Training 2021 Pre-Season

[Saint_Dos]

Yes attended training today....Roberton is in good head space , as much that it is disappointing from
playing perspective was assisting in training drills , pretty clear direction in coaching future .


Observations.


Sinclair in fantastic shape Very impressed might suprise a few supporters.

Billings really starting to develop his body done a lot of work over summer .

Battle in awesome shape , building to be something special.

Webster & Ross in significantly better shape this year , going to be lots of pressure for spots.

Really impressed with Frawley & Ryder .....Paddy in fantastic shape better than even last year.
and Chip could suprise a few because he ain’t making up the numbers the way he appears definitely
in great shape.
Hannebery in better shape also lost a few Kgs, very happy with Bytel & Byrnes

Boys trained for 2 hours today ....main focus was handball drills & kicking the footy.



Of the new boys Highmore impressive with his marking & courage ...Allison nice mover can see
the attraction of his size & mobility.

Interesting about Frawley.
How is Carlisle looking? Moving freely again?
Or could we be looking at a Chip & Doug backline

 

[Diehard Saint]

Love all these reports from training, thank you all.
Bring.On.The.Season!

 

[Stewart66]

Interesting about Frawley.
How is Carlisle looking? Moving freely again?
Or could we be looking at a Chip & Doug backline

As said lots of competition for spots ...Jake no guarantee ...been quite taken by Frawley .
Thought he was done last year , got hunger back .

 

[aussierulesrules]

For a team that finished 5th, we have so much potential scope for improvement.

-Addition of Crouch

-Potentially a relatively full season out of Hanners (basically a gun new recruit if so!)

-Addition of Higgins

-Return of Gresh

-Added depth of Frawley and McKernan, to make us better able to cover for injuries in those positions

-Another preseason into the young group of King, Clark, Coffield, Battle, Paton, Long, Bytel and even Wilkie. A third of our team.

-Hopefully a full season of the Ryder/Roma combo this time

- All of Hill, Seb, Billings, Carlisle and Membrey performed well below their best last year, and we'll be a FAR better team if they return to form as a group.

Obviously plenty can go the other way as well, and we have a brutal draw, but there's a lot of reasons to be excited/optimistic!

 

[Joffaboy]

Interesting about Frawley.
How is Carlisle looking? Moving freely again?
Or could we be looking at a Chip & Doug backline

Watched him closely last week. Was moving well and wasn't bending like an 80 year old. Looked ok below his knees.

Doing a lot of talking, addressing the group.

 

[Geary Is GOAT]

Watched him closely last week. Was moving well and wasn't bending like an 80 year old. Looked ok below his knees.

Doing a lot of talking, addressing the group.

Christ that's not even hyperbole. That footage of him hobbling down the race at the 2019 jumper presentation was horrific. He could hardly walk

On Pixel 2 using BigFooty.com mobile app

 

[lewdogs]

When you consider how the Ryder/Marshall combo clicked and improved over 2020, if Ryder is in great shape, and adding Crouch and Hannebery to the midfield group, that's the improvement we need to make finals and even go top four.

Those three guys aren't even ability question marks. If they're out there and fit we will be better, no doubt about it.

It's obviously early days, but it's extremely exciting. It pushes our midfield up into the elite category.

 

[Squirtles]

I know most don’t rate him but Sincs is looking like a new player if he has a break out season this year we are going to be hard to beat with all this depth

 

[Jade Buddha]

When developing young talant in any sporting field, organizations look at the trajectory of improvement and try to maintain it on the up as much as possible.

Simply put; if you leave highly talented kids in a lower grade environment for too long, you stifle their progression.
Just look at GWS to see the exodus of kids looking for opportunity before it passes them by.

We're doing ok with our development situation now, but it's some posters here that just can't understand that player development is a nuanced and professionally managed field, and cling to the old school mentality of "make him earn it" in the 2's, (or same) "no gifting games just because they're young" blah blah blah.

That approach is fine for matured players who are competing for a spot, but it's simply untrue within the context of the modern professional AFL system, and has been for long time.

Eventually, everyone runs out of credits and must perform, and if you're of average ability or come from a different pathway then you may need to produce before you get an opportunity.

In our case of a choice between Byrnes/Bytel/Dunstan, some people seem to believe that Dunstan is an automatic default selection, not because Dunny actually is, but because they are stuck in that singular mentality year after year after year.

