals from 50. Honestly, once his body matures and he is at the peak of his powers it will almost be unfair trying to take him down.
Ziebell - Was vocal and seemed to look quite fit which is good signs for the cap, should be set to play an important role again down back next season.
Scott - Is building and still developing his craft similar to how a Mahoney or Taylor is currently. I would rank Taylor slightly ahead of Scott at this stage given they are sort of vying for similar spots but certainly can't fault his endeavour and wouldn't be surprised if he consistently improves again this year.
LDU - Honestly did not see much of LDU at all, could have been a part of the group that trained on the other side of the ground from where I was. At one point however, he was running 400s with Paul Curtis and they were both having a chat so didn't appear to be blowing too hard.
LMac - Again, did not see much of LMac but did hit a few nice fwd entries in one of the drills. Had a nice moment with Fordy and a young fan as the session was winding down which I'll elaborate on later.
Simpkin - Reeks of leadership and captain material, just by the way he trains and his interactions with the playing group. Was always ahead/leading the group on to the next drill/station, was loud and encouraging, ran hard during drills and appears to train the way he plays. Has lovely skills as well, and I hope Jy will find a way to show this off more next season. Left today's training session thinking we are lucky to have him on our side both just as a player and as a mentor for the next up and coming group.
Polec - Definitely in the mix for that wing spot. Although he fluffed some kicks that fell short of the player he was kicking to, we know how lethal that left boot can be and his running patterns allow him to just accumulate. Will be interesting to see how the remainder of his time at North plays out.
Atu - Clean, fast, agile and solidly built, Atu showed good defensive awareness as well spoiling some kicks in the 2v3 drill (2 defenders trying to cover 3 opponents in a defined space). Could be fighting with Kayno for that small defender spot? Not sure if both can fit in the same team.
Bonar - May have been because I was late but did not see Bon at all.
Young - Moved well during the drills, floated/overshot a few kicks. Unfortunately for Lachie, I just do not see how much further he can improve on from the player he is now already. Apologies if that sounds harsh and of course, hope he proves me wrong but cannot see him being any more than a back up once others start to come on.
Greenwood - Didn't realise who he was for a fair while until I remembered oh that's right, we also got "Hughie" during the offseason! Big solid unit, has a bit of a hunched posture, and not as quick or agile as I thought (although not everyone in our team has to be like Jy/Sleevo/Spicer). Didn't get to see much of his inside work unfortunately, but excited for what he can bring to our midfield, especially defensively and as cover for our younger mids. Also doesn't have the smoothest kick on him, but it was effective pretty much every time I saw him dispose of the ball by foot whether it be kicking for goal or passing it to a leading forward.
J. Walker - Will be interesting to see what Nobes does with Josh now that Corr is back. Was fine today with everything he did, but I think Corr has him covered defensively and I honestly think we have better, more dangerous options when it comes to setting up our ball movement from defence.
Larkey - Didn't stand out but that's not to say he isn't travelling well, there were just so many players to keep an eye on that I didn't pay as much attention to Souv as I did others. Did get a little bake (could have been in jest) from Jy for not being on the same page and leading to the wrong spot to where Jy had inteded to kick it to.
Goldy - Still looks in good nick, easing into the preseason for the big fella.
McKay - Covers the ground really well for his size and some of his kicking was very very good. Hopefully Ben can maintain his ability to shutdown opponents whilst also making himself more dangerous by foot next season. He has the talent to.
Powell - Wow, I'm very impressed with this kid. Is such a smooth mover, and I couldn't pick it from his draft highlights video but he is such an effective kick. And we all know what he can do with the handball as well. Similar to Polec, just seems to know where to be, is able to find space and doesn't waste a disposal. My impression of his personality whenever I see videos from the club or on social media is that he is laid back and very easy-going. But after pretty much 95% of the players, coaches, trainers had gone inside to close out the session, guess who was still out there for an extra 10-15 minutes taking set shots at goal? This guy. And from 35-40m out on all sorts of angles on a blustery day, he barely missed any either. Oh and the arms look noticeably bigger as well. Excited to have him back for the season ahead.
Curtis - Good size (didn't look skinny or out of place when running alongside LDU for example), and does have that x-factor about him. Gathered a loose ball, stepped through a fair bit of traffic and delivered a nice left foot pass to a player out of congestion which earned some praise from the players and coaches leading the drill. Was one of the few remaining players out taking shots at goal when most of the squad had finished up and gone inside. Tick.
Thomas - Did see him a couple of times during the drills and was smooth as always. The other 98% of the time he must have either been on the other side of the ground or I was focussed on another player. Great to see him out there with the main squad though!
