Training 2023 Training Blog - Training Reports only - *NO DISCUSSION*

[Aphrodite]

Same principle as the Bluemour File - this thread is for TRAINING REPORTS ONLY

No discussion is to take place in this thread!

All discussion belongs over here: Training - Pre-Season 2023 - Training - pics, reports etc​

It's an easy reference point for training reports without having to sift through pages & pages of posts.

By all means copy and paste training reports from this thread using #TrackTalk hashtag which can be referenced back for discussion in the 'Pre-Season 2023 - Training reports, pics etc' thread & vice versa:-

Training - 2023 Training - reports, pics etc

www.bigfooty.com

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This has been found to be a valuable reference tool for those of us that love reading training reports and can't make it to training sessions whether it be to due to work commitments, living interstate etc.

The time and effort our posters put in attending training sessions and keep us up to date on how our players/new recruits are tracking is invaluable and we all love reading their informative training reports and we thank you.

 

[Bamboo Harvester]

I wouldn't read too much into today's session - probably one of the more nondescript and less intense training sessions I've attended. Even the running drills were more of a jog than anything else....with the players chatting, laughing and acknowledging the crowd as they slowly trundled by. If I was a cynic, I would guess that the session was as much for the fans as it was for the players - it was only the terrible conditions that spoilt it for those who bravely rocked up - and unfortunately not too many of the players stuck around after for the fan engagement (unless they came back out after I'd already split).

Weiters and Martin not out there - again I personally wouldn't read too much into that given the type of session it was....they were probably just attending their Grand's 80th B'day or off getting their legs waxed.

There were a heap of players who joined in the main session in bits and pieces - especially the first part - then headed back inside or just did a bit of light work. Even Charles headed back inside before the match sim began. Chances are that most are on modified programs of varying degrees, but will be back in the thick of it when training intensifies over the next 4-6 weeks. The conditions may have played a part as well - who knows.

For mine, the only things of any real note were:

• couldn't believe my eyes when I saw the #18 doing strides along the boundary - not jogging - but doing 70-75% strides!!!
• Cunners also doing similar to Walsh along the boundary - I'd expect he'll up the intensity over the next month, but no need to rush him with the amount of time he's been on the sidelines
• I was personally rapt to see Fog out there as well doing some light work...he's been a bit of a mystery man of recent times, but nice to see him back
• players like Pitto, Zach, Gov and Durds out of the main group early and did laps or light work - but not worried at all about them
• Kemp doing drills with the midfield group. Looks a super athlete now, and I reckon that's his spot...big bodied mid with pace and marking strength. He's a player to keep an eye on this year - could be a bolter
• Dow also looked to be moving quite well, and looks like he's bulked a little as well. Hopefully the penny's dropped for him. Carroll also looks like he's getting more confidence - expect that we'll also be seeing a fair bit of him this year
• Lem hurt his hand/arm in a one-on-one - looked fairly innocuous - went off to get it seen to, but returned a few minutes later
• big Dom still has a long way to go - incredible athleticism, but still lacks the basic skills required at the top level

Apart from that, as I mentioned it was a bit of a nothing session, so not a lot to really write home about....except I get this feeling that Lachie Cowan is gonna become a bit of a cult figure with Carlton supporters....there's a lot to love there - reckon he'll be a ripper in a few years.



#TrackTalk

 

[Fevolution!]

From today's training session :-


A few takeaways:

• It’s hard to make out players at times. There were a fill ins wearing random numbers. The blue singlets also didn’t have numbers.
• Cripps is a level ahead of everyone. So clean, strong and smart, especially in the stoppage drills.
• Docherty participated in the stoppage drills but played most of the match sim off half back. I think he’ll predominately play half back with stints in the middle if we need a spark.
• Did Dylan Buckley put on 15 kg of muscle and chuck the number 7 on? Thought that bloke did a few nice things.
• Hollands and Binns both looked promising. However, would be happy for both to play the entire year in the 2nds. If we’re serious about going deep I think there bodies will be a liability.
• Can see Cowan getting a few games as a half back drifter.
• Carrol has some silky moves. Probably won’t play round 1 but great depth.
• Williams looked fantastic. Gives such a different look off half back. Please stay fit.
• There was a passage of play where Cripps kicked a goal, then Williams did something special and then Saad intercepted an inside 50. The crowd where getting progressively vocal which got me a little firm for Round 1.

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[windows1]

To say my heart glistened with joy today would be an understatement. A certain number 18 ran maybe a dozen 150s. Unless he has a set back I have no idea how he isn’t playing by round 4/5.

General observations first: they’re definitely managing workload on several players (as they should). MCG and Martin in particular (didn’t train). Pretty good list out there today. Weiters may have finished a bit early but was on the track chatting and seemed ok. Young didn’t show. As usual no cunners and as usual (for the 14th year in a row) Marchy was doing laps. Kennedy not out there. Honey and Philp also missing.

Skill level was good, albeit seemed a 3-4 pace session.

