Apples' Training Reports

[Buckley is my hero]

I was going to post something after a VFL game a while back, but thought I'd leave it alone. Your post on Sier has made me reconsider. On a couple of occasions at the VFL this year, when Sier was sidelined with injury, I've seen him at the ground but very much off to the margins, by himself, engaging little or not at all with the playing group or coaches.

I enjoy my own company, so I tried not to read too much into it, but my (very superficial and probably not representative) impression was of a player who wasn't really 'enmeshed' with the club environment. I'd like to see him around for at least another year, but I wouldn't be surprised if he made his own decision to take the pressure off himself and rediscover his love for the game elsewhere.

I think you're reading too much into Sier's situation. Every time I've watched him he has presented himself in best possible physical condition and has participated in all the training expected of him. The reality is that his body has let him down and maybe he doesn't have it in himself to succeed at AFL level.

 

[JB1975]

I think you're reading too much into Sier's situation. Every time I've watched him he has presented himself in best possible physical condition and has participated in all the training expected of him. The reality is that his body has let him down and maybe he doesn't have it in himself to succeed at AFL level.

Two things. First, my comments weren't at all directed to his dedication, more my perception of the social/integration side of things.

Second, my perception is based upon seeing him all by his lonesome at all of three VFL games, so I don't make my comments with any claim to authority. Just a casual observation that I thought I'd pass on.

 

[magpies42]

Training Thursday 24th August
Weather: Cold with sunny periods.
Not Training:
Elliott, Wills, Fasolo, Wells, Varcoe, Greenwood, DeGoey, Pendles
Limited Training:
Sharenberg: walked/jogged a lap early and then disappeared for the day
Crocker: jogged laps and had kicking practice
Available:
Grundy trained well and looks certain.
Elliott was rested due to back soreness but should play.
Sharenberg did very little. Probably being managed.
Adams trained strongly and will play.
Goldy trained well and looks certain.
Shade was on the track for the entire session.

And so the final training session of the year. How time flies. I suppose two things stood out to me today:
1. Jarrod Blair
2. Nathan Buckley
Blair was the centre of a player betting ring down at the Yarra end. Players made a circle and were spoken to by, I'm pretty sure, Jarrod Blair. Players were asked a question and raised hands if in agreement. Then asked another question. As it turned out the questions were, who is backing Blairy and who is backing Adams in a wrestling match? Who would you support loyal Collingwood men and women?
Blair took Adams down surprisingly easily to the delight of the majority who'd backed him. Later in training, the playing group met in the centre of the ground and were again addressed by a player. Couldn't pick up who it was at first, due to Brayden Sier blocking my view, but again, it turned out to be Jarrod Blair. Reckon Blair plays again on Saturday and perhaps it's his last game.

I watched Bucks closely during training at at the end of the session. He delegated most of the session to his deputies and spent a long time with supporters. The press and TV crews followed his every move waiting for a sign. He didn't give any. Many fans asked for family photos with him and one lady handed him a card of thanks and wished him well. Bucks seemed touched.

This did not look like a man taking his last training session. This looked like business as usual. Reckon Bucks already knows his fate and is comfortable with his future as Collingwood's coach.

It was obviously the last training session for many of the line coaches. Sad to consider this when Rocca, Lockyer and Burns were among them. I won't mention names, but one coach's dad turned up to watch the session, probably as a sign of respect and support.

Player Spotlight: Brayden Sier
Decided to spend a lot of the session watching Brayden - not a tough task under any circumstances. As I noted last week, he tends to run around a lot for little impact. Has good skills by hand and foot, bur rarely gets near it. Today he seemed to run around in a relatively narrow arc in the match practice. He had two touches; one was a free against and the other was an accurate handball out of a pack. At no stage did he demand the ball. Only once was the ball delivered to him. During a rest break I watched him closely. He talked to nobody. He spent most of the time looking at his hands.
It reminds me of watching the new kid in the class; he doesn't fit in and looks very insular. Even leaving the field, he appears hesitant and shy as if he can't wait to be away. He's been at the Club for two full seasons, but doesn't seem comfortable. He's only 19 so probably stays on the list, but I'm not overly optimistic about his chances.

