Training Pre season training

[saintmike65]

Training today was very much a smaller squad with most of the senior core missing.
Main focus was on quick, sharp ball movement. I could hear coaches instructing the players to spread the defence, and to take the ball out wide but to then look to bring it back through the middle.

Given the smaller squad, I focused on some of the lesser knowns. I liked what I saw of Max Hall. He's a very good ball user. It will be interesting to see where he sits in the pecking order - I think he and Paddy Dow could be fighting for the same spot. It will be interesting to watch him in the practice matches to see how he goes winning the ball.

Angus Hastie will need another year in the VFL, as well as putting on some more size.
Travaglia can run!! I'm talking Wilson levels of running. He's super quick and glides over the ground. His skills are also pretty good, but him and Wilson on either wing will be too much for most teams to handle. At one point he ran off the half back line as the link up player and ran past blokes like they were standing still.

The Irish kid (McConnell) still has some way to go IMO. He's a good size and an excellent runner, but his kicking skills under pressure are iffy. Understandable for a guy who only started playing AFL 12 months ago.

Boyd is an immovable object. The guy is a massive ball of muscle and was particularly strong in some one on one marking contests. The jury is still out as to whether he has the physical attributes to be an AFL ruckman, but we don't have many other options. The final lsit spot will be out of him and Peckett, and based on immediate needs, I think they'll go with Boyd. (Although there was another guy training, who is similar in size to Max Hall who looked pretty decent - maybe a Sandy listed player?).

Higgins trained really well today - very impressive. As did Brad Hill. He's such an on-field leader. Macrae is the midfielder we've been crying out for - a nice ball user, goof runner and tough.

Of the new recruits, Dodson stood out the most for me today. He's not a bad runner for someone his size and his skills are pretty good as well. Peckett did a few good things as did Boxshall. Patrick Said made quite a few skill errors, but generally speaking he's a pretty skillful kid.

Rehab group: Jones & Stocker

Missing: Steele, King, Wood, Sinclair, Butler, Howard, Wilkie, Nas, Mitchito, Windy, Sharman, Wilson & Clarke.

. Mattaes and Hastie impressive with their intensity & ball use
. Arie foot skills are elite…given the footy a lot for obvious reasons
. Max Hall again impressed…just a smart footballer who has no obvious weaknesses
. Hugo a competitive beast driving standards…sub days are over, one of the first picked I’m tipping
. McLennan a Smokey for round 1, great one grab mark who can play on taller or shorter players
. Barratt and Tauru good size…Barratt a watch in match sim in January

 

[Neil Elvis Winmar]

Thank you to the posters putting up reports of the early training sessions. Really great to hear the perspective of those watchers as to how everyone is travelling.

I have been involved in coaching other sports, and of course been coached myself. In fact I am still being coached at golf.

One thing I notice in coaching these days is that there is encouragement to ‘push the envelope’ in terms of risk. To undergo a change in technique or mindset you are asked to overdo the change. To over-emphasise what you are doing. Experiment in your training in an effort to get better.

When I read that the skills are sloppy or someone isn’t quite getting the drill, I wonder if there is an element of this risk taking. Going wide and then seeking the corridor with riskier kicks for example. You have to try a few to see what works. Playing safe doesn’t seem to work in the modern game.

So I sit here and wonder if this is what might be going on. The perfect training session might be seen as great, but it could be just playing safe and slowly. Skills all neatly showcased. Playing quickly and creating attacking chaos seems to lead to more scoring opportunities. How do you train that?

Any thoughts?

100%

I overhead Ross and Bolton saying back yourself to take on the first tackler and free up the next person in the chain so we can improve our entries. He mentioned this too Poo and Garcia multiple times.

They also did a huge amount of focus on locking the ball in our forward half after the oppo gets possession. Ross was very vocal on this call players out on positioning or effort.

They are getting challenged on the areas of our game that let us down so it’s not going to be silky and perfect a lot of the time this time of year.

What I found impressive was the alignment and everyone’s willingness to try and fail and then have their teammates/coaches put an arm around them or offer vocal support.

We are super young and we can’t put too much expectation on Wilson, Poo, Garcia, Collard, Keelor, Hastie, Arie etc too early on as they are all still early on in a steep learning curve.



On iPhone using BigFooty.com mobile app

 

[saintmike65]

I’d be keen to hear supporters views on who you think are the best 5 mids for our side - not wingmen, inside mids:
I’ll start -

Steele
Macrae
Windhager
Clark
Phillipou

 

[Tommy Wigs]

Some comments from me on training today:

• extremely light on with the 15 out.
• so saddening that Tauru is not out there to build some excitement.
• I wasn’t able to see TT closely, but I did see amazing movement (as someone else said he just glides, but in a very fn fast way)! In one drill his hands off the deck were excellent.
• Pou and Garcia exciting. Both were in everything. Tbf, with a whole group of senior guys out, then you’d expect them lead from the front. Pou will be elite and pace wise looks completely different than mid last year.
• Jones always very high intensity and his wheels always bring some excitement.
• Carroll still a very odd delisting to me. Great step and nice foot.
• Dow just doesn’t seem to train with that energy.
• I can’t think of a better kick for a couple of decades than Shoe. Any takers? It’s outrageous. I would usually be a little more on the side of caution given he clearly has some weaknesses. But get him in and use his strengths, just like Hawthorn did with DAmbrosio etc.
• Keeler dropped a number of sitters in a row (chest marks). And although he becomes the man with every other KPF out, he does look like he is more authoritative.
• As others have said, Higgins training hard. Looks slimmer from afar?
• Irish impressive with everything except whether his kicking will hold him back. Hard to improve that side of peoples games.
• As Mike said, McLennan an absolute smoky for R1. Hard to get past and reads it well.
• Dodson will be one big boy.
• Hammer must be getting close. Using that shoulder against the mattress with some force. It’s a shame that it holds him back from going full throttle in the gym as I think he needs more size.

