Apples' Training Reports

[Quicky]

Kirby could be an excellent pressure forward. His tackle numbers are very good and he is very quick in a sprint chase down. He laid 5 tackles in his debut against Melbourne and certainly wasn’t embarrassed by Jetta.

That and his tackles stick.

 

[CFC2010]

Geez I'd like to have seen Peter Daicos's 3k time trial times in his forward years!
Didn't matter once the real stuff started

.......and this bloke

 

[Mukesh]

.......and this bloke

View attachment 449787

Let me go to a ridiculous extreme... I bet Leigh Mathews never, ever won a time trial at Hawthorn... was still fairly handy on the paddock..

 

[Soups]

It’s disappointing that his time is about 10 seconds worse now than it was at the start of preseason.

Agreed it’s not great but he’s not the only one struggling out there.

He’ll get there.

 

[Ketchup]

Reckon Scharenbergs time is most disappointing. I mean 4 seconds faster than Cox? Even if he is going to play key this year he has a lot of work to do.

What was his pre Christmas?

 

[Kirby]

You can't hide anywhere on the field these days. I just worry that he lacks the professionalism to be an AFL player.

8 mins over 2000 is very slow. I don't expect Phillips type figures I just expect him not to be lapped and embarrassed. It's only 4 and a half laps. He should be wiping 10 seconds off his time every time he goes out there coming from the low base he started at.

 

[El cane]

Training Report: Monday Jan 8, 2018
A cool, cloudy morning for the first day of 2018 training. Early thundery showers cleared in time for the time trial.
Not Training: Jamie Elliott and Levi Greenwood.
In the time trial Smith and Phillips led from the start and the only query was how long Phillips would sit in second place before exploding away.
Smith led after the first lap, but there wasn’t much in it. Phillips made his move on the AAMI Yarra pocket and opened up a 100 metre lead very quickly. At the Olympic Blvd end he put on the gas again and literally sprinted home in 6 minutes flat.
Here are the times:
1. Tom Phillips 6:00
2. Smith 6:07
3. Flynn Appleby 6:15
4. Steele Sidebottom 6:16
5. Jack Crisp 6:17
6. Max Lynch 6:18
7. Nathan Murphy 6:19

8. Ben Crocker 6:28
9. Jarryd Blair 6:33
10/11 Jaidyn Stephenson & Jack Madgen 6:35
12. Jordan DeGoey 6:36
13. Tom Langdon 6:39

14. Lynden Dunn 6:44
15. Travis Varcoe 6:46

16. Brody Mihocek 6:50
17. Matty Sharenberg 6:51
18. Tyler Brown 6:52
19. Mason Cox 6:55

20. Tyson Goldsack 7:01
21. Sam McLarty 7:16

22. Kayle Kirby 8:14

Travis Varcoe gets the Side by Side Award for running across the oval to keep a struggling Kayle Kirby company for the last 200 metres. That’s a top effort after a gruelling 2km run.

Didn’t do the time trial:
Treloar, Broomhead, C Brown, Reid, Pendlebury, Grundy, Wells, Sier, Thomas, Aish, Wills, Daicos, Maynard, Oxley, Fasolo, Moore, Mayne, Howe, Hoskin-Elliott, Sam Murray.

Some players trained alone and didn’t take part in any drills. They were:
Aish, Rupert Wills, Hoskin-Elliott, Sam Murray and Fasolo.

After a warm down session and Sam McLarty’s obligatory throwing up, the players were rotated through 4 skill groups.
One group worked on the AAMI side doing evasive skills and delivering by hand and foot. I took some interest in this group as it contained Flynn Appleby, Nathan Murphy and Braidyn Stephenson. I hadn’t seen any of these boys in pressure situations or working through congestion.
Murphy has a raking right kick; a lovely style, but didn’t hit a target. Appleby was everywhere and seemed to relish the body contact. Went on his right most of the time, but when cornered on the boundary, moved naturally to his left. Didn’t hit a target with either foot.
Braidyn Stephenson did better with his accuracy, but has set himself very high standards, which is no bad thing. He appears pretty hard on himself when making errors. I’m not being critical of any of these boys, quite the contrary in fact. They appear to be real goers. Appleby has the body most ready – Stephenson and Murphy are very light on.

The other rookie with a body that looks ready to play is Jody Mihocek. This bloke has serious shoulders and massive legs.

After the boys had been on the track for about 45 minutes, Bucks called the players in with Robert Harvey holding up the white board. This looked like being the first match simulation I was going to get a look at thus far this pre-season.

I wasn’t disappointed. The players broke into two groups for what the digital display called Mid Stoppages and this session was led by Buddha Hocking. The ruck duels were shared between Cox, Grundy and Max Lynch, with Lynch and Cox doing most of it. This was a non-stop drill with players working the ball to either end (Black Team v Yellow Team) for an attempted score and then a whistle and the play would quickly move to the AAMI wing where the ball would be thrown in again.

