Training 2022 pre-season

Bloods86

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All the talk about wing and no mention of JMac :(. I think we'll waste him at HB as well
This. The kid is a natural winger.
I think most of us see him as a great option for a wing spot, but we're basing things off where he's actually been played as the year went on, where he performed best. It's kind of like those who still called Dawson a half back.

That said, we'll see him starting on the wing some of the time I think. There's still Lloyd and Blakey to accommodate off half back (so I listed JMac on the wing in my Best 22 for '22), the likes of Campbell might join in that rotation too.
 

wills2g

Premiership Player
Jun 15, 2018
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This. The kid is a natural winger.
I think most of us see him as a great option for a wing spot, but we're basing things off where he's actually been played as the year went on, where he performed best. It's kind of like those who still called Dawson a half back.

That said, we'll see him starting on the wing some of the time I think. There's still Lloyd and Blakey to accommodate off half back (so I listed JMac on the wing in my Best 22 for '22), the likes of Campbell might join in that rotation too.

Runs all day and hits the scoreboard. Has enough left in the tank despite covering huge ground to nail set shots so often that I can barely remember his misses
 

Kiama Chris

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I think most of us see him as a great option for a wing spot, but we're basing things off where he's actually been played as the year went on, where he performed best. It's kind of like those who still called Dawson a half back.

That said, we'll see him starting on the wing some of the time I think. There's still Lloyd and Blakey to accommodate off half back (so I listed JMac on the wing in my Best 22 for '22), the likes of Campbell might join in that rotation too.
I think to a certain extent the old "positions" no longer truly exist.
Tall forwards move out and back and sideways. There is no real FF or CHF. Some are a bit more mobile, others less so.
Crumbing forwards likewise except much more mobile. They do tend to play relative to the tall forwards. No such thing as a true forward pocket.
Mid-sized forwards roam all over the place to create space or fill space anywhere from the wing to the square.
"Wingers" are outside players a kick ahead in attack or gut running in defence. Generally in one side of the field but not exclusively.
Inside Mids follow the contest like under 12s. Outside Mids set up to receive or to defend.
Defenders can work man on man or zone. These are probably the positions that have changed least when defending but rebounding requires a whole new skill set of peeling off, handballing and long kicking.
When "choosing" (laughs uproariously) a side I start with 7 defenders incl 2 KPD and a lockdown small. Then either 6 or 7 forwards incl 2 KPF and a forward ruck. The seventh can be a rotating mid. A ruck of course and 7 or 8 mids, 4 inside.
JMac could be picked as a HBF or an outside mid (winger). Then it's more a case of which of the other players (winger or HBF) brings more to the team. Tricky call.
 

Bloods86

Norm Smith Medallist
Mar 7, 2011
9,507
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Adelaide
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Adelaide United, Everton, Socceroos
I think to a certain extent the old "positions" no longer truly exist.
Tall forwards move out and back and sideways. There is no real FF or CHF. Some are a bit more mobile, others less so.
Crumbing forwards likewise except much more mobile. They do tend to play relative to the tall forwards. No such thing as a true forward pocket.
Mid-sized forwards roam all over the place to create space or fill space anywhere from the wing to the square.
"Wingers" are outside players a kick ahead in attack or gut running in defence. Generally in one side of the field but not exclusively.
Inside Mids follow the contest like under 12s. Outside Mids set up to receive or to defend.
Defenders can work man on man or zone. These are probably the positions that have changed least when defending but rebounding requires a whole new skill set of peeling off, handballing and long kicking.
When "choosing" (laughs uproariously) a side I start with 7 defenders incl 2 KPD and a lockdown small. Then either 6 or 7 forwards incl 2 KPF and a forward ruck. The seventh can be a rotating mid. A ruck of course and 7 or 8 mids, 4 inside.
JMac could be picked as a HBF or an outside mid (winger). Then it's more a case of which of the other players (winger or HBF) brings more to the team. Tricky call.
Yep. I see JMac, Lloyd, Florent, then Campbell and Gulden in time being able to play anywhere between the arcs, whether they're starting off a rebound or the next in line. We might see Stephens, Corey Warner, Rankin in this group in future.