Payer Spotlight: Brayden Maynard
Trained impressively as usual and spent a lot of time as the rover in centre ruck setups. Brad Gotch supervised this session with Max Lynch the ruckman and the other rover being Brayden Sier. Gotch firstly gave Sier some tips on body use as the ball was in the air. Maynard was prominent with his ability to read the ball in the air and anticipating where it was going. Will he spend more time on the ball this week?

At the end of the session a couple of players stood out for the time they spent with fans. They are the same guys every week:
Sam McLarty, Jeremy Howe, Ben Reid, Adam Treloar and Bucks of course.

That's a wrap for the year. Happy to answer any questions.

Interesting Sier comments. Thanks

 

[Lefthanded]

Training Thursday 24th August
Weather: Cold with sunny periods.
Not Training:
Elliott, Wills, Fasolo, Wells, Varcoe, Greenwood, DeGoey, Pendles
Limited Training:
Sharenberg: walked/jogged a lap early and then disappeared for the day
Crocker: jogged laps and had kicking practice
Available:
Grundy trained well and looks certain.
Elliott was rested due to back soreness but should play.
Sharenberg did very little. Probably being managed.
Adams trained strongly and will play.
Goldy trained well and looks certain.
Shade was on the track for the entire session.

And so the final training session of the year. How time flies. I suppose two things stood out to me today:
1. Jarrod Blair
2. Nathan Buckley
Blair was the centre of a player betting ring down at the Yarra end. Players made a circle and were spoken to by, I'm pretty sure, Jarrod Blair. Players were asked a question and raised hands if in agreement. Then asked another question. As it turned out the questions were, who is backing Blairy and who is backing Adams in a wrestling match? Who would you support loyal Collingwood men and women?
Blair took Adams down surprisingly easily to the delight of the majority who'd backed him. Later in training, the playing group met in the centre of the ground and were again addressed by a player. Couldn't pick up who it was at first, due to Brayden Sier blocking my view, but again, it turned out to be Jarrod Blair. Reckon Blair plays again on Saturday and perhaps it's his last game.

I watched Bucks closely during training at at the end of the session. He delegated most of the session to his deputies and spent a long time with supporters. The press and TV crews followed his every move waiting for a sign. He didn't give any. Many fans asked for family photos with him and one lady handed him a card of thanks and wished him well. Bucks seemed touched.

This did not look like a man taking his last training session. This looked like business as usual. Reckon Bucks already knows his fate and is comfortable with his future as Collingwood's coach.

It was obviously the last training session for many of the line coaches. Sad to consider this when Rocca, Lockyer and Burns were among them. I won't mention names, but one coach's dad turned up to watch the session, probably as a sign of respect and support.

Player Spotlight: Brayden Sier
Decided to spend a lot of the session watching Brayden - not a tough task under any circumstances. As I noted last week, he tends to run around a lot for little impact. Has good skills by hand and foot, bur rarely gets near it. Today he seemed to run around in a relatively narrow arc in the match practice. He had two touches; one was a free against and the other was an accurate handball out of a pack. At no stage did he demand the ball. Only once was the ball delivered to him. During a rest break I watched him closely. He talked to nobody. He spent most of the time looking at his hands.
It reminds me of watching the new kid in the class; he doesn't fit in and looks very insular. Even leaving the field, he appears hesitant and shy as if he can't wait to be away. He's been at the Club for two full seasons, but doesn't seem comfortable. He's only 19 so probably stays on the list, but I'm not overly optimistic about his chances.