Turner - Looked like a mature player out there today, was composed and delivered a few nice passes. I think the move back has really sat well with him, here's hoping he builds again next year.
Phillips - Ball of muscle. His second year and he looks like he's been in the system double that. Is just super efficient in everything he does. Covers the ground well, and like Powell, it is rare to see him waste a disposal. Will be an important part of our engine room in the coming years.
Comben - You can just tell the coaches and playing group think very highly of him. Has beefed up again, yet is so quick off the mark. Clunked a nice mark in the 2v3 drill that I think as Jasemon pointed out, earned some applause from the playing group and some of the on-lookers. May have been Blakey who then yelled 'marked outside of the playing zone' :D Chom then followed that mark with another quick lead and mark in the next play. What a bonus it would be if he could get an extended run at it next year. Is so dangerous and a beautiful kick too.
Coleman-Jones - Wow, very happy we managed to snare him from the tiges. Massive when compared to Larkey/Comben, but moves really really (surprisingly) well for his size. Seems to play with a high intensity as well and is a decent distributor and shot on goal from what I saw today. Excited to see what he can do and what his best position actually is.
Goater - I actually didn't pick up on him until I think really late, and then again I wasn't sure if it was him or not as I was looking out for long flowing locks and I believe he had a cap on. Apologies, not much to report on the goat today.
Edwards - Still very slight, and not sure if he has the body type that actually fills out. I just think De Koning whenever I see him, he moves well and also has a very nice kick on him. Will probably build in the vfl for the next season or two.
P. Walker - Has put on some size but didn't really see him in action, was with Perez and Hore from what I could tell.
Archer - We may have a player here! As mentioned earlier, doesn't look like a first year in terms of size, and everything I saw from Jackson today you couldn't fault. Had a nice moment where he was the forward leading up to a ball being delivered to him which had some heat on it, he ran at full tilt, jumped and with arms out fully extended, I would say clunked but it was more like he gloved the ball as sweetly as you could imagine. Very soft hands.
Bergman - Tall, skinny, but I think the potential is there. Got on the end of some chains and showed some nice kicking but still early days.
Lazzaro - The only negative (if you can even call it a negative) with lizard is his height. Everything else about him is at least above average. His speed, kicking, cleanliness are his standout attributes. Couple that with his positive aura and attitude, you almost can't help but barrack for him personally to make it. I hope he can somehow find a way to cement a spot in the team in the coming seasons.
Spicer - Noticeably bigger, he looked good from what I saw today and didn't see too many loose kicks either. Still probably the only small forward on our list with genuine electric speed, if he can come on it would just be another piece of the puzzle solved. At one stage some of the players went off into their little groups. Phoenix was kick-to-kicking with JHF and then they took some shots at goal together. Can't underestimate what it might mean to players to have a few familiar faces around especially when moving interstate by yourself. I'm glad both have each other to lean on.
Xerri - Is looking good and even with the signing of CCJ, Xerri appears to have taken it upon himself to continue to improve which is a good sign. In the 2v3 drill, where two players took turns kicking to a 3v2, Xerri was able to spot up teammates well with some short sharp passes. He does appear to have some decent skills when he gets time to use it.
Perez - Was doing some 1v1 work with Marty Hore from what I could see. Big shoulders, and decent speed when pushing off Hore at times. If he gets a clear run at it we may have our Ziebell replacement?
Hore - As above, was doing 1v1 work with Flynn and looked to be a very similar height and size to Flynn. Has a nice left boot. Don't know much else about him other than he is dual sided and was mature aged when recruited by the Dees.
Ford - Didn't get to focus too much on Fordy, but what I did see was much of what we already know. A good mover and shows that bit of speed/x-factor in his play. Hope he has a big year ahead.
McGuinness - Unfortunately another who I didn't get to see much of, still a bit skinny but has grown again according to some posters? Hopefully gets a few games to show his worth.
Hall - Same old with Hally. Plenty of drive, dash and speed as the outside receiver, but the delivery into fwd 50 was a bit hit and miss. Provides a lot of voice and encouragement out there though which is probably extra important for our group considering the age demographic.
Zurhaar - Yep, I think Zooharr is ready to explode. I just get the sense that this year really solidified for him in his mind that he is a bona-fide player, it's given him that confidence, and that swagger back. And if he puts in the hard work (which it appears he has and is doing) there is no telling what his ceiling is. He's always had that toughness and aggression in his game, but I think now he is going to consistently show just how skilful he can be. Today he was probably going at 60% and yet was sizzling passes to forwards and dobbing goals on the run from 50. Looks fit and if he can get up the ground or find the ball a bit more, he is going to be a damaging player.

