Training Report - Friday Jan 5th

[WaynesWorld19]

Ventured down again this morning.....the day was very different to yesterday, more footy work and no pure running.

Didn't see Goodwin,McGregor, Gill, Vince or Tippett train .....Vince may still be having inside work arising after his knee op, Goodwin as I reported yesterday didn't look in tip top condition ...not sure if he's had some injury concerns.

Lots of tackling drills today, boundary line clearance work and full ground drills to moving the ball down the centre corridor to leading forwards.
All drills had defenders so was done under pressure.

Standout for the session again was Bock who looks in excellent condition ....marked everything, ran like a hare and harrased when defending.
All the drills had him as a leading forward and stationed at CHF.

In the tackling drills Douglas and Macca were matched and in their first dual both ended up with bleeding heads and had to have treatment ....both returned to complete the session.

Maric and Meesen were matched for a lot of the session ...Messen showing better evasive and tackling skills than Maric.

Took More notice of Pfeiffer today and he was impressive .....worked hard and displayed very good skills.

Campbell seemed to take little part in the drills ....may have a shoulder problem ...he departed midway thru the session.

Biglands and Stevens spent nearly the whole session on the bikes.

Player Comments:

Knights: Looks in great shape, never considered him quick but today he covered the ground very well and disposal looked good.

Reilly: continued like yesterday and is in for a good season.

Sellar: very very impressive ....has a body that could play this year and certainly you wouldn't discount that possibility based on what I have seen over a couple of days.

Mackay: This kid looks classy, despite some comments after he was drafted he is quick. Tends to fumble of the ground a bit too much and his body is so thin that in a contest he's not going to win many ....but give him open space and he carry's the ball and hits targets ...will be damaging once he puts on weight and "learns" how to win his own ball.

Meesen: as I said super impressive today, more so than Maric but that's not saying he was disappointing just that Meesen beat him on points today ....2 super talents though.

Griffin: Was involved at the session end with Hudson, Maric and Meesen practising ruck contests with the jump bag ....but other than that was mainly positioned in forward setups with some of the drills against Sellar. Hands looked soft to me and as I said yesterday Iam really uncertain as to what his role may be for the AFC ....yet a 200cm player who runs like a midfielder obviously gets clubs excited????

Hinge: training impressively and looks as though he belongs out there ....nothing special but seems to be a solid performer which would not be of dismay the coaching panel.

Douglas: Said yesterday that the extra kgs he has put on wasn't that noticable.....may have to retract that as when you see Mackay who was about the same weight as Douglas was last PS the difference is very noticable.
Very classy today ...smooth mover with excellent foot skills.

Jericho: again was positioned in the midfield rotations in some of the full ground skills rather than being positioned as a forward or defender. Not sure you read anything into that but as I said yesterday my guess is HB or Wing.

Archard: was expecting a "jockey" when I saw him but he obviously has put on weight because he is solid and has an AFL body. Not an athlete but is a footballer with average pace in the Porplyzia mould. You can see he has a footy brain though and his foot skills were excellent.

Porplyzia: Doesn't seemed to have gained any pace but his skills are superb, his footpassing the best out there today.

Massie: Meh! ....took a long time to recognise him today and I thought it might have been a SANFL invite because he trained nothing special. On what I saw today and yesterday he hasn't impressed me with his training.

Welsh: looks a lot bigger, upper body that is ....trained as you would expect ...solid.

Gallman: This guy is busting his gut in every drill he has undertaken ....doesn't look bad. So if desire and work ethic leads to skill improvement this kid could be a chance at years end.

Turner: Very much back to the pack once the competitive drills started. Didn't have good enough evasive skills or strong enough body to really compete. Lets see how he develops during the saeson b4 passing judjement.

Macca, Edwards, Roo, Mattner, Bassett all trained as you would expect seasoned AFL performers to train. Roo looks back to 100% fitness.

As with yeterday there was a small group off to the side doing hand skill work ....possibly part of an injury group: Mcintyre, Burton, Doughty, Stevens.

Overall impression which I think is a great sign was that the training performance was very even. Iam used to seeing a lot of standout performers and the "dag-a-longs" ...no evidence today as the whole group trained at a high level.
I did have the impression though that the traing was more low key than the last 2 PS ....could it be we are starting this season more slowly???

 

[-CG-]

Thanks again for the report WW Great to hear that Bock is in great shape and maybe Jericho could be a bit of surprise later in the year. Hopefully I'll get down to training next week myself

 

[crowsarethebest]

Thanks again for the report. On Griffin.. the club obviously rate him a lot. Mainly due to his athletic abilities.

