Training Preseason Training Reports - 2025

[Keys]

I’ve set this thread up to copy across training reports from the preseason thread so posters have easy access to them without having to wade through pages of posts. I’ll continue to copy posts over here as appropriate whilst leaving the original posts in the preseason thread for discussion purposes

This thread will not be open for replies

 

[Keys]

Usual light session today focusing on fundamentals with an emphasis on handball. A bit of work at the end on clearing and spreading from a stoppage

Did go through to 11.00 which is a bit longer than some other midweek sessions I’ve been to

Notes
• No draftees at training today - presume they’re doing an induction somewhere, likely Melbourne because AFL
• As mentioned above we had 5x NGA players at trading plus F/S Charlie Banfield
• Van Es was talking to the trainers at length about 15 minutes after I arrived- they were getting him to stand on one leg and push off/hop. He left the track and didn’t return
• Brockman also spoke to a trainer around the same time after struggling through some run throughs in the warm up. He also left without returning
• Johnston had some tape on his elbow but the cast was gone and he did the full session. Notably when they split into line groups he joined the mids
• Rucks did some work in the centre jumping into the bag and tapping the ball down - Flynn, JWill, Livingstone, Barnett AND Archer Reid. Reid and JWill would later join the forwards and Barnett the backs. Livingstone stayed with Flynn in the ruck/mids
• Baker trained on the outside oval by himself after doing the warmup
• Chesser, Sheed, Allen, Edwards, Bazzo, Hewett and BWill I didn’t see at all. Jamieson I saw but nothing other than standing on the boundary
• Another group did some but appeared late and/or left early - Waterman, Kelly, Long and Cole
• Hutchinson and Petch did almost all of the session which was good to see. Left, I think, towards the end when they split into line groups although they might have been with the forwards at the other end of the ground
• Hough and Yeo both did the full session after being early departees in recent sessions
• Barnett has got himself in really good shape. Needs to play like Tarzan now though

 

[Convocation]

The West - Training Report

https://archive.md/YEM9E

 

[ROYAL EAGLE]

Usual light session today focusing on fundamentals with an emphasis on handball. A bit of work at the end on clearing and spreading from a stoppage

Did go through to 11.00 which is a bit longer than some other midweek sessions I’ve been to

Notes
• No draftees at training today - presume they’re doing an induction somewhere, likely Melbourne because AFL
• As mentioned above we had 5x NGA players at trading plus F/S Charlie Banfield
• Van Es was talking to the trainers at length about 15 minutes after I arrived- they were getting him to stand on one leg and push off/hop. He left the track and didn’t return
• Brockman also spoke to a trainer around the same time after struggling through some run throughs in the warm up. He also left without returning
• Johnston had some tape on his elbow but the cast was gone and he did the full session. Notably when they split into line groups he joined the mids
• Rucks did some work in the centre jumping into the bag and tapping the ball down - Flynn, JWill, Livingstone, Barnett AND Archer Reid. Reid and JWill would later join the forwards and Barnett the backs. Livingstone stayed with Flynn in the ruck/mids
• Baker trained on the outside oval by himself after doing the warmup
• Chesser, Sheed, Allen, Edwards, Bazzo, Hewett and BWill I didn’t see at all. Jamieson I saw but nothing other than standing on the boundary
• Another group did some but appeared late and/or left early - Waterman, Kelly, Long and Cole
• Hutchinson and Petch did almost all of the session which was good to see. Left, I think, towards the end when they split into line groups although they might have been with the forwards at the other end of the ground
• Hough and Yeo both did the full session after being early departees in recent sessions
• Barnett has got himself in really good shape. Needs to play like Tarzan now though

Tim Kelly looks lighter hopefully he is over his knee and hip concerns he was not out there for long
Liam Ryan body is in the best Knick its been for a few years
Harley looks slimmer now
Reuben was training as a mid today looked comfortable has good hands
Archer Reid going to be a star we need to sign him up long term his movement below his knees is exceptional
and his kicking at goal in other sessions as been so good
Barnett was impressive again god his body is so different from last year
NGA's will train every wednesday session and before the training having meeting with the other younger boys in the natainui
academy
I spoke to Chris Brown he is someone you might not of heard of before but this guy is so important to the club
he works with all the nga's and father sons and academy kids
He said they have put so much work into these younger kids from age as young as 12 even and believe we will reap the rewards for next 5 years
Just the rewards for some kids of completing school and getting there high school diploma that wouldn't happen without the academy, makes me proud of the club
Jake Caton cant wait to watch his colts season he looks so good at training East Perth have to play him as a mid he is silky

 

[Convocation]

Edit: There is a directive that Newscorp articles can’t be reproduced in full, so I’ve edited this post to provide cliff notes only. Sorry - don’t shoot the messenger

Keys

CODE Sports - Eliza's article

West Coast star Elliot Yeo has suffered an injury scare during match simulation on Friday in what could be massive blow to the Eagles’ midfield stocks.