 

[Loading]

Managed to make it down to training today. Will basically repeat the other posters, but some key points:

1. Tobes training with the mids in the main final drill when all players split into fwds, backs and mids. Found that interesting, and didn’t look out of place at all. Boxshall also with them, as well as Dodson with rucking duties. Tobie also donning #5…

2. Schoenmaker seems to be a key guy in the drills, lot of kicks moving through him

3. Mattaes won’t shut up - great to see. Neither does Hill, but that comes as no surprise.

4. Webster looked sharp today, laying down the gauntlet for players wanting to take his spot - won’t make it easy

5. Macrae makes things look easy, will be a great mentor for the young mids coming through. Seems to be enjoying himself too.

6. Very impressed overall with Dodson, think he will play sooner than people expect. Not too skinny, and moves smoothly

7. Echoing the Garcia sentiments of late. Very hungry. Still needs to tidy up his disposal a bit and become a bit smoother before we get too carried away, but very promising signs. Was kicking a bunch of goals from stoppages in drills, if he can add that into his game long term then look out.

About all I can specifically remember on key points

 

[kick it lace out]

Training Friday 6th December

Brutal weather, and a brutal training session in hot, steamy and sometimes windy conditions.

When I arrived I noticed pretty much the full squad out on the training track including the core group missing from earlier in the week. The rehab group is getting smaller with only Stocker and Liam Henry in it today (joined later on by Caminiti who was having his shoulder tested in a pretty brutal session).
Liam Henry did a couple of gentle run throughs but he looked proppy - he kept looking down at his knee. It doesn't look good at the moment and I'd say he is a long way off from joining in on training. Gave me Brad Crouch vibes - ouch!

Todays' session had lots of punishing running. At about the half way point, the core group that re-joined training broke out into three groups and ran laps at a pretty decent pace. Every time Marshall and Howard came past you could hear them sucking in deep breathes. Wilson once again was the stand-out in this running drill along with Steele and Byrnes.
Once this group completed their running, they disappeared into the gym. Good to see Windy out there in full training today. as well as Max King.

There was a drill which focused on the forward craft, led by Brendan Bolton. Ball kicked into the forward line (reasonably deep entry), with the small forwards charging towards the kicker, creating space behind them. The FF & FB would contest the mark, while the small forwards doubled back towards the contest looking to crumb the spoil. Good energy about this drill with lots of encouragement and feedback.
Later on, there was a defence vs offence drill, where it looked like the focus for the forwards was to move the ball quickly (release their teammate) and the defenders job was to pick up loose players, apply pressure and cut off outlets. A few skill errors here, mainly by hand with targets being missed. RTB quick to provide feedback. I must say, RTB's feedback is elite. The way he gets into the detail with his feedback is amazing. No wonder he is such a great coach.
He had a go at Keeler at one point for his positioning. Seemed to be standing in no man's land.

Of the new recruits, Travaglia is going to be a star. He is so prominent in training. He's one of those guys where you can't take your eyes off him. His link up play and running are elite for someone so young. This may sound strange but I reckon Dodson is already ahead of Heath. I really like the way he moves - very agile for someone 203cm. One more pre-seaon and he'll be ready to go. Patrick Said has a very nice side step while High Boxshall is a very good size and doesn't look out of his depth in the drills. Quite strong and neat with this skills. No Elwood Peckett today.

At the very end, the players changed into their runners for more running work. Man this was brutal to watch.

First off, they ran around the oval for 2 minutes. Brad Hill clearly in front, followed by Jack Higgins and Angus McLelland. They then did a series of 50 metre sprints (at about 60-70% effort) with 15 second rests between efforts. This is where Keeler really stood out. He was in front on every sprint, and clearly in front. The longer this went, the more noticeable it was that the two Carlton boys (Dow & Carroll) were struggling. Did they not run at Carlton?
They then finished by another 2 minute lap of the oval. The Pou was so determined to win this, and he did. Followed closely by Irish. By this stage Carroll was really struggling and he ended up last by some way. He really needs to build a tank to compliment his exquisite kicking skills. Macrae did ok in the running, about middle of the pack.
The best runners today were Hill, Pou, Higgins, McLellan & Irish. I was pleasantly surprised by how much Collard has improved with his running. He even did a chase down tackle in one of the drills which got a loud acknowledgement for.

All in all, it was a punishing session. If our running was good last year, I reckon we're going to take it to another level next year. It also feels like along with running ability, we've made skills a pre-requisite in our drafting.

Cheers,

 

[akaifu]

Open training next Wednesday

 

[FraserFridays]

I know a lot of this has probably been mentioned but here are my observations from Friday 6th December.

Very muggy early. Cooled down a bit later in the session.

Noticed no Wilkie or Garcia

Owens warming up before anyone running laps. Looks a man mountain.

Caminiti and Stocker did rehab Hammer joined in the main group for some drills.

Jones very vocal and has definitely put on size. Looks to be very fit. Definitely got into players when they made silly errors.

Drills were all about tight in contest and using the right option.

Brendan Bolton ran the early drills.

Alot of people have said Max King has put on weight. Absolutely has.

