Training Saints preseason 2026

[aussierulesrules]

hopefully better than coffield.

Coff was tracking to be a gun player until the ACL and then the slew of injuries that followed. Totally derailed his career.

 

[Joffaboy]

Already stinking hot, still in the shit blue training tops.
Needed to go back to the car to get my big sun hat.
Barrat in red top.
Both Dodson and Doogs in blue tops meaning probably most of main training.
Tauru still with the right knee strapped in red top. Max out in red for more rehab. Clark as well. Actually it was Barrat not Max.
Hugo in runners carrying his boots, joind the rehab group. Must be on a modified program, doesn't seem injured.
Cant see Henry, Windy leading the way with warm up run throughs.
Up in the stand today. Two groups one with the band other run throughs. Trav and Windy working together, very intense.
Wood back in the main group with a no.1 haircut. Whatever happened to our list full of skinny kids? Stocker looking absolutely cut, big barrel chest. Always chunky but looks as fit as I have seen him . Boxshall in main training left knee strapped.
Three groups, close in ball drill. Closest to me positioning for forward attacking ball movement. Choosing the correct target. Groups swap after 5 minutes. Second group not as clean as the first ( first group had NAZ), but Stocker, Chito and Wilson tyding things up. Hall and Butler a bit wayward.
Dodson and Sincs doing run throughs, not involved.
Next group with TDK, JSOS, Pou, Hill, Dodson, Armstrong and Trav, slick af. Amazing that at 33 Hill still has extreme acceleration to break a line and set up the next play. Sincs involved in this. Last pass getting a bit sloppy, I'll give it to the defence zone and roll, very tight.
King snuck out while I wasn't looking. Doing a bit of gentle contested marking. Seems unemcumbered by the knee, moving well from side to side.
Two groups 8 minute drill, closest to me is stoppage drills, TDK v Roh. Sammy Flanders good driver in heavy traffic.
Lovely. Pou misses the ball, follows up and collars Boxshall.
Max off after 10 minutes. Doesn't look happy but then again when does he? Just gave someone a thumbs up. Looked knackered, probably worked his arse off inside. Cooled off now with some cloud cover..
So missed the next ten minutes as I decided to throw my credit card down a crack between the serving table and the food display at the cafe, had to get a handyman to get it back. Boomers hey?
Doogs back over with rehab, but obviously a modified program. Same with Dodson. No contact for either.
Gimme Gimme a man after midnight, homo eroticism at Saints training. Pride! Music still questionable.
8 min full field. Up to the stand for a better look.
Great chase. Lance, runs down Hill in full flight and affects the kick.
Some pretty unimpressive field kicking. Great smother from Coops who follows up with a goal. Wind affecting the kicking a bit.
Naz drops the mark, great transition off hb to Coops who kicks truly from the mark. Windy running the arcs and is linked up numerous times on the wing, two kicks from goal.
Trav the long kick into the forward line set up JSOS for the easy contested mark in defence.
Lots of missed passes, but this is what training is for.
Transition gets sloppy again, however this is now contested drills, not as easy when there is an opposition who wants the ball.
Carroll not transferring earlier training form into match condition form.
Two huddles. Mids on one with Harvs, the rest with another coach I cant see, maybe biscuit boy.
Two groups far side transition work, near side mids. Will go down to the fence for a look.
Dodson v TDK in the ruck. As tall as TDK and halving the contest. Now Roh v Dodson. Dodson is strong. Macrae, Dow and Flanders looking good at the stoppage. Rucks rotating. Same with mids.
Too look at our mids, Macrae, Windy, Pou, Flanders, Naz, Boxshall, Dow and our rucks TDK, Roh, and Dodson, hard to believe we considering what we had a few short years ago and had pages dedicated to Longer v Hickey, and all hoped Moose would be an AFL ruck. Keeler not rucking and playing forward BTW..
Was Wood over with rehab not Dodson who rucked v TDK and Roh and went ok.
Happy to see Paddy Dow

15

Paddy Dow

Age

26

Ht

184cm

Wt

83kg

Pos.