Play was stopped for several minutes as multiple physios attended to Yeo. Teammates also came across to check on him.
The 31-year-old was eventually helped to his feet and looked to be favouring his right ankle as he limped towards the change rooms.

It was a sour note to end an otherwise productive session under new coach Andrew McQualter.

West Coast played 2x20 minute periods of match simulation, debuting a high-octane style of play.

The hallmarks of Richmond’s premiership dynasty were evident across the 40 minutes of play.

In a clear move towards momentum football, the Eagles played on at every opportunity but were sometimes hindered by poor skills and decision making. The corridor was also a popular method to move the ball forward.

The small forward (Ryan) enjoyed a productive session, his work rate to link up and ball use inside 50 evident as the cloud of last week’s alleged street fight hangs over him.

Campbell Chesser, Harry Edwards and Callum Jamieson didn’t take part in match simulation but did other drills.


PLAYERS WHO IMPRESSED
Jack Hutchinson: The mid-season draft pick played a new midfield role during match simulation and found plenty of the footy. Taken as a high-flying forward from Collingwood’s VFL side, Hutchinson played seven games for the Eagles and had 24 disposals and a goal as a midfielder in the final game of the year against Geelong. Hutchinson pushed back hard into defence and his clean foot skills got the Eagles out of trouble on numerous occasions.

Jack Graham: The premiership Tiger has made a big difference in West Coast’s midfield and he’s already proven himself to be one of the strongest runners at the club. The big-bodied midfielder was composed and calm in traffic. He laid a few big tackles and notably forced Harley Reid to turn the footy over in congestion. He also found Jake Waterman in space tucked up against the boundary.

Harry Barnett: Drafted as a ruckman, the third-year tall has been retooled as a key defender this pre-season. And the new role looks to have potential. Barnett stood up in some big moments down back and notably spoiled the footy away from a leading Jake Waterman. The more options down back the better for the Eagles after the departure of Tom Barrass.

 

[Convocation]

The West Training Report

https://archive.md/FQypu

 

[Keys]

Training notes from the club

Showing some love for Johnston, Archer, Gross and Hewett

Plus an acknowledgment at the end that Yeo is going off for scans without any indoor how serious the injury is or what it might be

 

[boondy]

I arrived 1/2 hour late this morning . Only my 2nd time at training so not as skilled at recognising players . They were split yellow blue and took turns at turnover against the trainers in pink from a back pocket to full play on until a score was registered . Then had like a 20 minute match sim against each other . Once again emphasis on quick ball movement . Not really heavy tackling just general jostling . Some nice plays from Hewett , Malakai , Gross . Hutch looking in fine form looks fit strong legs , strong glutes . Big bodied . Ryan at FF screaming angrily at Archer to feed it out quickly to Dewar , obviously a preferred i50 deliverer . Ryan and Waterman showing their class .
Then they split into mids fwds backs
Mids doing drills to quickly get it to outside mid and go .
Backs : I saw Gov and Brock doing laying on ground then get up and 1v1 for high ball coming in .
Barnett doing same with Van Es .
Barnett looking quite the athlete . All looked even in them battles .

 

[Keys]

https://archive.is/eFqfu

Training notes from the West

Apparently the main talking point was a random Brisbane fan trying to get Oscar Allen to sign a Lions jumper. Just what we really wanted to know

More importantly, Bazzo making good progress in his recovery from foot surgery and Owies spent time in match sim pushing up into the midfield to good effect



Meanwhile the AFL report focused on the ankle injury sustained by Baker but also contained this little nugget

Former forward Ryan Maric continued to train in defence and impressed with several piercing kicks into the corridor.

And this one

Draftee Malakai Champion had a strong session and was lively as a half-forward, finding space on multiple occasions and showing poise to break a tackle and kick well inside 50.

Also mentioned Owies time in the midfield

 

[boondy]

Gross was pretty good for the 15 , 20 minute scrimmage had a few good distributions . Harley tried his fend off successful for 1 then was swarmed by 3 and caught . Bo Allen was given a little lesson by Flyin who was loose out the back a few times and Jobe also down back found it tough I'd say . Very small sample size and it was gusty Maric was ok . Kelly dropping an easy chest mark and caught , groan from the small crowd .

