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Training Preseason Training Reports -2025/26

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This thread has been setup for training reports only and won’t be open for replies

Informative reports from the preseason thread will be copied into this thread so posters have access to the quality work from the likes of LittleFires without wading through pages of general posts
 
Keys

Keys

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The football cycle continues into another year with preseason training for 2026 set to commence less than two months since Brisbane were crowned back to back premiers.

Players entering their 4th (or less) year on an AFL list and did not compete in finals return to training on Monday 10/11. Their more senior teammates aren’t required to resume duties for a further two weeks but can voluntarily attend training beforehand should they choose to do so

Basically any player brought into the system from the 2022 draft onwards starts back at work on Monday.

When they do return, it will be a new face running the fitness program with Phil Merriman (formerly at the Dockers) replacing Matt Inness as High Performance Manager.

As always, it’s a vitally important preseason for the club as they strive to build up the fitness base and strength of one of the youngest, if not the youngest, playing lists in the comp.

There should be no excuses for anyone turning up out of shape and very few, if any, players should be starting preseason in rehab

This was the final injury position prior to the R24 match against Sydney

Official injury list (9) released 19/8

Season (7) :
• Jake Waterman (Shoulder)
• Oscar Allen (Calf/Achilles/Knee)
• Elliot Yeo (Ankle)
• Bo Allan (Ankle)
• Harley Reid (Ankle)
• Archer Reid (Toe)
• Harry Edwards (Foot) - Was Test

Test (2) :
• Jack Hutchinson (Hamstring) - Was 1-2 weeks
• Tom Gross (Calf) - New

Liam Duggan has been suspended for 2 weeks, ruling him out for the remainder of the season and has also undergone knee surgery

Harry Edwards also had surgery on a minor shoulder issue

The main concern on that list is Elliot Yeo who missed all of the 2025 season due to an ankle (and knee) injury sustained in preseason which required surgery. And then further surgery to remove some hardware that was hampering his ability to build up to the necessary training loads. There was some suggestions that yet more surgery might be needed but, for now, that seems to have been avoided.

The following status update was provided in the Herald/Code Sports as part of a report on the injury position of all 18 clubs

The Eagles are hopeful to have several of their stars back for a strong summer of training. Jake Waterman went under the knife for a serious shoulder injury in May, and the club has been happy with his progression as he continues to build strength and mobility. Elliot Yeo had surgery on an ankle injury, but has also had to rehab a knee issue suffered in the pre-season last year. Harry Edwards was sent for surgery late in the season to repair a shoulder complaint, having had his year ended with a foot injury. By sending the key defender in for surgery before the end of the campaign, the club expects Edwards to be fit for the start of the training period. Bo Allan suffered a low-grade syndesmosis injury but is expected to be fine for pre-season, while Harley Reid has also returned from his own syndesmosis problem that ended his campaign early. Archer Reid had tendon damage in his toe that required surgery, but is progressing well.

No mention there on Liam Duggan and the knee surgery he had after he’d been suspended but as far as I understand that was a minor cleanup that he had done as soon as possible

Brady Hough had his right arm in a sling at the B&F so he’s also had some surgery done, presumably on his shoulder

McQualter was pretty blunt in his assessment at the end of the year that we need to be fitter and reports coming out of the club post season were that the players needed to be prepared for an arduous summer to achieve that goal. Along with a stipulation that they present back to training in the best possible condition

On Monday, we get our first look at how they’ve responded
 
The following list represents the 20 1st-4th year players required back on Monday (technically there are no more 1st-year players on the list until we draft some new kids):

7. Reuben Ginbey (4th year)
8. Elijah Hewett (4th)
9. Harley Reid (3rd)
13. Noah Long (4th)
22. Archer Reid (3rd)
23. Ryan Maric (4th)
24. Harvey Johnston (3rd)
26. Bo Allan (2nd)
27. Tom Gross (2nd)
29. Clay Hall (3rd)
30. Harry Barnett (4th)
31. Lucca Grego (3rd)
35. Jobe Shanahan (2nd)
37. Malakai Champion (2nd)
38. Hamish Davis (2nd)
43. Tyrell Dewar (4th)
44. Jack Hutchinson (3rd)
45. Tom McCarthy (2nd)
46. Jacob Newton (2nd)
? Tylar Young (4th)


The following 18 players are 5th+ year and as such aren't required back until November 24, though they can (and often do) return earlier if they choose:

2. Jake Waterman
3. Liam Baker
6. Elliot Yeo
10. Tyler Brockman
11. Tim Kelly
14. Liam Duggan
15. Jamie Cripps
16. Matt Owies
17. Jack Graham
19. Brady Hough
25. Matt Flynn
28. Tom Cole
32. Bailey Williams
33. Rhett Bazzo
34. Jack Williams
41. Sandy Brock
42. Harry Edwards
? Brandon Starcevich


In making this list I was a little shocked to learn that Brady Hough, Rhett Bazzo, Jack Williams and Sandy Brock are now entering their 5th year in the competition. As such they won't be required back on Monday - though you'd hope given the enormous amount of ground we need to make up on the rest of the competition, that most, if not all senior players return early at some point to help lead the way.


I've done a short write up on each player on where they sit heading into this preseason. Might be interesting to look back on these in March next year when preseason wraps up and see how it all panned out.

  • 2. Jake Waterman: Where is his body at following shoulder surgery in late May? Will be interesting to see whether he's straight back into full training 5 months on from the injury.
  • 3. Liam Baker: Where will the club look to settle him? Following the arrival of Starcevich and Young he may be best utilised in a forward line role next year
  • 6. Elliot Yeo: Probably the most intriguing watch for me. Where's he going to be at after ankle issues ruined his 2025 campaign? As Keys noted he seems to have avoided any post-season surgery so hopefully that means things are tracking in the right direction, but it'll be a telling watch when he does return for training.
  • 7. Reuben Ginbey: He's always been the king of preseason with his extraordinary mix of size, speed and endurance. Wonder if the club will settle him into a key defensive role or more of a rebounding half-back role. He's got the attributes to play both
  • 8. Elijah Hewett: He got his body right in 2025, now the next step for him is really starting to increase his production in the side. Will be interesting to see how he goes this summer and what his role looks like in terms of mid/fwd split.
  • 9. Harley Reid: Reid himself has admitted he didn't get his off-season right last year and he came back unfit as a result, and subsequently had an interrupted preseason with ankle issues. To me he seems determined to make up for those mistakes of the past and seems to have been hanging out with Baker and Graham a fair bit in the off-season. I'm looking forward to hopefully seeing a much fitter-looking Harley Reid come Monday. Had his season ended early with a low-grade syndesmosis injury but hopefully he's fully recovered from that now.
  • 10. Tyler Brockman: Has always been a tease at AFL level. Can he take another step forward and become a regular contributor in the side? Will also be interesting to see whether he spends any time training with the mids this preseason, as he often did small bursts in the engine room last season.
  • 11. Tim Kelly: Looked to regain his mojo a bit in the back half of last season. Do we see him playing more of a midfield-heavy role or will he be transitioned into the forward line?
  • 13. Noah Long: Make-or-break season coming up for Longy, the spots are there for the taking in the forward line so he'll hope for a big summer to get his career back on track.
  • 14. Liam Duggan: You'd anticipate he'll be out there on Monday as our sole remaining captain. Had minor knee surgery post-season which means he may start on lighter duties before progressing into the main group.
  • 15. Jamie Cripps: Despite the lack of confirmation from the club he seems to be playing on into next year. A seasoned professional who is now our oldest player on the list, he'll help set the standard on the track for the younger cohort.
  • 16. Matt Owies: A disastrous first season at the club for poor old Owies. Most have written him off completely, but can he turn his career around and return to his goalkicking ways at Carlton? Might seem a long shot but he's done it before and it all starts with a solid preseason.
  • 17. Jack Graham: Another standard-setter on the track, he'll likely place highly in the endurance test when senior players return in a couple weeks. Probably splits his time between the mids and forwards this summer.
  • 19. Brady Hough: Played the final rounds of the season with his right shoulder strapped up and was spotted with his arm in a sling at the B&F, so he's probably had some shoulder surgery post-season. No details on how significant the surgery was but he may be on lighter duties to start with.

