Training 2024 training updates.

[BillyElliott]

As the radiant sun cast its golden hue upon the verdant expanse of Olympic Park, a palpable air of anticipation enveloped the meticulously manicured fields, heralding the commencement of yet another epochal football training session.
As the dew-laden blades of emerald grass shimmered in the gentle zephyrs, the symphony of nature intertwined seamlessly with the cacophony of eager footsteps and the resolute thud of leather meeting boot...............

Just joshing. We went along to training this afternoon and what a beauty of a day it was. Not a lot of spectators were present which made it easy to get autographs and selfies. We ran into Jen and told her we'd come to watch a few players in particular - Bytel, Sullivan, Teakle and Eyre. I also wanted to have a close look at Charlie Deane.

Not long after we settled on the boundary, Craig McRae appeared and spoke to a few blokes on the fence. I assumed he knew them, as they chatted for quite a while. Then he walked along and chatted to anybody who was up for it. Mr Apples asked for a selfie and Craig graciously agreed. I then spoke to him briefly. I told him that his brilliant interview with Luke Darcy had moved me to tears. I'm glad I was able to thank him for giving us all a premiership, especially us older blokes who wondered if we'd ever see another. Lovely genuine man - what we see on TV is the real thing.

Expletives Galore
I don't think I've heard so many expletives at training as I did today. Perhaps the wind was blowing in my direction, but there were a couple of rippers.

Firstly, Bobby went ballistic when a set play was ruined by an errant kick. "f*****g hell!" he screamed.
Some time later Craig McRae strode menacingly toward McInnes and gave him a thorough dressing down. I was quite gobsmacked. Something like, "That was f***** selfish".......then something about playing in the VFL." I asked a guy close by if he'd heard it too, but he hadn't. Reef must have wanted the turf to swallow him up.

A few observations
Bytel and Sullivan are vying for the same spot, you'd think, but go about it in different fashion. Bytel looks more the athlete, with smooth movement and a physique made for the centre bounce, but in a Lipinski kind of way. Sullivan is more your inside mid brute; big strong legs, stocky and unflinching. I've seen these two about four times and I can't separate them. If I had to choose it would be Bytel; he's played at the level.

Mr Apples has been singing the praises of Bryn Teakle for months now. He took a few good grabs today and is a very mobile unit.
Jen's boy, Eyre, looks very green to me, but has he got a left foot on him!

I tried keeping an eye on Sofrinidis, but when he came to the club-house side, he just handballed it on a few times and didn't stand out.

I've watched Charlie Dean a few times this summer and he impresses every time. Nothing fancy about him, but he's a real hard-working competitor. Knows where the ball is too. He gets games this year for mine and he deserves to after the pain he's been through.

Pendelbury and WHE: You'd think these two were trying to impress and so get a game, such was their work rate. Will won many of the sprints in his group, but Pendles wasn't far behind. What a great example they both set. Pendles looks to be in great shape.

Player of the Day
One player was a titan today as far as I'm concerned. Lachie Schultz showed why many think he was the pick-up of the draft. He must be a coach's favourite already. Just a full-on, hard-working, uncompromising player. Today he worked as well as anybody on the track and he never flagged. I'm excited about what this guy can bring.

Mason Cox: the gathering gasped during some match-sim when Mason flew across a pack at great elevation to punch the ball and fell awkwardly with a thump onto his right arm. It was the kind of fall that could break a bone. Luckily, Coxy got up straight away and saw out training.

Other Snippets
•My man Kreuger didn't do a lot. Ran half laps over on the AAMI side of the ground.
•Sidey was absent.
•AJ dislocated his finger in a marking duel, but was back raring to go in no time.
•Moore had work on his ankle but appeared fine. Ditto McCreery.

During some of the exercises mimicking match play, our rucks smashed the ball forward rather than taking a mark. When Coxy did it the first time I thought he had seen the small fleet running beside him and decided to belt for the crumbers. But then Cameron did the same thing and then Cox again, so they were obviously working to instructions. It had the affect of lightning fast movement from end to end. I haven't seen this before, but it was great to watch.

•Harry DeMattia looks and sounds like a natural leader. Very vocal around the ball. At one stage today, he emerged from a pack and danced around two opponents and left them flat footed. It was Daicos-like.
•Mr Apples said Josh wasn't his usual self. Looked a bit subdued today and was wayward by foot.
•We both like Ed Allan. Fast and a terrific size. Plays with admirable grunt. I'd love to see this boy running through the middle.
•In ruck duels, Cox was easily our best.

If I think of anything else I'll add it later.

After looking at Jen's footage, I thought Teakle looked good too today. Also a big fan of Dean, can't wait to see him get a run at it this year.

Will definitely be interesting to see where they go with the 2 mids who have been standing out, Bytel & Sullivan.

Thanks for your report Apples, we're lucky to get so many.