 

[Keys]

First 20 minutes of match sim done

Blue 2.1 v Gold 1.1

Blue goals - Owies, Allan (Bo)
Gold goals - Dewar

Gold held up well given the Blue team were stacked

Ryan(Blue) prominent pushing higher up including one clearance from D50

Gross been v. good through the middle for Gold. Johnston also provisions drive off HB for gold

Edwards, Chesser and Sheed all playing

More to come

 

[Keys]

Lachy Reid
@Lachy_Reid
·
2m

Harley Reid getting plenty of medical treatment after coming off during match sim and heads indoors. Lower leg issue
@WestCoastEagles

Explains why I hadn’t seen him out there beyond the first bounce

Second period done and Blue have skipped out to a 7.2 to 1.3 lead

Goals that period to Cripps, Brockman, Hunt, Ryan and Allen. Hewett hit the post from the top of the goal square after a lovely tap from Flynn (might have been Reid who has done some ruck including a couple of CBDs)

Gross BOG for Gold and has been excellent

Brockman playing forward for blue has also been strong in partnership with Ryan

Barnett done well on JWill

Hough good off HB for Blue

Starting again

 

[Keys]

Final 20min match sim period split into two 10min halves with sides slightly evened up

Didn’t help - Blue added another 5 goals to nil with Allen and Cripps adding a second goal each whilst JWill, Ginbey and Hewett all hit the scoreboard

Impressed with the games of Ryan, Brockman, Kelly, Cripps, Ginbey, Allan, Duggan and Hutchinson for the Blue team. Gross was the standout for Gold - really worked hard against the flow

Waterman, Baker, Yeo, Graham, Bazzo and Jamieson didn’t play

Edwards, Chesser and Sheed only played the first two periods as far as I could tell

There was a focus on moving the ball quickly but most of it was around the flanks and not a lot through the corridor - certainly less than I think we’d be hoping for

Will do individual games a bit later

 

[Elite Pete]

 

[Keys]

https://archive.is/0uWAi

The West’s take on todays matchsim

Big raps for Maric

No mention of Gross

 

[Keys]

Warmups and skill drills were basically done by the time I arrived around 9.45 - they did the same ball movement drill in small groups across the ground that focused on a short pass then running past for a handball receive before splitting into teams for match sim

As stated previously they played 3x20 minute periods with the third period split into two 10 minute halves. Players were given only a 5 minute or so break between periods

The session culminated in some block running from goal line to goal line before McQualter addressed the players as a group after the session ended. A handful of players did an extra lap or two around the boundary as well. By 11.30 they were done and dusted for the day

Main focus, obviously, was the match sim.

All but 6 players (Waterman, Graham, Baker, Bazzo, Jamieson and Yeo) had game minutes so numbers were quite good all things considered. Graham has gone home for personal reasons but whilst he was at training no reason for Waterman’s non- participation has been given

In a sign of the pecking order for selection this was a clear best v the rest split with the blue team having a far stronger line up. The gold team included both train ons (Brock and Van Es) plus a number of WAFL team players who I didn’t recognise. A couple of assistant coaches also made up the numbers

The first period was surprisingly competitive, albeit a bit scrappy, with Blue scoring two goals to one. After that talent took over and Blue kicked ten unanswered goals over the final two stanzas with their superior ball movement taking over

It wasn’t always clean but there was a genuine desire to get the ball on, mainly by foot, and to take territory if no short option presented. There was very little going back to take a kick over the man on the mark.

Tackling wasn’t a big feature but a couple of strong tackles were laid. Pleasingly there wasn’t a lot of corralling

I was watching from around half forward at the northern end on the opposite side to where the interchange benches were - so couldn’t pick up players going on/off and eyesight was an issue when play was at the club rooms end.

Based on what I could see/pick up then :

Blue Team

Backs
• McGovern - commanded the backline without being a standout. Turned the ball over a couple of times by foot, including a turnover from a kickout that should’ve cost his team a goal but Reid missed the set shot from ~35m out 15m in from the boundary
• Edwards - started the game at fullback on Livingstone. Wasn’t required to do much and didn’t play the final period. Will be happy just to be back amongst it after missing a chunk of preseason with a foot issue
• Ginbey - played off half back and was in everything. Rebounded from D50 and pushed high up the ground to keep the ball inside blue’s front half. Even snuck forward to snap a goal in the final period. Laid one crunching tackle
• Cole - lock down defender mainly on Petruccelle. Didn’t get a huge amount of ball but wasn’t at his end a lot. Solid game
• Hough - had a really strong 2nd period where his run and carry out of D50 was really good
• Allan - probably got his start with the best due to Baker missing but took the opportunity. Backs himself in traffic and very willing to take the game on. Started a chain of possession from D50 in the final period and followed through to finish the passage with a goal on his left. Strong chance for an early debut
• Maric - started on the bench but was a strong performer when he did join in. Shared kick in duties with McGovern (there was only 4 or 5) and used the ball well for the most part. My question will be how he defends as a permanent back - not answered today due to the imbalance between the two teams

