Training Preseason Training Thread - 2026

[Keys]

The below is the OG faux training report from nearly 9 years ago - often imitated but never surpassed

In the absence of Keys I went down for a trundle this morning to check them out on return. Just a few random notes I took down...

• A lot of running work again, clearly a focus even in the heat.
• Duggan looked on and was hitting targets left and right. Set for a huge 2017.
• Giles went up against Vardy in the ruck contests and I'd say that Giles has the inside running at the moment.
• Mitchell looked a class above the other midfielders bar Priddis. Just knew how to find the footy and wouldn't miss a target all session. Shuey was very quiet and seemed to be taking direction from Mitchell. Doesn't bode well for his captaincy credentials, maybe he doesn't want the gig?
• Won't say too much about it in case I was just reading too much into it, but Rioli looked as though he'd enjoyed the Christmas break a bit too much. A few of the coaches pulled him aside and they were having quite an animated conversation before Rioli was sent to do laps for the rest of the session. Good news for Le Cras, I suppose.
• Sheed kicked on his right foot for 80% of the session, I reckon. Nice to see players working on their non-preferred so readily.
• Petrie looked like he was doing a great job 'coaching' the younger forwards in between the drills. Darling in particular seemed to be following him around.
• Gee Venables has some skills. He mainly jogged laps before spending the last half hour or so on set shots - curled a few beauties from behind the boundary line at the end for a bit of fun. Hardly saw him miss a kick.
• What interested me the most was that McGovern split his time between the defenders and the forwards, could be seeing a swingman role in 2017. He was his usual dominant self down back in some match simulation drills before going head-to-head with Mackenzie in a forward role.
• Bayok is very fast - Cripps was in most of the drills with him and couldn't keep up.
• Nelson is pale as buggery and still doesn't really have the body shape you'd expect of an AFL player.
• There was a big bloke who pulled up next to me and I could have sworn it was Suma, but I'm sure I was wrong...
• Masto was the player picked to kick the goal at the end today and nailed it. Celebrations were huge.
• No sign of Cole, Parto or Hill. Couldn't tell you why.

Will upload pics later if I have time. Let me know if you have any questions!

You might wonder why I’ve put this up and stickied it

Because this is the standard all copies should be measured against and it’s a reminder of how high the bar was set

And to hopefully discourage sequels.

If you want to have a crack in my absence, go ahead but if it doesn’t equal the standard set (as judged by me), then expect

• A one week threadban for a first offence
• A two week threadban for a second offence
• A one year threadban for a third offence

Actual training reports, minus discussion, can become found here:

Training - Preseason Training Reports -2025/26

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

www.bigfooty.com

 

[FKASC]

Did we ever find out who DY is

Watch a training session and you will see

Why he is in the leadership role

 

[Rowan18]

Did we ever find out who DY is

No - I am still waiting for the reply to my original question!

Sure, I get it was a typo, but I still can't figure out who it was supposed to be. Tylah Williams? Tim Kelly?

 

[THE A5]

Watch a training session and you will see

Why he is in the leadership role

Wait is he the ranga?

 

[Bender_]

DY is Mini's AI bot he's been using to write motivational speeches.

Apparently he used it during half-time of the intraclub and the Eagles went on to kick the next 12 goals to 1, so must've worked well.

 

[Kegs15]

Hate that Flynn was voted into the leadership group because ideally imo he shouldn’t even be selected to play. BWill starting off injured probably helps him and the club for the most part sees him as the first option still, but by god he just stinks

As long as selection integrity is maintained I think it's a great call.

By all reports coming out of the club a great teammate and leader figure amongst the players. Has been the AFLW ruck coach, love the integration between programs (especially given we likely can't afford a full time ruck coach in the women's team cap wise) but also great sign of his involvement around the club - most importantly however I think would be the experience he's got from that in working with a ruck division from a bird's eye perspective to maximise the team's strengths.

He may not be an outstanding player but we've got some outstanding talent coming through who at least dabble in the ruck position - it's probably one of our biggest balancing acts going forward in terms of development. Having a team first player in the leadership group with coaching experience who's able to speak on behalf of those players in team meetings should be invaluable. Am always a bit of a fan of having a leadership group representative from all lines on the field, would make for more productive discussions in that space IMO.

Also outside captains and/or vice captains I don't think the external media pressure is anywhere near as intense around the team selection - leadership group dillema. I'll back him in to not be stretching his own gameday value in a leadership capacity.

FWIW I don't rate him that highly as a player but for now who better to represent our young ruck brigade? In 2 years I'd hope we have a CDT/AReid/JWilliams rotating trifecta or my boy Bailey flips things around and randomly dominates - if others come into their own then fine, he should move out of leadership. But for now Flynn is 28, the most knowledgeable about ruck craft and without any other clear ruck leaders am happy he's in that spot.