Payer Spotlight: Brayden Maynard
Trained impressively as usual and spent a lot of time as the rover in centre ruck setups. Brad Gotch supervised this session with Max Lynch the ruckman and the other rover being Brayden Sier. Gotch firstly gave Sier some tips on body use as the ball was in the air. Maynard was prominent with his ability to read the ball in the air and anticipating where it was going. Will he spend more time on the ball this week?

At the end of the session a couple of players stood out for the time they spent with fans. They are the same guys every week:
Sam McLarty, Jeremy Howe, Ben Reid, Adam Treloar and Bucks of course.

That's a wrap for the year. Happy to answer any questions.

Love your work!

Couldn't help but wonder if Blair comments were a joke as I couldn't see him beating Adams and compounded by him not selected this week (I'm not complaining)

Sier comments make me wonder about our leaders - shouldn't it be they who lead in making all feel welcome and included so we get the best out of everyone? If a player wants to be on their own, fine, but then they wouldn't / shouldn't be looking dejected IMO

 

[Saintly Viewed]

Mazzarjo many thanks for your great posts.
It's like I am therewatching training.

Always appreciated.
Love how you write without an agenda, just as you see, with wit and wisdom.

Love it

 

[cleomenes]

Just thanks.

 

[unplugged]

Love your work, thanks heaps!

 

[Hardas]

Cheers, Neil.
Would love to have been there too.

 

[pie machine]

Thanks for the reports, great work as always

 

[legendstatus]

Feels & sounds like not much out on the field left


On iPhone using BigFooty.com mobile app

 

[Kirby]

Great reports. Love em!!

 

[Chief]

Thank you Mazzarjo - it is contributors like you that make BigFooty what it is.

 

[JB1975]

Thank you Mazzarjo - it is contributors like you that make BigFooty what it is.

I don't think that we should blame Mazzarjo for that!

 

[Apples]

Thanks guys, nice to know the reports are appreciated. When I lived overseas for many years the contributors at NicksBB were a marvellous connection for me. Guys like Warburton Lad made me feel part of the Collingwood Army from afar. That's why I do it. Sometimes you also pick up a sense of what is to come too. Maynard spending so much time in centre square drills on Thursday had me quite excited at the prospect of him being a permanent mid.

Regarding Brayden Sier, I really want him to succeed. He's built like a thoroughbred and moves like one too, but the sense of disconnection has me wondering. It was the same feeling I had when I watched Patrick Karnezis. Apart from the fact that Patrick had no tank to speak of, he too seemed disconnected from the playing group. I remember seeing him at a game at Vic Park 3 or 4 years ago. He was injured at the time and stood with the other injured players like Jonathan Marsh at the quarter time huddle. After the huddle broke up, he walked high up into the Sherrin Stand to sit with his family and not with his teammates. It struck me as odd at the time, but I didn't report on it, fearing I was reading too much into it. I get that same impression of Sier. Hope I'm wrong.

Onwards and upwards....when does the pre-season start again? Anyone?

 

[76woodenspooners]

Thanks guys, nice to know the reports are appreciated.

Loved the reports, not just that you did them, but that you take great care capturing the atmosphere.

I'm an interstater and your reports transported me to training.

Onwards and upwards....when does the pre-season start again? Anyone?

10:30am this morning it seems

 

[Woods List Clogger]

Thanks guys, nice to know the reports are appreciated. When I lived overseas for many years the contributors at NicksBB were a marvellous connection for me. Guys like Warburton Lad made me feel part of the Collingwood Army from afar. That's why I do it. Sometimes you also pick up a sense of what is to come too. Maynard spending so much time in centre square drills on Thursday had me quite excited at the prospect of him being a permanent mid.

Regarding Brayden Sier, I really want him to succeed. He's built like a thoroughbred and moves like one too, but the sense of disconnection has me wondering. It was the same feeling I had when I watched Patrick Karnezis. Apart from the fact that Patrick had no tank to speak of, he too seemed disconnected from the playing group. I remember seeing him at a game at Vic Park 3 or 4 years ago. He was injured at the time and stood with the other injured players like Jonathan Marsh at the quarter time huddle. After the huddle broke up, he walked high up into the Sherrin Stand to sit with his family and not with his teammates. It struck me as odd at the time, but I didn't report on it, fearing I was reading too much into it. I get that same impression of Sier. Hope I'm wrong.