  • 22. Archer Reid: Finished the year with a toe concern that required surgery but is progressing well per the Herald Sun report. May also be on a separate training program to start but hopefully it won't inhibit him for too long.
  • 23. Ryan Maric: Spent the 2025 season on the wing and in defence after being drafted as a forward. Where will the club look to settle him this preseason? Has the ability to play multiple roles, though the addition of Tylar Young may mean he plays more on the wing or returns to the forward line.
  • 24. Harvey Johnston: A disappointing 2025 campaign, not featuring at AFL level at any stage and struggling to find form in the WAFL. Clearly has talent but this is a make-or-break year for him - will he continue playing in the backline, or will he be trialled in a new role to try get the best out of him?
  • 25. Matt Flynn: 2025 was a step forward for Flynny but he's still got plenty of work to do before we consider our ruck issues solved. Appears likely to lead the ruck for us next year.
  • 26. Bo Allan: Bo's first season was a bit of a nightmare, battling repeated bouts of illness, suspension and then having his season ended early with a syndesmosis injury. By all reports this was a fairly low-grade syndesmosis so hopefully he's all set to go come Monday. You can almost count him as a new recruit this year, and I'm curious to see where he settles this preseason - staying on the HBF or will he get more midfield minutes?
  • 27. Tom Gross: Had an encouraging debut season as an inside mid but the notion was that like many young players, his tank needs a bit of work. His first full AFL preseason should help to address that issue, and personally I'm really excited to see what he can do next year.
  • 28. Tom Cole: All of a sudden Cole has become one of our veterans, though his spot in the backline might come under threat this year following the arrival of Brandon Starcevich, who plays a similar role to him. We might not be able to see where he sits in the pecking order until match sim starts later this year or early next year, but it wouldn't surprise me if he finds himself in the B team more often this preseason.
  • 29. Clay Hall: Found a bit of a niche in the side last year as an outside mid, becoming a fairly reliable contributor. He'll probably have his eyes on a spot in the engine room next year - could he become that extractor type, perhaps even the BBIMWBLF, to provide support to guys like Reid and Hewett?
  • 30. Harry Barnett: His development at WAFL level has been quite disappointing in the past couple of years, but he's still just 21 years old. Showed glimpses of his potential for the Beagles late last year, and given he's out of contract at the end of next year, perhaps now is the time he starts putting it all together and having a strong preseason. Trained in the backline at times last year but I'm guessing he'll spend most of his time in the ruck this summer.
  • 31. Lucca Grego: Backline or midfield? Played both roles at WAFL level last year and many liked the look of him in the middle, though ultimately he cracked into the senior side as a half-back. Realistically that's probably where he trains this preseason, but the club may have other plans.
  • 32. Bailey Williams: Spent most of 2025 behind Flynn in the ruck order or playing in the 1s as a forward/ruck, to varying levels of success. Probably spends his preseason splitting time between the ruck and forward line, but with the new ruck rules likely to favour athletic types like Bailey, he'll be a watch for me to see whether that changes how McQualter rates him.
  • 33. Rhett Bazzo: Had an interrupted preseason last year with a broken foot but got through the season unscathed, finishing the year in the AFL side. 2026 is a big one for Bazzo, and after a number of challenges to start his career he'll be hoping to put it all together next year and become a regular in the team. Fingers crossed his body holds up for him and he gets a clean run towards Round 1.
  • 34. Jack Williams: Another big year for this guy. Failed to cement his spot in the team even after Waterman and Allen went down with injury and finished the season in the WAFL. To me he looked a touch heavy last year which seemed to impact his agility and exposed him at AFL level. He needs a big preseason to gain back McQualter's trust and hopefully he can help lead our new-look forward line alongside Waterman and Shanahan.
  • 35. Jobe Shanahan: Super excited to see what a full AFL preseason can do for Jobe. Looks set to train with the forwards and hopefully he can add a bit of size to his frame this summer as well. Sky's the limit for this guy.

  • 37. Malakai Champion: According to reports he is still on our list, so I'm assuming he'll be back on Monday. Looks set to be part of the small forward brigade and hopefully he can take some further steps forward with his game over preseason.
  • 38. Hamish Davis: Managed 8 games at senior level in his debut season playing on a wing. I'd say that's where he's likely to train over preseason and he'll hope to build on what was a promising campaign.
  • 41. Sandy Brock: Surprised many after joining as an SSP signing and playing 14 games, not looking out of place in the backline. As preseason progresses we'll learn where Mini rates him amongst the likes of Edwards, Young, Bazzo and whether he can earn a Round 1 spot.
  • 42. Harry Edwards: An encouraging 2025 campaign was ended early by a foot injury and he was sent for post-season shoulder surgery. Per the Herald Sun the club expects him to be available to start preseason, though Edwards technically isn't required back for another couple of weeks. Fingers crossed he can keep injury-free over the preseason because with McGovern now retired, it's his turn to spearhead the backline alongside Tylar Young.
  • 43. Tyrell Dewar: Took another step forward last year in his exciting development trajectory, including earning a Rising Star nomination. Played in all thirds of the ground during his 16 games last year but never truly cemented his spot in the senior side. Will be interested to see where Dewar trains this preseason and whether he can elevate his game again and become a regular member of the team.
  • 44. Jack Hutchinson: Spent much of the 2025 season playing as a midfielder despite being drafted as a medium forward. Didn't set the world on fire but managed 16 games, so where McQualter sees his best footy being played should become apparent this preseason.
  • 45. Tom McCarthy: Took the AFL world by storm after being drafted mid-season, showing skill and composure beyond his experience both in the backline and the midfield. What's super exciting about McCarthy is he produced all of that having never even done a full AFL preseason. With more time in the gym and building his endurance over summer, he could be anything. Will watch closely to see whether McQualter prefers to utilise him in the backline or if he continues his development through the midfield.
  • 46. Jacob Newton: Another mid-season pickup, Newton showed promising signs at WAFL level last year and managed to make his debut in the final round. Earned an extension for 2026 and will look to settle in at the club and impress over preseason, most likely in the forward line to start with. His first full AFL preseason could see him improve his game even further, so Newton is a big watch for 2026 for mine.
  • ? Brandon Starcevich: Finished his 2025 campaign at Brisbane a full month later than the Eagles did, so I'd be surprised if we see him on the track next week. Looking forward to seeing him come in when he does though and help set standards on the track.
  • ? Tylar Young: Surprisingly (to me at least) Young is only in his 4th year and as such will be required back on Monday. Will be good to see him in the blue and gold and should have no injury concerns after playing the last 7 games of 2025 for Richmond.

To summarise, I'd probably expect Yeo, Hough and Edwards to start on light duties, but the rest of the squad should be close to full fitness. Waterman, H.Reid, Duggan, A.Reid and Allan all finished the season with injury concerns of varying severities, but should be right to go come Monday - it's a little difficult to speculate though. There will always be a couple of unexpected injuries that have popped up over the off-season as well, but we'll find out about those in the coming weeks.

Apologies for the lengthy post. Similar to last year, I'll be trying to get down to training as much as possible pre-Christmas and I'll share what I see on this thread. Post-Christmas I'll have less opportunities to get to Lathlain but we'll see how we go.
 
Great to see the 1st-4th year boys back in action today with a solid 2-hour hitout to kick things off. They trained on Oval 1, as Oval 2 is closed until November 17 for renovations (according to a sign I saw). This meant I had to watch the entire session through a fence, but I still managed to see most of it.

The players came out around 9:15, starting off with a warm up followed by the annual MAS (Maximal Aerobic Speed) running test for the younger cohort. Over the next hour after this the players split into varying groups and went through different drills practising skills (kicking and handballing) and ball movement, both in space and in congested situations.

There was one ball movement drill where they had to practice attacking off a turnover from a long-down-the line-kick and moving the ball into the forward line as quickly as possible. To finish the session they split up into rough line groups and worked on craft more specific to their positions (rucks practising tap work, mids/smalls practising ground balls, etc.), before heading inside around 11:15.