Some guys are just better than everyone else. They know it. We know it. The other guys know it. Charlie and Crippa are just too good. I don’t know how to explain this clearly but at this stage last year I was worried about Charlie and now I’m worried about afl defenders. He was easily the third best endurance runner there today. Just outstanding. And his kicking. My lord. He’s too good. It’s incrdible to think that 18 months ago the talk was Charlie would be on managed loads for life and never quite be the same. Crippa was in third gear and was still better than everyone else.

Lochie Obrien take a bow. If a player in the afl can beat him over 150-200 I’d love to see them. He’s stronger than I’ve seen him and his running is the best I’ve observed. He has said a big * you to the world in the off season and he’s just primed. Good luck taking the wing spot off him. If he doesn’t get a game we are flying.

Speaking of flying. Zac Williams. He just gets the ball whenever he wants. Never fumbles. Another the game is just too easy for.

Not sure Harry could have taken it any easier for a guy who completed a 2.5 hour session.

Was terrific to see Saad completing multiple 50m sprints flat out today at the end of the session. He seemed to be carrying soemhting at the end of last year but no sign of that.

Midfield is clear to me- 4 man rotation of Cripps, Doc, Cerra and Hewett. Hewett looked terrific. Very agile (no sign of lingering back issues). He was (for him) explosive and looked great. May have shed a kg or 2.

Acres ran well (maybe 5/6 best) and showed he’s straight in and adds to us.

I wasn’t impressed with Carroll. His kicking is very meh and despite all the pictures of his biceps over summer he doesn’t look strong enough. Lingering question marks for me and can’t see his place unfortunately.

Motlop has definitely gotten fitter and Durdin looked very damaging in match sim.

They played 3 x 20 min quarters with umpires. Was obviously very friendly.

Don’t quite see a spot on the wing for hollands yet but he looks a nice type.

Binns was the second best runnner (behind lob) on the day and end to end gut runs. Not a good kick and not sure the body strength is there but will do well at vfl this year.

Kemp was there and invisible for some reason.

More later. Maybe.




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[Bamboo Harvester]

There were a number of top ups from the magoo's taking part in the session. The bloke with #7 on his back was my man Heath Ramshaw - this kid can seriously play. The other top ups who really caught the eye were Cincotta and Parksy - who was pretty unlucky to get delisted imo.

Good session today though, much more intensity than last week. Just a few points off the top of the head:

• Doch with the mids as others have said, Kemp down back sometimes as the loose, Acres with the midfield crew - looks like he may get time at centre stoppages, but looked really good. He'll make an impact this year. Ed looks like an old warhorse out there.
• our draftees are still skinny kids learning the game. Binnsy works bloody hard, and Hollands showed glimpses of why we took him, but you would think they both need time to develop. Lem also put himself in good positions during match sim, but also needs time. Cowan the most advanced out of them - reckon we'll see him at some stage this year.
• LOB should have the other wing spot round 1 sewn up - looked really good today, and his running capacity is off the charts. Reckon he's put in a lot of hard work to get himself cherry ripe. Dow on the other hand pretty disappointing in the running drills - for a player who's fighting for his spot on a list, I thought he would also have done the hard yards to improve his running capacity as a mid.
• just to reiterate one of my earlier posts this week - Mots and Durds are going to be weapons for us over the next few years. Loved their work today as small forwards. Both are so dangerous, and are starting to work better as a duo, and at the feet of the talls.
• great to see Georgie back in full training - looked great!! Cunners still in the rehab group, but looks like their ramping his load up a little more. Plow, Kennedy, Philp not out there, but Young did some light work - great to see him out there. Martin also doing some light work. Walshy also did some strides over on the far side of the ground - and I'm pretty sure it was him watching the match sim from the sidelines looking like he was just itching to get out there.

There's probably more, but others have probably covered most of it.





#TrackTalk

 

[Love the Drake]

Cast an eye over the boys training session today. Good numbers. Quite a few AFL listed players on modified duties, or not training at all. VFL players utilised to make up the numbers.

DID NOT TRAIN AT ALL

1. McGovern
2. Marchbank
3. Martin
4. Cuningham
5. Young
6. Akuei
7. Boyd
8. Cottrell
9. Kennedy
10. Plow

RUNNING or LIMITED TRAINING (no contact)

1. Fogarty
2. Mirkov
3. Honey
4. Walsh (half pace run throughs)
5. Cowans
6. Philp

A couple of match simulations, followed by the group splitting in to two where they performed clearance drills for 20 minutes. Can only comment on the group in front of me.

Won't go into the match sims too much, however, pleased to say the boys looked energetic and moved the ball pretty well. Quite a few turnovers, but that can be expected this time of year. Ball movement looked pretty good.