 

[Schtinker]

Did we ever find out who DY is

 

[Yeahnahmate]

Not Really.

He's not there for the Onfield Leadership. his role would be primarily off-field and within the locker room. Flynn by all reports is a glue type of player that helps with making players relaxed and is easy to open up to.
He's the type of person that will resolve issues before it even hits Duggan/Bakers Desk.

So even if he's playing WAFL that type of leadership is valuable at any level he's playing at.

That’s pretty fair, within that context I get it. I do wonder who will take over when he’s delisted though haha

 

[Yeahnahmate]

As long as selection integrity is maintained I think it's a great call.

By all reports coming out of the club a great teammate and leader figure amongst the players. Has been the AFLW ruck coach, love the integration between programs (especially given we likely can't afford a full time ruck coach in the women's team cap wise) but also great sign of his involvement around the club - most importantly however I think would be the experience he's got from that in working with a ruck division from a bird's eye perspective to maximise the team's strengths.

He may not be an outstanding player but we've got some outstanding talent coming through who at least dabble in the ruck position - it's probably one of our biggest balancing acts going forward in terms of development. Having a team first player in the leadership group with coaching experience who's able to speak on behalf of those players in team meetings should be invaluable. Am always a bit of a fan of having a leadership group representative from all lines on the field, would make for more productive discussions in that space IMO.

Also outside captains and/or vice captains I don't think the external media pressure is anywhere near as intense around the team selection - leadership group dillema. I'll back him in to not be stretching his own gameday value in a leadership capacity.

FWIW I don't rate him that highly as a player but for now who better to represent our young ruck brigade? In 2 years I'd hope we have a CDT/AReid/JWilliams rotating trifecta or my boy Bailey flips things around and randomly dominates - if others come into their own then fine, he should move out of leadership. But for now Flynn is 28, the most knowledgeable about ruck craft and without any other clear ruck leaders am happy he's in that spot.

I do agree with this but the last paragraph about him potentially being overtaken is kind of my point. We are there now. He’s arguably neck and neck with BWill (excluding current injury) and they are both different varieties of stink. I understand you don’t need to be a star to be a leader but I think he is a terrible playing option who will be forgotten pretty quick. All good if he’s a decent team guy in the meantime I guess. I’d prefer if he could play footy though

 

[bzparkes]

Just watched Long's highlights and they were seriously good. Probably about 4 or 5 kicks inside 50 that lead to goals and kicked a couple himself. Also, he's always been a good tackler and a few nice passages where he took the right option, or tapped it onto a teammate.

Hopefully he has a really strong season. Just a very smart footballer with clean skills.

 

[RustyShacklefordFalcon]

Just watched Long's highlights and they were seriously good. Probably about 4 or 5 kicks inside 50 that lead to goals and kicked a couple himself. Also, he's always been a good tackler and a few nice passages where he took the right option, or tapped it onto a teammate.

Hopefully he has a really strong season. Just a very smart footballer with clean skills.

That's mah boy

 

[Sneh]

Groinus strikes

 

[Monocle]

Warning ( and apologies one and all, as this is a bit of an in joke when THE A5 reads and listens to this post he is going to feel very disorientated and not know what board he is on.

 

[Cuzz09]

Long needs more of it or become Cyril in terms of pressure

 

[Astro7]

Been watching a while but first time posting.

Thought lots of players had very good games and liked the look of our young players.

Only question marks with so many positives is watching the game whilst Kelly had a great game he did pull out of a defensive chase almost straight away because he thought he couldn't make it at least once. Some great handballs in particular releasing players though and very close to BOG.

Duursma had the great receive and running goal but his other 2 shots on goal were absolute shanks one to the left and one to the right.

CDT really impressed me. Looks like he's got very good game sense above all else and is a very good kick for his size.

Lindsay's kicking is very very good, but I think people are overhyping it. I still think McCarthy is the best kick on our list but Lindsay looks like a very useful player, was faster than expected and hit some very nice passes. Needs time and development on the defensive side of his game.

Shoenberg whilst he did a lot really at any opportunity just blazed away at goal when there were other options at times.

As a team we still look very susceptible to fast rebound and our best 23 on paper looks both a bit slow in defence and also has some suspect kicking.

I also don't think either Tylah Williams or Dewar are small forwards. They can play forward but are more HHF and Dewar in particular potentially looks better as a high class kicking defender. Might take another season or two.

Loved Harley being a lot more team focussed, he looked very impressive there and McCarthy looks like he'll make a very good first receiving mid in the centre and also very good around the ground. Amazing composure and awareness. If Yeo can come along for the ride even in a slightly diminished capacity the midfield is looking much, much better.

Hello to all

Good post, curious, who do you see being our new/eventual crafty small forward?