Details on who did/didn’t train:
  • Of the 38 players we currently have on our list, 30 of them were out on track today, broken up as follows:
    • Of the 20 1st-4th year players on the list, 19 of them were on track, with only Tylar Young not sighted (it's possible I may have mistaken Young for Bazzo/Brock as I've never seen him up close, but for now I'll say I didn't spot him)
    • Of the 18 5th+ year players, 11 of them were out there, with Baker, Brockman, Kelly, Graham, Flynn, Cole and Starcevich the players I didn't see
  • Dewar did the least of the players present, limited to a spectating role. Didn't see any visible signs of injury
  • Barnett and Yeo probably did the next-least. Barnett was sporting a brace on his left leg and Yeo is obviously coming back from his ankle issues. Both completed run throughs and kicking work away from the main group, moving fairly well but finishing up around an hour early.
  • I only spotted Duggan around 30 minutes into the session, and he was also limited to run throughs and kicking for the rest of it, though he got to quite high speed in a couple of them.
  • Ginbey, Hough, Owies and Cripps were in and out of the main group's drills, and occasionally split off to do some running, agility work and kicking in their own separate group. Ginbey did not participate in the MAS test but otherwise looked good, Hough had strapping on his right shoulder. Owies and Cripps looked and moved fine.
  • Waterman and Edwards warmed up separately but completed most of the session. Waterman had his right shoulder strapped but I saw him testing it out with Edwards in the warmup and he looked fairly comfortable.
  • Gross and Johnston completed the MAS test but did some work away from the main group afterwards. Gross in particular was put through a lot of running before moving onto some agility stuff and kicking to finish, while Johnston did more of the main session but occasionally joined Gross for some running or separate drills
  • Harley pulled up sore during the MAS test but completed the rest of the session thereafter and looked unimpaired.
  • There was one player out there who I could not recognise. He completed the MAS running test so I assume he's quite young, but he was relatively short (~175-180cm) and had short ginger hair - so it wasn't Tylar Young. I really couldn't pick who it was

I attempted to document who finished in what order for the MAS test, which was quite difficult but here's a very rough estimate anyway:
  • Harley was definitely the first to finish. I didn't actually see him finish up so I'm not sure if it was an abrupt cramp-type situation, but I didn't really notice him labouring at any stage before.
  • Champion was next to finish, followed by Gross
  • Brock, Bazzo, Shanahan were the next group
  • Followed by Johnston, McCarthy, Hewett, Grego and Allan
  • Long, Jack Williams, Newton and Maric were among the higher finishers
  • Hall and Davis battled it out for a while before Hall dropped off, leaving Davis as the winner

Like I said I didn't have the best view of the track but I did note some other things:
  • Gross looks like he's spent a lot of time in the gym, looks quite nuggety now. Endurance probably not his strong point but of all players I think he clocked the most kms today, so he appears to be working on it.
  • Visually Harley definitely looks in better condition than last year
  • Nic Nat was out there in a coaching top and took the rucks through some tap work at the end. I thought it was reported that he wasn't going to take up the vacant ruck coaching spot but this seems to contradict that.
  • When they split into rough line groups, Archer Reid trained in the ruck alongside Bailey Williams and Barnett (light duties), guided by Nic Nat
  • Edwards and Bailey Williams were the last to leave the track, finishing up after the others had left with some laps of the oval
  • One of the trainers/coaches must have had their birthday today as they had to do the spin around 10 times and kick the goal thing. They got it on the third try
  • It took me a long time to spot Harvey Johnston, who looks a lot different after coming back with a buzz cut
 
RanaNaved said:
Speaking of wanking, give me some Shanahan material, I've got a free 30 mins rn
Click to expand...

Wasn't a great deal of stand-outs from the training - he was his usual reliable mark and kick and that's about it.

The 2 that grabbed my attention in the drills were Hamish Davis and Bo Allen. Both looked a step ahead of the rest of the boys, ready to take the players on and constantly moving and being creative when they could. Only knock on Bo is I still noticed some of his skills being sketchy, but he's a noticeably talented athlete; big, fast and powerful. Hopefully we can discover the ideal position for him and get the best out of him coz I feel like he's built for McQualter's gameplan.

Both Hall and JWilliams look leaner. Like I said before AReid looks huge. Not much else that I took from it but I'm not exactly the training report guru - that may come a little later.
 

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As expected, the Wednesday open training session was a lighter one, lasting about 90 minutes with a few dozen fans coming to watch. There was a slightly smaller cohort of players this morning but still a decent turnout and numbers in the drills.

The players were warming up when I arrived at 9:10 and shortly after got into some kicking drills. They spent the next 45 minutes in various groups doing different drills - some focusing on kicking, others on groundballs, and some on positioning in marking contests. There were also a couple of drills which focused on handballing in congested situations, where players had to try move the ball forward as quickly as possible by hand.

I didn't quite catch the end of the session as I was having a kick with Bender_'s young fella, but the players finished with some run throughs of the centre square and kicking before heading inside around 10:45.

Details on who did/didn't train:
  • There were 11 listed players I didn't see at any point - Baker, Yeo, Kelly, Owies, Graham, Flynn, Cole, Bailey Williams, Edwards, Starcevich and Young
  • Recent WAFL signing Ash Johnson was out there, as was Archie Watt, who I didn't recognise on Monday but Elite Pete pointed out might be him, and the players were calling him Archie today. So a total of 29 players on track today.
  • Brockman made his first appearance of the preseason, though I only spotted him about an hour into the session so I'm not sure whether he started late or I just didn't see him.
  • Ditto for Cripps - only saw him right at the end of the session but didn't see him do much/any training
  • Duggan came out after the players had warmed up and didn't do much all day, spending a bit of time on the exercise bike and playing an easy role in a couple of the kicking drills
  • Harley Reid, Barnett and Dewar spent much of the session on the exercise bike and SkiErg machines on the far side the oval. They came out on a couple of occasions - Dewar and Reid joined in twice with the handballing drills while Barnett still had his left leg brace on and did a bit of tap work with a trainer. Overall though clearly a light session for these three
  • Gross once again did a power of work away from the main group, running laps at solid pace for about an hour before finishing with some agility work. Seems pretty clear they're trying to build his tank up.
  • Waterman, Hough and Ginbey completed the whole session after being managed slightly on Monday.
  • According to Keys Don Pyke mentioned on SEN this morning that he saw Yeo training by himself before the main session, which would explain why I didn't see him today. Also good to remember that he isn't technically required back yet so it's good to see he's leaving no stone unturned to try get his body right.

Again a pretty light session so not heaps to take away from today, but I was standing in a better spot today so I got a closer look at things. Some notes:
  • Concur with Bender_ that Archer Reid appears to have bulked up. Has clearly added some size and is a pretty big unit up close. Seems like we might be training him up to play in the ruck.
  • Also agree that Jack Williams is looking lean. Moved well in one of the agility drills they were doing.
  • Brock also looks to have spent some time in the gym over summer, looking quite solid
  • "Leadership consultant" Harry Taylor had a coaches top on and was taking the players through some positioning work in aerial contests near us. Could hear him really emphasising the importance of footwork to the players
  • Tried to catch the gist of what Mini was saying to the group in the huddles but they were unfortunately too far away to hear.
 
bzparkes said:
Can't believe nobody went down today to stare at players 80m away through gaps in a fence :(
Click to expand...
Ha, you thought I wasn't crazy enough to do that again... luckily I found a better spot this morning and my eyes weren't hurting as much by the end.

The final session of the week was reasonably light, lasting a little under 2 hours and there were no media present. When I arrived at 9:00 they had already started, so I'm not sure how long they had been going before then, but it did look like they were just warming up.

After some sprints and kicking practice they split into two groups and practised turning forward handball and kicking chains inside 50 into goals. They then did a drill training handball skills in congestion, before splitting into several groups and moving onto some more ball movement drills.

After this they split into two groups and seemed to be practising setting up their team defence against opposition ball movement - I heard Mini here reiterating the importance of communicating with each other to ensure they covered all loose players. This was definitely the longest-lasting drill of the session, with Mini emphasising to the players "don't get bored with this" and to continue searching for any improvements possible.

To finish, the players did some run throughs in groups and then split into smaller groups to work on fundamentals specific to their positions - key position players doing aerial contests, rucks doing tap work, smalls focusing on ground balls, etc. The players headed inside around 10:45.

The players got plenty of goalkicking practice today as well, with the drills broken up by 2-3 minutes of set shot work in between.