PLAYERS (by number)

JSOS - Getting around the ground well. Didn't stand out
DOW - Got a lot of the ball. Kicking looked better, but did butcher it a couple of times
MOTLOP - Looked nippy. Got out the back a couple of times for goals. Hoping he backs his goal/game sense in this year. Looked good
O'BRIEN - Doesn't look like a little boy any more. Led the running drills. Pushed up and back on one wing playing on ACRES. Had a couple of poor kicks off one step, which ended as turnovers. Has to get this out of his game
CERRA - Did some nice things, but looked like he was going at 60%. Class
WILLIAMS - Looked fit. Used the ball really well.
CRIPPA - See CERRA
HARRY - Moved really well. Was getting up and down the ground easily. Played on Parks and a VFL player. He is a hulking figure now
TDK - Jury is still out. Mis-timed a few jumps. Butchered a couple of kicks that led to turnovers. Does look bigger and stronger however
ACRES - Great size. Great runner. Good mark and long kick. Will make one wing his own. Massive improvement on what we've had
HOLLANDS - very slight build. Good runner. Very clean skills when out in the open - hit up two magnificent passes. Did get caught out with the pace of play twice where he was smothered/tackled due to not getting rid of the ball sooner. Looks classy. Thinking he needs games in the VFL, but is AFL class
DOC - played on ball. See CRIPPS & CERRA
CARROLL - Got a lot of it. Played on ball. Is in the mix, but not sure who he would push ahead of
KEMP - Has put on size, played defensive role. Nothing startling from Kempy
DURDIN - A little pocket rocket. Smashed into a few players. Made some big tackles. Kicked a nice goal. He's a lock
WEITERS - See CRIPPS etc
NEWMAN - Looked to have trimmed down. Really like him with ball in hand. Composed. Didn't miss a target. He should be a lock
FISH - Was confident and creative. Made things happen when he got the ball. Is a lock
PITT - Played restricted minutes. Looked big and strong. Should be our starting ruck
CHARLIE - He looked unbelievably good. Has put on a bit of bulk, whilst keeping his athleticism. He is now a man. Was going on searching 100 metre runs, getting the ball, then turning and kicking it 60-70 metres. Has a lot of self-confidence, and quite often demanded the ball. Will absolutely dominate.
LEMNEY - Moves well. Clunked a couple of marks. Definitely something to work on there. Should develop nicely in the VFL.
BINNS - matched up on HOLLANDS in the match sim, then as an inside mid on Cripps/Doc in the clearance sim. I really liked this kid. Pushed himself up and down the wing the entire session. A lot of defensive running to cover team-mates players. Had a couple of turnovers, but that was due to exhaustion. I liked what I saw.
ED - Looked fit and very eager. Great to see him out there
Big DURDS - solid. Timed his spoils well. Good solid, depth player
SAAD - See CRIPPS etc
OWIES - Looked very good. Has slimmed down a bit. Got a fair bit of the ball. Will still be firmly in the mix

NEW PLAYERS

ACRES - makes us better. Great pick up
COWANS - played some of the 1/2 ground clearance drill. Good size. Slim but broad. Very quick and agile and roosts the ball. Ran past the player with the ball several times, but they didn't give it to him.
LEMNEY - is a good size who moves well. Didn't look out of place playing as full forward. Took some nice marks
Loved BINNS and HOLLANDS going one-on-one on the wing nearest to us all day. I paid particular attention as I was there to see the young fellas. They had a great battle. Both have massive tanks and kept pushing up and down the ground. BINNS looked to push himself to exhaustion. Saw him running off HOLLANDS to defensively cover other players several times. Then would push himself to get back in position when these players were covered by their opponents. Loved how much inner drive he has. Worked his arse off. HOLLANDS didn't run as hard as BINNS, but looked so classy when he got it. Very smooth mover and great user of the ball when in space. Think Camporeale. Will develop pretty quickly I would think.

MATCH SELECTION

• ACRES and O'BRIEN are locks for the wings
• MOTLOP and DURDIN (C variety) are locks for small forwards
• PITTONET will be first choice ruck
• HEWETT is good to go
• WILLIAMS is good to go
• CHARLIE & HARRY looked fit, strong and confident. Will be hard to stop
• DOC is definitely part of the on ball team

All, in all, pretty happy with the boys. No need to worry re the rehab group. Most were being managed.

• McGovern trained fully on Monday.
• Martin was practising his set shots.
• Didn't see Young or Plow but from all accounts they have minor niggles that are being managed.
• Saw Boyd working on his legs in the gym.
• Marchbank was doing stationary drills on the ground then leg exercises in the gym.
• Honey, Cuningham, Fogarty, Cowans, Kennedy & Mirkov were all running in some capacity.

The only ones who are looking doubtful for round 1 are Walsh, Cotters and Boyd.





#TrackTalk

 

[windows1]

A few more observations from yesterday. There was way less running than I remember from last year. I think I’m previous seasons every session I went to included just a stack of that. I don’t recall any season them playing a pseudo scratch match on the Monday (which apparnelty they did) and then following up with similar match aim on the Wednesday.

I am guessing there’s a big shift. Equally in match sim in years gone by there was a ferocity which scared me. Apart from TDk losing his mind in a couple of occasions and trying to hurt himself there was no risky behaviour. No big pack mark flying. No aggressive tackles. The potential for injury seemed dramatically lower.

Frankly, I would say ******* FINALLy. And to be fair to Russell perhaps he’s been arguing for that.

They need to play the long game with every player. They don’t need to leap ahead their fitness and strength over night. They all have a good base. Tweak it over time. But most important of all is availability.

Small example: Ed C didn’t do any running but did all drills. Why? He doesn’t bloody need any endurance does he? So why do it? He needs to stay on the park. So they’ve managing his loads. Applause.

