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Training 2026 Preseason Thread
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Duke of Windso
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- May 1, 2024
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I'm shocked that with all the changes on and off the field we are still persisting with this #demonspirit BS! Get rid of it
PerfectFooty
Perfect Cell
Honestly they probably don't want to do a role over on the slogan until the year is over, or at least the women's program (which genuinely use #demonspirit ) or drafts are finished
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Not ideal.
A11dAtP0w3R
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- Oct 18, 2013
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Quad strain in November, unacceptable. Why hasn't Selwyn been fired yet? Do something sKing.
I feel until Selwyn, Lamb and Richo are gone, there's still a bit of a stench of the Goodwin years at the club. Fitness has been a bit of an issue since he took over. Reckon he's got a year to prove himself under Kingy.
Proper Gander
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- Feb 15, 2015
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You mean Selwyn? Yes I would like to look elsewhere
Any word on Mentha?
He was clutching his quad the other day. So I'm assuming there was no injury?
Dory_77
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Lol forgor McAdam existed. Hopefully we're well stocked for gaffa tape to keep him together for more than a month at a time
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Simon_Says
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Raise Hell?
Lord Nev
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Inside Melbourneās pre-season camp to Bright and the top of Mount Porepunkah
A new-look Melbourne playing group under first-time coach Steven King took to the Victorian High Country for a crucial pre-season camp ā and we were exclusively invited along for the ride.āSomebody connect their phone!ā
Kysaiah Pickett wants to lift the energy level in a team minibus rumbling its way up towards the top of Mount Porepunkah on Friday morning.
For about 10 minutes, the van has been tailing two Demons players on mountain bikes as they tackle one of the toughest climbs in the Victorian High Country.
The pair of players have to give āmaximum effortā for three minutes before they hand off their bikes to the next duo and jump back inside the van.
Itās the gruelling final episode of Melbourneās pre-season camp, which began with school clinics and community activities in the Alpine region before high performance boss Selwyn Griffith was given command for the final two days on Thursday and Friday.
The main theme for the trip is āconnectionā, and while it was a word uttered countless times by Melbourne officials last year, itās been recast for different reasons ahead of 2026.
With a first-time senior coach and a monumental shift in the playing group after Christian Petracca and Clayton Oliverās departures, the camp was viewed as an important first step to build relationships.
The Herald Sun was invited to stay with the club in Bright to observe the final two days of the Demonsā camp.
āHere, Kozzy,ā says Jack Steele as he leans forward from the second row of seats to fiddle with the Bluetooth settings.
Pickett is sprawled out in the back seat next to his riding partner Andy Moniz-Wakefield after a tough first set on the bikes.
It doesnāt take long for his phone to strike a connection with the van, and the Demons superstarās pick for the first track of the climb is Whitney Houstonās I Wanna Dance With Somebody.
Some light tapping on the steering wheel suggests the introduction of music has been welcomed by new coach Steven King, who is driving this van and directing most of his focus towards not running over the current cyclists on duty ā Jake Melksham and strength coach Tommy Turner.
The set timer rolls over and the former St Kilda captain Steele is on the clock next, faced with the difficult task of keeping up with his roommate for the week, Harry Sharp.
Sharp, a former junior national champion steeplechaser, has been in his element over the last two days of the Demonsā camp.
āI kept yelling out to (Sharp), telling him not to make me look stupid,ā Steele says after his spell on the bike.
āHeās a freak runner, it turns out heās pretty good on the bike too.ā
Steele manages to keep Sharp within a kickās distance for the full three minutes and sets the tone for the pair of big-bodied midfielders to follow him ā Harvey Langford and Riley Onley.
There are a few reasons big-bodied midfielders are not commonly found in pelotons during the Tour de France, and this pairās job is made tougher with a particularly steep incline ahead of them.
With the benefit of a pre-season already under his belt, Langford opens an early gap on his new teammate, but Onley digs in with some encouragement from the support van.