Jack Carroll and Max Hall look to be very quick and link players half forward.

Phillipou is very quick and is covering the ground like never before. Most vocal out there.

MaCrae doesn't say much. Very quiet. But when he does they listen.

Spoke to Henry who said today was his first running session. Said his knee wasn't great. But now he is on the mend and putting one foot in front of the other.

Read alot about Keeler. Very very impressive. Unbelievable mover. Really understanding where he needs to be. Very clean. One touch player. The running they did at the end he absolutely dominated. Was in front of every single one. Phillipou also right up there with him.

Most of the senior boys did a lot of the drills and then ran a few laps and went in.

Sat in the stands and got talking to a Herald sun reporter who was there to do an article on the Saints new recruits. But he said no one was really standing out. I said Carroll has been very impressive with his speed also said MaCrae isn't going to stand out per say but he will definitely be so important in that midfield group.

Was sort of hard to gauge alot of players as they were sort of all over the place.

The running they did at the very end Phillipou was in front followed closely by O'Connell. Jack Carroll really struggled and finished last. Looked to have either a quad cramp or just tightness. Seen stretching it a lot and missed the next couple of run throughs. I am hoping that he was last was due to this.

Max Heath definitely has improved his tank. There was a run through where I watched him realise he was over the start line and he moved back behind it. Where a Sandy player stayed over the line. Thought that really said that he is going to cheat himself and fo everything he can.

Hugh Boxshall was to me one that caught the eye in the in tight contested stuff. Yes made some mistakes. But definitely took them on and really looks like he can be a good player.

Steele definitely looking much fitter than last year.

Hunter Clark definitely fitter. Really held his own in the laps with the good runners.

Darcy Wilson is a freak of nature.

Travaglia plays round 1. He is so impressive.

Dodson is also a handy runner. Really good mover.

Higgins kept up with Hill and Phillipou in the laps they were running.

Max Hall is very solid and looks ready to have a good year.

Noticed that MaCrae did the whole session. As did Higgins and Hill.

Schoenmaker is looking in ripping nick. Just can't quiet get into position quick enough. But that will come.

Sessions finished at 12.

 

[Tommy Wigs]

Ok, I’m up next. Agree with a lot of what Kick It identified. I was on the far side, so I may have missed some elements.

No Garcia. Most of the NZ crew ran and some early ball handling type drills, but then disappeared. Stocker putting in a huge amount of running on the far side. I thought Henry was chatting to assistants and Stock about his footwear. But I didn’t see him coming off, so I may have missed something.

I nearly vomited watching. Incredible amount of running and drills.

• I can’t speak more highly of Pou and I won’t go on about it
• Carroll has a lovely step and thought he was good in the narrow / but longer drills (a form of match sim, I guess).
• Re: the Blue boys - yes, absolutely gassed. It could also be the amount of effort that they put in the 3 billion drills and running that they did. Who knows, but going hard in earlier efforts might mean that the extra running at the end could be taken with a grain of salt. I thought Carroll ran hard in what I saw, so it could have been that.
• Keeler’s running may have been the reverse - through the simulations, he at least got to hang back and may have had more gas in the tank as well.
• Also noticed a better effort from Collard today, but he runs like someone is squeezing his knackers - looks painful watching him. Head shakes all over the place. Like Keeler, he also had the juicy hang back forward role. On the lap running towards the end, the weaker runners were on an inside line that may have reduced a lap by 20 odd metres? Collard was on the inner lane.
• Liked what I saw of Hall. Very zippy. Could see him playing a high HFF role that is becoming so important. I’m a bigger fan than many of Buts and the role he plays, but that’s arguably the role Hall could take (but necessarily the traditional small fwd).
• As I said the other day, Dodson is going to be a huge man. I agree that he’ll be past Heath pretty quickly.
• Hard to know on Boyd without seeing match play, but he has a crack, he’s vocal, even when running with quite decent runners. Certainly would outrun Ro, Heath etc. At worst, he will be a good citizen.
• It’s hard to say much about the draftees without a sense of game play. I found it hard to take my eyes off Dodson. Whoever in the media said TT lacked some pace must have been drunk. He is going to be pretty dynamic and there is a lot more of these frenetic/ quick players in the top teams.
• Box moves well. His kicking is a major concern for me. If he can be a 7 kicks, 18 HB like Dunkley then that may still work for him. He is raw and think parts of his midfield game (from watching the GF) will need work - sitting outside the pack at times. But he does have excellent clearance craft when in very tight and he has excellent movement for the type of player that he is likely to emulate.
• I thought Hastie did well. Issue is we have 24 of his type. Has good game sense and a quick first step/s.
• Max looked gassed when running. Hammer looks on track.
• Zones looks in great nick. IMO, he has Dow well covered.
• Macrae classy.

 

[saintmike65]

• emphasis today was delivery into a congested forward 50, with Barrat and Arie receiving on multiple occasions to set up play with their footskills
• Travaglia prominent with his run & carry
• Keeler competing well up forward
• McLennan again prominent with his body positioning & one grab intercept marking
• Macrae such a smart player…will be a very important component in our midfield set up
• Hastie impressive, lovely mover and love his attitude
• O’Connell good again, his improvement in the 12 months since arriving here is amazing
• Ethan Williams from Sandy moves well & seems a good user
• Liam Henry not doing a lot yet but good to see him out on the ground
• Patrick Said has really good hands overhead & looks a very compact, small forward option
• Max Hall good again…one to watch for an early season debut

 

[Saints TV]

Here's an inside look at St Kilda's end of year open training session!