So i suspect there’s been a big change. Martin and MCG are clearly being nursed through preseason. Interesting that Williams is not.
Whatever he has experienced he seems on top of.

I have confidence now that they’ve actually made serious changes.

* he looked good yestersay. He’s not an amazing runner but he kept up. Looks lean. Just looks primed. He’s my first big call of the preseason. Williams will be an AA this year.

I reckon Doc is def on ball. He added a bite and grit at the end of the year they clearly loved. A mid core that includes Crippa doc and Hewett is as tough and hard as nails and will never be beaten for contested ball. Ever. I predict the whole season each time those three are in the centre square rotation our midfield never loses contested ball.

Sam Durdin is worthy of comment. I don’t see star in him. But he’s not far off “solid” and as a backup I am very happy we have him.

Once again compliments go to LOB. He’s a man now. No rag dolling. Looks absolutely terrific. I hope his self belief matches his physical prowess.

Special mention to Binns. He has heart. Gut runs. I hope they can fix his kicking.

And a word on Marchbank. He clearly has some kind of hamstring issue. He did his usual boundary line runs. Then went inside to gym. I went in to the cafe and saw through the window he was doing hamstring work with a training and then repeatedly shaking his head and pointing to his hamstring. Clearly a frustration and ongoing saga for him. Hope he’s ok.




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[new_blue]

Some observations from training yesterday, noting I was located at the Royal Pde end.

• JSOS: looks super fit. Pretty much led every run/sprint he took part in. He’s a real leader out on the field. Then played a key lead up role in the match sim, handballing off players running past - generating overlap and run.
• Dow: Definitely provides a point of difference and complements our midfield with his ability to break the lines. Running was a little better than in past years. Still not sure how bad he actually wants it. Feel he’s well down the list.
• LOB: Could not fault him. His running capacity is incredible, and has bulked up as other posters have mentioned. Looks like he now has belief.
• TDK: needs to stop jumping and then while in mid-air trying to work out where the ball is. He’d be much better off just watching the ball and taking less spectacular marks.
• Acres: will be the bargain of trading period. Such a solid player. He’s strong, physical and reads the play well, linking well the other players. Also beat Cripps in a number of contests.
• Holland: didn’t notice him as much as other posters but looks to be a player. Him and Binns will push each other along.
• Carrol: from my view, his skills were solid although he often looks for 20-30m passes.
• Kemp: was definitely playing defence. He was marched up against JSOS when down my end.
• C Durdin: love what he bring. Has many Boomer Harvey attributes and feel he’ll end up as a midfielder in time. Just a natural smart footballer. Definitely has bulked up.
• J Martin: still looks like a twig. Either can’t put size on or is allergic to the gym.
• Weiters: looks like a boss out there. did get a minor knock but was able to carry on
• Newman: did recognise him initially. Definitely a lot slimmer and moving well.
• Fisher: loved what I saw of him. Seems to be our link man around the midfield. Expect a big year from him.

[*]Charlie: one word - BEAST. Couldn’t be more impressive with his will/intent out on the field. We know how good this guy is.

• Lemmy: didn’t do a whole lot but seems to have goal sense. Did a few nice things to suggest that he has the ability.
• Binns: super impressed with him. Thought he out worked hollands across the session. Also linked up very well during match sim, using using his running to get a few 1-2s and really break the lines. Has more toe than I expected.
• Young: didn’t train but was BOG when it came to signing autographs. Was 1st to start and last to leave. Absolute champ.

Overall, was an impressive sessions. Seems
to be a big focus on moving the ball quickly with lots of overlap and short-sharp switching. Players like fisher, LOB, Acres, C Durdin, JSOS, Motlop will be critical for us this year.




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[Ash24]

Forgot we had this thread, so here is my report in case others didn't see it buried in the main thread.

3 hour session

Gov, Philp, Kennedy, Boyd and Cottrell I couldn't see. Plowman was there but didn't train. At least 8+ training on lighter duties - Young, Martin, Fog, Walsh, Marchy, Honey, Cunners, Akuei.

Forwards - Durdin and Motlop impressive, lock them in to kick 60 goals between them. JSOS looked really fit. Charlie is a beautiful kick and at times was pushing higher up the ground to set up transition. He is an absolute machine and a freak of nature.

Mids - Walsh running at 50-75%, will be surprised if he isn't playing by rd 2-3. Hewett is a bull - getting plenty of hard balls, standing through tackles and fending off opposition too. Looks like the back injury is well and truly behind him (literally and figuratively ). LOB had plenty of nice moments. Carroll was disappointing, has bulked up but really poor by foot.

Doc, Acres and Hollands all involved with centre stoppage craft work, definitely will be used for bursts in the middle.

Rucks - Mirkov ready to debut in 2023, was really impressed with him. Pitto completed most of the session with the main group + match sim. TDK will win MOTY some time soon.

Defenders - S. Durdin took some nice spoils and intercept marks, confident with him filling in for Weiters/Young if need be.

At least 5 or so VFL/train on players filling in (Cincotta the only one I could clearly identify) - they wore number 7, 9, 30, 31 (Luke Parks) and 49.