Mid

Career

Season

Last 5

D

14.1

4star

K

7.0

3star

HB

7.1

4star

M

2.1

2star

T

2.9

4star

CL

2.6

4star

D

7.0

1star

K

4.0

1star

HB

3.0

2star

M

3.0

3star

T

2.0

3star

CL

0.0

1star

D

12.4

4star

K

5.8

3star

HB

6.6

4star

M

1.6

2star

T

2.8

5star

CL

2.6

5star

getting more involved.
Banfield working with Pou, Windy and Boxshall contested ground ball gets with quick hands to the receiver.
Now McCrae and Dow join the group who is being taken by Shiel hopefully not teaching them how to duck .
Ground ball gets in a circle called fumble lots of talk and laughs. Fumble hey, obviously an Essendon drill
Elimination, first Windy, then Boxhall, now Pou. Now Dow, Ronnie and Banfield left. JSOS with the barrel from 55 for a post hieght goal. Walks off the track in triumph.
Thats all she wrote, will try for Friday match sim.
Injury news. LOC, cheek, eye socket and nose. Henry, they cant work out what the problem is. Maybe a very high strain above the hammy. Both disappointing for the two lads.
Adios Amigos.

 

[stavro#4]

Coff was tracking to be a gun player until the ACL and then the slew of injuries that followed. Totally derailed his career.

I think that’s some revisionism here and I was a big Coff fan.

Had a great 2020. Really Poor 2021. Then did his acl off a big summer.

 

[Significant]

I agree. I dont know why the Saints did that or sign players for only 2 years. When you know that they will be good. Like initially offering Windhager 2 years. Dont get that.

It's actually been quite clever (to an extent). We have only strategically extended a few on long term contracts (King and Higgins the two that come to mind), which gives us significant flexibility for how we structure our TPP in the short term (refer NWM, TDK salaries, opportunity to go again at FA this year, etc.). We wouldn't be able to do that with more than 50% of the list tied up in multi-year contracts.

In saying that, there is a tipping point, and we are in a commercially competitive environment where heads can be turned.

I don't think we have hit the sweet spot as I agree with you - I think we now need to start committing to our identified core and give them greater tenure to protect ourselves and value them appropriately.

But I think SOS is at the forefront of salary management, investing big into a select few, and managing around the edges for others to provide the flexibility required.

 

[Yabadoo22]

Anyone else having trouble trying to buy tickets to the praccy game in Ballarat?

 

[ULTIMATE_WARRIOR]

w

Anyone else having trouble trying to buy tickets to the praccy game in Ballarat?

Yep. Just says an error has occurred.

These ticket agencies are pure hopeless

 

[aussierulesrules]

I think that’s some revisionism here and I was a big Coff fan.

Had a great 2020. Really Poor 2021. Then did his acl off a big summer.

I’m not sure what your definition of “tracking to be a gun player” is, but when you have a top 10 pick, who came 5th in the B&F of a team that won a final, before his 21st birthday, was terrific in said final, made the 22Under22 team of the year, then as you said stunk it up the following year, before hiring a personal trainer, getting really fit and by all reports was killing it in match sim and widely tipped to have a big breakout year, at 22/23yo.

Including by the coach, who said he told a reporter just days before he did the ACL that he was unquestionably the guy for us who he thought was going to have a breakout year.

To me, that’s a guy who was on track to be a “gun player”. If you have a different definition of “gun” that’s OK. It’s not an objective measurement.

I’m not suggesting he was on track to be a 6-time AA, HOF’er, but I always thought it would be a disappointment if he didn’t make at least one. Just my opinion though.

 

[ScrappyDo]

I also thought he could play on, Micheal Tuck like. Big loss.
Someone said it’s hard to know what RTB has in mind for Hastie and Stocker. I’ve watched those last two minutes against Melbourne so many times and you can see both in action in the desperate last seconds. Stocker can’t quite hang on to possession after the atrocious Caminiti pass and Hastie allows himself to be corralled over the boundary, much to RTBs frustration. Then of course, the Windy, Wood, NAS miracle chain changes everything.

Could Hastie be a marker or is he more of a ground player? He is quite rangy, almost like Coffield.

Stocker is a known quantity there's nothing to question. Hastie will show his goods in time, it's just that elite kicking probably won't be one of them. I think Gilbo is the closest comparison, Coff not so much.