Ben Reid kicked the first goal for the Black Team.
Here’s a call of the play:
……Rivers throws up the ball…..Grundy down to Phillips, Cox edges out Dunn and kicks long to Ben Reid. Easy mark to Reid who was opposed to Brody Mihocek. Reid kicks his second.
A few of the match ups:
Sidey v Stephenson, Blair v Broomhead, Pendles v DeGoey, Maynard V Treloar, Sharenberg V Wells, Appleby v Kirby, Mayne v Madgen,

Another call of play:
…….The ball comes in long toward Wells and Sharenberg. The ball hits the ground and Wells collects it, kicks down field and takes off after it leaving Sharenberg in his wake.
…….AAMI Wing with Grundy and Lynch. Grundy down to Sidebottom kicks across the backline towards Reid again but this time Mihocek knocks the ball away. Reid persists and wins the ball again to the plaudits of his teammates. Ball up now Lynch V Cox. Cox easily down to DeGoey who continues his impressive summer. DeGoey to Treloar nicely done, back to DeGoey who handballs to Cox who finds Nathan Murphy by foot. Across to Maynard who’s looking terrific and beats Treloar to find Dunn. Dunn goes long to Sharenberg who beats Wells. Adams receives the Sharenberg kick and wheels onto his left to the wing where the ball is in dispute with a ball up to follow.

-Wells looks very sharp and was able to really weave some magic in this drill. He doesn’t need a lot of the ball, because like Lynden Dunn, he never wastes it.
-DeGoey was very impressive also. Playing in the middle he just kept getting it. Treloar was also prominent winning the hard ball.

Happy to answer any questions you may have.

I'm OS so it's taken a while for this news to travel so far. Great work as always but is it just me who is surprised by Max Lynch's timetrial?

Seems like a great time to me. He could run the tall defenders ragged with that sort of time. Could be a great asset in the forward line in future.

 

[left at home]

You can't hide anywhere on the field these days. I just worry that he lacks the professionalism to be an AFL player.

8 mins over 2000 is very slow. I don't expect Phillips type figures I just expect him not to be lapped and embarrassed. It's only 4 and a half laps. He should be wiping 10 seconds off his time every time he goes out there coming from the low base he started at.

He could not do one last year, so far this preseason he has finished two.
If the same next year, then start the jungle drums. His form in the vfl was very good, and his one game although not big in stats showed how close he is.
Give him time, not every one can sprint four laps

 

[whiskeytown]

Reckon Scharenbergs time is most disappointing. I mean 4 seconds faster than Cox? Even if he is going to play key this year he has a lot of work to do.

What was his pre Christmas?

Agree... Don't want to make too much out of time trials but I'd more worried about Scharenbergs distance running than Kirby's tbh.

One was a Hine special... a late pick... a project player.... the other a top 10 pick... whose professionalism I don't doubt.... but whose running ability (burst, endurance, turning) is a weakness. It's a good thing he's special at reading the play

 

[Finnishpie]

You can't hide anywhere on the field these days. I just worry that he lacks the professionalism to be an AFL player.

8 mins over 2000 is very slow. I don't expect Phillips type figures I just expect him not to be lapped and embarrassed. It's only 4 and a half laps. He should be wiping 10 seconds off his time every time he goes out there coming from the low base he started at.

The boy’s what, 19 or 20 years old? He’s got the skills, power and aggression. He just needs a couple of years to mature. I know I did when I was that age.

 

[Soups]

Agree... Don't want to make too much out of time trials but I'd more worried about Scharenbergs distance running than Kirby's tbh.

Maybe I’m looking into more than I should but I thought Sidey was the most noticeable. He might have come back the the worst ever for him. Hope it’s more from him being managed than slacking off over Christmas.

 

[whiskeytown]

The boy’s what, 19 or 20 years old? He’s got the skills, power and aggression. He just needs a couple of years to mature. I know I did when I was that age.

If Kirby can't get his running right he'll be gone in two years. Ten years ago was different.... and the current VFL is different... but the modern AFL game demands his running improves so he can defensively track his opponent, or else he becomes a defensive liability.

 

[Mkcaptain]

That and his tackles stick.

And they hurt

 

[sr36]

Geez I'd like to have seen Peter Daicos's 3k time trial times in his forward years!
Didn't matter once the real stuff started

Would have needed a litre of cortisone injections.

 

[magpies42]

You can't hide anywhere on the field these days. I just worry that he lacks the professionalism to be an AFL player.

8 mins over 2000 is very slow. I don't expect Phillips type figures I just expect him not to be lapped and embarrassed. It's only 4 and a half laps. He should be wiping 10 seconds off his time every time he goes out there coming from the low base he started at.

You have to take into account the cultural differences, Kirby is on a much steeper development curve. He is young, give him time...he will come good.

 

[sr36]

Agree... Don't want to make too much out of time trials but I'd more worried about Scharenbergs distance running than Kirby's tbh.