Just a few other sidenotes:

  • Fordy and LMac found the time towards the end of the session to have a chat with a young north fan (decked out in his guernsey) who was collecting the balls that flew over the net from players taking shots at goal. Both gave him a little fist bump and I just thought that was a nice touch from both of them.

  • Simpkin appears to be taking JHF under his wing (he's probably got a few now wanting to learn off him). There were a handful of players who stayed out after the main session when the rest of the players had gone in. Powell, Spicer and Paul Curtis were the three partaking in some extra goalkicking practice, while Simpkin, JHF and Phillips were on the wing. Phoenix took all of his shots from the right forward flank/pocket, and nailed most of them from what I could see. Curtis likewise until the end where he missed a few across the face. I also don't know if he was getting tired or if it was the wind, but Curtis's kicks were getting less distance and he kept his shots at goal quite low with not much of an arc to them in comparison to Powell/Spicer.

  • Phillips was working on something with one of the coaches, whilst Simpkin and JHF were doing a kick to kick. They started about 5m apart from each other and slowly stepped further apart, continuing to kick to one another until they got to about 25m apart. Each kick were low bullet passes on their preferred foot. I don't think Simpkin missed a pass, while JHF only missed one, but still pretty good considering these were low, bullet grass cutters that never got above chest height. As JHF and Jy got further apart, Will had finished what he was doing with one of the coaches and wandered over to them, standing next to Jy. I couldn't help but think Will was probably getting a little jealous of JHF haha but he definitely looked eager to join in on the kick to kick.

That's all I can remember, apologies if some of what I've written has already been reported! Hopefully I can get out to another session soon, I loved being out there and seeing what we have built over the years (list wise as well as Arden St itself) again in person. Very exciting times ahead!
Outstanding report rooboy335 ….thanks for sharing.
 

rooboy335

All Australian
Dec 15, 2005
865
2,276
Melbourne, Victoria
AFL Club
North Melbourne
Outstanding report rooboy335 ….thanks for sharing.
rooboy335 Bro if you make these training reports any more comprehensive, you’ll have to set up a Patreon account

:) No worries LB, I'm usually dying for any footy/training updates during this time of year and feed off any reports from all the posters on here, so happy to contribute when I can.

Oh and MP, if I spent any more time on the training reports instead of doing my actual work I'd probably have to create a Patreon :D
 

Shinboner1

Norm Smith Medallist
Aug 13, 2020
8,899
16,805
AFL Club
North Melbourne
As someone who lives interstate, I'd be keen on some photos on the people NMFC Media won't showcase... eg. Polec.
He looked like he came into shape today.
All credit to him, never saw him at any of the other training sessions.
 