A big thank you to Stu Art Video Productions for getting down to training and capture this footage for those of us who could not attend.

 

[Veer Right]

 

[Joffaboy]

Random thoughts from today's training

‐‐----------------------------------------------------------

Tauru made a short appearance.
Big group. Only Stocker not in main group.
Would hate to try to move Boyd off the ball.
Henry out amd running with no knee strapping.
Roh and Hammer in fluro hats.
Jack Carroll running laps with Windy both in rehab, don't look injured. Maybe a nick somewhere.
Henry in rehab in good spirits. Separate program to the other two. Lots of work on knee bends and quads. Slow run through, gradually getting quicker, not labouring, gait looks good, obviously no direction changes. Some gentle kick to kick, followed by ground ball gets.
Main group, 50 metre sprints with a ball through obstacles. Jones, Pou powering with lots of talk.
Henry feeling his knee. More three quarter run throughs. Think it will be a while before he is fit. Running 66's in 11 seconds, improving it to 10. Henry looks OK for a second or third running session, time to look at match sim.
Two umpires just ran past, looks like sim of some kind.
Three groups, forward pocket Nepean Highway end practising close in tackling and evasion taken by bj.
Middle group half field non contact sim with umpires.
Far end ground ball gets then disposals.

Groups interchanging every 5 minutes. In sim Arie running hard. Dodson and Pou look good. Dodson looks like a footballer.
McLennon in fluro hat.
Good to see the umpires coach ( the one Hird didn't like) with the umpires, discussing positioning etc. They need to train as much as anyone else. Elini is back. Think she had a baby. Looks fit. Good to see her back, she is not a bad umpire.
Jack Steven at training speaking with Tony Brown. Looks pretty fit taken a bit of weight off.
Think Jack Voss is training.
You really know what Bolton wants.
Christ knows why we were so down on Travaglia during draft time, including me. Holy hell the kid is good, clean, great disposal. Wonderful mover, can see him debuting very early. Personally more impressed than I was with Wilson this time last year.
Lyon looking for width then through the corridor. Looking to stretch oppo zones.
Bolton and Lyon in deep discussion, something about Tim Tam's v Iced Vo Vo's. Got heated at times.
20 minute full field sim, no Max, Windy, Hammer. Boyd v Roh.
Boxshall with a nice mark and goal. Has a boot.
Heath forward looks involved.
Big pack mark from Boyd.Beast.
High intensity, Keeler, Sharman prominent. Arie off a HB. Heath with a big pack mark and play on. Definitely developing. Full contact, Boxhall gets a bloody mouth. Wilks on Keels good contest.
Trav fumbles in traffic, two steps recovers and kicks to advantage.
High pressure, Macrae nabs Pou with a strong tackle.
Carroll in the match sim so is obviously OK. No Hugo today.
Buts, Clark, Roh, Steele, Wood up the race not involved in last part of the match sim.
Macrae into the rooms with a trainer.
Younger blokes in green vests, shots at goal. Yellow bibs v red training tops, cross the field, back half transition
Young ones, Dodson, Travaglia and Boxshall look good. Heath and Keeler continue to trend upwards, Boyd is a beast and contrary to some reports can play.
Now red shirts v green bibs with yellows taking shots for goal. Brad Hill is evergreen.
Macrae grabs his runners and goes inside.
Running now so Adios amigos.

On SM-S908E using BigFooty.com mobile app

 

[The Cobra]

Joffa - great summary.

My 5 cents:

Dodson - showed a bit - very small sample size but liked what I saw
Sharman - good size now & moving well
Hunter - to the naked eye does look fitter and running ok
Pou - in everything and really is an excellent kick
King - definitely filled out - very big man
Keeler - he looks so close to breaking out - let’s hope so!
Ari - moving well and definitely putting in (still worried about his speed but let’s see when the real stuff starts).
Henry - as noted above - doing some running which is a positive - but was sucking in the oxygen big time (to be expected)

The other thing that struck me was just maybe we finally have a decent number of guys who can kick the ball & hit a target and/or kick a goal under pressure (I’m sure I have missed a few): Sincs, Nas, Macrae, Ari, Wilks, Steele, Pou, Sharman - you can probably also add in Hill, Wood, Garcia and a few others.

 

[saintmike65]

Joffa - great summary.

My 5 cents:

Dodson - showed a bit - very small sample size but liked what I saw
Sharman - good size now & moving well
Hunter - to the naked eye does look fitter and running ok
Pou - in everything and really is an excellent kick
King - definitely filled out - very big man
Keeler - he looks so close to breaking out - let’s hope so!
Ari - moving well and definitely putting in (still worried about his speed but let’s see when the real stuff starts).
Henry - as noted above - doing some running which is a positive - but was sucking in the oxygen big time (to be expected)

The other thing that struck me was just maybe we finally have a decent number of guys who can kick the ball & hit a target and/or kick a goal under pressure (I’m sure I have missed a few): Sincs, Nas, Macrae, Ari, Wilks, Steele, Pou, Sharman - you can probably also add in Hill, Wood, Garcia and a few others.