One was a Hine special... a late pick... a project player.... the other a top 10 pick... whose professionalism I don't doubt.... but whose running ability (burst, endurance, turning) is a weakness. It's a good thing he's special at reading the play

To be below par in all physical attributes - speed, strength, agility and endurance is an issue.

 

[magpies42]

To be below par in all physical attributes - speed, strength, agility and endurance is an issue.

There are many players in a variety of different sports that made the grade and excelled despite not being obvious contenders. The most important element on the sporting field is your ability to use your brain to get an advantage. The game has moved away from that and more to rewarding athletes, nevertheless these players can still thrive. We have had in our team in recent years the likes of Pendlebury, Swan , Ben Johnson, Presti, Nick Davis all of whom reached great heights in large part due to thei footy IQ.

In other sports you have greats like Andrew Gaze, Steve Smith, Novak, Bobby Fischer...all of whom also exceeded expectation due to their mental strength and natural sporting IQ.

Shaz has come off two recos and a foot injury, is essentially a second year player...give him a break.

 

[sr36]

There are many players in a variety of different sports that made the grade and excelled despite not being obvious contenders. The most important element on the sporting field is your ability to use your brain to get an advantage. The game has moved away from that and more to rewarding athletes, nevertheless these players can still thrive. We have had in our team in recent years the likes of Pendlebury, Swan , Ben Johnson, Presti, Nick Davis all of whom reached great heights in large part due to thei footy IQ.

In other sports you have greats like Andrew Gaze, Steve Smith, Novak, Bobby Fischer...all of whom also exceeded expectation due to their mental strength and natural sporting IQ.

Shaz has come off two recos and a foot injury, is essentially a second year player...give him a break.

I agree with much of what you've said, but a few of your Collingwood examples weren't great. Swanny's strength and explosiveness over 10 metres were a major factor in his dominance. Presti's only sustained a career because of strength and pace - wouldn't have been close to an AFL career without them. Roid's pace was good and his agility was elite. Pendlebury and Davis were better examples, but they are/were freakishly gifted in other areas - I'm not sure if Shaz fits into that category. If Shaz's talent and/or dedication are good enough, he can overcome his physical attributes. I'm sure with a heap of work that he can develop average to above strength and endurance, ala Pendles, but it isn't ideal to lack pace, endurance, strength and agility like he appears to at the moment and it's going to make his job tough.

Edit: I like the sound of him being groomed to play taller. He's got great potential in the air. I reckon his best chance is to become a player who plays on and uses his smarts to zone off the second ruck, but his strength will have to improve for the defensive component of the role and ideally his endurance also for the attacking component.

 

[Vicky Park]

Regarding Schaz’s run in the time trial, while I didn’t see it (arriving at training afterwards) a fan I was talking to told me that he looked hampered, or had a slight limp, at least towards the end of the run. Make of that what you will, as it didn’t prevent him from continuing with training, but it may have impacted his time.

I don’t know if Mazzarjo made a similar observation.

 

[Frank Gallagher]

It’s disappointing that his time is about 10 seconds worse now than it was at the start of preseason.

Heat would've been a factor.

 

[Frank Gallagher]

Running is a funny thing, especially against the clock, most kids run PBs when they're pushed by an opponant, very rare to see a kid run a PB off their own bat which is pretty much what Kirby was doing seeing he was a mile behind the second last runner, if you paired Kirby up with a kid of similar abilty both would run 20 seconds faster trying to beat each other.

My boy (u9) is capable of around 1.15 over 400 if paired against a boy of similar abilities, when he runs solo at training i can't get him to go sub 1.30.

 

[Apex36]

Reckon Scharenbergs time is most disappointing. I mean 4 seconds faster than Cox? Even if he is going to play key this year he has a lot of work to do.

What was his pre Christmas?

He was slower than Cox at the start of the preseason iirc so he’s improved significantly.

Edit: I didn’t recall correctly. After going back to check, Berg ran a 7.00 and Cox 7.01.

So berg has made a 9 second improvement and Cox a 6 second improvement. Can’t be too unhappy with that in context.

 

[Apex36]

Heat would've been a factor.

According to Neil conditions were perfect, so no.

 

[Finnishpie]

If Kirby can't get his running right he'll be gone in two years. Ten years ago was different.... and the current VFL is different... but the modern AFL game demands his running improves so he can defensively track his opponent, or else he becomes a defensive liability.

That's true. I just remember when Chris Tarrant couldn't stand the AFL demands and walked out for a month or two at about the same age. Maybe things have changed, but it took him a long time to become the professional he later became.

 

[MyManLynch]

I'm OS so it's taken a while for this news to travel so far. Great work as always but is it just me who is surprised by Max Lynch's timetrial?

Seems like a great time to me. He could run the tall defenders ragged with that sort of time. Could be a great asset in the forward line in future.

I was also surprised by his time (6.18).
Very good for a big fellow.
Hopefully he can develop into a good Ruckmen/Forward.
At 19 years of age (200cm 97kg) he has plenty of time.