 

[thebaldfacts]

As the radiant sun cast its golden hue upon the verdant expanse of Olympic Park, a palpable air of anticipation enveloped the meticulously manicured fields, heralding the commencement of yet another epochal football training session.
As the dew-laden blades of emerald grass shimmered in the gentle zephyrs, the symphony of nature intertwined seamlessly with the cacophony of eager footsteps and the resolute thud of leather meeting boot...............

Just joshing. We went along to training this afternoon and what a beauty of a day it was. Not a lot of spectators were present which made it easy to get autographs and selfies. We ran into Jen and told her we'd come to watch a few players in particular - Bytel, Sullivan, Teakle and Eyre. I also wanted to have a close look at Charlie Deane.

Not long after we settled on the boundary, Craig McRae appeared and spoke to a few blokes on the fence. I assumed he knew them, as they chatted for quite a while. Then he walked along and chatted to anybody who was up for it. Mr Apples asked for a selfie and Craig graciously agreed. I then spoke to him briefly. I told him that his brilliant interview with Luke Darcy had moved me to tears. I'm glad I was able to thank him for giving us all a premiership, especially us older blokes who wondered if we'd ever see another. Lovely genuine man - what we see on TV is the real thing.

Expletives Galore
I don't think I've heard so many expletives at training as I did today. Perhaps the wind was blowing in my direction, but there were a couple of rippers.

Firstly, Bobby went ballistic when a set play was ruined by an errant kick. "f*****g hell!" he screamed.
Some time later Craig McRae strode menacingly toward McInnes and gave him a thorough dressing down. I was quite gobsmacked. Something like, "That was f***** selfish".......then something about playing in the VFL." I asked a guy close by if he'd heard it too, but he hadn't. Reef must have wanted the turf to swallow him up.

A few observations
Bytel and Sullivan are vying for the same spot, you'd think, but go about it in different fashion. Bytel looks more the athlete, with smooth movement and a physique made for the centre bounce, but in a Lipinski kind of way. Sullivan is more your inside mid brute; big strong legs, stocky and unflinching. I've seen these two about four times and I can't separate them. If I had to choose it would be Bytel; he's played at the level.

Mr Apples has been singing the praises of Bryn Teakle for months now. He took a few good grabs today and is a very mobile unit.
Jen's boy, Eyre, looks very green to me, but has he got a left foot on him!

I tried keeping an eye on Sofrinidis, but when he came to the club-house side, he just handballed it on a few times and didn't stand out.

I've watched Charlie Dean a few times this summer and he impresses every time. Nothing fancy about him, but he's a real hard-working competitor. Knows where the ball is too. He gets games this year for mine and he deserves to after the pain he's been through.

Pendelbury and WHE: You'd think these two were trying to impress and so get a game, such was their work rate. Will won many of the sprints in his group, but Pendles wasn't far behind. What a great example they both set. Pendles looks to be in great shape.

Player of the Day
One player was a titan today as far as I'm concerned. Lachie Schultz showed why many think he was the pick-up of the draft. He must be a coach's favourite already. Just a full-on, hard-working, uncompromising player. Today he worked as well as anybody on the track and he never flagged. I'm excited about what this guy can bring.

Mason Cox: the gathering gasped during some match-sim when Mason flew across a pack at great elevation to punch the ball and fell awkwardly with a thump onto his right arm. It was the kind of fall that could break a bone. Luckily, Coxy got up straight away and saw out training.

Other Snippets
•My man Kreuger didn't do a lot. Ran half laps over on the AAMI side of the ground.
•Sidey was absent.
•AJ dislocated his finger in a marking duel, but was back raring to go in no time.
•Moore had work on his ankle but appeared fine. Ditto McCreery.

During some of the exercises mimicking match play, our rucks smashed the ball forward rather than taking a mark. When Coxy did it the first time I thought he had seen the small fleet running beside him and decided to belt for the crumbers. But then Cameron did the same thing and then Cox again, so they were obviously working to instructions. It had the affect of lightning fast movement from end to end. I haven't seen this before, but it was great to watch.

•Harry DeMattia looks and sounds like a natural leader. Very vocal around the ball. At one stage today, he emerged from a pack and danced around two opponents and left them flat footed. It was Daicos-like.
•Mr Apples said Josh wasn't his usual self. Looked a bit subdued today and was wayward by foot.
•We both like Ed Allan. Fast and a terrific size. Plays with admirable grunt. I'd love to see this boy running through the middle.
•In ruck duels, Cox was easily our best.

If I think of anything else I'll add it later.

Interesting observation that our rucks just smashed the ball forward. Remember we played Richmond in the Hafey coach days, and were nearly 10 goals down coming into half time. Peter Moore was switched into the ruck and from a Dennis Lillee run up ran at the centre bounce and smashed the ball forward. Turned the game around and we eventually won.
We're doing a bit of this in the GF, so maybe we will see more smashing the ball forward.

 

[Hardas]

How lucky are we getting access to all these great training reports?!!
Thank you, one & all!

 

[sr36]

I wouldn’t retire either if I was in Murphs boots.