2 seperate running groups for 200m sprints, winners = SOS, Harry, Saad in first group / 3x LOB in second group (Charlie often 2nd)

Cowan, Hollands and Binns all impressive, Lemmey will take time.

Match sim - 18v18, 20min halves
Blue For - Harry, Charlie, Durds, Mots, JSOS
Blue Mid - Pitto, Binns, Hewett, Cripps, Cerra
Blue Def - Weiters, Doc, Williams, Newman

Orange For - Owies, Fog, at least 3 VFL players/other top ups
Orange Mid - TDK, LOB, Hollands, Ed, Fisher, Carroll, Dow
Orange Def - Kemp, S. Durdin, Saad, Parks (VFL top up)

^^ obviously a couple I missed and couldn't see

* At times Dow was defending C. Durdin and Carroll was on Motlop. Interesting...

Orange was winning 6-20 at HT, Blue won 50-38 at FT

Bit of running at the end...

400m with the blue team only, Binns lead by 10m, then Charlie by 30m well in front, followed by Acres, Doc and JSOS about 10m in front of the rest of the blues.

400m with 4 orange players, LOB (about 50m ahead) then Carroll/Fisher/Dow close together in that order.

Overall, very impressed. GO BLUES!

(bit off topic but after watching the last few open trainings I've made some changes to my best 22, Hollands --> LOB, Owies --> TDK)




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[Kreuuuzeurns]

Training 1st Feb ...



Some other thoughts/observations

- Cripps/Hewett/Kennedy, business as usual. We’ll be fine on the inside again this year.
-Hollands, could play round 1, was clearly best on in the quarter where they halved the ground and only played one wing. Needs to improve his disposal but has no problem finding it.
-Williams, looks to have a greater role across half back. Breaking lines and kicking long. Copped a knock to the hand on the far wing and was in a bit of pain, hope all is fine.
-Dow, would be a very good player if we could send Luke Power onto the MCG with him to scream at him all game. Still looks lost when the ball leaves the clearance.
-Acres, disposal a bit iffy but he covers the ground extremely well. Will be a great addition. Tackles well.
-Akuei, made some great spoils and intercepts on instinct. Was confident in his decisions. Still a long way to go but promising signs.
-Durdin, pushing up the ground even further than he was in 2022. Got some ball in defence a few times
-Walsh, his first fan interaction was as enthusiastic as his last. Legend.

Great morning on the Sunny Coast.



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[marcmurphy3]

Came up from Brisbane this morning to watch the session. Was a short session. Probably only 45 minutes total and then fan engagement stuff. Think that's more what it was about then a serious training. Here are my observations, keeping in mind its off a very small sample.

Session structure

• Day started off with players doing drills in lose line groupings. Doch was with the defenders as was Kemp.
• After that they proceeded to match sim. They did 3 mini sessions. I wouldn't say there was a strong team and a weak team. It was pretty evenly matched except the best forward group were together I assume to build chemistry. In the midfield Cerra and Cripps were on one side with Docherty, Kennedy and Hewett on the other. In defense Weitering and Sadd were on a different side to Young, Mcgovern and Newman. Different to Brisbane who I saw train last week who played a clear probable's vs possibles.
• First was a 15-minute quarter that was full match practice with both teams starting on 0, however, the ball didn't come back to the middle after a goal. It was kicked out as if it was a behind maybe to give the teams some extra transition practice?
• Then they did a 10 minute period with one team starting 3 goals ahead of the other. Maybe simulating one side trying to hold on and one team coming from behind though I didn't really notice a difference in style of play from either side.
• Then they did a 5-minute period same thing, one team starting ahead of the other.
• They finished up with some goal kicking with some players staying out longer while others went to sign autographs and such.

Team Observations

• Ball use was okay. Less scrappy than I observed from videos last week, however, players did kick it long along the boundary more so seemed to play safer. Last week I noticed more mistakes but a greater desire to take the risky kick into the corridor. Players were yelling at their peers to look inside but they often didn't.
• I saw Brisbane play a scratch match last week and their ball movement looked a lot cleaner and more impressive, however, they were playing an A team vs a B team so easier to look that way.
• Goal kicking practice still needed. There were several poor shots at goal during the match sim and I thought some of the practice after looked a bit lazy too.
• Harry, Charlie, SOS, Motlop and Durdin look a strong chance to be our starting forward line round 1.
• Not having been to a blues training session before I didn't walk away any more optimistic or pessimistic about the coming season. Looked solid but not spectacular. Hopefully ball movement improves as we approach the real thing.