As a perfect example we need only look to our boy Coffield to see this mentality at work.

Under Richo, Coff was stifled then lost his confidence, and for all money ended up looking like a spud.
Had Richo endured, we'd likely now be arguing over weather or not to delist the boy.

Under Ratts, Coff was encouraged to play with freedom, and gifted games to allow him the time and space to discover himself as an AFL footballer.
The outcome of that was there for all to see, but yet some are still unable to see it.

Imagine where we'd be as a whole if Ratts had stuck with Savage, Geary, Webster, Robbo all last season, while Paton, Coff, Clark and Long were stuck playing bullsh1t scratch matches, unable to develop or show form.

I'd ask those who still stick to the "make him earn it" mentality, which of those two scenarios they'd prefer now with the benefit of hindsight available.


Dunny has reached an age where we essentially know what we'll get and plateaued at the borderline for an AFL footballer.
Let's call him a 5 out of 10, maximum of 6 if he has an unusual spike in growth.

Bytel would be projected to be an 8+ out of 10, though has only hit a 4 to date.

Q. Who do you play now with Hanners being rested for a few weeks?

A. You play Bytel, unless there is a clear imperative like making the 8 on the line, where Dunny's reliability becomes the deciding factor.

I can't really make my point any more ways than l already have.
I've used words like scope, improvement, investment, development, trajectory, nuanced and so on.

The limiting factor here isn't the abilities of the players in question, but rather the abilities of the posters in question.

The only thing left now is abuse and condescension.

Look there is a degree of irrational posting based on a fan’s fav player/players and the above is correct with the caveat that no system is perfect. There are 18 clubs that employ professional systems and for all that still often get it wrong but yes investment in your young players is critical.
It’s a balancing act and I agree that Bytel has way more upside than Dunny but like you’ve put in the above it will depend on timing, form and a number of other variables.
Hopefully we all avoid abuse - it ain’t pretty.

 

[JG22]

I know most don’t rate him but Sincs is looking like a new player if he has a break out season this year we are going to be hard to beat with all this depth

Really don't see a spot for him but we'll see come round one.

 

[aussierulesrules]

Really don't see a spot for him but we'll see come round one.

Probably fighting for the 22nd spot with Higgins.

We're in a pretty good place if one of those is missing out.

 

[CursingFijian]

Probably fighting for the 22nd spot with Higgins.

We're in a pretty good place if one of those is missing out.

I think Sincs plays round 1. It’s Round 3 that will be crunch time.

 

[tomjoad]

For a team that finished 5th, we have so much potential scope for improvement.

-Addition of Crouch

-Potentially a relatively full season out of Hanners (basically a gun new recruit if so!)

-Addition of Higgins

-Return of Gresh

-Added depth of Frawley and McKernan, to make us better able to cover for injuries in those positions

-Another preseason into the young group of King, Clark, Coffield, Battle, Paton, Long, Bytel and even Wilkie. A third of our team.

-Hopefully a full season of the Ryder/Roma combo this time

- All of Hill, Seb, Billings, Carlisle and Membrey performed well below their best last year, and we'll be a FAR better team if they return to form as a group.

Obviously plenty can go the other way as well, and we have a brutal draw, but there's a lot of reasons to be excited/optimistic!

I thought Carlisle did okay last year to be honest, he certainly made the team better when he was on the park. Agree with the rest of the boys you mentioned. I think Membrey will go up a couple of gears this season, he was unusually subdued last year...even if he was playing a slightly different role. Seb seemed to go better towards the end of last season...reckon he'll carry that form forward. Billings a bit similar, he will want to put his best foot forward being a free agent & I think out of contract (?) so expect a few big moments from him too.
Hill...well, he can't be any more of a let down than last year. Now that the hype is gone, he may be able to reach his old heights on a fast deck at Marvel with longer quarters.
We have reason to feel optimistic.

 

[CaptainRisky]

I know most don’t rate him but Sincs is looking like a new player if he has a break out season this year we are going to be hard to beat with all this depth

Your right , i dont

 

[gringo2011]

Your right , i dont

I thought he had a very good season. He's still too low in hs possession count to be an instant best 22 but his skill set is very good, his hands below his knees would be the best at the club, kicking, hand balling and vision are all good, can kick a goal when needed and defends well. To me he's the perfect fringe player, experienced enough to call on when needed, can do most things well when he does.