Rucks
• Flynn/BWilliams - Flynn started for blue in the ruck but they both switched between sides throughout the day. Neither had a big influence on the game but on balance I thought Flynn won their battle

Mids
• Reid - started the first bounce in the middle but as reported left early with a leg complaint. I didn’t see him leave so not sure exactly how early but he had no impact so I’m guessing it was very early
• Kelly - started in the centre and was a driving force throughout. Very good signs from him
• Duggan - the third amigo in the opening CBD. Won plenty of ball although most kicks were seeking territory rather than pin point passes. Had a strong game nonetheless
• Hunt - started on the bench but played wing when he did come on. Wasn’t prolific. Kicked a nice goal in the second period
• Hutchinson- started on a wing but also attended a couple of CBDs. Really good outing. Ran to position well and ball use was good. Looks fit and strong. Has a firm grip on a R1 spot imo - was the best wingman on the ground
• Owies, Long and Cripps all rotated between wing and half forward with Long attending at least one CBD - Cripps was the best of them kicking two goals and one other poster from long range. Was one of the best performers overall and showed he won’t be giving up his spot easily. Owies was busy early and kicked the opening goal but faded thereafter. Long played well and pushed back into defence the most of this trio. Ball use was good and creative
• Hewett - started on the bench but had an impact when he came on. Strong performance that will encourage the coaching staff. Capped off his game with a goal late

Forwards
• Allen - presented well enough in a good tussle primarily with Brock. Kicked two goals and should’ve had a third but dropped a regulation chest mark in space after Brock had to leave him to get to a contest further afield. Moved well and showed no issues with his knee
• Reid - with Waterman absent, Reid was given a starting spot in the Blue team although he did alternate between Blue and Gold. Had his moments and even did some CBD ruck work at stages.
• JWilliams - quiet game from him up forward and did less ruck work than I thought he would. Did put a ball down Hewett’s throat from a ruck tap in the goal square that Hewett blasted into the post. (Previously credited Flynn with the tap but think it was JWilliams upon reflection)
• Ryan - one of the best players on the ground. Pushed up into midfield and his creativity showed through. Was very impactful in a good sign of what might lie ahead
• Brockman - was surprised to see him line up in the A team but showed why with a strong performance. Worked well in tandem with Ryan and was dangerous throughout

Gold Team

• Gross - BOG for Gold and close to best overall on the day. His hands are very good and he’s not afraid to put his head over the ball. Sat Ryan on his arse with a Harleyesque fend off and was quick to challenge an opponent who took him high in a tackle by pushing him in the chest once he got to his feet. Narrowly missed the long range shot at goal. Was awfully impressive
• Sheed - haven’t seen him named in any other training reports but I’m certain he started in the centre - that finger point is unmistakable. Didn’t have a big impact but like Edwards it’s just good to see him back out there
• Chesser - played wing on managed minutes across the first two periods before sitting out the last. Relatively quiet but again, the main thing is he’s back playing
• Petruccelle - struggled with a lack of supply and had little influence. Helped set up a goal scoring opportunity for Reid. Is a fair way back in the pecking order right now
• Johnston - played HB and was one of Gold’s better players especially in the second period with some good rebound work
• Hall - was fighting against the tide in the middle. Did win a couple of centre clearances and battled hard but weight of numbers worked against him
• Barnett - played on JWilliams as a KPD and acquitted himself well. Probably won their individual battle and took a couple of strong intercept marks. Shared kick ins with Grego
• Grego - genuine fighter and is very willing to have a crack. Narrowly missed a long range shot at goal. Encouraging signs but has work to do
• Shanahan - was often at the other end of the ground to where I was as he switched between teams. Predominantly played back and took one really good pack mark in defence when playing for the blue team
• Rawlinson- was vibrant early up forward but faded partly due to lack of supply
• Champion - had his moments but like his other Gold teammates up forward had minimal chances
• Davis - played wing and chased tail for much of the day
• Livingstone- Had Edwards for company and took some CBDs. Struggled to have an impact
• Dewar - played wing initially and kicked Gold’s only goal. Switched teams for the last period and was lively throughout
• Brock - stood Allen and acquitted himself quite well. Didn’t find much of the ball though in a mainly negating role
• Van Es - often found himself matched against Ryan in a bit of a mismatch for agility. Didn’t have much influence

Overall, you can see what they’re working towards but there’s still plenty to do before it becomes second nature. Not having Yeo, Waterman, Baker, Graham and, effectively, Reid out there I think detracted from what might have been and we’ll need that group back sooner rather than later to ensure competitiveness when the real thing starts