Details on who did/didn't train:
  • Brockman, Kelly, Cripps, Graham, Flynn, Cole, Young and Starcevich were the players I didn't see
  • Ash Johnson and Archie Watt were out there again, so a total of 32 on track today
  • Liam Baker made his first appearance of the preseason and did almost all of the session, only sitting out of one drill to do some tackling work with Waterman (who also trained fully apart from that)
  • Bailey Williams probably did the least of the players I saw, and was restricted to laps/run throughs at a light pace. He disappeared about 30 minutes into the session but came out again later to do some light tap work with Barnett
  • Barnett also spent the session away from the main group doing run throughs (some at pretty decent speed) and kicking. Seemed to finish up around 40 minutes in but then came out again with Bailey Williams for some ruck work. He was sporting a pretty heavy left leg brace but was running at a decent pace - didn't always look super fluid when running but some of that might be down to him being a pretty big guy.
  • Yeo and Dewar spent the first 45ish minutes of the session doing run throughs away from the main group before some relaxed kick to kick to finish.
  • Duggan warmed up with the main group but spent most of the session running laps before joining Yeo and Dewar for a kick towards the end.
  • Gross was once again put through his paces with a big running session, doing run throughs and laps by himself for the first hour of the session before joining the main group at the end with their run throughs.
  • Hough (right shoulder strapped) and Ginbey did about half of the session with the main group, spending the other half doing run throughs, agility work and kicking together. Ginbey finished with some solo laps at the end whilst Hough finished with the main group.
  • Archer Reid, Harley Reid and Ash Johnson broke away from the main group at one stage to do some agility work but otherwise trained fully.

A couple of other things I noticed:
  • Nic Nat was back in the coaches gear, and at the end of the session took Archer Reid and Jack Williams through some body work (could be because our existing rucks are either not back yet (Flynn) or restricted (Barnett, Bailey Williams)).
  • Harley has lost the cornrows which made him a lot easier to spot today (good thing there were no media today as that would've been on the back page tomorrow). As an aside, he looked strong and fully fit to me today and showed no signs of any injury - saw his trademark explosiveness on a couple of occasions which was nice to see.
 
The playing group hasn’t come out of the sheds yet this morning but Tom Gross has just finished doing another MAS running test with a trainer.

Good news - he appears to have improved on last week’s time. When the 1st-4th year players did their running test last week I tried to note when they finished (they announce the speeds over the loudspeakers as they increase the pace, increasing by 1km/h every minute or so).

Last week Gross finished on 17km/h pace just after H.Reid and Champion, but this time he made it to 18km/h, putting his finish time closer to the likes of Johnston, Hewett, Bazzo and Brock - these are the players I noted also finished on 18km/h pace.

The kid was flogged on the track last week with running sessions so it’s nice to see a bit of reward for him.
 
Biggest player turnout yet this morning for a relatively light session to start the week, focusing mostly on skills and lasting just over 90 minutes. About a dozen players appear to be on slightly modified programs at the moment and completed varying portions of the session away from the main group today. However the majority of those look to be moving quite well and tracking in the right direction.

As I mentioned earlier, Gross was the only one out there when I arrived at 9:00 and was completing the MAS running test with a trainer. The playing group came out about 15 minutes later and got into their warm up, before moving onto some kicking on the run, groundball work and handballing. They then split into two groups and did a drill involving pulling off short kicks under pressure. After this came a full-ground drill where they practised switching the ball in their back 50 and then moving the ball forward quickly to get to a leading forward. All of the drills today were split up by group run throughs of the centre square.

To finish the session they again split into smaller groups working on more position-specific craft, and ended with about 10 minutes of group run throughs along the entire length of the field. Most players went inside around 10:50 and the most eager trainers had all left the track by 11:05.

Details on who did/didn't train:
  • I spotted 34 of our 38 currently-listed players, with only Brockman, Kelly, Flynn and Starcevich unsighted
  • Tom Cole and Jack Graham made their first appearances of the preseason and trained fully
  • Got my first look at Tylar Young, although he didn't actually do any training - came out around 9:30 and spent the rest of the session spectating and chatting with coaches/players on the sidelines. Unsure if he's injured (no visible signs of this) or just watching to see how we train before getting into it later this week - time will tell.
  • WAFL signing Archie Watt was training again but Ash Johnson was not out there, so there were 34 total on the track today.
  • Bailey Williams probably did the least of the players I did see (sans Young), only coming out around 10:00 for some light tap work with the rucks and doing no further training
  • Barnett did about an hour of work away from the main group, completing run throughs, light handballing and kicking work and finishing with some light tap work with the rucks. Did some time on the exercise bike afterwards.
  • Dewar and Jack Williams warmed up with the main group but split off after, completing run throughs and later joining Barnett for some kicking and handball work. Dewar finished up around 10:15 while J.Williams also did some ruck work with B.Williams and Barnett afterwards, before heading inside at 10:30.
  • Champion and Yeo did the first 20-25 mins with the main group before splitting off and joining the rehab group. Similar to the above they completed run throughs and some kicking work, with Champion spending a lot of time running alongside Chance Bateman. Both finished up around 10:30
  • Cripps and Duggan did the first 30-35 minutes of the main session before splitting off and running laps together, some at quite high speed. They also did some kicking work and finished just after 10:30
  • Hall did the first 45ish minutes with the main group but split off at one stage to do some work on the exercise bike. He then did some on the spot handball work with Shuey and finished early. He did cop a pretty big knock during Wednesday's training session so I wonder if that has something to do with his lighter training load today.
  • Ginbey and Hough completed most of the session but split up on one occasion to do some agility work together. For the full ground ball movement drill Hough wore a bright green cap to indicate non-contact.
  • Gross did the vast majority of the session with the group after his running test but was spared the additional run throughs at the very end of the session, heading inside at 10:30.
  • Waterman (shoulder) and Harley Reid (calf) trained fully.

A few other notes:
  • Ginbey, Brock and Baker stayed out for 10 minutes after the main group had gone inside to do some extra kicking practice
  • Waterman and Hough also stayed out after the main group had left, testing out their shoulders with some tackling and contested work
  • Archer Reid was also one of the last to leave, staying behind to practise his set shots. He didn't do any ruck work today and played as one of the key forwards in the full-ground ball movement drill.
  • Brock and Bazzo both look in good nick, with Brock in particular definitely looking well-built compared to last year.
  • As I mentioned in my initial post, Gross seems to have improved on his time from last Monday in the MAS running test he did this morning. Nice reward for effort for him after enduring a few big running sessions last week.

Unfortunately I probably won't be able to make it to the other training sessions this week, but I'll be back for the senior players' return next Monday. Hopefully The Worst or someone else can fill you in (in my absence...)
 
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Made the trek down but not much of note to report unfortunately. Not least because I couldn’t get there until about 9.45 so the session was already 20-30 minutes in and was wrapped up by 10.30

Players seemed to be split into roughly three groups with two groups alternating set drills on either wing and sometimes doing exercises as a larger group. The third group was doing relatively static work in front of the goals at the training centre end and it was near impossible for me to pick out who was in that group- too far away so I didn’t spend any time trying to work out who was there

Overall, it was a pretty low key session. Some fundamental skill drills and a handball exercise in a confined/congested area. No running/sprint work incorporated into what they were doing although some of that could well have happened earlier

Mood was rather subdued without a lot of chirp or chatter. To say they were going through the motions would be unfair because there was a reasonable level of intensity in what they did but it wasn’t a high energy session either

Numbers were a bit down as well with very few senior players there - in fact Flynn was the only one I saw. Others might have been at the far end and/or finished early but I didn’t see them

Some random thoughts:
• Out - Pale as buggery, In - Summer tans. Collectively the playing group look like they’ve spent the offseason at the beach or in a solarium. Most are tanned, even Grego didn’t like as pale as I remember. Maric still didn’t get the memo though
• Harry Taylor was very hands on during the drills talking to and instructing the players. He looks every bit a development/assistant coach in what he’s doing. Also saw Mitch Duncan for the first time as an assistant working in the same area as Taylor
• At one point a player kicked a ball out wide to a female trainer on the opposite side of the oval from me. She marked the ball with ease and moved it on with an impressive fluidity. Not long after that same trainer was in front of my position and it all made sense. Daisy Pearce it out there giving a hand with the rest of the coaching group - looks like she’s still capable of playing