If he decides to push for a permanent best 22 spot guys like Seb wouldn't want to have another down year. A midfield of Crouch, Hanners, Gresham, Steele, Jones and Dunstan won't be easy to crack into though. Still have Hunts, Bytel, Byrnesto feed in and forward/mids like Higgins and Billings too.

 

[gringo2011]

I thought Carlisle did okay last year to be honest, he certainly made the team better when he was on the park. Agree with the rest of the boys you mentioned. I think Membrey will go up a couple of gears this season, he was unusually subdued last year...even if he was playing a slightly different role. Seb seemed to go better towards the end of last season...reckon he'll carry that form forward. Billings a bit similar, he will want to put his best foot forward being a free agent & I think out of contract (?) so expect a few big moments from him too.
Hill...well, he can't be any more of a let down than last year. Now that the hype is gone, he may be able to reach his old heights on a fast deck at Marvel with longer quarters.
We have reason to feel optimistic.

To me the biggest improvement will come from Coffield, Paton, Wilkie, Long, Clark, Battle and Marshall. If a couple of those go up a notch we are really starting to move forward pace. Our defence was still statistically pretty leaky. As those guys start to gel and get individual improvement we are going to be hard to beat. I think Ratts will give Frawley first go at the FB role and send Dougal to CHF where both he and Carlisle are more suited.

 

[Squirtles]

Your right , i dont

 

[CaptainRisky]

And your point being ?

 

[bird_man]

I know most don’t rate him but Sincs is looking like a new player if he has a break out season this year we are going to be hard to beat with all this depth

I don't think Sinclair's issue has ever been his fitness though.

I rate him, but I'll be very surprised if he all of a sudden has a break out year.

 

[Squirtles]

And your point being ?

Oh wasn't it clear? I was being sarcastic about the sick burn you laid on me

 

[gringo2011]

I don't think Sinclair's issue has ever been his fitness though.

I rate him, but I'll be very surprised if he all of a sudden has a break out year.

He probably had his statistically best year in 2018 but never really had a spot, 2020 saw him play a bits and pieces player again but his disposal count was consistently low, that said he doesn't waste anything he touches. If he could keep playing the running utility role he did but push back up to regular low 20s possession counts he could be a very damaging player.

I think he's very suited to Ratten's game plan due to his cleanliness with the ball and his ability to run all day, if he could just push up the possession counts he'd be one of our most valuable contributors. He's unlikely to be a superstar overnight but I could see him being a Hugh Greenwood at Adelaide type. Even probably comparable to the Rory Atkins type of not in your first lot of rotations type of mid. If he even cements a best 22 spot he'll have done well.

 

[tomjoad]

To me the biggest improvement will come from Coffield, Paton, Wilkie, Long, Clark, Battle and Marshall. If a couple of those go up a notch we are really starting to move forward pace. Our defence was still statistically pretty leaky. As those guys start to gel and get individual improvement we are going to be hard to beat. I think Ratts will give Frawley first go at the FB role and send Dougal to CHF where both he and Carlisle are more suited.

Definitely agree with the likes of Marshall, Coff, Battle, Clark, Wilkie, Long & Paton being the engines of improvement...the potential for those guys is one of the primary reasons I enjoyed watching us last year. If Long can clean up his hits a bit, I can see him being quite damaging by the end of the season...saying that, it is crunch time for him. He has to show a bit more than he has. Dougal to CHF would be an interesting move...think you're going outside the box a little, but no harm in that. Where does Marshall or Ryder go in that situation when resting? We'd be fairly stacked up forward with Dougal up there too.

 

[CaptainRisky]

Oh wasn't it clear? I was being sarcastic about the sick burn you laid on me

Nah mate , i was just agreeing with you that a lot don't rate him , just because he looks great doesn't me he is going to be any better this year

 

[CaptainRisky]

I don't think Sinclair's issue has ever been his fitness though.

I rate him, but I'll be very surprised if he all of a sudden has a break out year.

Spot on Birdy , just because he has a tan and some F----ed up hair cut it wont help him play better

 

[#gosaintas]

If Sincs is our worst player them we're going ok