• Andrew Mathieson, recent signing with Sandy training today with the saints boys…nice size at 193cm.. another leftie
• Gus McLennan again pitted against a bigger opponent & doing well…great competitor is Gus!
• Travaglia will debut round one..I’m very confident of that
• Owens won the wrestling comp at the end of training, defeating Boyd
• Young Said could be THE quiet achiever out of the draft crop…smart player that makes good decisions
• Keeler did some nice things during match sim & should debut early
• Mattaes is obviously under instruction to use his legs more when coming out of stoppage…he’s got more power & burst now he’s refined his body shape
• Henry running is a good sign but has a lot of catching up to do
• Hugh Boxhall looks a good prospect, lovely size, brave and moves well but a bit tardy with foot skills

 

[BrutThough]

Another training report for everyone (sorry if I'm repeating points from the other ones)

- Good to see King do most of the session. Didnt participate in match sim but did everything before that. Has a very strong physique now and was moing well.

- Sharman the standout forward. Didnt notice him much during the drill portion but he came to life once they started match sim. His basic skills are super clean and he just understands where to run to. Expecting a big season from him.

- One of the better sessions I've seen from Dow.

- Phillipou is just as advertised. Improving every session and clearly on his way to being an a grade mid.

- Wilson looks fantastic. I dont know if he was playing as a starting mid but he managed to always be where the ball was. Much is made about his running but his skills and general football smarts are just as good. He will be the elite mid we are after

- Of the draftees, Trav stands out. You can instantly tell why he was a high draft pick. His workrate and competitiveness already stands out. I didnt notice Said. Dodson is a good size with good skills but clearly has a lot of physical development ahead of him. Boxhall is another one who stepped up in the match sim portion - won his fair share of the ball, kicked a nice goal and didnt take a backwards step. But Steele did get him in a bone-crunching tackle which would have been a good reminder he's now in the big leagues.

- Arie has a man's body now. I've got him as a front runner for that Battle position. He was lined up on Owens for a bit and held his own.

- Webster and Butler aren't going to be pushed out easily. Webster is moving as well as ever and his kicking is still a strength. While a lot of older players sat out the half ground match sim they did, Jimmy did it all so must be in a good place physically. And Butler, his expereince and craft stood out in some of the drills. Got some praise from Ross for holding his width while no one else (not even Goddard running the drill) thought to use that space.

- Most of the senior players look ready for the real stuff to arrive.

 

[Palantine]

Thought it was a terrific session today (not sure if last for the year) but the conditions were great and nearly all the players and coaches were out to be seen. Pretty sure I mentioned Watson in an earlier report, and still pretty sure it's him out there training with Saints - and who got a lot of it, uses well, and finished off the running no problem.

I think the general drills have been covered so my impressions of the players from last training session I saw three or so weeks ago; I didn't spot Sinclair at all. And there was a player 49? tallish defender who looked a great shape who for the life of me no idea who he was. Don't think it was Barrat (who I didn't see) but could have been.

Of the new chaps I was pretty impressed with Boxshall who's an impressive size and weight already, and has a nice quick spin on him and can see him developing a craft for heavy traffic. Slightly rushed kicking action (snappy) for goal. But you could see a sketch of what he might become in our midfield. I really liked. Also Said was noticeable in a few drills and you can tell why he's received comments on his kicking - looks top draw.

First decent look at Tobie and he's an interesting one. Broad shoulders and thin wasted, kind of lopes and leaps over the ground, and has a tight and impressive turning circle. In a match sim there was a passage of play reminiscent of his draft highlight reel where he kept chasing the play, running like a hungry dog, anticipates well - hands on the ball, head over the ball and grabs it and goes, quick release hand pass - gets it again, another hand pass. I don't think kicking is judgeable yet, but I would guess he can become the type of player who wins us a grand final through sheer will to get the ball moving forward, and running hard into the right spots. He was shoulder to shoulder with Mr Wilson in boundary running drills toward the end.

Big Harry is big, and went toe to toe with Mitch in the wrestle playoff at very end of the session that Mitch won and the boys went so wild they lifted him onto their shoulders. It was fun to watch - and says something about the comradery happening within the group. Harry did well in the running drills and is clearly shorter than Heath and Dodson however could serve a decent purpose with physicality and competitiveness. Liked Dodson's size and game sense - smooth on his feet.

Keeler keeps impressing - can see him next year bobbing up to kick a couple of useful goals in games. Another; Caminiti only running laps but moving really well (actually was doing an isolated drill toward the end involving a coach and Stocker, and him running and spinning back, marking and going for goal. He's in big man shape. King is incredible to look at. Running hard laps around the boundary - along with Windy and Stocker. Stocker looks awesome - more compact physically and running over the top of the ground. Wouldn't be surprised if he has a big season 2025.

Tried to keep an eye on Hall who at one point reminded me of a puff chested Daniel Kerr running along all upright and tidy delivering a measured chip pass.

I'm just in love with Matteas as a player and person. Out there he's as happy as a pig in Pou. Led so much of the running. Physically awesome. Wilson also obviously very strong. And there's no problem with Hastie's tank (who was praised by a coach for remaining calm heading into 50 meters to deliver a good ball).

Of the drills I enjoyed BJ stabbing the ball out of a back pocket hitting up targets in an attempt to move the ball down the wing. Seemed some flexibility here (long, short, inbound or down the line) seemed the focus was wherever it went to reposition or crumb/scramble/receive to keep the ball progressing forward. Loud communication amongst the players.

I was impressed with Bolton. A drill sergeant type who's got his head in the game. Heard Misson say to the Brains Trust that Boris was at Harvard (USA)? If I got that right.

Lastly I really liked Hunter today. Looks thin and tough. Refused to let go of a jumper in a tackle. Said hello to the track watchers. Good signs and hope he can go injury free for a long spell. WangaMilly kicking a thing a celestial beauty.

 

[Fat Az]

Made my way down to training today, boy it was a scorcher!