 

[Eggzoi]

Thanks for the report. May I ask where Sellar was playing and does he look capable of breaking into the senior side this year? I would think it's very unlikely especially as he was bottom age when drafted but we can hope.
In the ruck duals/practice was was winning? It would seem that Meesen is better around the ground but between him and Maric who would you guess is more capable in the ruck? Is the gap in their around the ground work significant?

 

[Drummond]

Great stuff again WW.

Meesen outgunned Maric again today eh? Not at all surprising.

And good to hear about Pfeiffer. He's an outstanding talent and although he’s been under the radar during his time with the Crows, he will develop into a fine AFL player.

And in regards to Campbell, maybe he’s still suffering from his ankle injury. Late in the year he badly injured it and although he played on (showing his courage), he had to be carried off and was out for the final few games of the year. He might still be feeling the affects.

 

[betterthanu]

WW, I would be interested to hear what u think our round 1 22 would be on ur observations?

 

[conVINCEd]

Huge thanks, Waynes-World - very, very much appreciated.

I'm stoked to hear Bock training as a forward.

I wouldn't be surprised if we do aim at peaking towards the end of the season rather than from round 1, considering our collapse last year.

Does Scott Stevens appear to have bulked up at all?

 

[Adam BK]

Once again thank you WW and another enjoyable read.

 

[macca23]

Quality work once again WW!!

We may have to draft you from Victoria as a permanent track watcher based on your efforts this week!!

When Stiffy (the poster) logs in from Serbia or herever he is, he'll live up to his name when he reads your reports!!!

 

[tribey]

WW, any info about our boy Shirley?

 

[WaynesWorld19]

Thanks for the report. May I ask where Sellar was playing and does he look capable of breaking into the senior side this year? I would think it's very unlikely especially as he was bottom age when drafted but we can hope.
In the ruck duals/practice was was winning? It would seem that Meesen is better around the ground but between him and Maric who would you guess is more capable in the ruck? Is the gap in their around the ground work significant?

1. Sellar was not involved in any of the ruck contests or programs ...was purely used as a forwrd target alternating with his opponent (after each contest the forwd would become the defender and vica a verca ).

IMO he was very strong at the ball ....he looked strong and attacked the ball aggressively - he didn't look to be a first year player. He's fast, takes a very good grab, is an excellent long and short kick and has good ground skills.

I've seen his U18 championship games and apart from his illness he appeared to always be positioning himself incorrectly at the contest or running to "bad" parts of the ground. In other words I thought he was playing as a ruckman would and he was on the outskirts of too many contests rather than in the thick of the action using his bulk to create paths for smalls or dishing the ball off.

He has to "learn" how to play as a key forward ....but he is obviously not a dumb player so Iam confident he will be "special" for us. With full time education as to how to play the CHF role the way Craig wants it played, he will learn quickly and IMO he has more attributes that will see him a better player than Gumbleton and Hansen.

I see no reason why he couldn't play out of a pocket at some stage this season ....in fact based on training I have seen I'd be disappointed if he didn't get 1-2 games this season.

2. Meesen is stronger than Maric ....today he was able to evade and break Maric's tackles, but Meesen was easily able to tackle and stop Maric. Meesen is a body on body ruckman, needing to strengthen his body to be at his best ....hence he will take longer to develop. Maric is the better tap ruckman but doesn't have as much endurance as Meesen, he gets claer hand to balls and contests whereas ATS Meesen tends to nullify more than win contests much the same as Hudson.

But they're different players who will compliment each other. I like Meesens agression.....he does look the better player to thrive in tight close finals type footy because of his evassive skills ....Maric probably prefers the open free flowing game.

But really we're comparing styles more than one is better than the other ......Iam more than happy having both.

 

[WaynesWorld19]

WW, I would be interested to hear what u think our round 1 22 would be on ur observations?

Gee that's hard ...I've never done it because we're still a couple of months away from the real stuff and a lot can happen but let me answer this way:

Dead Certs - failing injury
16
Roo
Macleod
Bassett
Bock
Hudson
Johncock
Mattner
Burton
Perrie
Rutten
Thompson
Reilly
Goodwin
Maric
Edwards
Van Berlo

Probables
10
Shirley
Porplyzia
Knights
Stevens
Torney
Doughty
McGregor
Douglas
Bode
Welsh

Possibles
3
Meesen
Jericho
Massie

That's 26 players between the dead certs and probables so that gives us all cause to look forward to a good season as with Meesen, Jericho, Massie, Sellar ....missing out our list is looking as good as it has ever been.

 

[betterthanu]

in fact based on training I have seen I'd be disappointed if he didn't get 1-2 games this season.

I just came a little

 

[WaynesWorld19]

Huge thanks, Waynes-World - very, very much appreciated.

I'm stoked to hear Bock training as a forward.

