Training 2021 - Preseason Thread

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Seadog

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Can’t tell from that position whether he’s snapping around the corner or setting up for the drop punt. Genius.
Need to see the next frame, there's still time to take another step and get the ball in a more vertical position to kick on his left.
 
Was Gov playing? Some WAFL guy was running around in 20 but I didn't see a second one our there.

Gov and NicNat didn’t play.

I watched the first quarter. Teams were:
Blue (“probables”)
Sheppard, Barrass, Hurn
Cole, Rotham, Witherden
Gaff, Redden, Shuey
Cripps, Darling, Ah Chee
Ryan, Allen, Jones
Vardy, Sheed, Duggan

Yellow (“possibles”)
Both Edwardses, Foley and Johnson in defence
Ainsworth, XON and Trew in the middle and i think Brander on a wing
Cameron and Winder up forward
A bunch of WAFL guys making up the numbers. No idea who started in the ruck for the yellows, Hedwards went in there at one stage.
Couldn’t spot Langdon but he might have come on later - possibly when Shuey finished up?

Ryan was a standout early, played high up the ground and his delivery inside 50 was first class. Some of it’s in the highlights. Duggan looked good in the middle. Shuey got a heap of it coming off a wing, was involved in a number of link-up plays. Darling and Allen were pretty dominant up forward but they got great delivery a lot of the time. Vardy, as I said I’m not sure who his ruck opponent was, but he had some lovely taps to his mids and seemed to be moving well, he got on the end of one fast break and kicked a goal from the square which is pleasing for a big lumbering ruckman.

The most pleasing thing for me was that the mids were spotting up forwards or kicking to their advantage rather than just bombing it in.

The goalkicking was off a bit but hopefully that was preseason rust. Don’t think I’ve seen so many shots hit the same goalpost in a quarter before, including one from Cripps from absolute point blank range.
 
Think they might be giving Hedwards the Allen treatment, i.e. “We like this kid so we’re going to try to get him into the side anywhere we can - back, forward or in the ruck”

(That’s the Oscar Allen treatment of course, as opposed to the Matty Allen treatment, which is “let’s take this key position player, turn him into a midfielder, make him an emergency a dozen or so times then delist him without giving him a run”
 
Aug 14, 2004
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Ryan continuing to show that he is very capable of providing a significant impact higher up the ground this year.

Seems to be under the radar a bit in these parts, but Jones looks to be putting together a very good preseason and currently appears a certainty for Round 1 selection.


As for the intraclub highlights - everything is contact-free now, including football it would seem.

The lack of intensity and defensive pressure is concerning with only 4 weeks left before Round 1.


The way defensive structure was torn apart so easily by the new on the mark rule through runners off halfback also worries me very much.


Next Saturday, against a different system will help to provide some answers, but I can't help but feel that there is a lot of work that still needs to be done in very little time.
 
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Think they might be giving Hedwards the Allen treatment, i.e. “We like this kid so we’re going to try to get him into the side anywhere we can - back, forward or in the ruck”

(That’s the Oscar Allen treatment of course, as opposed to the Matty Allen treatment, which is “let’s take this key position player, turn him into a midfielder, make him an emergency a dozen or so times then delist him without giving him a run”
I always thought MAllen was hard done by, thought he had the tools to make it
 
Not the most exciting highlights package to be fair.

I dont care about Darling running around clunking them on undersized, inexperienced WAFL spuds. I don't care about Gaff having it on a string.

Was hoping for more from our youngsters. That's what I'm looking for to at this time of the year. Not seniors running amok under no pressure.

Edwards always looks awful in these videos with JK or Darling monstering him, and to me that's disappointing.

Trew, O'Neil, other Edwards, Langdon, Witherden were barely cited.

Bailey didn't play.


Bit boring really. But I'll take what I can get from Kate. She's got the time this week :moustache:
 

Avalor

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Not the most exciting highlights package to be fair.

I dont care about Darling running around clunking them on undersized, inexperienced WAFL spuds. I don't care about Gaff having it on a string.

Was hoping for more from our youngsters. That's what I'm looking for to at this time of the year. Not seniors running amok under no pressure.

Edwards always looks awful in these videos with JK or Darling monstering him, and to me that's disappointing.

Trew, O'Neil, other Edwards, Langdon, Witherden were barely cited.

