Training 2021 Preseason Training

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Josh Misiti
Nyawi Moore
Tex Wanganeen
Alex Hird

...trained with the seniors today apparently.
😁


Yeah I saw that on Twitter earlier today! Tex being down there is really good. Really hope he nominates us come November, I've missed having a Wanganeen on the list sooooo much.

Not like Dodoro to be behind the ball. Disappointing. Understand if we had one spot but two? Surely you’d be looking for one guy (at least).


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Is it the worst strategy in the world to take two (three when we put Mozzie on the LTI) open list spots to the MSD, especially when we might be near the bottom of the ladder and therefore have early picks come mid-year? Like obviously I'd love it if we picked up someone during the SSP, but I'm not totally against us sticking with what we've got for now and picking people up later once they're back playing footy again.
 
Yeah I saw that on Twitter earlier today! Tex being down there is really good. Really hope he nominates us come November, I've missed having a Wanganeen on the list sooooo much.
Some conjecture on Blitz about how meaningful it is that Tex was there. On one hand that he goes to school in Melbourne so nothing in it, and on the other hand that he has returned early rather than staying in Adelaide so maybe there's something in that. Port apparently still knee deep in Tex in spite of how his appearance today seems.

I was really only a passive supporter in a cloud of ganja smoke when his father played for us, so I don't remember much of that at all.
 
Some conjecture on Blitz about how meaningful it is that Tex was there. On one hand that he goes to school in Melbourne so nothing in it, and on the other hand that he has returned early rather than staying in Adelaide so maybe there's something in that. Port apparently still knee deep in Tex in spite of how his appearance today seems.

I was really only a passive supporter in a cloud of ganja smoke when his father played for us, so I don't remember much of that at all.
I was born in '95 and he left the year after, so I don't remember him as an Essendon player that much either haha. But I've loved every game I've seen him in as a Don a whole lot, and his games as a Port player too. He's definitely one of my favourite players ever.

On GT-I9506 using BigFooty.com mobile app
 

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BB report, Perkins :hearteyes:

Training today in cool conditions with a medium strength wind. It was a long session today for the last training of the year, starting around 8.30 and finishing out 11.45.

Out on the track today:
Mcgrath, Draper, Parish, Langford, Smith, Caldwell, Merrett, Francis, Cox, Ridley, Perkins, Hind, Wright, Jones, Bryan, Cahill, Ambrose, Zerk, Reid, Eyre, Ham, Guelfi, Johnson, Clarke, and Brand.
Smith, Johnson, Gueli, Brand and Hird were in the modified group, although Hird also joined in probably half of the drills.
Cox, Perkins, Reid and Eyre either joined in most of the drills or sat some of them out. They also spent a bit of time getting one on one tuition from Leigh Tudor.

Clarke was helped of the ground by 2 trainers from an incident that none of us saw in one of the ball movement drills. He was later walking around inside the Hanger so probably nothing too serious.

Bryan had a bit of work on his right wrist but after taping it up completed the session.
Langford also appeared to get some sort of niggle but returned after some stretching and massage from the trainers.

There were a couple of real standouts today:

Firstly Archie Perkins. he was in everything in the drills very clean with his hands, showed composure to select the right option when under pressure, stood up well in a couple of tackles but still got the ball out to a teammate, and hit up several beautiful passes to leading forwards. he also showed great pace both attacking the ball and running to position where he seemed to just glide across the surface. He also has a good size and ready made build. I also spent a bit of time watching him in a tackling drill where they had to manoeuvre and then attack a trainer holding a large bag. He seemed to tackle harder and with more ferocity than anyone else. I’m calling it now, lock him in for round 1.

I finally got to see a bit more of Hird today in the drills, and he’s another one that moves really well. He was on the end of several chains moving the ball to the forward line, I think he has a great tank on him like his father, along with a very good turn of pace. He seems to be a one touch player with neat disposal. My only real knock on him is what position he would be best suited to, as while he has bulked up a bit in the upper body (from a very slight frame to OK) he is still another quite short player.
Langford continues to go from strength to strength and has been a real standout. he has been particularly strong in the running and was today regularly 10-20 metres in front of his running group on most runs, as well as creating a much bigger and stronger presence in the ball movement drills.