 

[Keys]

Some photos and short clips from today including Ginbey’s goal on the run and a nice grab from Flynn

 

[Convocation]

THE WEST: West Coast Eagles training notes: Harley Reid, Liam Baker, Harvey Johnston and Liam Ryan updates​

https://archive.md/PU0AM#selection-1253.0-1253.96

 

[Keys]

Later than usual start today for obvious reasons and unsurprisingly it was a rather subdued session

Not sure the exact time but players eventually came out as a group about 10.15 and trained for approximately 90 minutes

No contested or match sim work today - just a variety of skills work like goal kicking on the run, ball movement by foot once the warmups were complete. As such there weren’t any particular standouts from today

Did get to chat with Obeanie1 and his son for the last 20 minutes or so which was good to meet a fellow BFer

Of note:
• As is customary for the Wednesday session there were a number of non-starters who are on managed loads so skip the midweek session. Namely Waterman, Hewett, Reid, Allen, Chesser, Bazzo, Jamieson and Edwards. Sheed and Yeo were also absent for obvious reasons
• A small group of players (Graham, Hutchinson, Petruccelle and Van Es came out after warm ups had finished but stayed out there for the rest of the session. A few others (Flynn, Duggan, Cole and Brockman) left early but no obvious signs there was an underlying problem
• Kelly was jogging laps by himself when I got there, stopping only to join the minutes silence. Throughout the session he was often doing extra work between, or instead of, the skill drills. He was also still out there working with Shuey after the rest of the team had long gone. Overall, he was looking pretty strong and fit moving at good pace
• Clay Hall wandered over to a trainer half way through with what appeared to be a groin issue. Spent 5-10 minutes on a bench getting a rub down from a trainer before returning to the track for the remainder of the session
• After being noted by the media as an absentee on Monday, McGovern trained fully and without impediment
• Shanahan was with the backs when they split into line groups so there’s a clear plan to use him as a defender, at least for niw
• Was interesting watching Baker talking to Grego at length late in the session - the sort of instruction to a young player that was part of the reason the club chased him. Grego soaking it up like a sponge- not sure he’ll be an instant success but he’s going to be a very handy player for us eventually I feel. Will extract every ounce of talent he has
• Several players look a bit bigger than they did earlier in preseason- the likes of Dewar, Long, Cole and Brockman in particular all seem to have put on some size
• Johnston still has his elbow bandaged but no longer has the big brace on

That’s about it for today. Hopefully I can get down on Friday as it shapes as a logical date for an intraclub

 

[Keys]

https://archive.is/Dswy2

Woodcock’s report on today’s session

Points out that Waterman did the warmup initially- did think I saw him at one point but wasn’t sure and then forgot about it when I did my write up above

Seems I wasn’t the only one that noticed Kelly being first to start and last to leave



Honestly think this is the best condition Kelly has been in during his time at the club. Is in ripping nick

 

[Chris_6678]

Surprise duo set to give Eagles' midfield a boost

After an impressive summer on the track, Jack Hutchinson and Tom Gross are pushing for a spot in West Coast's midfield

www.afl.com.au

 

[ROYAL EAGLE]

Training was enjoyable today
Livingston was really good for b side maybe the indigenous game has got him up and about
Hutchinson looks like we have a true inside mid he really looks AFL quality
Clay Hall was really good Baker as well
Tommy Cole was disappointing
Sandy Brock has won that role over Van Es, Brock is levels better, Van Es movement is not good enough
I guess he needs more time to recover from his leg ankle injuries
Duggan got injured hope he is okay
I think a wafl boy broke his leg
Ryan look so much better and more confident in his body
Hunt still has his great pace
Noah long was out there which is good to see

 

[JoshWoodenSpoon]

Some scattered observations to complement what other have offered so far. Pretty much just incoherent play-by-play with the off bit of assessment and probably a few misidentified WAFL boffins. I did try to take some footage, but got asked to stop by Brennan pretty hastily so I won't post it.



