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Official 2006 Training Thread

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harry 0 said:
The report only needs 1 word. TAZZA!!!!! The kid is back and ready to fire under the Duck's guidance. And Benny Davies was very impressive as a ruck rover.
I'm liking the sounds of that, would love to see Tazza back in full flight this season and back to his All Australian form.
 
jimmy_c8 said:
I'm liking the sounds of that, would love to see Tazza back in full flight this season and back to his All Australian form.

Admittedly he was opposed to young John Anthony, but Taz sizzzled. In 2 20 min halves, would have kicked around 4 or 5 and set up a few others. Given his normal output in intra-clubs, it may be a sign his copeland night speech was a portent of things to come.
 

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Training Report: Friday the 27th of January:
By Luke Mason

As the Australian Open tennis draws to a close, sports followers from around the nation now turn their eyes to the next sporting feast – football season. With less than a month remaining until the great Australian game recommences for the 110th occasion, all sides are clicking into top gear. It is often said over the summer that every player has put in their best pre-season ever, and that each club is burning up the track. In many cases, winter months have proven those predictions of September glory nothing but hot air. However, in the Magpies case this coming season, the Pies may well be the wildcard in the 2006 pack. It looms as an intriguingly even season in 2006, and with all players on the track and ready for action, Collingwood will not be without a chance at a finals berth.

Following the line of his pre-season thus far, the reinvigorated Jason Cloke was once more first onto the training track this morning, gracing the turf spot on 9:30. While the day began up with overcast skies, the clouds soon cleared – with a blazing hot sun emerging – heating up Melbourne, morphing it into sauna like conditions.

The pep in the step of the Magpies was no more evident than with Leon Davis, who jogged briskly onto the field, moving swiftly through the spongy mud, which had come about due to heavy overnight rain.

All players were onboard for the first time in a long time, with the likes of Iacobucci, Swan and Rowe restarting their pre-season missions, all having had spells on the sidelines for different reasons.

After applying sunscreen and strapping to different areas of the players’ bodies, the squad started the session with a light kick-to-kick. The team brains trust of Nathan Buckley, Anthony Rocca, Chris Tarrant and Scott Burns spoke with assistant coach Gavin Brown before joining the rest of the group in a lap of the oval, which was halted by two stops for stretches around the oval. Forwards Blake Caracella and Anthony Rocca did not take part into the kick to kick, preferring to ply their trade on the handball nets. Defenders Simon Prestigiacomo and Chad Morrison were late starters, forced to play catch-up to the group for part of the lap.

The thickset Tristan Walker did not take part in the lap, being a late entrant to the session. Fellow West Australian Alan Toovey – second selection in the 2005 Rookie Draft – stopped running very early in the lap, opting to walk back to the area occupied by the coaches. As it turned out, he has a bit of soreness in his foot, but expects it to clear up in the very near future.

Other late starters to training were Cameron Cloke - who was forced to dart off to join the squad – and wingman Julian Rowe, unsighted for much of the New Year. Rowe did not complete any training with the main group, instead working on his own or with Toovey, suggesting he is carrying a little niggle. The classy wingman is still in need of a bit of weight on his slender frame, and will fill out of the course of the next season – having signed a new two year deal late in 2005.

As the players stretched in the goalsquare, Toovey chatted with coach Malthouse before heading over to the handball net. As Travis Cloke took an early break from proceedings, the players began working on ball handling in the centre square. Thankfully, it was nothing serious, as he returned only minutes later. Skipper Nathan Buckley took a rest from the ball handling, receiving a rubdown on his hamstrings instead – Holland and Rhyce Shaw followed suit minutes later.

The players then broke up into lane work, concentrating on short passing. Toovey and Rowe soon took a break, opting to have a drink after some ball handling work of their own. Brown took charge of this aspect of the session, leaving Malthouse to watch on from behind. Dane Swan spent time at the back of the pack doing some light handballing.

A minor controversy arose when nuggetty defender Tarkyn Lockyer departed the track with his hand cupped over his eye disguising a gash in the corner of his eye, dashing off in the direction of the Lexus Centre. He returned minutes later with a cloth over the area in question, followed by club doctors. He ducked into the change rooms to have the cut stitched up, before jogging back onto the field to join his comrades.