Few dot points:

-Was only a short session about an hour long however its clear the heat did not impact our two gun draftees Travaglia and Wilson.
-The boys finished with a grueling running session to finish off training and those two boys were leading the pack the whole time... amazing to see and boy we are in good hands for the future.
-Pou not far behind too and has really improved his tank!
-Arie looked really clean and fit, seems like he is taking lots of the main kicks so expect him to play a fair bit in the senior side in 25
-Macrae and Carroll only running laps and went into the gym early, may be carrying niggles
-King was absolutely smashed today by the fitness coaches, basically ran the whole hour and worked really hard
-No Henry, Caminiti and Garcia today at all
-Collard and Doug really struggled with the running... both boys end of the pack
-Boyd looks really fit and i would be surprised if he doesnt play early next year

Thats all that i could think of but happy to answer any other questions!

 

[Joffaboy]

OK, a very long read with the annual pre Christmas preseasons for each player. Hopefully this stops the grand final masochism.

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1.Jack Higgins – Not much different to last year, playing forward, running improved very lively at training becoming one of the senior players of the group.,

2.Marcus Windhager – looks cut, running hard keeping up in the hard running drills just behind Wilson. Looks set for a big year, so far playing out of the midfield in whatever match sim they have been playing. Had a niggle early on but is back in the main group looking good.

3.Zak Jones – One of the standouts at training. Has been quick enthusiastic, hard at it every session. Accuracy (under no pressure like everyone else) has been excellent. Keep him fit and he is likely to be used as an outside mid. Needs to make every post a winner on a one year deal.

4.Lance Collard-. Seems to be pretty happy and settled. Hasn’t set the world on fire in sims but is enthusiastic and competing well. Club gave him a three year deal for a reason.

5.Tobie Travaglia – to me has been more impressive than Wilson last season. Dynamic of half back, clean disposal, has good game sense and can run all day. Out of the five draftees. This kid is the no.1 bet for a seniors call up sooner rather than later.

6.Jack Macrae – a big inside mid, just what we need. Well balanced, great disposal, footy IQ, just what you expect from a multiple AA player. A very good recruit.

7.Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera – taller, more filled out, working off a half back flank (think he may take Sinc’s position as he rolls through the midfield more.) A beautiful user of the ball, getting better all the time Need a signature sooner rather than later..

8.Brad Hill – Evergreen is Brad Hill. Very happy, hard running guy at training. Always having a laugh, getting around the younger indigenous guys, maintains his standards at training.

9.Jack Steele – looks cut and fit. Has been a bit unsighted not because his standards have dropped but the midfield around him has improved. Will relish the likes of a fit Macrae, Dow, Clark, Windhager etc giving him a chopout.

10.Mitch Owens no management of Chito this preseason, continues to develop in a meaningful way. Forget him as a mid, he will be a damaging medium forward.

11.Hunter Clark – Hard running, looking fit, playing inside last training session at semi contact match sim. Hopefully he stays injury free, contract up this season. Disposal has been a bit iffy in the drills. Saw how he can really contribute with an injury free run. Got 11 in a row at the end of the season and looked better every game.

12.Max King – managed. Coming along well. Running hard, seems to have filled out a bit more. If fit will be in the team round 1

13.Ryan Byrnes – another to impress. Works very hard at training, has looked very sharp, now has lots of competition. Like Jones can’t just dial it in with the likes of Wilson, Pou, Dow, Travalgia, Hall etc now at the club.

14.Liam Stocker –managing a groin.One year contract so needs to get fit and really push for that small back role. Some competition for his position.

15.Paddy Dow –. Excellent through the mids. Seems very balanced and his seniors experience really shows with his positioning. Will be challenged for his position by Carroll, Hall, Jones, Clark, Garcia, Windy etc. Needs to show why he was a pick 3 selection at the draft

16.Dan Butler – has been lively and fully fit this preseason. Being used as a HFF in the drills where RL wants width. He is positioning himself on the wing. Will be interesting where he lines up

17.Isaac Keeler. Nice size, bigger around the arse and shoulders, glides about the field, highly skilled, nice disposal. He is an out an out forward/ relief ruckman in my opinion. Has been one of the younger ones to have developed over the offseason.

18. Jack Carroll– good pickup, nice size, seems to read the play well, hard to get a guage on him as our mids are so even with the likes of Dow, Jones, Hall, Garcia and him all looking of a similar calibre. Lyon wanted players with good disposal that can run, well Carroll is an archetypal Lyon recruit. Outside my pay grade to rank all these mids and who will get the nod for the seniors.

19.Rowan Marshall – absolute class. Should have been AA ruckman. Really is a cut above all our other rucks. Rolled an ankle last session before Christmas. Didn’t look too bad. Having some good duels with Heath and Boyd

20.Dougal Howard – Doug being Doug. Hasn’t pulled any arms out of sockets so that’s a bonus. OCC at year end

21.Zaine Cordy – his tank is still terrible, still being played down back. OOC at year end

22.Darcy Wilson – elite runner, again last session, running at the front of the fastest group hardly blowing. We all saw his season. Biggest tank literally in the League. In a rookie year got 9 of the best 25 game distances in history. Could have kicked 5 against the Blues. Amazingling for a first year player got better as the season riolled on. Absolute rolled gold beauty.

23.Liam Henry – in rehab with the knee. Has only just started running, Extremely unlike for R1

24.Angus Hastie – seems taller and starting to fill out, but is very clean with the ball in hand, and positions nicely in match sim type drills. Another of the RL types, balanced, good disposal, runs all day.