Went down to training for the first time in about two years today, it was just great to be back watching the boys have a run. I got there quite late, probably 11:15 or so but still got to see a fair bit. With so many on the track, there was a lot going on and didn't get to focus on too many players for an extended period so thought I would just list each player below and note what I briefly saw of each:

Mahoney - Continuing to develop his body after several preseasons now. Was unassuming but clean with the ball which I think will be his trademark throughout his career.
Stephenson - Was moving freely and is just a finisher in and around goals, kicked a few like it was nothing streaming into fwd 50 in one of the drills.
Corr - Without knowing much about him, for some reason to me he gives off vibes that he is a leader and will be a general down back for us (much like how Taz was). Has nice movement and disposal for a key defender, and in one of the drills was delivering nicely weighted passes into fwd 50 (albeit to an unmanned teammate).
Taylor - Curtis must really be looking to cement a wing/half fwd role this year and I think he will leave no stone unturned trying to get there. Is one that appears to train at a high intensity. When I see him running hard down a wing and delivering perfectly to one of our forwards, and then in another drill seeing him mark, line up for a set shot 40m out on a 45 degree angle and split the middle, I can't help but think he is so talented and versatile that he has to make it. Question is, where do the coaches rate him on the wing/half fwd pecking order?
JHF - My first live sighting of Jason and me oh my, this kid is a beast! Powerful is the word that comes to mind for me when you combine his already solid frame with that burst of speed and agility. On today's session I would rate his kicking as serviceable. There were a couple of times where he kicked 5-10m over a leading forwards' head, and then other times where his kicking was either a good low dart or just did the job. There was one bit of play where he gathered onto a loose ball, sidestepped an opposing player with ease and very quickly sent a dinky right foot kick which was looped perfectly for the forward to run onto. I think he had a few plays in his highlights video where he did exactly this and was very quick to get the ball to boot and to advantage to a forward. I think this will be a feature of his play in the future along with the bursts out of the middle and goals from 50. Honestly, once his body matures and he is at the peak of his powers it will almost be unfair trying to take him down.
Ziebell - Was vocal and seemed to look quite fit which is good signs for the cap, should be set to play an important role again down back next season.
Scott - Is building and still developing his craft similar to how a Mahoney or Taylor is currently. I would rank Taylor slightly ahead of Scott at this stage given they are sort of vying for similar spots but certainly can't fault his endeavour and wouldn't be surprised if he consistently improves again this year.
LDU - Honestly did not see much of LDU at all, could have been a part of the group that trained on the other side of the ground from where I was. At one point however, he was running 400s with Paul Curtis and they were both having a chat so didn't appear to be blowing too hard.
LMac - Again, did not see much of LMac but did hit a few nice fwd entries in one of the drills. Had a nice moment with Fordy and a young fan as the session was winding down which I'll elaborate on later.
Simpkin - Reeks of leadership and captain material, just by the way he trains and his interactions with the playing group. Was always ahead/leading the group on to the next drill/station, was loud and encouraging, ran hard during drills and appears to train the way he plays. Has lovely skills as well, and I hope Jy will find a way to show this off more next season. Left today's training session thinking we are lucky to have him on our side both just as a player and as a mentor for the next up and coming group.
Polec - Definitely in the mix for that wing spot. Although he fluffed some kicks that fell short of the player he was kicking to, we know how lethal that left boot can be and his running patterns allow him to just accumulate. Will be interesting to see how the remainder of his time at North plays out.
Atu - Clean, fast, agile and solidly built, Atu showed good defensive awareness as well spoiling some kicks in the 2v3 drill (2 defenders trying to cover 3 opponents in a defined space). Could be fighting with Kayno for that small defender spot? Not sure if both can fit in the same team.
Bonar - May have been because I was late but did not see Bon at all.
Young - Moved well during the drills, floated/overshot a few kicks. Unfortunately for Lachie, I just do not see how much further he can improve on from the player he is now already. Apologies if that sounds harsh and of course, hope he proves me wrong but cannot see him being any more than a back up once others start to come on.
Greenwood - Didn't realise who he was for a fair while until I remembered oh that's right, we also got "Hughie" during the offseason! Big solid unit, has a bit of a hunched posture, and not as quick or agile as I thought (although not everyone in our team has to be like Jy/Sleevo/Spicer). Didn't get to see much of his inside work unfortunately, but excited for what he can bring to our midfield, especially defensively and as cover for our younger mids. Also doesn't have the smoothest kick on him, but it was effective pretty much every time I saw him dispose of the ball by foot whether it be kicking for goal or passing it to a leading forward.
J. Walker - Will be interesting to see what Nobes does with Josh now that Corr is back. Was fine today with everything he did, but I think Corr has him covered defensively and I honestly think we have better, more dangerous options when it comes to setting up our ball movement from defence.
Larkey - Didn't stand out but that's not to say he isn't travelling well, there were just so many players to keep an eye on that I didn't pay as much attention to Souv as I did others. Did get a little bake (could have been in jest) from Jy for not being on the same page and leading to the wrong spot to where Jy had inteded to kick it to.
Goldy - Still looks in good nick, easing into the preseason for the big fella.
McKay - Covers the ground really well for his size and some of his kicking was very very good. Hopefully Ben can maintain his ability to shutdown opponents whilst also making himself more dangerous by foot next season. He has the talent to.