 

[ScrappyDo]

Agree, I was also surprised we let him go, but it does strongly suggest they believe we have his role covered, so I look forward to seeing how it plays out.

It’s a very important role, especially with so many of the top teams having so many dangerous small guys up forward.

I think he probably legitimately retired rather than let go.

 

[SG34]

We must have watched different versions of that last quarter. What I saw was Hastie splitting a 50/50 contest by pressuring Bowie and forcing the ball out of bounds on the wing. Allowing us to reset from stoppage, The very stoppage that resulted in Wood recieving the ball on the outside for the kick inside 50 to NAS.
Not to mention the strong grab he took infront of Pickett to lock the ball in our front half.
Thought Hastie had some big moments.

That’s one way to look at it. I saw RTBs face and assumed he was a bit miffed. Don’t know what else Hastie could have done. Or Stocker for that matter. Only NAS might have made that ball stick. I def rate Hastie and Stocker is an honest battler. On a side note, I wonder who put NAS to full-forward!? What a move! Darren Jarman, Dangerfield flashback

 

[Saints4ever]

Already stinking hot, still in the shit blue training tops.
Needed to go back to the car to get my big sun hat.
Barrat in red top.
Both Dodson and Doogs in blue tops meaning probably most of main training.
Tauru still with the right knee strapped in red top. Max out in red for more rehab. Clark as well. Actually it was Barrat not Max.
Hugo in runners carrying his boots, joind the rehab group. Must be on a modified program, doesn't seem injured.
Cant see Henry, Windy leading the way with warm up run throughs.
Up in the stand today. Two groups one with the band other run throughs. Trav and Windy working together, very intense.
Wood back in the main group with a no.1 haircut. Whatever happened to our list full of skinny kids? Stocker looking absolutely cut, big barrel chest. Always chunky but looks as fit as I have seen him . Boxshall in main training left knee strapped.
Three groups, close in ball drill. Closest to me positioning for forward attacking ball movement. Choosing the correct target. Groups swap after 5 minutes. Second group not as clean as the first ( first group had NAZ), but Stocker, Chito and Wilson tyding things up. Hall and Butler a bit wayward.
Dodson and Sincs doing run throughs, not involved.
Next group with TDK, JSOS, Pou, Hill, Dodson, Armstrong and Trav, slick af. Amazing that at 33 Hill still has extreme acceleration to break a line and set up the next play. Sincs involved in this. Last pass getting a bit sloppy, I'll give it to the defence zone and roll, very tight.
King snuck out while I wasn't looking. Doing a bit of gentle contested marking. Seems unemcumbered by the knee, moving well from side to side.
Two groups 8 minute drill, closest to me is stoppage drills, TDK v Roh. Sammy Flanders good driver in heavy traffic.
Lovely. Pou misses the ball, follows up and collars Boxshall.
Max off after 10 minutes. Doesn't look happy but then again when does he? Just gave someone a thumbs up. Looked knackered, probably worked his arse off inside. Cooled off now with some cloud cover..
So missed the next ten minutes as I decided to throw my credit card down a crack between the serving table and the food display at the cafe, had to get a handyman to get it back. Boomers hey?
Doogs back over with rehab, but obviously a modified program. Same with Dodson. No contact for either.
Gimme Gimme a man after midnight, homo eroticism at Saints training. Pride! Music still questionable.
8 min full field. Up to the stand for a better look.
Great chase. Lance, runs down Hill in full flight and affects the kick.
Some pretty unimpressive field kicking. Great smother from Coops who follows up with a goal. Wind affecting the kicking a bit.
Naz drops the mark, great transition off hb to Coops who kicks truly from the mark. Windy running the arcs and is linked up numerous times on the wing, two kicks from goal.
Trav the long kick into the forward line set up JSOS for the easy contested mark in defence.
Lots of missed passes, but this is what training is for.
Transition gets sloppy again, however this is now contested drills, not as easy when there is an opposition who wants the ball.
Carroll not transferring earlier training form into match condition form.
Two huddles. Mids on one with Harvs, the rest with another coach I cant see, maybe biscuit boy.
Two groups far side transition work, near side mids. Will go down to the fence for a look.
Dodson v TDK in the ruck. As tall as TDK and halving the contest. Now Roh v Dodson. Dodson is strong. Macrae, Dow and Flanders looking good at the stoppage. Rucks rotating. Same with mids.
Too look at our mids, Macrae, Windy, Pou, Flanders, Naz, Boxshall, Dow and our rucks TDK, Roh, and Dodson, hard to believe we considering what we had a few short years ago and had pages dedicated to Longer v Hickey, and all hoped Moose would be an AFL ruck. Keeler not rucking and playing forward BTW..
Was Wood over with rehab not Dodson who rucked v TDK and Roh and went ok.
Happy to see Paddy Dow getting more involved.
Banfield working with Pou, Windy and Boxshall contested ground ball gets with quick hands to the receiver.
Now McCrae and Dow join the group who is being taken by Shiel hopefully not teaching them how to duck .
Ground ball gets in a circle called fumble lots of talk and laughs. Fumble hey, obviously an Essendon drill
Elimination, first Windy, then Boxhall, now Pou. Now Dow, Ronnie and Banfield left. JSOS with the barrel from 55 for a post hieght goal. Walks off the track in triumph.
Thats all she wrote, will try for Friday match sim.
Injury news. LOC, cheek, eye socket and nose. Henry, they cant work out what the problem is. Maybe a very high strain above the hammy. Both disappointing for the two lads.
Adios Amigos.