Blakey I think needs to be the one exception for now at least. His starting position needs to be in or on D50. When he started off the wing it just didn't click, but if he's involved off half back, look at him go. Don't mess with it unless there's a glaring need.
 

Kiama Chris

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May 10, 2016
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Yep. I see JMac, Lloyd, Florent, then Campbell and Gulden in time being able to play anywhere between the arcs, whether they're starting off a rebound or the next in line. We might see Stephens, Corey Warner, Rankin in this group in future.

Blakey I think needs to be the one exception for now at least. His starting position needs to be in or on D50. When he started off the wing it just didn't click, but if he's involved off half back, look at him go. Don't mess with it unless there's a glaring need.
Totally agree about Blakey.
Having the ball in front of him seems to allow him many more good choices. He can mark, spoil, support as third man or run past a teammate for a handball receive. He can kick long or short. He has a paddock to work in.
He will soon be a better player than Saad or Dawson which is no small thing.
Heeney and Hayward are doing fine as the mediums up forward coming back towards the ball.
 
Totally agree about Blakey.
Having the ball in front of him seems to allow him many more good choices. He can mark, spoil, support as third man or run past a teammate for a handball receive. He can kick long or short. He has a paddock to work in.
He will soon be a better player than Saad or Dawson which is no small thing.
Heeney and Hayward are doing fine as the mediums up forward coming back towards the ball.

There is no way he ends up better than Dawson but he is already way ahead of Saad.
 
Fox won the time trial today (there's a Sweet pun there for anyone willing to bite) The other usual suspects - Stephens, as well as Ronke, Florent and Gulden did well too.

They don't mean much, but I'm continually surprised that McInerney never features in the top finishers for these things. When I watch him play he consistently looks like the fittest bloke on the field. He just runs endlessly, covers massive ground, puts up pretty decent TOG numbers for his age. My only conclusion is that he must tank the time trials so he can continue to fly under the radar.
 

Kapers

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Sep 25, 2019
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Fox won the time trial today (there's a Sweet pun there for anyone willing to bite) The other usual suspects - Stephens, as well as Ronke, Florent and Gulden did well too.

They don't mean much, but I'm continually surprised that McInerney never features in the top finishers for these things. When I watch him play he consistently looks like the fittest bloke on the field. He just runs endlessly, covers massive ground, puts up pretty decent TOG numbers for his age. My only conclusion is that he must tank the time trials so he can continue to fly under the radar.
I think the time trials are also for players on the edge of selection to prove themeselves or those or those that are looking to make a position change.

That's just me 2 cents tho
 

Kiama Chris

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I think the time trials are also for players on the edge of selection to prove themeselves or those or those that are looking to make a position change.

That's just me 2 cents tho
I think when McLean came back last season and ran a significant PB he demonstrated to the coaches how serious he was. I think it helped (only helped mind you) earn him a start Rd1. He ran big km during his games keeping his defenders accountable. It all plays a part.
 
Oct 17, 2016
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Went down to training Monday morning around 930am. They had already started and were doing some straight line running. It was a big group with a lot of academy/vfl players integrated into the same sesssion as the senior guys. Seemed to be Blakey, Mills, Clarke, Melican and Amartey doing a lighter session on the far side.

Think they split into 3 groups for 2km. For the first group initially Fox established a reasonable gap, Stephens and Rankin had a clear gap in 2nd and everyone else was in a bunch together. Though in the last lap Rankin tired and dropped off, Stephens finished really strongly and made up some ground on Fox. And the bunch of players behind them started to spread out. It seemed Ronke and Gulden were finishing strongly. In the 2nd group CoR was way ahead of everyone else.

- Kicked the ball back and forth in threes

- Rotated through 3 skill stations
Picking up a rolling ground ball and getting a handball away after being tackled in congestion.
6 attackers working the ball past 5 defenders using kicks
3 attackers running in a line drawing 2 defenders with sideways handballs before kicking to a leading player

- More skill stations
Set up in a square with 2 defenders in the middle. Then kicking the ball to one of the other 3 points in the square
6 attackers handballing past 5 defenders
3 lanes of players handballing past 2 defenders in a tight space

- Set up in a large square, run and kick to the opposite diagonal. Two balls in motion.

