Training 2022 - 2023 Off-Season and Pre-Season training Watch

[hawkman]

They really want people to attend these games with those timeslots

 

[Mercy Seat]

He's had 2 poor seasons, one good game. Take the 5 goal game out of 2021 and it's pretty much identical to 2022. Below average across the board.

I'd love to be proven wrong but he's poor as a first option tall, worse as a second and would need to somehow develop a tonne of forward nous to change that.


A whipping boy would be like Harry Morrison, someone who cops the blame despite playing well. Not someone who has ardent defenders despite the opposite.

I’m willing to give Kosi some slack as he only moved to the forward line in Feb 2021 with no real preseason as a forward since his junior years. He’d been training as a defender, so his output was pretty decent considering.

Last year was mostly poor, but you could argue the ruck situation and a general team slump at the back end of the year.

However, no excuses this year. Full preseason as a forward, no ruck distractions and a clear shot at it. If he doesn’t deliver now I’d say that’s probably it.

 

[Noel Gallagher]

I’m surprised people are talking up Lynch.
Reeves and Meek are both clearly superior ruckman and should start in round 1.

And I can’t believe Sam would consider playing Lynch at full forward in the absence of Lewis.
Playing 3 ruckman (one out of position) won’t work.

There is no way in hell that at this stage you can say that Meek and Reeves are “ clearly superior “ to Lynch

Personally I rate them higher than ML ATM, but who knows what transpires this year. If he has a full preseason and good run with injuries, his ceiling could be significantly higher than we all originally thought

Same with Kozi, can’t believe how many posters have written him off. I’m guessing it’s probably the same posters who wrote off Dylan Moore early days because “he’s too slow “ to be a small forward- you know who you are

 

[burner1]

From those who have been watching training any insights into the midfield pecking order yet? I note some clubs are starting to do A team vs B team in match sims.

 

[Mississippi]

Are they really “much superior”? Given the injury interruptions it’s hard to compare recent output, and track watchers have largely said they’re all performing really well at training.

I think it might be closer than people think.

This isn’t a knock on Lynch - I just think Reeves and Meek will serve the club bettter.

It helps that they’re also taller than Lynch, especially when their opponents are giants like Gawn, English, Witts and Lobb.

Reeves, Meek and Lynch are all 24 years old. Don‘t overlook the other Max who’s only 19 and also has other advantages over Lynch - he’s taller, far more athletic and has terrific ball skills. Potentially I think he’ll be the best of the 4 and that Sam will be keen to give him some game time this year.

 

[Noel Gallagher]

This isn’t a knock on Lynch - I just think Reeves and Meek will serve the club bettter.

It helps that they’re also taller than Lynch, especially when their opponents are giants like Gawn, English, Witts and Lobb.

Reeves, Meek and Lynch are all 24 years old. Don‘t overlook the other Max who’s only 19 and also has other advantages over Lynch - he’s taller, far more athletic and has terrific ball skills. Potentially I think he’ll be the best of the 4 and that Sam will be keen to give him some game time this year.

Here what you are saying, my main gripe is that many have already relegated ML to third string ruckman based off a handful of injury interrupted games in 22. Re height difference, it’s is basically negligible when comparing ML, Ramsden and Meek

 

[TylerDurden]

Reeves and Meek are clearly the 2 we'll run with, injury permitting.

It's whether Sam wants to run with Lynch as a key fwd. Some say he won't run with 3 rucks. Problem we'll have is when the ball hits the deck, he'll offer nothing defensively.

Will be an interesting 7 weeks.

 

[Hawks91b]

It looks like Kosi has some issues with his eyes as he drops way to many easy balls, especially out in front. If he can fix that up I think we have a very good player in the making.

 

[Mercy Seat]

This isn’t a knock on Lynch - I just think Reeves and Meek will serve the club bettter.

It helps that they’re also taller than Lynch, especially when their opponents are giants like Gawn, English, Witts and Lobb.

Reeves, Meek and Lynch are all 24 years old. Don‘t overlook the other Max who’s only 19 and also has other advantages over Lynch - he’s taller, far more athletic and has terrific ball skills. Potentially I think he’ll be the best of the 4 and that Sam will be keen to give him some game time this year.

I’d say that Meek and Reeves have the edge, but given Sams recent comments about Max‘a forward craft, we might see him get a look in. In any case I think we’ll get to see plenty of all three of them in different configurations this year.

 

[Judd2Sewell]

He's had 2 poor seasons, one good game. Take the 5 goal game out of 2021 and it's pretty much identical to 2022. Below average across the board.