Individual Observations

• O'Brien was prominent on a wing and looks stronger
• Kennedy played the first couple of periods of match sim then did laps. Looks fine and played well in the sim. Took a couple of strong marks and was good inside. One of the better players.
• Hewett was good and is one of the few players that seems to lower his eyes consistently. Hit a couple of good targets inside 50 doing so.
• Cripps strong in traffic but just cruising. Took some shots at goal at the end and I really liked his intensity. They say perfect practice makes perfect and you could tell he was really focusing on each shot compared to some others who were half arsing it a bit.
• Cerra classy when he got it but not prominent.
• McGovern great with and without the ball. Seemed to get a head knock at one stage but kept playing.
• Acres reads the play well and is a great marking target coming out of defense. Tends to bomb it though which shouldn't surprise anyone.
• Docherty played the whole match sim in the midfield after completing initial drills with defense. I think they are hedging their bets with him at the moment depending how injuries play out. I thought he looked great in the match sim, one of the best, though he is another one that can be prone to bombing it.
• Durdin kicked a goal and did a few good things. I didn't notice Motlop much.
• Hollands looked the standout out of the newbies. Ran hard, got a bit of the ball and used it mostly well. Looked confident, like he felt he belonged. Cowan and Binns quiet.
• Harry and Charlie looked to be working well together. Both kicked a goal in the match sim. Harry more noticeable for me.
• Newman did some good stuff. Saad pretty quiet.
• Honey, Cottrell, Walsh , Marchbank , Boyd there but didn't participate in anything. Didn't see DC or Jack Martin at all. Fogarty running laps. Everyone else was out there playing.
• Durdin and Weitering spent the whole match period switching between Harry and Charlie. Not sure if Durds is further up the pecking order then we think but if he is just backup he is great backup.
• TDK took a couple of great marks around the ground and looks to have put on some nice. Had one shot at goal in the match sim but shanked it

Feel free to hit me up if anyone has any questions.





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[Arr0w]

Great day for an open training session

At the start of the day, Hansen spoke to the crowd and what stuck out for me was, that this was our last preseason session. Took that as workloads will taper off and focus more on match day drills, match sims, etc. Think some players are already tapering, others looked heavy in the legs

The other thing Hansen mentioned was that the list was in a healthy state, apart from Boyd, Philp and Williams. While i noticed there were still players in the rehab group, they are more advanced in their workloads

Pace of the session was highish, skills generally clean. Will detail some of the possible gameplan changes at a later date

I left end of match sim

• Jsos, typical Jack, created options, always fighting for front spot, never stopped. Goal kicking was average. End of the session, seemed to tweak an ankle, but stayed out there and was doing some goal kicking, moved freely
• Dow, was like a different footballer from the last session I saw. Was running on top of the ground, looked quick and strong. Running past for handball receives, involved in chains, kicks were hitting targets and great decisions when releasing a handball. Still behind our main mids, but was very encouraging. One of the standouts of the session
• Mots, seriously leg to body ratio has the biggest legs out there. Another preseason for the top half but well on the way. Think he is in for a very good season
• LOB, again impressed with his positioning, and kicking. Think he is a lock for round 1 wing
• Cerra, all class, moved well and never seemed pressured. With Walsh out early, will be a starting centre bounce mid, which I believe suits him perfectly
• Williams
• Kennedy, physically, best shape I have seen him in, moved freely, tough and was showing even more intent. A lock for round 1
• Fog, increased workload, involved in some of the match sim, moved freely enough. Personally think he is carrying a bit too much weight, should start round 1 VFL
• Cripps, was involved but seem to be holding back a little which is fine. Body looks more defined, moving well, will be ripe for round 1
• McKay, think this is the best he has moved in a preseason. What impressed me most was he was always on the move, and actually fighting hard to find and keep front position. Expecting a massive year from H
• Gov, unsighted
• TDK, that's 2 sessions where he has been a tad underwhelming, although he did look heavy in the legs. Needs to stop trying to take school yard mark of the year and play the percentages. Kicking was lazy
• Acres, just a smart, big body, mature, cool headed player. Great pick up
• Hollands, or should i say Walsh-Lite. Really impressed me, compared to the last sighting. Never stopped running, when he has the ball in motion, he will break lines, wants to take the game on, will run and carry if there is space in front of him. Kicking in general play was very good, actually placing the ball in front of a teammate. In traffic and or with more heat on, his disposal was sub par, needs to release quicker and not take on a player unless he has some momentum. 1 of 6 players that will be fighting for a bench spot
• Doc, Williams going down won't change a thing, he will play in the middle. Although, suspect he will spend time as a defensive mid to had some speed in the back half
• Carroll, not involved as much as last outing, but was used a bit on the wing, inside and 1 out. Looks strong and confident, 1 of 6 players that will be fighting for a bench spot
• Kemp, didn't notice him much, but given he has been playing as a KPD in these match sims, it's no surprise. Has filled out, moving well.
• Walsh, running laps, lots of laps. Fitness wise he would be ready to go, but seems they are holding him back
• C Durdin, over the shoulder surgery and looks quick. A couple involvements in the around the ground stoppages, read the ball well in the forward half. Of the 2, think Durdin will have the more consistent year, Mots might have a couple of 4 goal games
• Plow, looks healthy, moved well, played the percentages. Think he plays round 1, given the injuries
• Martin, still on a modified program but everything he was involved in was at high pace. Round 1 lock
• Marchbank, not as advanced as Martin, probably at 80% but was moving well. Think he will be right to go round 1 VFL
• Weitering, looked leg heavy but didn't seem to effect his play. Although, couple of times McKay outworked him.
• Newman, has trimmed down, footskills still penetrating, a lock for now
• Fisher, has moved well every time I have seen him. Will play HHF, pushing up at times. Makes smart decisions and expecting further improvement this year
• Cowan, liked what I saw. The knock for me in his draft year was not using shorter targets by foot enough, but it was his first option today. Strong overhead, kicking was accurate. Will take time to develop, but could feature 2nd half of the year
• Pitto, not unlike TDK, underwhelming but still building from surgery. Just a stoppage ruckman, not much else
• Cuners, yes it was a little exciting to see him more involved than I thought he would be and looked really clean apart from some bad bonces. Kicking both sides of the body was elite. Push for round 1? No unlikely, but will have start round 1 VFL. No strapping at all
• Hewett, Mr Professional, never rushed, stands up in a tackle, hits targets on either side of the body. Fit and a lock for round 1
• Charlie, still the best in-play kick in the side. Set shots, he actually went back, took his time, despite 1 miss. Looks better than last year
• Lemmey, not ready body wise, but all other aspects, yes. Very clever with his leading in an open or congested forward line, massive tank, needs more sprint work/intent. Kicking is elite at goal (yes better than Charlie and Big H) as well as round the ground. Wouldn't disgrace himself if there was an injury. If he stays fit, will kick 40 in the VFL
• Binns, not as prominent as Hollands, but more disciplined and measured. Holds a wide position on a wing, defensive first mindset and makes good decisions/execution by foot
• Young, his normal self in the air, rusty when it hit the deck. Not surprising missing some sessions
• Philp unsighted
• Ed, did Ed things, but actually used the ball well by foot while playing a more outside/wing role. 1 of 6 players that will be fighting for a bench spot
• Honey, was one touch gathering but really rusty releasing the ball. Still heavily strapped right knee, unsure whether he will be ready for VFL opener. But great to see him ramping up workload
• Boyd
• S Durdin, just a good old fashioned defender. Nice to have a backup for injury and or form slump
• Akuei, really underdone, but played back in the match sims. IMHO, more likely to make it as a forward
• Saad, think he is just waiting for the season to start. Did everything well, but never took off on runs. Will have another great year
• Owies, probably the hardest working forward, disciplined, but just lacks that xfactor. Behind Mots, Durds, Fisher, Martin
• Mirkov. Miles off, full year in the VFL until he can improve his workrate
• Cotts