Coen with a good five minutes kicking 1.1 and taking a good grab.
Dewar and Long/Hunt the first choice wingers.
Allen put back late in the first.
Great intercept by Jobe over Flynn, gold's forward line very much undersized with mostly WAFL players against Gov, H, Jobe.
Maric with a great passage of play going exactly what they'd been training earlier, hitting up a pass mid-field and going by to get the handball receive, two lovely kicks in there.
Killer banana goal from someone in traffic, thought it was Brockman at first but maybe Darby, I don't ****en know.
Mally with a really sharp crumb directly off hands and effortless quick snap from 30.
Jack Graham hits up his namesake and former number-sake JWill who finishes nicely into the breeze.
Van Es a good smother on Loch after a dynamic gather and movement, but Hall too nimble for Brennan and he goals.
Gross mops up down back and burns off Ryan.
Ryan Crips later combine on the wing and the latter finds Oscar who puts it through from out wide. Coast to coast play.
Blue 44 Gold 41.
Hutch great work on the flank and finds JWill with a killer pass, gets plaudits from teammates.
Davis with a good run to receive outside and puts it inside 50, nice positioning and bodywork from Coen, borderling push on Harry who is filthy buy paid the grab and goals from 15 out. Been decent.
Someone gets Duggo uncomfortably in a strong spoil / secondary contest. He's down for 10 seconds before a trainer comes out and he leaves the ground. Not sure where the knock was, but he was a little upset at first.
Coast to coast and Longy marks and goals.
Half time - Bue 56 Gold 47.
Lining up in the middle after half time: Coen Gross Hall Sparks // Flynn Hewett Hutch Graham. Hutch with the clearance but read by Hough who marks.
Arch with a fantastic drop punt set shot goal from a fair angle.
Ryan beautiful angled kick to Oscar for an easy goal (almost missed).
Dewar pressure Ruben who kciks it on the full. Kick goes in to KWill who marks and goals for Blue.
Sandy been quite good today.
Cole and Crippa going hard at each other off the ball, plenty of aggressive bumping on the fat side.
#72 (Denholm??) goes down with a back after aerial contest with Brennan (tunneling - 2 weeks). Couldn't tell if it was from a knee of awkward landing, I believe the latter as it looked to flex unnaturally but don't listen to me. He's still down and play has been shifted to the other side, but a whole flank is pretty much off limits for the time being.
Nice if dangerous kick from Grego under pressure to split three oppos.
On the club side of the ground two players are being hammered on assault bikes, I guess Reid and Bazzo but hard to see. Trainer really drilling them doesn't look fun.
72 still down, stretcher is out and training stopped for 5. Pretty worrying for the fellow I hope he is okay.
Resumes, Sparks catches Graham thb. Then Hammer finds Gross at hff but doesn't lead to much forward and is defused.
Baker has been really clean to collect down back many times today, a known strength. Like to handball at askew angles, elbows up to get past defenders, something we team was training many weeks back. Didn't come off truly on a couple of occasions though.
Gross strong breaks a tackle at 50, gives it to Davis who finds a forward I can't see, maybe Petch, who misses.
The rebound gets turned over and finds Hammer who marks I think, and gets a 50. Shot at goal from long range is good, he's having a nice quarter.
Touched behind, Maric goes long and right big pack roved by Ginbey and they get a mark and look for goals. Didn't see who. Bit of a scrap between two or three going on as 3QT is called.
Blue 70 Gold 67.
I need to piss Keys where are the dunnies?
11:50 now so think they're mostly calling it.
Group of about 25 doing repeat 3/4 ground runs. Ruben and Hunt up front, then Van Es, then a gap to Flynn and Duggo. Pretty informal at-your-own-pace kind of thing, some not going too hard.

 

[Keys]

Once again, got there as they were doing their last bit of skill drills before match sim

Bazzo and Reid were doing some run throughs on the outside oval - Bazzo was moving at good pace and looked comfortable doing so. Reid didn’t look quite as fluent though

Thought I saw Jamieson doing one of the skill drills when I arrived but it was on the far side of the oval from me so I could be wrong. Woodcock has reported he was there doing his own program

Waterman was a spectator and no sign of Sheed, Yeo and Kelly

Match sim - was split into 2x30 minute periods and a 20 minute period to finish. I’m going to refer to them as quarters even if there was only 3 of them because this isn’t ice hockey. Don’t like it, too bad

As has been mentioned the first quarter was a best v the rest with the A defenders switching sides with the B defenders for the final two quarters. There was also some switching of jumpers between some of the mids at times as well - the WAFL players were always on the gold team though so for the most part blue was the stronger team

Think the final score was blue 11.4 to gold 10.7 but there were some scoreboard shenanigans late in the first quarter to even up the scores a little (blue lost a goal and gold had 1.2 added to their score)

Overall, it was a more physical contest than last week with some solid tackles and hits throughout

Speed of ball movement was paramount and there were some nice passages of play. There were also some ugly passages and turnovers but you can see what they’re trying to do. Bit more intent to use the corridor this week as well

One aspect of our game that stood out was set shot goal kicking - several goals were kicked from 40m or further out from a variety of angles and only a couple of missed shots

Apart from the poor WAFL lad who looked to have suffered a serious leg injury after Jacob Brennan crashed into his back in a marking contest, there were no obvious injuries

Notes on individual players from what I saw (play at the southern end was hard to differentiate players)

• Ryan - played deeper this week but still had an impact with a couple of goals. Had a good run down tackle that earned him a HTB free kick. Aside from that he had a couple of good launches at MOTY attempts indicating a bit more confined his body.