I'd love to be proven wrong but he's poor as a first option tall, worse as a second and would need to somehow develop a tonne of forward nous to change that.


A whipping boy would be like Harry Morrison, someone who cops the blame despite playing well. Not someone who has ardent defenders despite the opposite.

I agree regarding Kosi, he's a limited footballer with some great athletic traits. But right now beggars can't be choosers.

I haven't ever seen any posters blame Morrison for a loss.

Though I have seen posters question his position in the side moving forward, which is a fair question to ask. That doesn't make him a whipping boy.

 

[Judd2Sewell]

I’m surprised people are talking up Lynch.
Reeves and Meek are both clearly superior ruckman and should start in round 1.

And I can’t believe Sam would consider playing Lynch at full forward in the absence of Lewis.
Playing 3 ruckman (one out of position) won’t work.

They aren't clearly superior at all.

Reeves offers no physicality and is poor around the ground. Lynch and Meek (based on limited viewing) offer much more of a physical presence and are better around the ground.

Reeves can tap the ball and seems to be a nice set-shot on goal. But he only averaged 1.4 marks per game, and for such a tall player that is a poor return. He also has averaged the least possessions, despite spending more time in the middle than Lynch in particular.

 

[TylerDurden]

They aren't clearly superior at all.

Reeves offers no physicality and is poor around the ground. Lynch and Meek (based on limited viewing) offer much more of a physical presence and are better around the ground.

Reeves can tap the ball and seems to be a nice set-shot on goal. But he only averaged 1.4 marks per game, and for such a tall player that is a poor return. He also has averaged the least possessions, despite spending more time in the middle than Lynch in particular.

Reeves can give us first use, which is a huge advantage at the stoppages. I couldn't care what else he brings. We haven't had first use for a very long time.
As good as McEvoy was around the ground, his CB tap work was bog average.

 

[Lotus]

I'm super keen on watching the midfield group development this year. Hopefully more midfielder can score goals during matches.

Can't wait to watch the practice match to see who's getting the midfield and forward line.

 

[burner1]

Reeves and Meek are clearly the 2 we'll run with, injury permitting.

It's whether Sam wants to run with Lynch as a key fwd. Some say he won't run with 3 rucks. Problem we'll have is when the ball hits the deck, he'll offer nothing defensively.

Will be an interesting 7 weeks.

Lynch as key fwd seems pretty unrealistic. He’s not even a great mark like BB was and has barely got on the park as a ruck as it is.

If Kosi can’t get a game ahead of lynch it would be a massive concern (for kiwi’s career).

Pretty sure it’s going to be Kosi, Greene or serong and resting ruck (reeves or meek) as the ‘talls’ with Breust, Moore, Chad + one of brock/butler.

 

[Judd2Sewell]

Reeves can give us first use, which is a huge advantage at the stoppages. I couldn't care what else he brings. We haven't had first use for a very long time.
As good as McEvoy was around the ground, his CB tap work was bog average.

Reeves simply has to develop the other areas of his game, and I'm not saying he can't or won't, but you can't make it as a limit tap-only ruckman in today's game.

Gawn - wins taps and is great around the ground

Darcy - wins taps, physical beast, and great around the ground

Grundy - wins taps and great around the ground

Goldy - wins taps and great around the ground

Nic Nat - wins taps, physical beast

Who is the last tap-only ruckman that's become one of the best in the competition? Witts? He has averages over 13 touches several times since moving to the Suns and has been dominant with winning taps.

O'Brien? He's been dominant in taps for years, but Adelaide fans have questioned his place in the side the last two seasons, and he's been dropped.

 

[TylerDurden]

Reeves simply has to develop the other areas of his game, and I'm not saying he can't or won't, but you can't make it as a limit tap-only ruckman in today's game.

Gawn - wins taps and is great around the ground

Darcy - wins taps, physical beast, and great around the ground

Grundy - wins taps and great around the ground

Goldy - wins taps and great around the ground

Nic Nat - wins taps, physical beast

Who is the last tap-only ruckman that's become one of the best in the competition? Witts? He has averages over 13 touches several times since moving to the Suns and has been dominant with winning taps.

O'Brien? He's been dominant in taps for years, but Adelaide fans have questioned his place in the side the last two seasons, and he's been dropped.

I actually think Reeves has fwd craft and is a neat shot for goal. He can easily develop this when you consider he's only played circa 20 games.

 

[Slainte]

Reeves simply has to develop the other areas of his game, and I'm not saying he can't or won't, but you can't make it as a limit tap-only ruckman in today's game.