Bailey didn't play.


Bit boring really. But I'll take what I can get from Kate. She's got the time this week :moustache:

What were they cited for?
 

WCE_phil

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Just in regards to highlight videos something to always take a huge note of in regards to why younger, developing players aren't shown more is about pandering to the general fan and public. If star players are showing their wares it engages those who are not obsessed like us get much more out of that than seeing a Luke Edwards or Xavier O'neill with a nice kick opening play or a great handball out for others to receive.
 
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Not the most exciting highlights package to be fair.

To be fair, with the exception of Port (who posted their intraclub match in full), none of the clubs are showing very much in terms of highlights.

Comparatively speaking, our 3:23 of footage is actually some of the best available.

Several of the clubs currently have nothing to show, or efforts that seem to be a product of the lowest amount of work possible - Sydney for example couldn't even be bothered adding any audio tracking and posted 3 minutes of silent ground level mess involving Hickey.


The change to the on the mark rule has clubs spooked in terms of potentially giving too much away tactically as they hone their methods of exploiting it.


One thing that I have noticed is a high number of out-the-back goals being created from possession at half-forward hitting runners coming from the fat side of the ground as the change in angle taken from the mark is able to catch the defence running in the wrong direction if a spare is not present.
 

WCE_phil

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Ainsworth moving into the yellow team at half time was what saved them

For all the s**t he cops there is one thing for certain with Ainsworth. He has and will continue to give it everything he has. Every club needs players like this as though they may not make the grade it keeps the talent honest.
 
To be fair, with the exception of Port (who posted their intraclub match in full), none of the clubs are showing very much in terms of highlights.

Comparatively speaking, our 3:23 of footage is actually some of the best available.

Several of the clubs currently have nothing to show, or efforts that seem to be a product of the lowest amount of work possible - Sydney for example couldn't even be bothered adding any audio tracking and posted 3 minutes of silent ground level mess involving Hickey.


The change to the on the mark rule has clubs spooked in terms of potentially giving too much away tactically as they hone their methods of exploiting it.


One thing that I have noticed is a high number of out-the-back goals being created from possession at half-forward hitting runners coming from the fat side of the ground as the change in angle taken from the mark is able to catch the defence running in the wrong direction if a spare is not present.
So expect more flooding and spares in defence and lower scoring.

AFL, you've done it again!
 

WCE_phil

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To be fair, with the exception of Port (who posted their intraclub match in full), none of the clubs are showing very much in terms of highlights.

Comparatively speaking, our 3:23 of footage is actually some of the best available.

Several of the clubs currently have nothing to show, or efforts that seem to be a product of the lowest amount of work possible - Sydney for example couldn't even be bothered adding any audio tracking and posted 3 minutes of silent ground level mess involving Hickey.


The change to the on the mark rule has clubs spooked in terms of potentially giving too much away tactically as they hone their methods of exploiting it.


One thing that I have noticed is a high number of out-the-back goals being created from possession at half-forward hitting runners coming from the fat side of the ground as the change in angle taken from the mark is able to catch the defence running in the wrong direction if a spare is not present.

I think as the season progresses we are going to see a lot more of 2 players sweeping 50 metres out the back to try and cut off these plays. One just goal side (angle wise) of the play and one at a 30-45 degree angle.
 

navi_

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* me hope this allen ruck stuff stops ASAP. He's a young guy so the body will pull up well for now but the extra load will take a toll down the track.

Not everyone is Drew Petrie 300+ games fwd/ruc and durable as a diesel engine.
 
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So expect more flooding and spares in defence and lower scoring.

AFL, you've done it again!

It's what I'd do - faced with a rule that overwhelmingly punishes any risk taken by a club to press higher up the ground, the reaction will be to reduce that risk and deploy additional players behind the ball as a means of delaying the opposition's attacking movement.

I think as the season progresses we are going to see a lot more of 2 players sweeping 50 metres out the back to try and cut off these plays. One just goal side (angle wise) of the play and one at a 30-45 degree angle.

Agreed, expecting to see a lot of clubs playing their wings as effectively additional half backs this year, which will provide cover for those sweepers to drop off behind play.


Can see many matches decaying into unsightly slogs for territory gains, which are dictated for the most part by one defence kicking it to the other and back again.
 
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