25.Mattaes Phillipou –Has played near 40 senior games now. His core looks stronger and he is only just behind the truly elite runners. My BOG for preseason. Came back after working on his game in the VFL and had glimpses of Bont/Cripps about his game. Has a Roo like look about him re core strength. Elite trainer, very vocal. Set for a big season.

26.Alix Tauru – managed. We get our lollies later this year .

27.Arie Schoenmaker – playing of a Half back in drills and sims, go to for first disposal from kickouts. Being used to open the corridor As we know a supersonic boot, big arse and tree trunk legs, running much better this preseason.

28.James Barrat – looks 25, already has an AFL footballers body, seems to be the usual. Rinse, repeat here, nice mover, good disposal, can take a nice mark. Needs to read the play a little better. Not sure if he replaces Battle first up, a little bit of development, but can see hugh potential in James.

29.Jimmy Webster – nothing much to report. Doing his job and will probably start in the 22. Working a lot with the younger players, at 32 he needs to do all the work he can. We are still a bit skinny down back with a bit of development of the younger talls so will continue in his position.

30.Alex Dodson - great pickup, tall gangly kid who will take time to mature, but the kid can football, and shoots a mean hoop from outside the paint apparently.

32.Mason Wood – managed. Running strongly. Putting in his usual preseason. The wing is still his.

33.Patrick Said – smaller than the other mid recruits and needs a fair bit of development. Everyone, repeat after me, can run all day and has good game sense and disposal.

34.Hugo Garcia – last year thought he was a bit small. We were all impressed by his trips up to the seniors. Has grown taller and is starting to bulk up. Very intense at training. Been a bit crook coming up to Christmas but will be back hitting the track in the New Year.

35.Jack Sinclair – what do we expect from Sinc’s except the best. Look to see him running through the mids with Travaglia getting a gig.

38.Hugh Boxshall – good size, no Essendon type manlet draftees in our mids (well maybe Said and Hall) we gave up plenty for a kid in the 40’s but will be a strong inside mid who can get his own ball. Bright future for Hugh.

40. Max Hall – now fully fit, has impressed others at training, however I haven’t seen it as much. Not a knock, but my mug punter eye can't differentiate between his output and Dow, or Carroll, or Hastie or Boxshall. Either we have a high skilled team of recruits and draftees or they are all equally as poor. I don’t think they are poor.

41r.Angus McLennan – (can’t see it with this kid. Average size, average skills, average decision making, average runner). In brackets is what I wrote about him last year. Happy to say that he has improved in leaps and bounds. Looks like a footballer, running has improved, his game sense is very good and he competes well. Happy to be wrong on this bloke.

42. Max Heath – developing better, running better, more involved in match sim, taking some good marks and being link up. Rucking slowing improving. Still only 22, but now has Boyd, Keeler and eventually Dodson to compete with. Needs to step up this year.

43r.Cooper Sharman – very impressive this preseason with everything he does. Bigger tank, very nice positioning up forward outworking his opponent in match sim.

44.Callum Wilkie – Wilks does what Wilks does. Always a polished performer.

45b.Liam O'Connell – nice size, Works hard. In the same mould as Hastie, Garcia, Hall, etc.

46b. Eammonn Armstrong – is bald and 18, apart from that who knows.

47.rAnthony Caminiti – Managed, has a couple of issues. Seems to have a bit more definition. Don’t know where he plays but suggestion is back. Makes sense as the likes of Barret, McLennon, O’Connell etc develops.

50. Harry Boyd – built like a brick outhouse. Took a huge contested mark in front of me, rucks well, knows his game and limitations. Has impressed while at pre Christmas training. I think it is a very good safety measure.

 

[Joffaboy]

Big crowd. Nicky and Bourkey in attendance, might be a function on.
Jones and Carroll run throughs, no Henry or Caminiti.
Stocker with the main group. King in main group.
Back half transition work.
More impressed with Barret the more I see.
Ball movement sharp.
Roh, Hastie, McLennon in flouro hats.
Bolton taking training.
Next drill 3 groups
South Road defensive contests.
Middle mid contested. Hugo throwing himself in.
Nepean Highway, forward contested.
Jones with main group.
4 rucks contested drill.
Swapping every 4 minutes.
No.'s21 and 36 out there. Don't know who they are.
Don't want to jinx it but very healthy list.
Keeler running laps
Macrae in full training no issues.
Sharman, Pou, prominent this drill.
King in contested marking drill, matched up with Arie, holding his own.
Next drill half field ball movement to a leading forward. Two midfield groups alternating to forwards and backs. Turnover and transition. Gut busting. Great attack in the ball by Said to Collard for goal. Players get around him.
Think Mathesion is no. 31. This is where the Sandy rookie will come into place. He gets a chance at Sandy and to impress at Saints training for a shot at the rookie spot.
Lyon taking this drill. Stopping them frequently. Working on transition movement to the forward line.
Lanceyboy doesn't do much but what he does is class.
King moving well.
Roh can be a great forward option. Steele more prominent today and Said showing a bit.
Carroll in full training.
Next drill, transition from defensive 50, stoppage work with Heath, Dodson and Boyd, ruck uncontested down to mids for the clearance, and whatever the **** they were doing on the far side.
Higgo, O'Connell, Hall running great angles to open up the corridor inside 50.
Henry out doing Harlem Globetrotters spins with the ball.
No.49, tall curly haired skinny kid, don't know who it is.
Walked to far side, in close contested work, Jones, Travalgia, Wilson, Garcia intense
Wilson and Travalgia make one hell of a combo with break away speed.
King destroying himself with high speed run throughs. Absolutely spent, just had a bit of a spew, asked if he could keep going and he says yes.
Full field match sim. Travalgia off a wing. Arie HBF. Heath v Boyd.
Ball movement iffy in windy conditions.
Defensive pressure from both teams very good causing plenty of turnovers. Wilson is like having an extra player. Higgins has impressed all preseason.
Arie too predictable with his kicking, getting cut off on numerous times.
Club must think Collard is a slow burn, he just doesn't do enough, long way to go, but not in the same ballpark as Butts and Higgo.
Tauru and Henry on the bikes placed near the boundary. Good hard match sim. If Boyd comes on Roh is a great option up forward and just relief ruck. Regardless of what some say, Boyd does not look out of place.
As this is the last session before the break will stay for the running.
Wilson FMD, laps the third group. Travaglia leads Wilsons group, Boyd running well, with Wilks.
I can't believe Wilson, could have been a class middle distance runner. Phenomenonal.
Hugo can throw hands.
Second run Wilson AGAIN catches the 3rd group, Irish about to collapse, Boxshall and Travalgia both at the front, Boyd best of the rucks.
Lanceyboy struggling first two, puts in a quick 500, going for a second runs out of gas but struggles on manfully. Gets to the end and collapses to his knees, boys are spent.
Really high quality session.
Ok Adios Amigo's