Cahill has had a very solid pre season as well so far, again one of the front runners in most of the running but has also been very clean both with ball handling and disposal by hand and foot.
I’m happy to say Francis was much better physically today, often towards the front of the pack running and generally looking good in the simulations. He may have just had an off day on Monday.
Draper was also very good today, moving through traffic very well and quite tidy with his disposal, which tends to be the only real knock on him as it can be a bit sloppy at times.

Jones also stood out, I think he has grown a bit more during the off season and must be approaching 200cm himself now, but he moves and handles the ball like someone much smaller.
I also really like the look of Hind, which is a bit of a surprise as I thought at the time it was a strange draft selection with the limited list spots. My main concern was his disposal, particularly by foot, but I’ve hardly seen him miss a kick in any of the sessions, and nearly all have been very well weighted accurate passes. And he is certainly very fast, probably the fastest at the club now and I would think at least a match for Saad. I also like the way he has been making position and loudly calling for the ball, you want somebody that wants to take on the responsibility of having the ball in their hands. I’m sure we’re looking at him as a possible replacement half back, St Kilda from what I saw played him mainly forward which I don’t think is his best position.

Of the other new recruits Wright continues to look impressive physically and in athletically, the only downside is he has dropped a few marks that he should have taken, both today and in other sessions. Hopefully this will improve over the rest of the pre season
Cox, Reid and Eyre all showed some flashes, particularly with kicking, although Eyre also missed some targets on occasions. It probable won’t be until February or March before we can get a better guide as to their progress.

Giansiracusa seems to be a great addition to the coaching ranks as much for the attitude that he is bring to the playing group. there were several drills where he has had the players competing against each other, including marking, tackling and goalkicking drills, where the players have become very animated, supporting and cheering each other, as well as abusing him in a friendly fashion if he adjudicated against them. The main thing is they really seemed to be enjoying themselves, and that’s half the battle in a long and sometimes gruelling pre season.
If there are more of these training reports do you mind to keep posting them in here Milanista28 cheers
 
6th January 2021
If there are more of these training reports do you mind to keep posting them in here Milanista28 cheers

This was Nackers report from Wednesday and he's there today and will post a report later on. https://discourse.bomberblitz.com/t/training-report-friday-8-january-2021/20844

Training today in cool windy overcast conditions, very cold for January.

The whole group trained today except for Ambrose, Tippa, Cox, Mossie and Mcbride (who is still in hotel quarantine), along with the JHA kids already mentioned. Before anyone asks I have no idea why they didn’t train.
Training started around 9.30 and finished about 11.30, with players put into groups of a maximum of 10, which is apparently until Monday until they all have their covid tests confirmed.
As a result there players scattered all over both grounds and it was very difficult to keep track of many players at all.
The drills were also fairly basic as a result of the small groups so there isn’t really a lot to take out of todays session.
It was also a little difficult to be sure of who was in the modified group, but mostly it looked like Heppell, Shiel, Guelfi, Johnson and Laverde (who seemed to leave the track quite early. None of them looked overly hindered in their movements though, Shiel in particular did several sprints at full pace and is looking good.
Which is more than I can say for Stewart. There must be some sort of internal award going for the worst hairdo imaginable, and Stewart’s new close cropped peroxide blond would surely be a short priced favourite at this stage.
But physically Stewart is looking good, he looks a little leaner but still well developed in the upper body.
Of the other players back for the first time this year:
  • we finally go to lay our eyes on Stringer, and he’s definitely looking in the best condition since he arrived at the club. No sign at all of excess with and a very trin stomach.
  • Hooker also seems to have trimmed down a bit and was moving very well.
  • Redman looks to have bulked up and filled out a bit, he looks a very good size.
  • Gleeson looks to have put on a bit more size, interesting to see if he can maintain it.
  • I didn’t see much of Laverde bit it also looked like he had bulked up a bit.
I’m not sure when the next session is, I’ll hopefully find out later today, but it will almost certainly be either Friday or Saturday.
 