Adam Iacobucci, the man widely tipped by many as the one to succeed Paul Licuria as number one midfield terrier, accepted a stopwatch from a trainer, timing his run from the southern goalsquare to the MCG pocket at the other end of the field. His first run was timed (according to myself) as 48 seconds, his second dash recorded as 46 seconds. Injured recruit Danny Stanley soon followed, the watch halted at 45 seconds.

The main group huddled in the middle, and soon split into two teams – Black vs Orange. The two sides were as follows:

Black: Cox, Rusling, C.Cloke, Caracella, T.Cloke, Johnson, Holland, Fanning, Cook, Davies, Thomas, O’Brien, Nicholls, Carey, Iles, Anthony.

Orange: Didak, J.Cloke, Licuria, Prestigiacomo, Burns, Maxwell, O’Bree, Wakelin, Morrison, Tarrant, Buckley, Davis, Lonie, Richards.

Positions included:

Cox (FP) vs J.Cloke (BP)
T.Cloke (CHF) vs Wakelin (CHB)
Rusling (FF) vs Prestigiacomo (FB)
Richards (ruck) vs Fanning (ruck)
Thomas (HF) vs Morrison (HB)

Match Notes:
-Thomas marks on lead
-Orange point
-Jason Cloke prominent
-Orange behind
-Holland, Johnson and O’Bree all onball
-Egan moves to the wing
-Goal to Maxwell
-Jason Cloke is run down after trying to do too much
-Cox tackling very well. Running players down from behind and applying the pressure.
-Ben Davies goals for the Blacks – very classy
-Cox sets up O’Brien for some classy play
-Davies in all the action, soon setting up Dale Thomas for a clever snapshot goal over his shoulder.
-Free to Richards
-Goal to Tarrant
-O’Brien takes on Tarrant and beats him displaying great pace.
-Cox again displays top notch defensive skills
-Rocca marks but misses badly from 40 meters out
-Rusling a very strong mark on the lead – misses
-Walker off
-Lockyer taking the kick outs.
-Davies chisels an exquisite pass onto the chest of Travis Cloke in a tight situation.
-Thomas clever knock on – he has a smart football brain.
-Jason Cloke spills an easy chest mark.
-Wayne Carey fills in at centre halfback for the Black team, doing an admirable job.
-Caracella in the middle
-Richards winning the ruck duels
-Rocca misses again
-Cox puts his body on the line as Jason Cloke crashes a pack
-Buckley a perfect 60 meter pass to Tarrant’s chest. Tarrant miscues with the resultant kick.
-Thomas – great running.

Half time break, with Orange slightly on top.

After the huddle, the players then changed ends for the second half (25 minute quarters).

-Anthony moves to Tarrant
-Holland, Davies, Fanning and Nicholls all in the middle
-Tarrant excellent for Orange
-Toovey off – sore foot.
-Nicholls clever in finding space.
-Fanning vs Richards in the forward line (Richards forward)
-Heath Shaw tagging Buckley
-Morrison snaps a goal from some good crumbing
-Tarrant great recovery
-Richards excellent at ground level
-O’Bree left foot behind
-New kick out laws take time to adjust to – Jason Cloke grabs a footy and gets on with the job
-Burns playing well through the middle
-Fraser marks on chest and goals
-Buckley takes a breather
-Cook into the action on a wing
-Orange too good
-Clement very good tap on to own advantage. Experience comes to the fore
-Tarrant marks but misses from just inside fifty.
-Jason Cloke now taking on Rocca
-Tarrant takes opponent (Anthony) down behind the play (legally).
-Licuria on fire through the middle
-Davis creative in the centre
-Licuria tugs it behind the stick
-Burns great kick to Tarrant – behind
-Iles works hard then run down
-Nicholls and Anthony working well
-Licuria receives a bullet like pass from Tarrant, and goals with the kick.
-Burns and O’Brien matched up with Burns in the forward line.
-Morrison misses badly on the run
-Buckley still remains on the sidelines
-Clement marks strongly
-Point to the Blacks
-Well played Dale Thomas
-Davis goal

Game now over, with Orange running out easy victors. The best players for the match were (in no particular order): Davies, Davis, Licuria, Burns, Richards, Tarrant, and J.Cloke.