Onwards and upwards....when does the pre-season start again? Anyone?

Always look forward to reading your reports,they are first class,thanks for all your efforts over the year.

 

[left at home]

Love your work all season, very informative thank you mazzarjo

 

[Maggie5]

Concur with left at home, your training reports were fantastic, thank you Mazzarjo.

 

[Mukesh]

Thanks guys, nice to know the reports are appreciated. When I lived overseas for many years the contributors at NicksBB were a marvellous connection for me. Guys like Warburton Lad made me feel part of the Collingwood Army from afar. That's why I do it. Sometimes you also pick up a sense of what is to come too. Maynard spending so much time in centre square drills on Thursday had me quite excited at the prospect of him being a permanent mid.

Regarding Brayden Sier, I really want him to succeed. He's built like a thoroughbred and moves like one too, but the sense of disconnection has me wondering. It was the same feeling I had when I watched Patrick Karnezis. Apart from the fact that Patrick had no tank to speak of, he too seemed disconnected from the playing group. I remember seeing him at a game at Vic Park 3 or 4 years ago. He was injured at the time and stood with the other injured players like Jonathan Marsh at the quarter time huddle. After the huddle broke up, he walked high up into the Sherrin Stand to sit with his family and not with his teammates. It struck me as odd at the time, but I didn't report on it, fearing I was reading too much into it. I get that same impression of Sier. Hope I'm wrong.

Onwards and upwards....when does the pre-season start again? Anyone?

Again...Many thanks Mazzarjo for your excellent and insightful reports. They really do add to our feelings of connection with the team. I hope you are declaring yourself available for the same role in 2018. Take care and enjoy the off season.

 

[Apples]

Strolled down to the Club today to organise my membership and found Brodie Grundy and Mason Cox running laps. That's mighty early to be back on deck and is a good sign that these boys are looking to a big 2018. Both usually trail the field in the pre season time trials, so maybe they hope to improve their times.

After doing the membership stuff, I strolled around the corner and had a look into the gym. Josh Smith and Rupert Wills were doing weight work with a trainer. There was one other player there also but we couldn't identify him.

Meanwhile, in the cafe, our recruiting team (Hine, Rendell and Dominic Milesi) were in deep discussion with new list manager Ned Guy.

The Collingwood shop has a lot of merchandise reduced by 50% and the 125 Year caps (both white and black) are down to $12.

 

[magpies42]

Is it off season, the club can’t mandate raining right?

Grundy did the same thing last preseason. It really showed in his form and ability to stay fit (touch wood). Would love to see the whole list taking things in the same manner, but particularly Wells, Aish, Broomhead,Reid!

 

[Mukesh]

Strolled down to the Club today to organise my membership ....

Good to see you are back on deck early as well Mazza...

 

[Scodog10]

TBH I’d be disappointed if most of the players didn’t start filtering back to the club over the next fortnight. I know I’d be back early if I were a professional athlete.

 

[loki04]

TBH I’d be disappointed if most of the players didn’t start filtering back to the club over the next fortnight. I know I’d be back early if I were a professional athlete.

Especially when our season ended on the 26th of August. Our players have had almost 2 months off, in fact surely the club will be starting official preseason training very soon??

 

[Mkcaptain]

TBH I’d be disappointed if most of the players didn’t start filtering back to the club over the next fortnight. I know I’d be back early if I were a professional athlete.

Our season ended 8 weeks ago now. That is a long break, even for professional footballers. Even if they're still officially on their break I don't think it too much to ask for them to come into the club to do some light work/touch base with trainers

Players can't afford to be playing catch up over the first couple of weeks of preseason (unless you're Swanny).

Anyone know the date the 1st to 4th years come back?