Last edited:
This was Nackers report from Wednesday and he's there today and will post a report later on. https://discourse.bomberblitz.com/t/training-report-friday-8-january-2021/20844

Training today in cool windy overcast conditions, very cold for January.

The whole group trained today except for Ambrose, Tippa, Cox, Mossie and Mcbride (who is still in hotel quarantine), along with the JHA kids already mentioned. Before anyone asks I have no idea why they didn’t train.
Training started around 9.30 and finished about 11.30, with players put into groups of a maximum of 10, which is apparently until Monday until they all have their covid tests confirmed.
As a result there players scattered all over both grounds and it was very difficult to keep track of many players at all.
The drills were also fairly basic as a result of the small groups so there isn’t really a lot to take out of todays session.
It was also a little difficult to be sure of who was in the modified group, but mostly it looked like Heppell, Shiel, Guelfi, Johnson and Laverde (who seemed to leave the track quite early. None of them looked overly hindered in their movements though, Shiel in particular did several sprints at full pace and is looking good.
Which is more than I can say for Stewart. There must be some sort of internal award going for the worst hairdo imaginable, and Stewart’s new close cropped peroxide blond would surely be a short priced favourite at this stage.
But physically Stewart is looking good, he looks a little leaner but still well developed in the upper body.
Of the other players back for the first time this year:
  • we finally go to lay our eyes on Stringer, and he’s definitely looking in the best condition since he arrived at the club. No sign at all of excess with and a very trin stomach.
  • Hooker also seems to have trimmed down a bit and was moving very well.
  • Redman looks to have bulked up and filled out a bit, he looks a very good size.
  • Gleeson looks to have put on a bit more size, interesting to see if he can maintain it.
  • I didn’t see much of Laverde bit it also looked like he had bulked up a bit.
I’m not sure when the next session is, I’ll hopefully find out later today, but it will almost certainly be either Friday or Saturday.

Thanks for the update. :thumbsu:


Also, whenever I see your avatar it reminds me of Bill.... or is it Ted, I always forget which is which.
 
Happy to give Johnson a serious crack in 2 PS games. Only has to get last Guelfi and anyone that has a skillset of being super hard at it and a good kick can play back pocket and really challenge for a round 1 game.

Im yet to see him but a small guy that can really change angles back there and run of the mark could be important. Guelfi doesnt seem to have that confidence or kicking ability

Could be a good surprise early
 
I was born in '95 and he left the year after, so I don't remember him as an Essendon player that much either haha. But I've loved every game I've seen him in as a Don a whole lot, and his games as a Port player too. He's definitely one of my favourite players ever.

On GT-I9506 using BigFooty.com mobile app

Stop making us feel old.
 