Didn't see and or notice Cincotta. Parks was actually good, Ronke has lost a lot of touch, but will do well in our VFL side


Locks given what I have seen this preseason and considering injuries


Plow Weitering Newman
Gov Young or S Durdin Saad

Pitto Hewett Doc
Acres Cripps LOB

Martin Charlie Fisher
Mots McKay Durdin

Kemp Kennedy Jsos Cerra

Sub ????

Last spot up for grabs, TDK, Carroll, Hollands, Owies, Dow (yes that's right), Ed

Practice matches will be very interesting





#TrackTalk

 

[Bamboo Harvester]

What a weird arse day it was yesterday!!

Got up to head into the open training session a bit excited to see the audition of Markov paired up with Saad in a match sim situation. Get there, and here's Ash Hansen coming over to the supporters explaining the structure of the session - having 38 fit players and a couple of VFL top ups in Parksy and Ronke to make up the numbers. No mention of the train on players.

So here I am scanning across the players during warm up - no sign of Markov. So they start their drills, I'm still looking everywhere, when SEN radio suddenly announce that he's signed with *ing Collingwood that morning!!! So the head is spinning trying to work out what the hell just went down while I'm trying to concentrate on watching the session.....and then spot this big skinny kid running around in #32 thinking "who the * is that???" Definitely not Binnsy - probably just some fill-in VFL ruckman to balance the numbers with Pitto, TDK and big Mirko for the match sim - although Hansen never mentioned him.

Toward the end of the session, I see Cincotta on the far side of the ground doing some last minute kicking drills with one of the assistants and thought "well, with Markov now with the Filth, it looks like their doing their final checks and balances with Cincotta before they announce his signing." Then right in front of me, there were a group of mids getting organised to do some fairly low intensity stoppage drills....with the tall mystery kid doing the ruckwork!!! And I'm thinking of all the ruckman out there to undertake drills, they get the fill in?!?!

So I get home a few hours later to read that we've just signed the mystery kid after missing out on Markov!!! A cup of tea, a few bex and a good lie down was required for poor ol' Bamboo after all that

Anyway, disappointed to miss out on Markov - always been a fan of his, and his run and carry off half back would have been more than handy - but welcome on board to the mystery kid Hudson O'Keefe after I finally found out who he was. It'll be interesting to see how they fill the other list spot.....still got a feeling it'll be Cincotta, but it looks like Austin and his crew may be doing some last minute ring arounds before the SSP deadline.

On a side note, jumped on board the #19 tram back the city, and there was Terry and Ian from BlueAbroad. Had a good yak with them about all things Carlton - a couple of absolute ripping lads





#TrackTalk

 

[Bamboo Harvester]

Arr0w pretty much covered everything in his report, which I agree with all of it. Just a few observations though...