These are the players I did see - if I’ve not mentioned them it’s because I didn’t see them which doesn’t necessarily mean they weren’t there

• Ginbey - only saw him late when he moved away from the end goal group. Looks his usual fit self but wasn’t involved in much
• Hewett - did the full session
• Long - full session, matched up a bit with/against Newton and they look like they’ll be competing for the same spot
• Big Reid - primarily at the far end and only saw him late doing some low intensity contested marking with with Brock and, somewhat bizarrely, Johnston. Looks in good shape
• Maric - full session for him
• Johnston - regularly found him hard to recognise. He’s not jacked as such but looks more physically mature without the noodle arms he had last year
• Flynn - he was doing a little bit of half pace running at the end the session. Looks in quite good condition
• Allen - probably the best trainer out there today. Good intensity in everything he did. Was grouped with Davis and Hutchinson for most of the session and seeing them as a trio it struck me how physically imposing they could be when they mature. All 190cm plus with good speed and running power
• Gross - often 4th musketeer with the trio above so he’s a bit shorter but is getting some definition/size across his shoulders
• Barnett - only sighted at the very end when he come across to sign autographs. Still sporting a sizeable knee brace
• Grego - bit bigger size wise but not significantly.
• Bazzo - like Barnett only saw him at the very end signing autographs. Unlike Barnett he didn’t have a knee brace
• J Williams - no ball work just doing some running on the boundary. Looks quite physically imposing
• Shanahan- saw him in some of the drills but wasn’t particularly noticeable. Was at the far end for parts as well I think
• Champion - ran the boundary with Bateman
• Davis - see Allen. Looks in good shape and ready to go
• Brock - drifted up from the far end late and was involved in a few of the drills. Was doing 1v1 work opposed to Reid and Johnston late
• Dewar - was doing fitness work with Williams when I arrived and left the track a bit after I arrived
• Hutchinson- see Allen
• McCarthy- there was one guy in the drills I couldn’t recognise. Only at the end when he came across to sign autographs did the penny drop as to who it was. Looks a bit bigger than when he arrived mid season
• Newton - see Long

Obviously Harley wasn’t there as he’s over in Melbourne to welcome Will Duursma to the club - making Hall the only other 1st to 4th year player I didn’t see

Might try to sneak down again Friday but not sure on my plans
 
Great to see all the new faces at training this morning and the senior players back out there as well for a two-hour session to start the week. There were nearly 50 players on track today, though many of them were on separate programs and were in and out of the main session which made it a little hard to keep track of everything.

I arrived just after 9:00 and to my delight they were setting up to train on Jamieson Oval, making these "closed" sessions much easier to watch. The main oval which they've trained on for the past two weeks is having some work done to it.

The senior players came out at 9:20 for their MAS running test - it struck me how small this cohort is now, with only 15-odd players warming up, 12 of which did the running test. The rest of the playing group, including the draftees, came out 10 minutes later to do their warmup while the running test was ongoing.

The first 30 minutes of the session consisted of some kicking and handball work, before moving onto a drill where they moved the ball out of congestion using forward handballs and eventually kicking to a leading target. They then completed some handball work in tight, before splitting into rough line groups for some more skill work.

After this came a full-ground ball movement drill where they practised rebounding with speed off a turnover, and another drill where they looked to be working on team defence. They did some run throughs after this, including a strange exercise where they ran in groups of three around the field in seemingly random running patterns, following the leader up the front. To finish, the players split into smaller groups to work on more specific craft and the main group went inside around 11:30.

Details on who did/didn't train:
  • Bailey Williams was the only listed player I definitely didn't see
  • All six of our draftees - Duursma, Duff-Tytler, Lindsay, Allen, Tylah Williams and Rodriguez - were out there for the first time today.
    • Allen was naturally on light duties as he continues his ACL recovery, spending about 30 minutes doing run throughs and some kicking before spending the rest of the session spectating
    • The rest of them probably completed around 70% of the session, sitting out occasionally to either watch or do some work off to the side - at one point they were doing some contested marking and at another stage Nic Nat was taking them through some light stoppage work
  • Robertson, Macrae and Schoenberg also made their first appearances. Robertson had his right shoulder strapped and was in and out of the main session, while Macrae and Schoenberg did most but not all of the full session
  • Watt and Johnson were out there, making it a total of 48 players on track today
  • I wasn't sure if it was Gross I saw on the exercise bike, but it seems it was indeed him off the photo from The West. Either way, he didn't do much, if any on-ground training from what I saw
  • Starcevich I only spotted about an hour into the session and spent about 15-20 minutes running laps. I don't think he did any of the main session
  • Barnett did his usual 30-40 minutes of run throughs as well as some kicking away from the main group, before finishing up with some tap work with Nic Nat. Still sporting a significant left leg brace
  • Young continues to ease into life as an Eagle, spending most of his time away from the main group doing some run throughs and kicking with Allen, and finishing with some laps alongside Harry Taylor (who incidentally actually looks quite similar to Young up close)
  • Kelly and Owies spent almost the entire session running laps together after their MAS test. Did some kicking work too occasionally but a heavy running session for these two
  • Dewar and Jack Williams began the session with a good 45 minutes of run throughs and kicking away from the main group before briefly joining in with the group for the line group drills. They finished with some laps together and I didn't see them again after about 10:45
  • Yeo and Brockman didn't participate in the MAS test, instead completing run throughs by themselves, some of which they got to quite high speed in. Yeo joined in with the main group when they split into line groups and finished with some light agility work with a trainer.
  • Duggan and Cripps also skipped the MAS test but did their fair share of running along the boundary together, also doing some sprints and agility work. They joined in for a couple of drills but more often than not they were training away from the main group
  • Waterman started the session in full training but as I said unfortunately appears to have injured his hamstring. He was chasing a loose ball at pretty decent pace in one of the drills later in the session and suddenly pulled up quite proppy, swearing loudly and taking no further part in the drill. As he was walking over to the sidelines he was feeling at his right hammy, and spent about 5 minutes on the massage table with a trainer trying to stretch it out. He took no further part in the session though and after chatting to some players, went inside at 11:00. Gut feel is it's not a bad one - he was able to walk around without any visible limp and didn't look too downbeat when having a chat to some of the players afterwards. We'll see though
  • Champion had his right elbow strapped but trained fully today

Some other notes/things that caught my eye:
  • Some of the draftees, particularly Rodriquez, Allen and Lindsay, look quite well-built already, and Duff-Tytler doesn't look as skinny as I'd expected. Duursma is still quite wiry but has a solid frame to fill out.
  • I didn't get a super long look at him but Starcevich is an absolute specimen. Can tell he'll help set the standards on the track once he's fully up and going
  • When they split into line groups, Baker, Dewar and Lindsay spent time with the backs.
  • Interestingly Johnston trained with the forwards. He spent quite a bit of time during one of last week's sessions on his goalkicking so perhaps he's looking to play up forward this season
  • Dewar whilst still a bit skinny looks like he's added some more size, a huge difference from when he first arrived at the club
  • Didn't see Lindsay miss a kick today, going to be a fun watch next year I reckon.
  • Flynn spent about 20 minutes at the end of the session having a long conversation with Nic Nat.
  • Ginbey, Hutchinson, Newton and Hough were the last to leave the track, staying for an extra 5-10 minutes to get some more kicking work in.

Like I have previously, I tried to keep track of who finished in what order for the MAS running test. With only 12 doing the test it was easier to keep track, so the following order can be taken as fairly accurate:
  • Kelly was the first to finish, on 17 km/h (as a reminder, the speed increases every minute or two and is announced over the loudspeakers)
  • Edwards was the next, followed by Owies, Hough, Schoenberg, Flynn and Macrae (in that order) on 18 km/h.
  • Baker was the 4th-last to finish on 19km/h
  • Waterman and Cole finished at roughly the same time on 19 km/h
  • Graham finished a good 30-45 seconds after the others on 19km/h, and was a few seconds short of reaching the 20 km/h speed
  • Robertson finished somewhere on 18km/h but I didn't note what position he was in
 
A fairly light session this morning for open training, lasting a bit over 90 minutes with a heavy focus on skills and fundamentals. As is often the case for Wednesday sessions, quite a few players either didn't train or were on light duties.