14th January 2021
Nackers from BB

My thoughts on today’s session, sorry if I repeat some of what others have already reported.
There was quite a large modified group today, nothing necessarily to worry about they may just be monitoring loads after a big session on Tuesday. Of the group:
Shiel - did a lot of running and some ball work on the second oval, looks close to joining the main group.
Zakka - I heard he’s coming back from surgery, probably a little way off yet
Ridley and Perkins - both went immediately to the second oval but left after only about 10 minutes, although both come back and did some cycling from the sidelines at various stages.
Laverde - also coming back from some off season work, probably another week or two before he joins the main group
Heppell - did a lot of work in the modified group, seems to be coming along well. He wasn’t icing his foot at the end.
Ambrose - Did some initial warmups but spent most of the session cycling on the sidelines
Zerk - wasn’t seen
Guelfi - similar to Shiel
Johnson - alternated between the main group and modified, maybe just getting his base fitness up, looks almost ready to go
Clarke - same as Ambrose, warm up then cycling
McBride - not there yet
Cahill - did some work with the main group and then spent a lot of time running laps
Misiti, Alex Hird and Moore completed the whole session, but in a group mostly of the younger and first year players. Tex Wanganeen was on the sidelines talking to Dodoro and others on crutches and in a moonboot. Probably the last we see of him this pre season.
Of these Moore looked very good again moving well and disposing neatly. Looks a very likely type. Misiti again impressed, I recall particularly and one occasion being trapped between two players and using strength to get out a handball to a teamate similar to what his father used to do. But his goalkicking was exceptional. All the players (who were mostly younger I’ll admit) were struggling kicking into the wind which also had a stronng cross breeze. From 40 out I reckon he only missed about 1 out of 15-20, with most straight through the middle perfectly weighted, some of the best goal kicking I’ve seen. Johnson was also excellent with his goalkcicking from a smaller sample.
The main training was generally split into 2 or more groups with one group on the main oval and the second on the docklands size ground. As @CJohns mentioned there still hasn’t been any sort of full ground length training, which seems a bit of a waste as they certainly had the number to do it. Instead there was more 1/2 to 3/4 length of the ground match simulation.
In this both Stewart and Hooker were playing as defenders.
Some of the highlights of the session for me:
  • At one stage Draper drifted forward and took a very strong contested mark which he then converted with a tricky wind.
  • Caldwell got caught under a hospital ball and was gang tackled by two players and I though he was gone for all money, but he managed to keep his feet, free his hands and get the handball off - very impressive. Overall there is an awful lot to like about him, he has very few weanesses that I’ve seen so far, will most likely become a crowd favourite.
  • Francis was corraled into a corner by the boundary at one stage, just when he looked like getting a disposal off Smith laid a huge tackle taking him to the ground, followed up by the obligatory rub of the hair when getting up, a welcome return of the Smith attitide.
  • Harrison Jones continues to improve, he has become a very good runner and glides across the surface. Very much in line for a round one debut.
  • Reid looks like he will be a ripper - one of if not the tallest players in the club but also great with groundballs and is just a beautiful kick, his action seems effortless but goes a huge distance. I would think he would already be the longest kick in the club. He’s still very much a beanpole but with his skills and height I wouldn’t be surprised if he plays a few games this year
  • Tippa seems to be taking a while to get back into it, is near the back in most running drills and is probably still building back up from his time in the hub, but I’m sure he has the dedication to get there.
  • Langford - what can I say that hasn’t already been said. I thought he had a breakout season last year but he looks at a whole diofferent level again. At one point he took the ball and ran weaving through a pack with confidence like you would expect from the best players in the comp. We may see something really special from him this year.
  • Draper’s main weakness is his disposal, but that seemed a lot tidier today. I expect that to continue to improve condsidering the short amount of time he has been playing the game.
  • Hind’s whole game seems to have improved since his time with us in the VFL. His disposal which I thought was his weakness looks a lot neater and more composed, he has a much stonger overall body shape but still has the blistering speed. I wouldn’t be at all surprised if he becomes a regular off half back particularly with the loss of Saad and McKenna.
  • I’m not quite sold on Cox yet, he looks a great athlete but I haven’t been overly impressed with his kicking just yet although he does also look very capable on the ground. When he was having goalkicking practice he completely shanked his first 2 shots out of bounds to the left, then changed to his left foot which wasn’t much better. I’m hoping it was just an off day as I haven’t seen that sort of thing before.
I think I now have a more reliable contact so hopefully will be able to give more accurate and timely training dates.
 