Powell - Wow, I'm very impressed with this kid. Is such a smooth mover, and I couldn't pick it from his draft highlights video but he is such an effective kick. And we all know what he can do with the handball as well. Similar to Polec, just seems to know where to be, is able to find space and doesn't waste a disposal. My impression of his personality whenever I see videos from the club or on social media is that he is laid back and very easy-going. But after pretty much 95% of the players, coaches, trainers had gone inside to close out the session, guess who was still out there for an extra 10-15 minutes taking set shots at goal? This guy. And from 35-40m out on all sorts of angles on a blustery day, he barely missed any either. Oh and the arms look noticeably bigger as well. Excited to have him back for the season ahead.
Curtis - Good size (didn't look skinny or out of place when running alongside LDU for example), and does have that x-factor about him. Gathered a loose ball, stepped through a fair bit of traffic and delivered a nice left foot pass to a player out of congestion which earned some praise from the players and coaches leading the drill. Was one of the few remaining players out taking shots at goal when most of the squad had finished up and gone inside. Tick.
Thomas - Did see him a couple of times during the drills and was smooth as always. The other 98% of the time he must have either been on the other side of the ground or I was focussed on another player. Great to see him out there with the main squad though!
Turner - Looked like a mature player out there today, was composed and delivered a few nice passes. I think the move back has really sat well with him, here's hoping he builds again next year.
Phillips - Ball of muscle. His second year and he looks like he's been in the system double that. Is just super efficient in everything he does. Covers the ground well, and like Powell, it is rare to see him waste a disposal. Will be an important part of our engine room in the coming years.
Comben - You can just tell the coaches and playing group think very highly of him. Has beefed up again, yet is so quick off the mark. Clunked a nice mark in the 2v3 drill that I think as Jasemon pointed out, earned some applause from the playing group and some of the on-lookers. May have been Blakey who then yelled 'marked outside of the playing zone' :D Chom then followed that mark with another quick lead and mark in the next play. What a bonus it would be if he could get an extended run at it next year. Is so dangerous and a beautiful kick too.
Coleman-Jones - Wow, very happy we managed to snare him from the tiges. Massive when compared to Larkey/Comben, but moves really really (surprisingly) well for his size. Seems to play with a high intensity as well and is a decent distributor and shot on goal from what I saw today. Excited to see what he can do and what his best position actually is.
Goater - I actually didn't pick up on him until I think really late, and then again I wasn't sure if it was him or not as I was looking out for long flowing locks and I believe he had a cap on. Apologies, not much to report on the goat today.
Edwards - Still very slight, and not sure if he has the body type that actually fills out. I just think De Koning whenever I see him, he moves well and also has a very nice kick on him. Will probably build in the vfl for the next season or two.
P. Walker - Has put on some size but didn't really see him in action, was with Perez and Hore from what I could tell.
Archer - We may have a player here! As mentioned earlier, doesn't look like a first year in terms of size, and everything I saw from Jackson today you couldn't fault. Had a nice moment where he was the forward leading up to a ball being delivered to him which had some heat on it, he ran at full tilt, jumped and with arms out fully extended, I would say clunked but it was more like he gloved the ball as sweetly as you could imagine. Very soft hands.
Bergman - Tall, skinny, but I think the potential is there. Got on the end of some chains and showed some nice kicking but still early days.
Lazzaro - The only negative (if you can even call it a negative) with lizard is his height. Everything else about him is at least above average. His speed, kicking, cleanliness are his standout attributes. Couple that with his positive aura and attitude, you almost can't help but barrack for him personally to make it. I hope he can somehow find a way to cement a spot in the team in the coming seasons.
Spicer - Noticeably bigger, he looked good from what I saw today and didn't see too many loose kicks either. Still probably the only small forward on our list with genuine electric speed, if he can come on it would just be another piece of the puzzle solved. At one stage some of the players went off into their little groups. Phoenix was kick-to-kicking with JHF and then they took some shots at goal together. Can't underestimate what it might mean to players to have a few familiar faces around especially when moving interstate by yourself. I'm glad both have each other to lean on.
Xerri - Is looking good and even with the signing of CCJ, Xerri appears to have taken it upon himself to continue to improve which is a good sign. In the 2v3 drill, where two players took turns kicking to a 3v2, Xerri was able to spot up teammates well with some short sharp passes. He does appear to have some decent skills when he gets time to use it.
Perez - Was doing some 1v1 work with Marty Hore from what I could see. Big shoulders, and decent speed when pushing off Hore at times. If he gets a clear run at it we may have our Ziebell replacement?
Hore - As above, was doing 1v1 work with Flynn and looked to be a very similar height and size to Flynn. Has a nice left boot. Don't know much else about him other than he is dual sided and was mature aged when recruited by the Dees.
Ford - Didn't get to focus too much on Fordy, but what I did see was much of what we already know. A good mover and shows that bit of speed/x-factor in his play. Hope he has a big year ahead.
McGuinness - Unfortunately another who I didn't get to see much of, still a bit skinny but has grown again according to some posters? Hopefully gets a few games to show his worth.
Hall - Same old with Hally. Plenty of drive, dash and speed as the outside receiver, but the delivery into fwd 50 was a bit hit and miss. Provides a lot of voice and encouragement out there though which is probably extra important for our group considering the age demographic.
Zurhaar - Yep, I think Zooharr is ready to explode. I just get the sense that this year really solidified for him in his mind that he is a bona-fide player, it's given him that confidence, and that swagger back. And if he puts in the hard work (which it appears he has and is doing) there is no telling what his ceiling is. He's always had that toughness and aggression in his game, but I think now he is going to consistently show just how skilful he can be. Today he was probably going at 60% and yet was sizzling passes to forwards and dobbing goals on the run from 50. Looks fit and if he can get up the ground or find the ball a bit more, he is going to be a damaging player.