• Baker - sat out last week due to a rolled ankle so this was the first time he’d appeared in full scale match sim. Arguably BOG, continually mopping up loose balls and providing run off half back. Has an impact physically which belies his size and will be sure to win over fans. Had a shot on goal to “win” the game from long range but missed narrowly to the left

• Hunt - played wing all game and got better the longer the game went. His run was very good and more impact than last week

• Ginbey - solid, if unspectacular, game. A bit more defensively minded than last week - perhaps a result of being matched against the A team forwards in the final two quarters

• Hewett - in the absence of Yeo, Kelly and Reid he was given plenty of time in the midfield, starting in the CBD. Some good moments and ran the sim out well which is a good sign

• Brockman - kicked a goal and helped set up a couple of others playing as a half forward. In a battle with a few others for the last couple of spots

• Allen - had a good hitout. Couple of goals and was often pushing high up the ground - twice he was the target from kickins to good effect. Also pushed deep into defence late in both the first and third quarters in what seemed a scenario based trial to protect a lead. Showed no signs of being troubled by his knee

• Long - split his time between wing and half forward. Showed some clever movement in traffic a couple of times and kicked a nice long range goal. Is noticeably bigger through his upper torso

• Duggan - found plenty of the ball through the first two quarters as a starting centre square mid. Disposal concentrates on territory over precision which won’t come as a surprise to many but you get the sense he’s going to be an important cog in McQualter’s game plan. Hobbled off late in the 2nd but came back out midway through the 3rd to run out the sim dispelling any concerns

• Cripps - not as dominant as last week and had a good battle with Cole over the last two quarters. Plenty of physicality between the two

• Owies - another who kicked a nice long range goal. Wasn’t a standout though and whilst he’ll likely get first dibs in the 22, he’s not miles ahead of the rest of the pack fighting for the last spots available

• Graham - like Baker he missed last week’s sim (for personal reasons rather than injury) so this was also my first look at him in a match sim. Wasn’t disappointed. Gives a really good physical presence around the contest and was part of the opening CBD rotation. Took it upon himself to give Gross a fair bit of physical attention. Good addition to our side I feel giving us something we’ve lacked

• Chesser - played wing for the B team and had a quiet day. Has a fair bit of work ahead of him to force his way into the side. Given the B team was using one, and sometimes two, WAFL players at CBDs it was a touch surprising Chesser didn’t get thrown in there - perhaps an indication he’s viewed as a wing and nothing else

• Hough - busy first quarter getting plenty of the ball but less noticeable after that. Solid effort and largely did what he had to

• McGovern - was cleaning everything up in the first quarter albeit with a couple of characteristic disposal errors and uncharacteristic fumbles. Found Allen with a couple of really good kickins.

• Petruccelle - again started for the B team at half forward in a sign there’s a few ahead of him in the pecking order. Had more influence than last week and helped set up a couple of scoring opportunities without hitting the scoreboard himself

• Reid - kicked one, maybe two goals, playing deep forward. Also spent time in the ruck. His mobility for a big guy is impressive. Going to be in an intriguing battle with Jack Williams for that forward/ruck spot

• Maric - somewhat surprisingly demoted to the B team to make way for Baker coming back into the fold. Possibly because they wanted him to get game time as the distributor from D50 rather than share with that role with McGovern. Played well enough and they did try to get the ball in his hands as his disposal is mostly effective. Made one blunder when he ran out of the square on a kickout and took a bounce before getting himself blocked in with some indecision. The resulting turnover cost a goal much to the displeasure of his teammates who let him know he’d ****ed up

• Johnston - played wing and HF (rather than HB) for the B team. Got his share of the ball without being dominant. Like that he kicks off both feet and has a great side step in traffic

• Flynn - continues to fight with Bailey Williams for the No.1 ruck spot but was relegated to the B team for the first bounce. Ruck work was a bit of a nil all draw but Flynn was better around the ground taking some good contested marks

• Allan - held his spot in the A team defence ahead of Maric. Impressive again. Strong attack on the ball and backs himself in. Will be putting pressure on Cole and Maric for the last defensive spot in the 22

• Gross - quieter than last week but that was a high bar and he still played well. Doesn’t panic and his hands are clean helping to set up a couple of goals. As mentioned earlier, Graham gave him a bit of a working over physically but he held his own without taking a backward step

• Cole - note that ROYAL EAGLE thought he was disappointing. Personally think that’s a bit harsh. Had a good battle with Cripps but will be looking over his shoulder at Bo Allan coming for his spot. Like a couple of others, he looks a bit bigger in the shoulders than previous years