Nackers from BB

My thoughts on today’s session, sorry if I repeat some of what others have already reported.
There was quite a large modified group today, nothing necessarily to worry about they may just be monitoring loads after a big session on Tuesday. Of the group:
Shiel - did a lot of running and some ball work on the second oval, looks close to joining the main group.
Zakka - I heard he’s coming back from surgery, probably a little way off yet
Ridley and Perkins - both went immediately to the second oval but left after only about 10 minutes, although both come back and did some cycling from the sidelines at various stages.
Laverde - also coming back from some off season work, probably another week or two before he joins the main group
Heppell - did a lot of work in the modified group, seems to be coming along well. He wasn’t icing his foot at the end.
Ambrose - Did some initial warmups but spent most of the session cycling on the sidelines
Zerk - wasn’t seen
Guelfi - similar to Shiel
Johnson - alternated between the main group and modified, maybe just getting his base fitness up, looks almost ready to go
Clarke - same as Ambrose, warm up then cycling
McBride - not there yet
Cahill - did some work with the main group and then spent a lot of time running laps
Misiti, Alex Hird and Moore completed the whole session, but in a group mostly of the younger and first year players. Tex Wanganeen was on the sidelines talking to Dodoro and others on crutches and in a moonboot. Probably the last we see of him this pre season.
Of these Moore looked very good again moving well and disposing neatly. Looks a very likely type. Misiti again impressed, I recall particularly and one occasion being trapped between two players and using strength to get out a handball to a teamate similar to what his father used to do. But his goalkicking was exceptional. All the players (who were mostly younger I’ll admit) were struggling kicking into the wind which also had a stronng cross breeze. From 40 out I reckon he only missed about 1 out of 15-20, with most straight through the middle perfectly weighted, some of the best goal kicking I’ve seen. Johnson was also excellent with his goalkcicking from a smaller sample.
The main training was generally split into 2 or more groups with one group on the main oval and the second on the docklands size ground. As @CJohns mentioned there still hasn’t been any sort of full ground length training, which seems a bit of a waste as they certainly had the number to do it. Instead there was more 1/2 to 3/4 length of the ground match simulation.
In this both Stewart and Hooker were playing as defenders.
Some of the highlights of the session for me:
  • At one stage Draper drifted forward and took a very strong contested mark which he then converted with a tricky wind.
  • Caldwell got caught under a hospital ball and was gang tackled by two players and I though he was gone for all money, but he managed to keep his feet, free his hands and get the handball off - very impressive. Overall there is an awful lot to like about him, he has very few weanesses that I’ve seen so far, will most likely become a crowd favourite.
  • Francis was corraled into a corner by the boundary at one stage, just when he looked like getting a disposal off Smith laid a huge tackle taking him to the ground, followed up by the obligatory rub of the hair when getting up, a welcome return of the Smith attitide.
  • Harrison Jones continues to improve, he has become a very good runner and glides across the surface. Very much in line for a round one debut.
  • Reid looks like he will be a ripper - one of if not the tallest players in the club but also great with groundballs and is just a beautiful kick, his action seems effortless but goes a huge distance. I would think he would already be the longest kick in the club. He’s still very much a beanpole but with his skills and height I wouldn’t be surprised if he plays a few games this year
  • Tippa seems to be taking a while to get back into it, is near the back in most running drills and is probably still building back up from his time in the hub, but I’m sure he has the dedication to get there.
  • Langford - what can I say that hasn’t already been said. I thought he had a breakout season last year but he looks at a whole diofferent level again. At one point he took the ball and ran weaving through a pack with confidence like you would expect from the best players in the comp. We may see something really special from him this year.
  • Draper’s main weakness is his disposal, but that seemed a lot tidier today. I expect that to continue to improve condsidering the short amount of time he has been playing the game.
  • Hind’s whole game seems to have improved since his time with us in the VFL. His disposal which I thought was his weakness looks a lot neater and more composed, he has a much stonger overall body shape but still has the blistering speed. I wouldn’t be at all surprised if he becomes a regular off half back particularly with the loss of Saad and McKenna.
  • I’m not quite sold on Cox yet, he looks a great athlete but I haven’t been overly impressed with his kicking just yet although he does also look very capable on the ground. When he was having goalkicking practice he completely shanked his first 2 shots out of bounds to the left, then changed to his left foot which wasn’t much better. I’m hoping it was just an off day as I haven’t seen that sort of thing before.
I think I now have a more reliable contact so hopefully will be able to give more accurate and timely training dates.
So Stewart is training down back and Jones is looking likely...

2MP/Jones duo incoming?
 