Thanks for another great training report.

Sounds like skills where a bit sloppy today and the reports of Carroll are a bit disappointing I had really high hopes with him.

 

[thekizzler]

I get that everyone is super keen on Dodson, and I totally see the potential. The problem is, if he lives up to said potential, no ways he wants to spend the next 7 years playing second fiddle to TDK. Much like Luke Jackson and Gawn, if clubs come for him hard, we will really struggle to keep him.

And this is okay.

We want our talent to be that good that clubs come after them.

Obviously we want to keep most of our talent, but there will be some players that are squeezed out of a successful system.

We can't have it all our own way.

 

[tony74]

Our thoughts and wishes are with Liam today as he goes in for surgery

 

[Saints4ever]

Our thoughts and wishes are with Liam today as he goes in for surgery

Henry or O’Connell?

I’m assuming it’s not Stocker or Ryan.

Is Liam the new Jack

 

[akaifu]

 

[aussierulesrules]

Henry or O’Connell?

I’m assuming it’s not Stocker or Ryan.

Is Liam the new Jack

Bloody hell, that’s snuck up on me!

I assumed he was referring to Henry but yeah it could just as easily be LOC.

 

[Hugga]

Bloody hell, that’s snuck up on me!

I assumed he was referring to Henry but yeah it could just as easily be LOC.

Based on joffaburns' training report above, it would be LOC (eye socket, cheek, nose)

 

[Saints4ever]

Based on joffaburns' training report above, it would be LOC (eye socket, cheek, nose)

That was my first thought just wanted to confirm it wasn’t Henry’s hammy as that would be a massive blow

 

[Armitage2Riewoldt]

Perhaps both? Let's hope their doctors didn't mix them up too.

 

[Joffaboy]

Based on joffaburns' training report above, it would be LOC (eye socket, cheek, nose)

Joffaburns pfft. I am named after my hero Joffa Corfe who appears in the Epstein files more than Trump

 

[Moquo]

Perhaps both? Let's hope their doctors didn't mix them up too.

JoffaBurns and Joffaboy?

 

[tony74]

Based on joffaburns' training report above, it would be LOC (eye socket, cheek, nose)

Yep, LOC. His mums come out from Ireland-absolutely quality family

 

[TheSaintsAreComing!]

w


Yep. Just says an error has occurred.

These ticket agencies are pure hopeless

if you get on now, you should be able to get tickets. Was successful getting a couple of tickets just then

 

[aussierulesrules]

Yep, LOC. His mums come out from Ireland-absolutely quality family

Disappointing news for him. Hope it goes well.

Are there are any guys who are basically looking like being no chance of playing the first couple of rounds, outside of presumably Henry and LOC, and maybe Max?

 

[Joffaboy]

Disappointing news for him. Hope it goes well.

Are there are any guys who are basically looking like being no chance of playing the first couple of rounds, outside of presumably Henry and LOC, and maybe Max?

Tauru, Barrat, and Clark are in rehab so they must be in some doubt.