 

[Yeahnahmate]

Just watched Long's highlights and they were seriously good. Probably about 4 or 5 kicks inside 50 that lead to goals and kicked a couple himself. Also, he's always been a good tackler and a few nice passages where he took the right option, or tapped it onto a teammate.

Hopefully he has a really strong season. Just a very smart footballer with clean skills.

Long needs more of it or become Cyril in terms of pressure

Yeah that intraclub showed we weren’t hallucinating about Long’s talent pre injury. And the point below is right - the knock has always been does he find it enough to be impactful consistently. Really hope so, because when he is on he’s remarkably nifty in traffic

 

[Elite Pete]

Mostly good news.

Hewett and Young to get mins this weekend.

Duggan - protocols 1 week*
Brockman -6 Weeks
Gross - 4-6 weeks*
Hough- 1 week
Graham and Starcevich minor soft tissue injuries. Should be good for rd1*
BWill ramping up
Hutchinson and Fred a bit vague but progressing.
Sam Allan still out.

Assuming Baker and Waterman don’t play. That’s 12 out this weekend, will be interesting to see how they work it. Yeo doubtful or limited mins as well.

Going by the Hawks and Cats numbers yesterday. I’d guess at least 5 others don’t suit up.

 

[BSD]

Good post, curious, who do you see being our new/eventual crafty small forward?

 

[BSD]

Is Long better than Champion and Williams as a small forward ?

 

[Elite Pete]

Is Long better than Champion and Williams as a small forward ?

Unknown imo. There is a spot there for one or two of them but Long does have the extra preseasons so should be right now. Big couple of games for both all of them.

 

[Rowan18]

Mostly good news.

Hewett and Young ti get mins this weekend.

Duggan - protocols
Brockman -6weeks
Gross - 4 weeks?
Hough back to the main group
Graham and Starcevich minor soft tissue injuries.
BWill ramping up
Hutchinson and Fred a bit vague but progressing.
Sam Allan still out.

Assuming Baker and Waterman don’t play. That’s 12 out this weekend, will be interesting to see how they work it. Yeo doubtful imo as well.

Surely Yeo plays some more minutes? Or maybe this is his big hit out and they rest him for Port (to give good recovery for rnd 1). Rnd 1 is 3 weekends away, so if he's not fit now he's probably not going to be.

 

[Elite Pete]

Surely Yeo plays some more minutes? Or maybe this is his big hit out and they rest him for Port (to give good recovery for rnd 1). Rnd 1 is 3 weekends away, so if he's not fit now he's probably not going to be.

Yeah, maybe him and Hewett swap at half time or 3QT.

 

[bzparkes]

Is Long better than Champion and Williams as a small forward ?

Currently he is.

I'd have him ahead of Owies also, unless Owies is able to transform himself into a pressure forward, which he did alright at in the intra.

Champion did look pretty good in the intra. Williams needs some time to develop but I like that he looked to take the game on.

Realistically though, Long's the logical Cripps replacement. Similar in style, just a bit less goal-hungry and doesn't fumble as much.

 

[THE A5]

Mostly good news.

Hewett and Young to get mins this weekend.

Duggan - protocols 1 week*
Brockman -6 Weeks
Gross - 4-6 weeks*
Hough- 1 week
Graham and Starcevich minor soft tissue injuries. Should be good for rd1*
BWill ramping up
Hutchinson and Fred a bit vague but progressing.
Sam Allan still out.

Assuming Baker and Waterman don’t play. That’s 12 out this weekend, will be interesting to see how they work it. Yeo doubtful or limited mins as well.

Going by the Hawks and Cats numbers yesterday. I’d guess at least 5 others don’t suit up.

Wait what happened to gross and mike tyson?

 

[Dom sheed pocket]

Mostly good news.

Hewett and Young to get mins this weekend.

Duggan - protocols 1 week*
Brockman -6 Weeks
Gross - 4-6 weeks*
Hough- 1 week
Graham and Starcevich minor soft tissue injuries. Should be good for rd1*
BWill ramping up
Hutchinson and Fred a bit vague but progressing.
Sam Allan still out.

Assuming Baker and Waterman don’t play. That’s 12 out this weekend, will be interesting to see how they work it. Yeo doubtful or limited mins as well.

Going by the Hawks and Cats numbers yesterday. I’d guess at least 5 others don’t suit up.

Don’t be surprised if Duggan is in protocols longer than 12 days.

They’ve made the progression milestones in the protocols harder to pass, average time players spend in concussion protocols was 21 days last year. Not to mention Duggan has had a couple of concussions now.

 

[Jeremy McLovin]

Don’t be surprised if Duggan is in protocols longer than 12 days.

They’ve made the progression milestones in the protocols harder to pass, average time players spend in concussion protocols was 21 days last year. Not to mention Duggan has had a couple of concussions now.

Nah it'll be fine, we have a great record with our defenders passing the protocols.

Wait, ****