The players came out around 9:10 and got into their warm up before getting into some kicking work. Over the following hour the players rotated through several drills in smaller groups, working through handballing in congestion, ground balls, kicking, marking and set shots.

There wasn't a heap of running involved in (or in between) any of the drills today, with skills clearly more of a focus (in the lack of heat). The players finished with some set shots and went inside just before 11.

Details on who did/didn't train:
  • Yeo is the only listed player I didn't see today
  • A group of players - Cole, Gross, Barnett, Harley Reid and Allen - did little to no on-ground training and were restricted to working on the exercise bike and some stair work on the far end of the oval.
  • Bailey Williams also did virtually no training, walking a lap or two while the main group warmed up and spending the rest of the session spectating or chatting to other players
  • Duggan and Cripps didn't do much training either, only coming out around 9:30 to do a bit of light kicking and set shot practise.
  • Waterman participated in the warm up but did so at a light pace before splitting off from the main group, doing some light run throughs and handball/kick work for about 30 minutes. Fortunately it looks like the hammy he did on Monday is on the lighter end.
  • Ginbey also warmed up with the main group but split off after to do some run throughs and handball/kick work with the rehab group. To finish he spent about 20 minutes working solo with a trainer in what looked a bit like a fitness test - did some sprints, agility work and running, some with the footy involved. Headed inside around 10:20
  • Kelly and Owies also did the warm up but spent the rest of the session training together away from the main group. They went through some run throughs, agility work and light skill work, before finishing up around 10:30
  • Brockman warmed up with the main group but spent the next hour or so running laps by himself
  • Dewar and Young did the first 30 minutes of the main session before splitting off to do some run throughs (some at quite high pace) and skill work with the rehab group. Both finished with some time on the exercise bike
  • Jack Williams did a similar load to Dewar and Young but probably did slightly more work with the main group, joining a couple of the drills involving contested marking with the talls.
  • Robertson was in and out of the session, doing some light run throughs and skill work with the rehab group but joining the main group for some drills
  • The draftees (minus Allen) did the majority of the session today, which makes sense given it was fairly light

The lack of full-ground ball movement drills today meant there wasn't too much to take away from this morning's session, but here are a few general notes anyway:
  • Barnett appears to have ditched his leg brace, but still wore quite a bit of strapping on that left leg
  • Bo Allan is emerging as one of my early standouts this preseason. Not because of anything spectacular he did today, but in general he looks fit, is moving well and looks powerful and strong. Skills also looked sound today from what I saw
  • Repeating what I said on Monday but Rodriguez looks like his body is AFL-ready. Really well-built for an 18-year-old
  • The players all wore orange socks today, I'm assuming as part of the 16 Days in WA initiative against domestic violence
 
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Got to training in what looks will likely be a customary 20 minutes or so late

As people would know, Wednesday is the lightest of the three sessions each week with today being no exception.

Players were generally divided up into small groups ranging in numbers from 6-8 to around 16, depending on the particular drill with some players training separately away from the main group.

Drills were all focused on differing fundamentals like overhead marking/reading the flight of the ball, ground balls, handballing through congestion etc.

Spent my time walking around the oval to try get a closer look at a particular group rather than trying to keep track of everything. There was too much going on to accurately watch all of it

Session finished around 10.45 so it wasn’t particularly long or gruelling

This is what I saw/noted bearing in mind I was both late and not watching everything:
• Waterman was jogging at about half pace on the boundary so whatever he did to his hammy on Monday, could reasonably be described as minor
• Kelly and Owies trained together away from the rest doing specific short sprints and running
• Robertson also did his own running but was doing so at good pace and looked comfortable. Is in very good shape
• Williams (Jack), Young and Brockman were others doing a running program
• Ginbey was just moving around the ground not doing anything in particular
• Duff-Tytler was involved in an overhead marking drill with the other talls when I arrived and didn’t look out of place - but body contact was minimal
• Rodriguez is a bigger body than I thought and didn’t look out of place in the slightest
• Duursma I didn’t see much of but he was both very pale (as buggery you might say) and wiry
• Not sure if it was by design or coincidence but in a couple of drills, Starcevich was the sole senior player working with the new draftees alongside one of the coaches. His experience is going to be more than useful. He’s also pretty imposing physically
• Harry Taylor continues to be very hands on as one of the coaches- was particularly involved in the marking drill
• Might be recency bias, as in something I only noted today, but the coaches seemed quite vocal during drills - certainly more than I recall from other years. Who I think was Jamie Maddocks (Head of Development) was particularly vocal with his instructions
• Saw Barnett on the boundary line towards the end, with significant strapping on his knee but sans the brace he’s been reported as wearing previously
• Like what I’ve seen early from Newton
• Jack Williams looks in good nick even though I only saw him running
• Can see the slight difference in body shape/size between Schoenberg and Macrae compared to the younger guys - even if it’s only in the WAFL they will be important contributors to the overall group

Just what I saw, and if I didn’t mention them it doesn’t mean they weren’t there as a big group of players trained across the other side and some just didn’t have anything noteworthy to add
 

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I brought binoculars with me today thanks for the idea Keys and it was great to be able to see all the action up close.

At one point right in front of me Duursma, Lindsay, Rodriguez and Tylah Williams practiced a handball drill. The coach was giving very precise and clear instructions, don't know his name but he seemed really switched on. Tylah Williams definitely has something, he's very quick and has some strength to him.

Davis and Allan both looking in really great nick with Davis in particular really giving it his all.

Watched Owies doing some goal kicking practice and I don't think I saw him miss a single one so that's really good.

Seeing Starcevich up close and boy what an absolute specimen he is. Really glad we picked him up.

Dev Rob worked one on one with Mini for a while, he seems in good nick.

Didn't see Allen out there but all the rest of our new recruits look totally at ease, well developed and up to the level of the senior players. Wouldn't be surprised if most of them get senior games this year.
 
A pretty big session to finish the week, with training lasting over 2 hours this morning and plenty of numbers on the track. Some skill work today but more of a focus on ball movement, though any contact in the drills was kept to a minimum.

The players came out just after 9:15 and got into their warm up, splitting into line groups at one stage before moving onto a couple of flow drills involving kicking and handballing at pace.

After this the focus of the session shifted more from skills to ball movement, starting with a drill which involved chipping the ball around in the backline and then changing gears into fast attacking ball movement up the ground. The players then split into three groups, with the backs going through positioning work with Shannon Hurn and the rest practising ball movement in a live play situation after the ball hits the deck.

They then did about 20 minutes of full-ground ball movement drills as one group, topped up with some runs through the centre of the ground which looked pretty gruelling. To finish the players split into smaller groups to work on fundamentals and they headed inside just before 11:30.

Details on who did/didn't train:
  • Gross was the only listed player I didn't spot - there was someone on the exercise bike who I thought might be him but I couldn't see for sure. Either way he didn't do any on-ground training today
  • Watt trained but I didn't see Johnson
  • Bailey Williams hardly trained, only coming out about an hour into the session to do a bit of kicking with the rehab group and spending the rest of the session spectating
  • Barnett's session consisted of about 45 minutes of run throughs and light skill work, followed by about 20 minutes of one-on-one tap work with Nic Nat
  • Allen and Tylah Williams trained away from the main group, doing run throughs and light skill work with the rehab group. Allen finished after about 30 minutes, Williams went a bit longer and wrapped up around 10:20
  • Ginbey did the first part of the warm up with the main group before splitting off and spending the next 45 minutes doing run throughs, kicking and agility work with a trainer. Finished up with about 15 minutes of laps, and in typical Ginbey fashion he looked like he was pushing himself to the limit with these
  • Waterman warmed up with the main group and then moved away from the main group, doing some run throughs, agility running and skill work with the rehab group before finishing up around 10:20
  • Kelly and Owies also did the warm up with the main group before going through a big running session off to the side. They spent about an hour doing a bunch of run throughs and some kicking, finishing up around 10:45
  • Young and Dewar did the first half hour with the main group before doing some run throughs with the rehab group. They were in and out of the session after that point, though Dewar probably trained a bit more than Young and finished with some agility work and run throughs.
  • Cripps, Duggan, Robertson and Jack Williams did about half of the session, though when they didn't participate in a drill they'd be running laps or doing sprint work off to the side.
  • In an encouraging sign Yeo did the most of the session with the main group, only splitting off about an hour into the session to do some run throughs, before re-joining for the full-ground ball movement drills. Don't think he did the extra running at the end but still good to see him ramping up his training load
  • The draftees (minus Allen and Tylah Williams) did most of the session but sat out a couple of drills, doing handball work or watching instead