Gawn - wins taps and is great around the ground

Darcy - wins taps, physical beast, and great around the ground

Grundy - wins taps and great around the ground

Goldy - wins taps and great around the ground

Nic Nat - wins taps, physical beast

Who is the last tap-only ruckman that's become one of the best in the competition? Witts? He has averages over 13 touches several times since moving to the Suns and has been dominant with winning taps.

O'Brien? He's been dominant in taps for years, but Adelaide fans have questioned his place in the side the last two seasons, and he's been dropped.

Witts is the right comparison.

 

[parsons nose]

Injuries are never timely, but the shoulder injury that Reeves sustained against Geelong was incredibly bad timing. If he hadn’t have gone down I very much doubt we’d be having this debate over preferred ruckman. Alas, we are.

 

[hawkman]

Injuries are never timely, but the shoulder injury that Reeves sustained against Geelong was incredibly bad timing. If he hadn’t have gone down I very much doubt we’d be having this debate over preferred ruckman. Alas, we are.

As good as that Geelong quarter was he had a similar one in the first Bulldogs game. Eventually they start reading him and the Dogs dominated after half time.
Same may have happened in the Geelong game. It was a great quarter though

 

[hawkman]

That's a bloody good season!

Amazing what COLA does

 

[hawkman]

How is Kosi looking this preseason anyway? Shown much improvement

 

[Dewnior]

It looks like Kosi has some issues with his eyes confidence as he drops way to many easy balls, especially out in front. If he can fix that up I think we have a very good player in the making.

fify

 

[Topiary]

It looks like Kosi has some issues with his eyes as he drops way to many easy balls, especially out in front. If he can fix that up I think we have a very good player in the making.

His hands are like concrete bands. Cannot do his confidence any good, but that said, fails to get into the right spots, like good forwards do.

 

[Accipiter]

Reeves can give us first use, which is a huge advantage at the stoppages. I couldn't care what else he brings. We haven't had first use for a very long time.
As good as McEvoy was around the ground, his CB tap work was bog average.

My view on this is that Reeves is still a project that is in progress. Its just that we have lacked depth in the ruck department for so long that he is having to step up to the plate sooner, and before he has properly grown into his body and developed his all round game. Ill be watching him from a young developing players perspective this season in the same way that I will be watching our other young developing mids.

 

[TylerDurden]

My view on this is that Reeves is still a project that is in progress. Its just that we have lacked depth in the ruck department for so long that he is having to step up to the plate sooner, and before he has properly grown into his body and developed his all round game. Ill be watching him from a young developing players perspective this season in the same way that I will be watching our other young developing mids.

Fair enough too. He's played 17 games.

But I'd argue we haven't had a ruck since the Salmon/ Spider days, that can give us first use.

Most of the time, we set up to the opposition ruck hit zones. Finally we can dictate positioning and be more predictable to each other in there.

 

[Mississippi]

Here what you are saying, my main gripe is that many have already relegated ML to third string ruckman based off a handful of injury inter8games in 22. Re height difference, it’s is basically negligible when comparing ML, Ramsden and Meek

There is no way in hell that at this stage you can say that Meek and Reeves are “ clearly superior “ to Lynch

Personally I rate them higher than ML ATM, but who knows what transpires this year. If he has a full preseason and good run with injuries, his ceiling could be significantly higher than we all originally thought

Same with Kozi, can’t believe how many posters have written him off. I’m guessing it’s probably the same posters who wrote off Dylan Moore early days because “he’s too slow “ to be a small forward- you know who you are.

Mate, settle.
It’s an opinion, OK?

As far as I‘m concerned, you’re one of the most opinionated posters on this forum. I’d hate to revisit some of the opinionated posts of yours over the last couple of years.

I‘ve seen a lot of Reeves, Lynch and Meek playing over the last season or 2.
And I regard Lynch as a good honest battler compared to the other 2 who I regard as superior footballers. And that’s after taking into account Covid, injuries or the Russian invasion of Ukraine, or anything else you’d like to mention.
Personally, I’d love to see Lynch in 2023 win the Brownlow and Norm Smith, but (on the optimistic assumption that we make the GF), I can’t see him playing in the best 22). That’s an opinion, OK?

On this issue, let’s see who Sam selects in round 1?

Regarding Moore, what’s this crap about “you know who you are”?
Moore’s early form was disappointing after playing a great grand final for Box Hill in 2018. But because of poor form in 2019 and 2020, he was almost delisted but put on the rookie list in 2020, thanks to 2 or 3 end of season games. OK, so he was close to being delisted by the club. As we know, he got a kick up the arse and turned his career around.
But people in 2019 and 2020 were entitled to question his position on our list - and your “you know who you are“ crap comments are just that.