• Hall - arguably BOG for gold. Won several centre clearances, kicked a nice goal and was generally a nuisance for the A team. Like the aggression he’s playing with and hitting the contest very hard

• Barnett - played deep in defence and mainly at the opposite end of the ground to me so I didn’t notice him much. Showed a surprising turn of pace trying to chase down Champion and nearly caught him after giving him a near 10m head start. Looks more confident in himself

• Grego - played HB for the B team and gave another good account of himself. He’s very composed with the ball in his hands taking time to find the best option. Shows no fear

• B Williams - as mentioned had a good battle with Flynn in the ruck but perhaps lowering his colours around the ground. Spent some time up forward in the last quarter with little impact. Personally think he’s behind Flynn

• J Williams - had a good game up forward with 3 goals. Presented well and was a constant threat. Did some backup ruck work but less than Reid

• Shanahan - like Barnett he was at the opposite end of the ground so didn’t get to see him up close too much. Did take one outstanding pack mark in defence showing his overhead prowess. On a learning curve but he just looks like he’ll be a very good player in time

• Rawlinson - provided some good forward half pressure but wasn’t overly impactful

• Champion - slotted a nice snap goal from a clever bit of roving and had his moments. Will be a development year in the WAFL I feel but definitely has something to work with

• Davis - spent the match on the wing for the B team and really came into his own in the last quarter. Found plenty of space with his run and had at least half a dozen possessions in the last 20 minutes. Looks a natural wingman

• Livingstone - probably the best I’ve seen him play. Gave McGovern some headaches in the 2nd quarter including a strong contested mark against him that should’ve resulted in a goal. The Champion goal was the result of Livingstone halving another contest with Gov that Malakai crumbed. Did kick a goal after nudging Edwards under the ball at the top of the goal square that maybe should’ve been a free kick (Harry “how the **** wasn’t that a push” Edwards thought so

• Edwards - solid. Set up a goal with a good intercept mark deep in defence that he moved in quickly to a player in space that enabled a nice chain of possession around the wing. No signs of any lingering foot issues

• Dewar - nice game on the wing for the A team. Can provide a point of difference with his pace and ball use. Definitely in the frame for a R1 berth

• Hutchinson - started on the bench but had an instant impact when he came on in the centre square. Threw his weight around and won a couple of centre clearances and busy around the ground. He’s not exactly like for like, but he’s the closest thing we have to a Yeo replacement. Seriously impressive game

• Brock - his game deserves a mention. Best I’ve seen from him this preseason- played well on Allen early and took a couple of nice defensive marks. Was confident enough to help run the ball out of defence a couple of times. Might just have played himself onto the list - he’s certainly put some space between he and Van Es (who was relatively quiet and mainly entrusted to play on smalls rather than KPFs)

All up it was a solid hit out but still plenty to work on. With the scrimmage against Richmond coming up on 17/2, I’m not sure we’ll have a repeat match sim like this next week

Baker and Hutchinson the two biggest positives for me this week

 

[domad33]

Lurker here, decided to go down to training for the first time and see the match sim up and close.

I haven’t mastered the art of training reports but I did take some notes of things I saw:

• Hutchinson caught my eye for team blue. Was playing in the middle and knows how to find the ball. Is quite gangly but if he fills out he’d be a really strong asset. Has a good leap on him too so has fyfe-like traits.
  
  
• Totally get the goss around Gross. Faster than I thought, plays direct, and is pretty clean in and under. Had a good moment punishing a turnover from Dewar switching into the corridor which led to a yellow goal.
  
  
• I’m predicting Long to have a solid season. His injury has made him fly under the radar a bit. Was around the ball and moves well. Think the quick gamestyle will suit him. Looks to have put on some weight too.
  
  
• Maric started on Yellow but then switched to Blue once they evened the teams. Expect him to have a lot more ball than last year as they use him a lot when attacking from HB – which most of us already know.
  
  
• Hall had some nice moments and sold some candy in the goal square.
  
  
• H. Edwards had a nice play taking a mark in a congested 50, went fast to Ryan on the flank who ran on, linked with cripps who went to Allen. Was a really fast rebound which you don’t often see from us. Also dropped a big F bomb when he got beaten (pushed in the back) lol.
  
  
• Was cool to see Hurn instructing the inexperienced backs: Brock, Barnett, Shanahan, Van Es, Grego, etc.

Only got to see the first 2Q’s as had to dip, but I’ll definitely be coming around more often.

 

[Keys]

Report from 6PR - apart from the guy not knowing the difference between 20 and 30 minutes it’s a fair enough run down

Baker, Graham, Hewett, Hutchinson and Dewar all get their fair share of praise