Some other general notes:
  • When they split into line groups I noted down where some players of interest trained:
    • McCarthy, Duursma, Allan and Hutchinson were with the midfield group
    • Maric, Dewar, Hough, Baker, Grego, Lindsay and Watt with the backs
    • Johnston, Newton, Duff-Tytler and Archer Reid with the forwards
  • There was one stage where Nic Nat took the rucks through some tap work - this group consisted of Flynn, Duff-Tytler, Jack Williams and Archer Reid
  • Looks like Barnett has ditched the leg brace for good, though he was still wearing heavy strapping on his left leg
  • Duursma is a very smooth mover, did a couple of nice things in the full-ground ball movement drill.
  • Graham & Johnston (kicking), Davis (handballing), Archer Reid & Shanahan (set shots) stayed out around 10 minutes after the rest had gone inside to get some extra skill work in
  • There was a familiar face watching training today - Jackson Nelson! Was getting into some of the boys as they went about it and had a chat to some of them
 
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Solid session that ran through until almost 11.30 - I believe they started around 9.15 but I only arrived a bit before 9.45

Warmups were clearly finished by that time and they were working in line groups at various spots around the oval, with a group of about 6-8 players working with trainers away from everyone else

My initial watch was Naitanui working with a ruck quartet made up of Flynn, Reid, Jilliams and CDT on their ruck craft. Then wandered over to see who was in the rehab/modified program group

Not long after they did a skills drill as a group kicking to a leading player in a cross-cross pattern. Went for about 10 minutes and was very sharp with only a handful of balls hitting the grass

After that the session was mainly focused on moving the ball, with on emphasis on kicking, either in a confined space or the length of the ground. These were interspersed with other work in their line groups that again seemed focused on disposal by foot

To end the session a group of 20-25 players did some repeat sprint work with some words of encouragement from Mini as they were recovering at the end.

Wrapped up with players doing some skill work either individually or in small groups

All up it was a pretty good session, sharp for the most part with plenty of voice from the players. Good positive vibes

Going through the players individually:

1. Duursma - kid is a rolls Royce the way he moves. One little passage where he collected the ball off hands and hit a 40m kick was silk - one might say Bont like. As with all the first year players he was involved in only about half the drills
2. Waterman - modified program. Did some running but little else. Looked untroubled so more load management than anything sinister
3. Baker - trained with the backs when they split. Typical Baker session, plenty of voice and banter with the players
4. Starcevich - no midfield experiment yet. Looks a complete professional out there
5. Lindsay - that left foot is a thing of beauty and needs to be insured
6. Yeo - didn’t do all the drills but did most of them with some additional boundary running. Used his left foot predominantly early but was later using his right as well. Moving pretty freely in an encouraging outing
7. Ginbey - run, Rueben run. Spent the session running up and back along the boundary. Feel like they’ve put the handbrake on him to protect him from himself
8. Hewett - not super noticeable but looks to be covering the ground well. Was close to the front in the repeat sprints they did at the end
9. Reid - looks in great shape. Leaner than I’ve ever seen him without the sort of half puppy fat/half muscle he used to have. Now he’s just trim. At one point did a nice short kick and follow up chip scab handball receive before a longer launch into F50 which is a part of his game he can build with
10. Brockman - didn’t see much of him but looked like he did most of the session
11. Kelly - did a full modified program with Owies for company that was just running and repeat two thirds pace sprints which was exhausting to watch
12. Allen - was out there doing some low intensity rehab work early on but wasn’t out there for long
13. Long - another in good shape and used the ball well in drills. Bigger across and through the shoulders
14. Duggan - in and out of drills with a lot of extra running around the boundary. Is in very nice shape
15. Cripps - mainly running with Duggan and Robertson. Looks trimmer
16. Owies - see Kelly
17. Graham - not prominent but did the full session
18. McCarthy - seemed to be training with the mids. Finished the repeat sprints off well
19. Hough - looks like a senior player. Very composed and professional in everything he does. Trained with the backs
20. Young - modified program only. Reasonable amount of running as he looks to be eased into training
21. Duff-Tytler - not overly noticeable. Seems to be taking things in and adjusting to the pace of everything
22. Reid - did the whole session as far as I could tell without being a standout
23. Maric - back with the backs. Seem like they’re keen to get the ball in his hands still
24. Johnston - seems to be with the forwards. Didn’t see a lot of him
25. Flynn - full session. Not noticed much which is kinda what you want from a ruck in ball movement drills
26. Allan - with the mids. Covering the ground well and was up the front in the end of session sprints
27. Gross - unsighted
28. Cole - what you’d expect from a senior player at the start of another preseason. In good shape and professional in what he does
29. Hall - saw that white blond head of his consistently. Went well enough without being a standout
30. Barnett - knee still strapped but no brace. Some light running and a few kicks but not much else
31. Grego - still with the backs and had a solid session
32. Billiams - came out late, stood around and watched for a bit but little else. Have to assume he’s nursing something
33. Bazzo - right now the best case scenario for him is getting through a full preseason unscathed. So far, so good. Is moving nicely
34. Jilliams - did some of the drills but was primarily doing extra running. Does look in the best shape he’s been and was running well
35. Shanahan - didn’t see much of him but from what I did he hasn’t lost his ability to catch a footy
36. Tilliams - modified program only with minimal running
37. Champion - looks a bit bigger. Got involved in some good passages
38. Davis - running/covering territory won’t be an issue. Lead the sprint. Still needs to work on his kicking as he did miss a couple of targets
39. Rodriguez - didn’t see him much today unfortunately. In and out of drills as a first year didn’t help that
40. Robertson - did some running at good pace with Duggan and Cripps but nothing else. Got a decent number of kms in
41. Brock - defender obviously but they look the ball going through his hands
42. Edwards - full session which is a tick for Harry. Seem like they’re setting him up to be the deepest defender
43. Dewar - in and out of drills with a fair bit of running often with Jilliams as company. Looks in good shape Seems to be with the mids
44. Hutchinson - good shape and running well but looks to be with the mids rather than forwards though
45. Macrae - can’t say I really saw him. Assume he was out there
46. Newton - not as prominent as the other couple of sessions but did take a nice one handed mark. Looks ready to have an impact though
48. Schoenberg - bit like Macrae but I did see him at least
??. Watt - doesn’t look out of place so good signs for the WAFL side. Didn’t see Johnson

Positive session and the first non-Wednesday one I’ve been to. Encouraging signs overall
 
Hot one this morning. When I got there at 9 the players were already well into training - at a guess I reckon they'd already been underway for a good 20-30 minutes to beat the heat. So I did miss a bit of the start today, but still managed to get a few notes down.

The first 30 minutes after I arrived consisted mainly of skill work, including a flow drill involving kicking at speed, handballing in congestion and fast ball movement by foot - these drills involved full contact.

After this came a good 45 minutes of a full-ground ball movement drill, where one bigger team was always attacking and the other team just defending. They went through a few different scenarios but overall there seemed to be a big emphasis on fast ball movement. Any contact in these drills was mostly kept light and they took quite a few breaks in the heat.

When they'd finished up with that, the group was made to do 10 minutes of run throughs through the centre of the ground, before breaking up into smaller groups to work on fundamentals to finish. Most players went inside at 10:50 and the last to leave finished up just before 11, by which time the temperature had reached 35°C.