The players began their warm down by jogging a slow lap of the oval, stopping to stretch the hamstrings and calves. As the players walked off the track, Cameron Cloke remained on it – charging like a bull at a gate at a giant tackle bag on wheels, attempting to drive it forward. It was a challenging exercise, and one which will hold Cloke in good stead in his role up forward, which appears to be as the teams’ enforcer – something the side has lacked since 2003, when renowned strongman Jarrod Molloy retired from the game.

All players now seem to be hitting their straps as the build up to the NAB Cup continues. With the improvement coming from the likes of Davies, Thomas and Richards, the Pies appear well set to take on St.Kilda at Telstra Dome in the first week of the Pre-Season Cup.
 
Well done mate, i'm keen follower of Ben Davies as i know him, and great to hear he did well. Wish they had stuff like that in the geelong forum. Keep it up
 
Thanks J26.

I look forward to seeing Ben Davies play again. His Bulldogs game and subsequent promotion sounds like it's given him all the confidence in the world.

I never thought I'd read "classy" and "chisseled exquisite passes" in his play description!

Go Dover!! :thumbsu:
 

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FIGJAM said:
Thanks J26.

I look forward to seeing Ben Davies play again. His Bulldogs game and subsequent promotion sounds like it's given him all the confidence in the world.

I never thought I'd read "classy" and "chisseled exquisite passes" in his play description!

Go Dover!! :thumbsu:

I reckon he is a much better kick than people give him credit for Figjam. His decision making certainly needs work and I reckon this made him look worse than he is . This is pretty normal for a young bloke, as his decision making improves his kicking will look heaps better .

I have said it before and will say it again his 2005 was the second most impressive of all the new recruits(not talking about potential). The kid is going to be a gun.

By the sounds of it he may be worth a few bucks for the rising star of 2006!!

Thanks for the report j26
 
so how has Bucks been travellin' - iv read through every report but it doesn't really say how he's been going over the summer ...

has he fully put his injury concerns behind him? how do u guys who'v watched him train compare him to the Buckley of 2003 in terms of fitness and his limitations on the track?

cheers fellas.
 
Stoney said:
so how has Bucks been travellin' - iv read through every report but it doesn't really say how he's been going over the summer ...

has he fully put his injury concerns behind him? how do u guys who'v watched him train compare him to the Buckley of 2003 in terms of fitness and his limitations on the track?

cheers fellas.

Bucks is looking better then ever in my opinion. From what I know, there are no signs of a reoccurring hamstring, which is very good news for all football fans.

Age will start to take its toll on the champion though, but he is due for one more big year yet.
 
Coin_Toss said:
Bucks is looking better then ever in my opinion. From what I know, there are no signs of a reoccurring hamstring, which is very good news for all football fans.

Age will start to take its toll on the champion though, but he is due for one more big year yet.

lol - not Western B'dogs fans, iv seen him rip them apart every time theyve met since about 2001 (except round 1 last yr for obvious reasons)

Yeah fingers crossed the big fella has another big one left in him - one of the games true greats!!!
 
Buckley is going well. Has been used off half forward to ensure the longjevity of the superstar. Will play in the midfield for much of the season proper as he is too good to waste his career of HF. He sniffs the ball out of packs. He's going well.

Signed for 2007, too.
 

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Heya all, im new to the forum and i must say its pretty awesome forum, Johnson i love your reports they are really good so keep it up. I was wondering if any of you guys can send me photos u get from training, as Im in QLD (unfortunately, bloody brisbane lions) so i cant go or even see them!! Love to get a pick of rusling to see actually how huge he has got. Yeah anything would be great.

Nesian
 
Hey Cheers Johno, yeah I have been pretty desperate up hear to get any sorta news about the pies, and i think your reports and photos have saved me from insanity! Keep it up mate, look forward to more!! And yeah I hope u get those videos up!

Nesian
 
Great info, reports and snippets boys. But overall appears overly positive and optomistic. These are the same sorts of reports we;ve had over the last couple of years but came up short.

Its only once the real stuff starts that we will get a real idea of where players are at and how much they have or have not progressed.

Here's hoping they all stay injury free.
 

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