- Attacking team structured with 4 backs 4 mids 4 forwards. They work the ball out with short kicks from defence. Then eventually kick long to a ruckman on halfway who taps it down. The attacking team reacts and attacks from the crumbed ball.

- Using a big wide open area of the field. The attacking team of 5 is set up in 3 wide lanes vs 6 defenders (2fwds-2mids-2backs). They work the ball past the defenders using movement and the width of the field.

- 12 attackers vs 9 defenders. Attacking team works the ball past the defending team with a focus on keeping their shape.

- Few players did some shuttle runs. 3 sets of 4x50m shuttles.

- At the end players were just kicking for goal. The rucks did some work with one of the coaches.
 
Went down to training Monday morning around 930am. They had already started and were doing some straight line running. It was a big group with a lot of academy/vfl players integrated into the same sesssion as the senior guys. Seemed to be Blakey, Mills, Clarke, Melican and Amartey doing a lighter session on the far side.

Think they split into 3 groups for 2km. For the first group initially Fox established a reasonable gap, Stephens and Rankin had a clear gap in 2nd and everyone else was in a bunch together. Though in the last lap Rankin tired and dropped off, Stephens finished really strongly and made up some ground on Fox. And the bunch of players behind them started to spread out. It seemed Ronke and Gulden were finishing strongly. In the 2nd group CoR was way ahead of everyone else.

- Kicked the ball back and forth in threes

- Rotated through 3 skill stations
Picking up a rolling ground ball and getting a handball away after being tackled in congestion.
6 attackers working the ball past 5 defenders using kicks
3 attackers running in a line drawing 2 defenders with sideways handballs before kicking to a leading player

- More skill stations
Set up in a square with 2 defenders in the middle. Then kicking the ball to one of the other 3 points in the square
6 attackers handballing past 5 defenders
3 lanes of players handballing past 2 defenders in a tight space

- Set up in a large square, run and kick to the opposite diagonal. Two balls in motion.

- Attacking team structured with 4 backs 4 mids 4 forwards. They work the ball out with short kicks from defence. Then eventually kick long to a ruckman on halfway who taps it down. The attacking team reacts and attacks from the crumbed ball.

- Using a big wide open area of the field. The attacking team of 5 is set up in 3 wide lanes vs 6 defenders (2fwds-2mids-2backs). They work the ball past the defenders using movement and the width of the field.

- 12 attackers vs 9 defenders. Attacking team works the ball past the defending team with a focus on keeping their shape.

- Few players did some shuttle runs. 3 sets of 4x50m shuttles.

- At the end players were just kicking for goal. The rucks did some work with one of the coaches.
Thanks Sean.
Enjoy your writeups
 
Fox won the time trial today (there's a Sweet pun there for anyone willing to bite) The other usual suspects - Stephens, as well as Ronke, Florent and Gulden did well too.

They don't mean much, but I'm continually surprised that McInerney never features in the top finishers for these things. When I watch him play he consistently looks like the fittest bloke on the field. He just runs endlessly, covers massive ground, puts up pretty decent TOG numbers for his age. My only conclusion is that he must tank the time trials so he can continue to fly under the radar.

McInerney was a fantastic 400m runner at school, it's a different type of running.

I imagine he backs up quickly but can't hold it for 2km.
 

swans4eva

Premiership Player
Oct 1, 2008
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Fox won the time trial today (there's a Sweet pun there for anyone willing to bite) The other usual suspects - Stephens, as well as Ronke, Florent and Gulden did well too.

They don't mean much, but I'm continually surprised that McInerney never features in the top finishers for these things. When I watch him play he consistently looks like the fittest bloke on the field. He just runs endlessly, covers massive ground, puts up pretty decent TOG numbers for his age. My only conclusion is that he must tank the time trials so he can continue to fly under the radar.
According to Foxy’s Strava, he did it in about 5:56. Impressive time
 
Went down to training Monday morning around 930am. They had already started and were doing some straight line running. It was a big group with a lot of academy/vfl players integrated into the same sesssion as the senior guys. Seemed to be Blakey, Mills, Clarke, Melican and Amartey doing a lighter session on the far side.