Details on who did/didn't train:
  • I didn't see Starcevich, Allen or Gross today
  • Watt was training but once again no Johnson - so 45 on track in total
  • Bailey Williams again did very little, only coming out around 9:30 to do some tap work with Nic Nat
  • Barnett did his usual run throughs and light skill work with the rehab group, before finishing with some tap work alongside Bailey Williams
  • Waterman and Ginbey trained away from the main group for the whole time I was there, doing run throughs, skill work and agility running with the rehab group, which is when Waterman finished. Ginbey did another 20 minutes of laps after that but was all done by 10:15
  • Young was with the main group when I first arrived but soon after split off, joining Waterman and Ginbey for their rehab work. Some of the run throughs he and Ginbey got to quite a high pace. Young did some run throughs by himself to finish and was all done by 10.
  • Owies trained away from the main group the entire time and did run throughs and light skill work
  • Dewar was doing run throughs and skill work off to the side for the start of the session, but joined in for the full ground ball movement drill.
  • Duggan and Cripps were again managed through certain parts of the session, running laps or doing sprints instead when they had to sit out, but participated in the full ground ball movement drill
  • Duursma and Yeo participated in the first part of the session but I didn't see them at all during the ball movement drill
  • Jack Williams and Robertson did most of the session but split off at one stage to join the rehab group - Jack Williams doing run throughs and Robertson helping the rucks with their tap work. Both participated in the full ground ball movement drill
  • Brockman was running laps when I arrived but joined in with the rest of the group after and trained fully from what I saw
  • Kelly trained fully after being on a separate program last week

A few other notes, especially from the full ground ball movement drill:
  • Harley Reid looked sharp during the ball movement work - was busy and kept involved consistently.
  • Can see why Duff-Tytler was rated so highly - his skills for a lad of his size are very impressive. Hit Jack Williams inside 50 with a nice kick on the run at one stage, and later drilled a set shot from a tough angle 40 metres out.
  • Allan was matched up against Davis on a wing which turned into a good battle
  • Dewar, Maric, Baker and Lindsay were playing in defence
  • Johnston was again up forward, as was Duff-Tytler who played as a roaming tall
  • Jack Williams was sporting a bandage around his head - I overheard him saying that it came after a collision with Yeo
  • Johnston, Davis, Graham and Robertson were the last to leave the track, getting a bit of extra skill work in after the rest had gone inside
 
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Chatting to LittleFires towards the end of the session, it became apparent I’d missed near on half of today’s outing through a combination of them starting early and me arriving late

There was a handful of players training away from the main group who were doing full ground ball movement exercises- predominantly they were contested with one team focusing on moving from D50 to F50 and the other defending the ground with players switching between offensive and defensive roles

It was contested to an extent but not truly combative like you’d see in a full scale match sim.

Clear focus on moving the ball quickly through the middle and kicking long into F50 as forwards pushed back hard into the open space ahead of the ball

The session finished with just over 20 players doing some 75/100m sprints which was pretty brutal in the heat. Then some low intensity skill work as the players drifted off - Kelly, Newton and Watt the last to leave


Some random observations:

• Davis and Allan were matched up against each other on the fat side wing (closest to where I was sitting so easier to watch) and had a good tussle. Davis probably had the better of it slightly continuing his impressive early preseason form
• Maric played in defence and was a clear conduit out of the back half often being involved two or three times in possession chains. Did turn it over once (which he was not happy about as he redeemed himself with a solid tackle moments later) but was mostly attacking and reliable
• CDT showed his mobility and skills on the run a couple of times which was impressive for a big man. Kicked a nice set shot goal from a tight angle as well
• Harley was consistently involved and looks to be really enjoying himself. Baker nailed him after Reid showed the ball to the rest as he ran into an open goal. Later on there was a solid collision between Davis, Reid and Allan with Davis coming off a little worse for wear - Harley stopped what he was doing to check on him and didn’t move off until he knew Davis had shaken it off. Just a little thing but he seems far more settled this year
• Dewar was off to the side when I arrived but joined the main group soon after playing out of defence
• Jilliams was the same although he did a lot of running before joining the others. Definitely work being done on his fitness and he’s moving pretty well
• I saw Lindsay flub a couple of short passes so he’s not infallible
• Hewett looked good for the most part but did get caught in a tackle from Harley
• Kelly was playing through the midfield in the drills and did all the training whilst I was there
• Newton and Champion looked lively as small forwards
• Ginbey again ran the boundary for long lengths of time
• Waterman, Young and Robertson only did some running and minor skill work
• Barnett and Billiams didn’t do anything but stand talking to Nic for a bit and left not long after I’d arrived
• Forwards took a couple of good grabs but wasn’t sure if it was Shanahan or Archer

Not a full report given how much I missed, but I’m sure LittleFires will have something a bit more comprehensive
 
In the absence of Keys I went down for a trundle to open training this morning. As expected, the session was fairly light, lasting around 90 minutes with an emphasis on skill work and not too much running. There were a few players missing today and many who did train were kept to light duties.

The players came out at 9:15 and got into their warm up before moving onto a flow drill which involved kicking on the run. Over the following hour the players split into various groups and went through drills practising different skills - handballing in congestion, ground balls, kicking, contested marking, etc., some of which involved contact.

To finish, about half of the group was made to do run throughs through the middle of the ground and some along the boundary for 10-odd minutes, wrapping up around 10:50.

Details on who did/didn't train:
  • No sign of Hewett, Allan, Grego, Champion, Brock, Dewar or Newton. Couldn't tell you why.
  • HoneyBadger35 did the first part of the session but spent the last 45 minutes just watching from the dugout. No Johnson again
  • I believe it was Garrison Kenh from our NGA who I saw today spending some time on the track. Didn't do a heap of training, but came out briefly to do a bit of kicking with fellow NGA product Tylah Williams at one stage.
  • Gross I only saw very briefly, coming out about an hour into the session to have a chat to some players on the sidelines before heading back inside
  • Allen and Bailey Williams also came out late and didn't really train, spending some time watching drills and walking around. Allen did a bit of kicking at one point but no more than that
  • Hutchinson didn't do any on-ground training, instead spending about an hour on the exercise bike in the dugout
  • Barnett worked away from the main group, doing run throughs (some while being held back by a trainer with a resistance band, and some with high knees) and light skill work. Went off to the dugout around 10:15 and finished with some time on the row machine and exercise bike.
  • Harley Reid and Tylah Williams took it easy today, doing the warm up with the main group before splitting off and doing some running and skill work together. They finished with a bit of time on the exercise bike, with Harley heading inside around 10. Williams stayed out a bit longer than that, doing a bit of kicking with Kenh before finishing up around 10:30.
  • Owies began the session doing run throughs and skill work away from the main group, later joining in for a couple of the lighter drills the main group was doing
  • Duggan and Cripps came out about half an hour into the session, doing some of the lighter drills with the main group for the rest of the session
  • Yeo was in and out of the main group, sometimes splitting off to do some work with a trainer - high knees, run throughs while being held back by a resistance band, run throughs while holding a stick horizontally above his head, things like that. Overall looks to be moving well and is slowly integrating back into the main group
  • Ginbey and Young did most of the session with the main group, splitting off a couple of times for some run throughs. Young finished with the rest of the group, but Ginbey stayed back to do about 10 minutes on the exercise bike
  • Kelly also did most of the session but sat out a couple of drills to do some work on the exercise bike
  • The draftees (minus Allen and Tylah Williams) did the majority of the session but were spared the final run throughs at the end
  • Jack Williams did the full session after having his training somewhat restricted in recent weeks
  • Waterman also trained fully in a positive sign following his apparent hamstring injury last Monday

Not much of a chance for anyone to truly "impress" today given it was a more skills-based session, but here are some random notes I took down anyway:
  • Johnston was again with the forwards, Maric and Baker with the backs, McCarthy with the mids
  • Got a closer look at Harley as he ran past and it reiterated to me that he looks in good shape
  • Young had his right shoulder strapped which may hint the reason why he's had a slow start to the preseason. Also wore a green cap in some of the drills to indicate non-contact
  • Robertson (right shoulder strapped) also wore a green cap in some of the drills
  • The players wore numbers on their training tops today which makes spotting them a hell of a lot easier. Although some were still wrong - Maric wore Grego's number for example
  • I reckon Davis has added a bit of size, got a closer look at him and he looks a bit bigger, but still quite lean. Has had a strong start to preseason
  • Archer Reid was the last to leave the track, staying out about 10 minutes after the rest had gone inside. He was again working on his set shots, this time alongside Mitch Duncan who I properly noticed for the first time today
 

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