• it was absolutely awesome to see Cunners back in full training....you tend to forget how much of a smooth mover he is - great skills either side although there was still a bit of ring rust. Nice to see Fog out there as well getting back to full fitness
• our smalls in Durdin and Mots seem to be playing the more traditional small forward role rather than the high half forward like last year. Could be wrong, but that's what it looks like. Either way, they'll be a serious threat to oppositions this year. Owies works hard, but still misses easy 20m passes - did one right in front of me during the warm up, and threw his head back when it missed the target. Gave me chills thinking back to the the last 30 seconds of the Melbourne game
• great to see Walsh doing more laps, although his body still looks a long way off being match fit. Of course we said the same about Doc this time last year, but champions always find a way
• our draftees seem to be improving every session. Massive kudos to Power and our development coaches. Hollands looks very confident the way he moves and seems to find space where there is none - however, on occasions he's horribly slow in his decision making when he has the ball in hand and gets caught. I noticed the same in the U18 champs, so an area of his game he'll have to improve. Big Lem is looking more like Tex Riewoldt every time I see him. Not great overhead right now, but agile for a 202cm fella and good on the lead. His overhead marking will no doubt improve as he puts on more muscle. Didn't really notice Cow or Binnsy a lot - although it's sometimes hard to tell players apart in the cut and thrust of match sim when they put on the blue singlets with no numbers. Arr0w said he was impressed what he saw from Cow, and that's good enough for me
• Nigel Durdin will be more than just a handy back up KPD. Has done nothing wrong at all this pre season matched up against Charles and H, and there's probably a fair reason why he was originally a 1st round pick
• Cincotta was out there in full training competing for the last spot. I didn't notice him a lot - but again, he was in the blue singlets with no numbers, so often hard to pick out individual players especially in congestion. For those not that familiar with him at VFL level, he's more of a raging bull across half back as opposed to a roadrunner like a Markov
• Curnow is a freak of nature

#TrackTalk

 

[StevieWonder]

*Sunday 12th March Open Training Session ...




Marchy, Philp, Mots, Cez, Boyd, Gov, Carroll and Cotts working away from main group at the start of training. Cez and Durds joined into certain drills whilst Gov and Bot were doing some running on the far side.

Walshy started doing some laps then joined in on a couple skills drills, then went back to running laps afterwards. Moving pretty well

Harry, Charlie and Jack Martin

21

Jack Martin

Age

29

Ht

186cm

Wt

82kg

Pos.

Fwd

Career

Season

Last 5

D

16.2

4star

K

10.0

4star

HB

6.3

4star

M

4.9

5star

T

3.7

5star

G

0.9

4star

D

14.9

4star

K

7.9

3star

HB

7.0

4star

M

4.3

4star

T

3.6

4star

G

1.1

5star

D

8.2

2star

K

4.6

2star

HB

3.6

3star

M

1.8

2star

T

2.0

4star

G

0.6

3star

didn’t do any training at all, H and Martin come out for 15 minutes of goal kicking. Charles not sighted

Mots didn’t join in any of the main drills that I noticed. Fogarty appeared to be doing most of training and was running some laps afterward.

Cunners, Dowy and Chugga all joined in for just about everything but they were wearing fluro hats and seemed like it was lighter contact for those boys. Kempy did full training, doesn’t appear to be carrying anything

Young boys all looked good, Lemmey has fanstastic skills for a big fella. Doc and Newy both look in great nick and are covering ground well.

Was a very light session with a focus on holding and leading into space and also using the stand rule to open overlap run.

Crowd went nuts when Crippa came over to do signing. Good day out





#TrackTalk

 

[Bamboo Harvester]

Marchy, Philp, Mots, Cez, Boyd, Gov, Carroll and Cotts working away from main group at the start of training. Cez and Durds joined into certain drills whilst Gov and Bot were doing some running on the far side.

Walshy started doing some laps then joined in on a couple skills drills, then went back to running laps afterwards. Moving pretty well

Harry, Charlie and Jack Martin didn’t do any training at all, H and Martin come out for 15 minutes of goal kicking. Charles not sighted

Mots didn’t join in any of the main drills that I noticed. Fogarty appeared to be doing most of training and was running some laps afterward.

Cunners, Dowy and Chugga all joined in for just about everything but they were wearing fluro hats and seemed like it was lighter contact for those boys. Kempy did full training, doesn’t appear to be carrying anything

Young boys all looked good, Lemmey has fanstastic skills for a big fella. Doc and Newy both look in great nick and are covering ground well.

Was a very light session with a focus on holding and leading into space and also using the stand rule to open overlap run.

Crowd went nuts when Crippa came over to do signing. Good day out


Sent from my iPhone using BigFooty.com

Great summary!! Can confirm Stevie's innervisions....

Just a few more bits and pieces to add....

• great to see Boyd out there doing some running drills.
• Durds moving well - ended up also doing some drills, probably just to get some conditioning into him. Expect him to play.
• Mots doing some light work early on - didn't seem too hampered, so if he misses, you'd imagine it won't be for long.
• Walsh is a running machine!!! Must have racked up a few marathons with all the laps he put together this morning.
• Cunners moving across the ground like a gazelle - but didn't take part in any contact work. Can't wait to see him back.
• Hollands/Cowans would have to be a chance for selection on Thursday - did all the work with the main group.
• I'm loving the defensive work of big Nigel....breathing right down Young's back for that 2nd key defensive role.

#TrackTalk