On SM-S908E using BigFooty.com mobile app

 

[saintmike65]

Most impressive:

• Phillipou
• Wilson
• Keeler
• Garcia
• Hastie
• McLennan
• Macrae
• Steele
• Owens

Likely debutants:

• Travaglia
• Barratt
• Keeler
• Hall

Likely big improvers:

• O’Connell
• Collard
• Hastie
• Hall
• Keeler
• Sharman
• Arie

Question marks:

• Boyd
• Dow
• Jones
• Webster

 

[Imtellingya]

Time trial and training were on today. They usually don't do much ont

A time trial and training were on today. Didn’t take detailed notes just some observations. A large group. No surprise who won the time trial. It was a sight to behold when he put the after burners on towards the end. The only person in rehab was Liam Henry, Tauru was just observing the training groups. Lance Collard appeared towards the end but not training or rehabbing. King, Windy Stocker, Caminiti all training.

 

[SaintsofSteel]

From SS the top 5 time trial order was Wilson, Travaglia, Said, Windhager then Byrnes.

I guess the older guys dont return until a bit later.

 

[beside the seaside]

Training report on Saintsational courtesy of BM:

Pretty gruelling, lots of strategy stuff, and transition ball movement

Not on track

Tauru - gym
Clark - gym
Collard - gym

Henry - running and kicking

King, Socker, Caminiti in full training

Full ground match sim
A team vs B team

B team held their own, if not eclipsed the A team


Questions answered
Schoenmaker started at CHB in the A Team
Caminiti at CHF in the A team
Phillipou as an inside midfielder in the A team
Travaglia on the Wing in the B team


Team A
Wilkie, Howard, Webster
Sincs, Schoenmaker, Nas

Marshall, Macrae, Phillipou
Wood, Steele, Windhager

Hill, Caminiti, Owens
Higgins, King, Sharman

Wilson

Impressive
Team A
Sharman, Macrae, Nas, Webster

Team B
Backs
McConnell, Cordy, McLennan, Baratt, Hastie,

Mids
Boyd, Carroll, Boxshall, Garcia, Stocker, Jones, Travaglia,

Forwards
Said, Heath, Keeler, Hall, Dodson, Byrnes

Impressive
Carroll, Jones, Garcia, McConnell, McLennan, Keeler

 

[okeydoke7]

Went to training this morning. My observations:

Henry and Collard running laps and later had their own small drills and did some goal kicking. Both were running with varying speeds and change of direction etc so presumably close to training (with the no contact cap no doubt for a while).

Others I couldn’t see on the other side of the ground were doing a more restricted session. Only a couple.

Today consisted of:
1) Warm ups

2) Rotation drills (4 different drills, 4 groups rotated through)

3) Half ground stoppage and kick into attack against the spare in defence. High intensity.

4) Full ground sims, high intensity

Meant to move on but players wanted an extra 10. Ross gave them 4m20s!

5) Into structure drills, lower intensity. A drill to defend point kick outs, first just the yellow group by themselves practising the structure, then the blue group were injected to play against that structure. It was about how the whole group moves together and where they should be positioned.

6) I left. They were still going at around 12:15 when I left

A few observations:

- Pou is a serious professional, hardly speaks, focused, competitive, at the front of everything

-King moved beautifully and had no strapping on the knee or shoulder. Please let this be the year.

-Hastie showed a bit and hit some nice kicks

-Garcia is a jet. I saw a session after he was drafted this time last year and he stood out to me then. Something about the way he moves, strong core, nice 45 degree kick.

-Stocker and Keeler disposal concerning.
Keeler was actually dragged from the match sim by Ross and loudly told to ‘come off and have a think about it’ after a very poor inbound turnover.

-Nas’ kicking stands out. Beautiful run in the match sim and was aggressive in his running to impact up higher - got verbal praise. He’s a weapon for us.

-Travaglia played wing. Moved beautifully. Copped a mouthful for snapping at goal instead of giving hands. Deserved it. Took it well.

- I struggled to know who was who at times, lots of new faces the last couple of years.

-Caminiti played forward but needed lots of reminding from 2 coaches about positioning himself to occupy the space of the loose in defence rather than letting him just block the space for him and King.