Think they split into 3 groups for 2km. For the first group initially Fox established a reasonable gap, Stephens and Rankin had a clear gap in 2nd and everyone else was in a bunch together. Though in the last lap Rankin tired and dropped off, Stephens finished really strongly and made up some ground on Fox. And the bunch of players behind them started to spread out. It seemed Ronke and Gulden were finishing strongly. In the 2nd group CoR was way ahead of everyone else.

- Kicked the ball back and forth in threes

- Rotated through 3 skill stations
Picking up a rolling ground ball and getting a handball away after being tackled in congestion.
6 attackers working the ball past 5 defenders using kicks
3 attackers running in a line drawing 2 defenders with sideways handballs before kicking to a leading player

- More skill stations
Set up in a square with 2 defenders in the middle. Then kicking the ball to one of the other 3 points in the square
6 attackers handballing past 5 defenders
3 lanes of players handballing past 2 defenders in a tight space

- Set up in a large square, run and kick to the opposite diagonal. Two balls in motion.

- Attacking team structured with 4 backs 4 mids 4 forwards. They work the ball out with short kicks from defence. Then eventually kick long to a ruckman on halfway who taps it down. The attacking team reacts and attacks from the crumbed ball.

- Using a big wide open area of the field. The attacking team of 5 is set up in 3 wide lanes vs 6 defenders (2fwds-2mids-2backs). They work the ball past the defenders using movement and the width of the field.

- 12 attackers vs 9 defenders. Attacking team works the ball past the defending team with a focus on keeping their shape.

- Few players did some shuttle runs. 3 sets of 4x50m shuttles.

- At the end players were just kicking for goal. The rucks did some work with one of the coaches.

That is just a terrific report. We are damned lucky you are able to pop in to training.

Delighted the lads had kicking for goal at the end after a hard session.
 
According to Foxy’s Strava, he did it in about 5:56. Impressive time

I wonder if Fox wasn't 100% this year. He seems our fittest player, and averaged 89% TOG in 2020, the fifth-highest at the club, down to 69% TOG this year, the fourth-lowest at the club. We know he had that finger injury and was playing with that baseball mitt, but I wonder if there was something else at play..
 

Kiama Chris

Norm Smith Medallist
May 10, 2016
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McInerney was a fantastic 400m runner at school, it's a different type of running.

I imagine he backs up quickly but can't hold it for 2km.
Nowadays 400m is closer to a prolonged sprint than an endurance distance. Think it fits well with how he gets up and back when on the wing. His 3/4 pace is quicker than most.
 

the hypnotoad

Premiership Player
Mar 7, 2021
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- Started with a warmup. Split into 4 groups and ran around a square to 4 stations. Things like stepping over mini hurdles or weaving between poles.

- Kicking back and forth in 3s.

- 3 skill stations. (Quick flat handballs across the body to a player running next to them, kicking drill within defensive 50 and contested marking practice from high long balls.)

- Handball drill. Attacking team tries to handball their way past defensive team in a tight congested space.

- Another handball drill. Cox hurls the ball away, attacking team picks it up and handballs past the defensive team. Maybe simulating a defender picking up a loose ball and using the extra numbers to stay composed and keep possession with handballs.

- Ball movement drill. Attacking team set up with 4 backs 3 mids and 4 forwards vs a few coaches as opposition. Practiced moving the ball upfield with kicks. With a focus on the players upfield creating options by making angled runs into space and the players behind making supporting runs from deep.

- Ball movement/rebound drill. Ball starts from a kick in at the goal square. Work the ball upfield for a little bit with a few kicks, then kick it long to a ruckman on halfway who knocks it down. Then the team quickly attacks in the opposite direction. Maybe this simulates quickly attacking from a turnover.

- Did a 3min run around the boundary about 2 laps. Brief rest then run a few shuttles back and forth. Then a few players did another 3min run around the boundary. McAndrew did some 1 on 1 ruck work with Cox whilst this was happening.

cheers, great information to get directly from someone there who's not having stuff 'filtered' via the club or afl or mainstream media ... some of the most worthwhile offseason posting, good work
 
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