Just a few other sidenotes:

  • Fordy and LMac found the time towards the end of the session to have a chat with a young north fan (decked out in his guernsey) who was collecting the balls that flew over the net from players taking shots at goal. Both gave him a little fist bump and I just thought that was a nice touch from both of them.

  • Simpkin appears to be taking JHF under his wing (he's probably got a few now wanting to learn off him). There were a handful of players who stayed out after the main session when the rest of the players had gone in. Powell, Spicer and Paul Curtis were the three partaking in some extra goalkicking practice, while Simpkin, JHF and Phillips were on the wing. Phoenix took all of his shots from the right forward flank/pocket, and nailed most of them from what I could see. Curtis likewise until the end where he missed a few across the face. I also don't know if he was getting tired or if it was the wind, but Curtis's kicks were getting less distance and he kept his shots at goal quite low with not much of an arc to them in comparison to Powell/Spicer.

  • Phillips was working on something with one of the coaches, whilst Simpkin and JHF were doing a kick to kick. They started about 5m apart from each other and slowly stepped further apart, continuing to kick to one another until they got to about 25m apart. Each kick were low bullet passes on their preferred foot. I don't think Simpkin missed a pass, while JHF only missed one, but still pretty good considering these were low, bullet grass cutters that never got above chest height. As JHF and Jy got further apart, Will had finished what he was doing with one of the coaches and wandered over to them, standing next to Jy. I couldn't help but think Will was probably getting a little jealous of JHF haha but he definitely looked eager to join in on the kick to kick.

That's all I can remember, apologies if some of what I've written has already been reported! Hopefully I can get out to another session soon, I loved being out there and seeing what we have built over the years (list wise as well as Arden St itself) again in person. Very exciting times ahead!
A little more detail please, when you have time.
 

MaccaRoo

All Australian
Dec 16, 2008
854
1,831
Ardeer
AFL Club
North Melbourne
All quiet at the moment....

20211207_101948.jpg
 
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