I wouldn't be surprised if we do aim at peaking towards the end of the season rather than from round 1, considering our collapse last year.

Does Scott Stevens appear to have bulked up at all?[/QUOTE]
...maybe slightly due to his natural maturation ?

What did surprise me yesterday was how good a runner he is ....very good running action and quite quick over the ground.

I have always questioned his abilities in this area ....perhaps it is more the first 10-15 mtrs that he struggles with ...but yesterday he was more than holding his own comfortably with Burton over 100mtrs ...although not racing it was at 3/4 pace.

 

[WaynesWorld19]

WW, any info about our boy Shirley?

Shirley has reached his potential ...along with Bassett, Roo, Edwards they all train at about the same as they have over the last 3-4 years so you don't really notice much difference in their training.

Shirley is not a player who stands out at training. Had the same impression with Campbell and Archard to a degree. Massie and Torney are others that don't particularly catch your eye.

What tends to take your eye are the players who have a unique quality to them ....Bock at 193cm running as hard as he is stands out ....Porplyzia with his precise hand and foot skills stands out ....Sellar because of his size and mobility stands out ...Macleod with his rolls royce running action and ground coverage stands out.


Of the new players Mackay also stands out as having some unique qualities, although he is a long long way off, his carrying of the ball and long precise kicking does grab your attention.

Likewise Jericho's physical presentation and speed also is quite eye catching.

 

[tribey]

Shirley has reached his potential ...along with Bassett, Roo, Edwards they all train at about the same as they have over the last 3-4 years so you don't really notice much difference in their training.

Shirley is not a player who stands out at training. Had the same impression with Campbell and Archard to a degree. Massie and Torney are others that don't particularly catch your eye.

What tends to take your eye are the players who have a unique quality to them ....Bock at 193cm running as hard as he is stands out ....Porplyzia with his precise hand and foot skills stands out ....Sellar because of his size and mobility stands out ...Macleod with his rolls royce running action and ground coverage stands out.

Of the new players Mackay also stands out as having some unique qualities, although he is a long long way off, his carrying of the ball and long precise kicking does grab your attention.

Likewise Jericho's physical presentation and speed also is quite eye catching.

So long story short #12 is in for a stand-out year

 

[Drummond]

Dead Certs - failing injury
16
Roo
Macleod
Bassett
Bock
Hudson
Johncock
Mattner
Burton
Perrie
Rutten
Thompson
Reilly
Goodwin
Maric
Edwards
Van Berlo

Probables
10
Shirley
Porplyzia
Knights
Stevens
Torney
Doughty
McGregor
Douglas
Bode
Welsh

Bode not a certainty? You got to be kidding? There are a number of others in that group that would be classed as certainties, but Bode stood out the most. When Bode was shut down in the second half of the PF, the Eagles got on top. It’s that simple. Bode in a crucial part of our chances in 2007.

Perrie a certainty? Cool, another season of mediocrity up forward then I assume! When will people get it through their heads that Perrie is pathetic and he offers this team absolutely nothing? I can’t wait until he’s no longer at the AFC because maybe then we’ll have some decent forwards. At the tender age of 17 Sellar is already a better proposition.

 

[tribey]

Bode not a certainty? You got to be kidding? There are a number of others in that group that would be classed as certainties, but Bode stood out the most. When Bode was shut down in the second half of the PF, the Eagles got on top. It’s that simple. Bode in a crucial part of our chances in 2007.

Perrie a certainty? Cool, another season of mediocrity up forward then I assume! When will people get it through their heads that Perrie is pathetic and he offers this team absolutely nothing? I can’t wait until he’s no longer at the AFC because maybe then we’ll have some decent forwards. At the tender age of 17 Sellar is already a better proposition.

It's WW we're talking about here.

Bode is to Shirley.

Shirley in 2005 = 2nd in AFC HBGs; 24 games out of 25
Shirley in 2006 = 6th in AFC B&F; 24 games out of 24

Apparently he's not a certainty either.

 

[Crow-mo]

Gallman: This guy is busting his gut in every drill he has undertaken ....doesn't look bad. So if desire and work ethic leads to skill improvement this kid could be a chance at years end.

Never underestimate where hard work can take you.

ask robert shirley

 

[WaynesWorld19]

Bode not a certainty? You got to be kidding? There are a number of others in that group that would be classed as certainties, but Bode stood out the most. When Bode was shut down in the second half of the PF, the Eagles got on top. It’s that simple. Bode in a crucial part of our chances in 2007.

Perrie a certainty? Cool, another season of mediocrity up forward then I assume! When will people get it through their heads that Perrie is pathetic and he offers this team absolutely nothing? I can’t wait until he’s no longer at the AFC because maybe then we’ll have some decent forwards. At the tender age of 17 Sellar is already a better proposition.