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Nackers from BB

My thoughts on today’s session, sorry if I repeat some of what others have already reported.
There was quite a large modified group today, nothing necessarily to worry about they may just be monitoring loads after a big session on Tuesday. Of the group:
Shiel - did a lot of running and some ball work on the second oval, looks close to joining the main group.
Zakka - I heard he’s coming back from surgery, probably a little way off yet
Ridley and Perkins - both went immediately to the second oval but left after only about 10 minutes, although both come back and did some cycling from the sidelines at various stages.
Laverde - also coming back from some off season work, probably another week or two before he joins the main group
Heppell - did a lot of work in the modified group, seems to be coming along well. He wasn’t icing his foot at the end.
Ambrose - Did some initial warmups but spent most of the session cycling on the sidelines
Zerk - wasn’t seen
Guelfi - similar to Shiel
Johnson - alternated between the main group and modified, maybe just getting his base fitness up, looks almost ready to go
Clarke - same as Ambrose, warm up then cycling
McBride - not there yet
Cahill - did some work with the main group and then spent a lot of time running laps
Misiti, Alex Hird and Moore completed the whole session, but in a group mostly of the younger and first year players. Tex Wanganeen was on the sidelines talking to Dodoro and others on crutches and in a moonboot. Probably the last we see of him this pre season.
Of these Moore looked very good again moving well and disposing neatly. Looks a very likely type. Misiti again impressed, I recall particularly and one occasion being trapped between two players and using strength to get out a handball to a teamate similar to what his father used to do. But his goalkicking was exceptional. All the players (who were mostly younger I’ll admit) were struggling kicking into the wind which also had a stronng cross breeze. From 40 out I reckon he only missed about 1 out of 15-20, with most straight through the middle perfectly weighted, some of the best goal kicking I’ve seen. Johnson was also excellent with his goalkcicking from a smaller sample.
The main training was generally split into 2 or more groups with one group on the main oval and the second on the docklands size ground. As @CJohns mentioned there still hasn’t been any sort of full ground length training, which seems a bit of a waste as they certainly had the number to do it. Instead there was more 1/2 to 3/4 length of the ground match simulation.
In this both Stewart and Hooker were playing as defenders.
Some of the highlights of the session for me:
  • At one stage Draper drifted forward and took a very strong contested mark which he then converted with a tricky wind.
  • Caldwell got caught under a hospital ball and was gang tackled by two players and I though he was gone for all money, but he managed to keep his feet, free his hands and get the handball off - very impressive. Overall there is an awful lot to like about him, he has very few weanesses that I’ve seen so far, will most likely become a crowd favourite.
  • Francis was corraled into a corner by the boundary at one stage, just when he looked like getting a disposal off Smith laid a huge tackle taking him to the ground, followed up by the obligatory rub of the hair when getting up, a welcome return of the Smith attitide.
  • Harrison Jones continues to improve, he has become a very good runner and glides across the surface. Very much in line for a round one debut.
  • Reid looks like he will be a ripper - one of if not the tallest players in the club but also great with groundballs and is just a beautiful kick, his action seems effortless but goes a huge distance. I would think he would already be the longest kick in the club. He’s still very much a beanpole but with his skills and height I wouldn’t be surprised if he plays a few games this year
  • Tippa seems to be taking a while to get back into it, is near the back in most running drills and is probably still building back up from his time in the hub, but I’m sure he has the dedication to get there.
  • Langford - what can I say that hasn’t already been said. I thought he had a breakout season last year but he looks at a whole diofferent level again. At one point he took the ball and ran weaving through a pack with confidence like you would expect from the best players in the comp. We may see something really special from him this year.
  • Draper’s main weakness is his disposal, but that seemed a lot tidier today. I expect that to continue to improve condsidering the short amount of time he has been playing the game.
  • Hind’s whole game seems to have improved since his time with us in the VFL. His disposal which I thought was his weakness looks a lot neater and more composed, he has a much stonger overall body shape but still has the blistering speed. I wouldn’t be at all surprised if he becomes a regular off half back particularly with the loss of Saad and McKenna.
  • I’m not quite sold on Cox yet, he looks a great athlete but I haven’t been overly impressed with his kicking just yet although he does also look very capable on the ground. When he was having goalkicking practice he completely shanked his first 2 shots out of bounds to the left, then changed to his left foot which wasn’t much better. I’m hoping it was just an off day as I haven’t seen that sort of thing before.
I think I now have a more reliable contact so hopefully will be able to give more accurate and timely training dates.
Wanganeen on crutches and in a moonboot :(
At least Dodoro is putting in the f/s lotto numbers.
 
  • Langford - what can I say that hasn’t already been said. I thought he had a breakout season last year but he looks at a whole diofferent level again. At one point he took the ball and ran weaving through a pack with confidence like you would expect from the best players in the comp. We may see something really special from him this year.
hnnnggg
 

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