Melksham rolls back the door to call out to the draftee, and Pickett also pokes his head out.
āCāmon Onley-Fans,ā Pickett yells.
It has been a whirlwind week for Onley, who was on the hook for three nights before he became the fifth and final draftee to join the Dees with pick No. 3 in the rookie draft.
The 18-year-old Murray Bushrangers recruit was pushed to his limits during a post-training session 6km run through the Mount Buffalo National Park.
The first three kilometres on the uneven surface were entirely uphill and a handful of players had to call it quits ā but not Onley, who stormed home with a big grin on his face.
āI saw Jesus today,ā he told King afterwards.
Pickett and Moniz-Wakefield put in another three-minute effort on the bike climb before there is momentary confusion as the van misses a turn and the next riders start descending the other side of the mountain.
Moniz-Wakefield, who looks in good nick after a season ruined by an ACL injury, is outraged as Melksham gets to cash in on a downhill segment.
The veteran forward descends so aggressively that it takes more than a minute for him to return to the vanās sights after the end of his set.
āWhereās Melky?ā King asks as the players on the left-hand side of the van peer nervously down the embankment on the side of the road.
Once Melksham is safely back on board, King turns the van around and finds the path to the summit, where they are the last group of Demons to arrive.
It marks the end of a physically and mentally challenging two days for his new side, and it builds nicely into his aspirational first theme for the group.
āYou had to buy in and throw yourselves into it. From a coaching perspective, youāve taken care of footy, but more importantly youāve thrown yourselves into any work that weāve done,ā King says.
āI havenāt heard anyone whinging or moaning, youāve just been like, āWhatās next? Get after itā.
āI think this can be a foundation for us, moving forward. And especially where we are right now ā¦ thereās going to be some hiccups along the way, but weāre looking to get the top of the mountain.ā
King poses for a photo on the mountaintop with Melbourne skipper Max Gawn after the ride.
āFour metres of leadership,ā King jokes.
Gawn is first to admit he would not be near the front of the group during running drills on an oval, but he powered up the daunting climb during the Mount Buffalo run on Thursday and then led all-comers when they were then made to hike 10km to a lookout near the peak.
āThis is my type of stuff,ā he says to photographer Michael Klein at the end of the hike.
As well as the captain, key forwards Luker Kentfield and Jacob van Rooyen were among the most impressive on the Thursday run, which Harry Sharp won by a significant margin.
Exhausted but pleased with his run, van Rooyen plonked himself down near the finish line ā only to find he was on top of a bullant nest.
āAw, just keep moving mate,ā King said with genuine concern as the 22-year-old jolted upright clutching at his backside.
Friday began at a slightly more gentle pace for the Dees as they paired up in inflatable kayaks to travel down the Ovens River from Bright.
Stephen Smith, in his first week as Melbourne president after taking over from Brad Green, joined Shane McAdam in a kayak.
PerfectFooty
Perfect Cell
The way this is written reminds me of when Burgo back in the day would hop on the team bus with the team for these preseason camps and tell us what songs the players where playing and what minor conversations the players had with each other
But not as bad
But not as bad
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- Nov 29, 2023
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Dez Freeman number 1 ticket holder next year?
MarcMaverick
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Porepunkah is a choice.
PerfectFooty
Perfect Cell
They went up to Bright last year and that area. Pre-planned camp I would think from fitness staff and Selwyn for their preseason, although I'm sure they would have had to change if the area was still being managed which would have been interesting to see what our backup would have been
On a side note they did a community day at my town which is about an hour from Bright and the kids at the school got to meet koz, which they where obviously super impressed with
On a side note they did a community day at my town which is about an hour from Bright and the kids at the school got to meet koz, which they where obviously super impressed with
New CEO is clever. Send 50 odd blokes out under the guise of fitness in hopes one of them stumbles onto Dez and the reward money
Is there any word on train on players? Seen a lot already at other clubs seemingly, I feel we are always slow in this regard
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