Now what part of "last year was last year" don't people understand ???

Was Bode a certainty at the start of last season ......errr no
So why is he a certainty this year and why is he anymore a certainty over the others I had in the "probables"???

Porplyzia wins the emerging talent award but he's no certainty....Stevens has an outstanding season but he's no certainty.

You see players can have absolute spectacular seasons OR dog of years .....to get in my certainties you have to have had a sustained level or improving level of performance over a number of years ....Bode hasn't yet so he's in my probables.

 

[Drummond]

Now what part of "last year was last year" don't people understand ???

Was Bode a certainty at the start of last season ......errr no
So why is he a certainty this year and why is he anymore a certainty over the others I had in the "probables"???

Porplyzia wins the emerging talent award but he's no certainty....Stevens has an outstanding season but he's no certainty.

You see players can have absolute spectacular seasons OR dog of years .....to get in my certainties you have to have had a sustained level or improving level of performance over a number of years ....Bode hasn't yet so he's in my probables.

Errrr maybe because Bode was one of the most important players in our 22 last year. Who cares if it’s last year, I doubt much has changed in a few months.

It’s pretty simple WW, Bode is one of the first forwards picked, whether you like it or not.

 

[WaynesWorld19]

It's WW we're talking about here.

Bode is to Shirley.

Shirley in 2005 = 2nd in AFC HBGs; 24 games out of 25
Shirley in 2006 = 6th in AFC B&F; 24 games out of 24

Apparently he's not a certainty either.

Understand your argument and with his B&F club performance you can mount a good case for his inclusion in the "Certainties".

Yeah I'm not a huge fan I agree ......as good as fans thought Skippy was (and yes he had strong support on this board in 2005) no other club shared the same view ...... I contend that if Shirley was put up for trade there would be also no takers.

He is a workhorse who has maximized his potential and plays a role that has been highly recognized by the club .....but IMO it's not difficult to see a situation where a Van Berlo takes on his role and he's not particularly flexible in team roles as per Craigs requirements.

Harsh ....yep! ....will get first chance but again IMO no guarantee to hold his place the whole season.

I thought I would have had more flak on Douglas, Knights, Stevens and Torney who also have had outstanding contributions last season but I thought I was marking players fairly hard and factored in how replacable (other player options) their role was and how critical their role was to the team.

 

[WaynesWorld19]

Errrr maybe because Bode was one of the most important players in our 22 last year. Who cares if it’s last year, I doubt much has changed in a few months.

It’s pretty simple WW, Bode is one of the first forwards picked, whether you like it or not.

Bode has just played 100 games at almost 28 years of age and has not put two consitent seasons together in his career ......that does not deserve placing in a certainty group for selection simply based on one very good season.

What do you mean you doubt if anything changes in a few months .....the game changes, players will drop off the pace/lose form and other developing players will step up.

Based on your assessment both Meesen and Pfieffer will not play this year due to their performances last season ....after all it's just a few months ago

 

[Drummond]

Bode has just played 100 games at almost 28 years of age and has not put two consitent seasons together in his career ......that does not deserve placing in a certainty group for selection simply based on one very good season.

What do you mean you doubt if anything changes in a few months .....the game changes, players will drop off the pace/lose form and other developing players will step up.

Based on your assessment both Meesen and Pfieffer will not play this year due to their performances last season ....after all it's just a few months ago

Man you’re really stubborn aren’t you?

Tell me then, how does Maric possibly get into the certainty category when he’s only played AFL football in 1 season? And despite the fact that I think VB is going to be one heck of a player, how does he get into this category when really he hasn’t played at this “sustained level” that you need in order to make this group?

Quite a few flaws in your argument I would say.

 

[WaynesWorld19]

Man you’re really stubborn aren’t you?

Tell me then, how does Maric possibly get into the certainty category when he’s only played AFL football in 1 season? And despite the fact that I think VB is going to be one heck of a player, how does he get into this category when really he hasn’t played at this “sustained level” that you need in order to make this group?

Quite a few flaws in your argument I would say.

Drummond I'm just giving you my opinion ...it doesn't have to agree with yours?

I have assumed the Crows will not go into the season with one ruckman and have given the nod to Maric ....yes even though he has only played one season but that's more than Meesen ATS and Maric and Meesen are probably neck and neck in PS training, thus Maric gets the nod ....Please read my criteria re roles and available options rather than be selective in criticizing my thoughts.

So are you saying Van Berlo is not a certainty for round one? ...his two years of performances have seen a continued upward curve in his performances and he's one of the core players the club has earmarked to take over from the "old" brigade ...no they'll get as many games into him as possible.