If I was in Murphy's boots, I wouldn't have to retire, I'd be delisted.

 

[JuniorB]

Interesting observation that our rucks just smashed the ball forward. Remember we played Richmond in the Hafey coach days, and were nearly 10 goals down coming into half time. Peter Moore was switched into the ruck and from a Dennis Lillee run up ran at the centre bounce and smashed the ball forward. Turned the game around and we eventually won.
We're doing a bit of this in the GF, so maybe we will see more smashing the ball forward.

I suspect it will be a set play that will be used intermittently to confuse oppo mids as to what we're doing.
Fly will be progressively introducing more gameplay wrinkles to keep us at the top of the heap.

 

[sr36]

Interesting observation that our rucks just smashed the ball forward. Remember we played Richmond in the Hafey coach days, and were nearly 10 goals down coming into half time. Peter Moore was switched into the ruck and from a Dennis Lillee run up ran at the centre bounce and smashed the ball forward. Turned the game around and we eventually won.
We're doing a bit of this in the GF, so maybe we will see more smashing the ball forward.

I think Apples was talking about marking contests rather than ruck work.

 

[magpiewarrior]

Is Charlie Dean a Prestigiacomo type of backman?

 

[anshell]

How lucky are we getting access to all these great training reports?!!
Thank you, one & all!

I agree.It’s always good the get these training reports and get different perspectives from different watchers.Keep up the good work,guys!

 

[Kappa]

Krugs running laps lollll

What happened this time ?

 

[Big Bryza]

Is Charlie Dean a Prestigiacomo type of backman?

More a 2/3 tall defender. Almost a ready made replacement if we lose Howe or Murphy at some stage. He's a huge talent that has been cruelled by his feet injuries in the past 2 seasons.

 

[Black_White]

Re:Sidey missing.
Parental leave?

 

[Obese Arachnid]

Re:Sidey missing.
Parental leave?

I had parental leave once.

Moved to the backwoods of Alaska quick smart.

 

[FAIRANDBALANCED]

I read this article below and thought about Murphy. You might ask why Murphy has anything to do with a fat guy who shouldnt be undertaking eating challenges and being told by onliners that he shouldnt or that the pub shouldnt serve him.

He's fat. He's probably going to die from carrying too much weight. However, he has a right to live a life as he sees fit.

This whole subject annoys me because I'm heartily sick of religious groups telling others how they should live. That is a big one with me.

So hopefully you can see the connection. Murphy is living his life. He is choosing to live life as he sees fit. If you want to save someone who isn't allowed to make their own life choices, then advocate for babies in gaza who have no choice in the matter.

https://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/food/restaurants-bars/pubgoer-calls-out-online-trolls-gutless-response-to-meal-challenge-photo/news-story/15f14d1636732082d33efebb5e98f7e0

Yeah, I'm on the left, but the lefts view of "everyone should think and act and do as we do" is getting very, very tiresome.

 

[Schnitzel]

Does anyone know what time they're training on Friday?

 

[unplugged]

So are we likely to make the next leap towards our bang it forward, chaotic era? Or are still looking controlled ala 2022/23?

 

[Apples]

I think Apples was talking about marking contests rather than ruck work.

Yep. As the ball floated in, instead of marking, they belted the ball toward goal, as a swarm of players were waiting to pounce.

 

[LuckyLee]

Any chance we can change the thread cover picture of Jamie in a hospital bed? It troubles me every time I see it!


Sent from my iPhone using BigFooty.com

 

[Jen2310]

Any chance we can change the thread cover picture of Jamie in a hospital bed? It troubles me every time I see it!


Sent from my iPhone using BigFooty.com

I'v tried a few times, just not sure how to change it.

 

[Jen2310]

Does anyone know what time they're training on Friday?

Should be back to 9:30am

 

[Hardas]

What happened this time ?

Coffee table, toe-stubbing incident?

 

[Jen2310]

Re:Sidey missing.
Parental leave?

Very possible. I recall reading he planned to take some time off after the birth.

 

[Jen2310]

I was chatting to mitch cleary who I bumped into at vfl training, and he said he saw Fly having a good chat to Eyre during today's session.
Not sure what about though.

 

[jmac70]

I was chatting to mitch cleary who I bumped into at vfl training, and he said he saw Fly having a good chat to Eyre during today's session.
Not sure what about though.

I think it was about playing in our next premiership side.

 

[Scodog10]

Is Charlie Dean a Prestigiacomo type of backman?

The similarities start and end at ball use. It’s a make or break year for him considering it’s a contract year and he’s 4th in line at best. It’s a decent sign for the state of our list because I think he’s capable.

 

[Harry O]

The similarities start and end at ball use. It’s a make or break year for him considering it’s a contract year and he’s 4th in line at best. It’s a decent sign for the state of our list because I think he’s capable.

I think that is a pretty good summation

Bigger than Murphy but if he got a game at afl level I think he would play that type of role in our team