Training Training Thread 2023

[My Left Foote]

I actually just heard that Logue’s hand completely fell off.

Will make it easier to measure his handspan.

 

[hilly]

Just get the sticky-tape out ala Bruce Reid.

 

[Kangaroos4eva]

I actually just heard that Logue’s hand completely fell off.

From a good source as well.

 

[The acurate one]

Went down to Arden St today and was pleased to see a full match get underway at 9.30am.

Effectively 1sts v 2nds for the first half so the scoreboard was very lopsided - players were thrown around a bit in the second half. No shows were Hall, Powell, Curtis Taylor plus the usual customers in Tucker, Corr and Howe. Corr wasn't even doing the rehab running so that is quite concerning.

Of interest was

. Logue started off like a house on fire (for 5 minutes) then straight off with that finger injury. However just that 5 mins showed us what he and BMac could be capable of in the defensive 50.
. Sleevo and Young started in the yellows (the VFL side) but had turns in the AFL side in the second half. Young did well - Sleevo did little and doesn't really look best 23 right now.
. The starting AFL midfield was 3 of Cunners, LDU, Greenwood and Phillips - Simpkin played mainly as a forward. Cunners got caught htb a few times but was good overall; LDU was running at half pace but easily the best player afield and Phillips was classy without racking up a major quantity of possessions. Greenwood was very good again today.
. On Sheezel - again did basically nothing in the forward 50 - looks lost in that area of the park. But in the second half had bursts in the middle and then off half back - looked much more comfortable/aware in these positions. His foot skills are un North like ie he is hitting targets 50 meters away with perfectly spinning drop punts. With his skill level he will be a weapon - the question is where.
. Wardlaw was in the rehab group for the warm up but I thought it was him (or someone who looked like him) getting good hard earned possessions in the middle for the yellow team (the club will hopefully confirm whether this was Wardlaw or someone from our VFL squad.)
. Chom - yes. Great pack marking and always a threat when the ball was near him - 2 of his big marks were against Dawson in the 2nd qtr. He got pissed off a few times when Eddie Mazda flew with him for the same ball. Played close to goal and was the legitimate FF - Larkey more of a pocket type role. The forward 4 of he, Larkey, PC and Bull will be more threatening this year. We still need to find that 5th and 6th forward - and it better not be Turner who played there today! - but it is looking better than it has for a few years now. If Simpkin does play more forward (as he did today) he would add an extra dimension as well up there.
. Ford could be the 6th forward but unlikely and he would have to play high half forward and not compete with Chom - Taylor in the same boat. Tucker can play there as well but would need to get some match practise pretty soon. Crafty and Spicer played a qtr each and did little - Lazzaro played mainly as a mid for the VFL but when switched to the AFL side and got 2 goals with smart small forward work. Cooper played mainly as a mid for the VFL.
. Rucks - CCJ played mainly as a forward in the VFL side - was ok without knocking the door down. Goldie played about half and was the normal Goldie. The main ruck contest was really Free (VFL) v Xerri (AFL) - Xerri won but Free was no mug and competed hard. If we go 2 rucks then it appears to be Xerri in front atm. Jacob Edwards did nothing as a forward today.
. Wings - Shiels and Bailey for the AFL side. Shiels was quite good - always picking the right option with his disposal. I suspect they will be the wingers round 1.
. Defensive players. Archer was fantastic in Q1 for the AFL side - in fact probably equal BOG with LDU. Didn't do much after that but wasn't beaten either. He certainly is in calculations for a Round 1 match with Corr and Logue in some doubt. He is not slow - I had thought he was - he reads the play well and we know what his aggression is like. LMac, Perez and Bonar also all ok - didn't notice Goater much at all today. Drury - some good things but a couple of errors as well. There are alot of options there for the small/mid sized defender given Hall didn't even play. JZ played the whole game in defence - 3-4 of his usual hack kicks forward but played ok against weaker opposition.
. Coaching. Clarko was hands off today - in the civvies watching from the back. Ratten, Lynch, Blakey, Patch the most visible.

All in all a good hit out and a few questions beginning to be answered.

Assuming Logue and Tucker are ok for Round 1 then it is probably looking like

B LMac BMac JZ
HB Hall Logue Goater
C Shiels Cunners B Scott
HF Simpkin Larkey Tucker
F Curtis Chom Bull
R Goldie LDU Phillips

Int Powell, Greenwood, Archer/Young, Sheezel, Xerri....

Great write up and seems I was on the money witha few things.

 

[guapo]

I reckon it’s been 2 weeks minimum since I’ve seen him training with the squad.

Hurt his calf 2 weeks ago early in the Friday scratch match. Came off and hasn’t been seen again since

 

[Kangaroos4eva]

 

[My Left Foote]

Some interesting markings on the ground, a large square directly in front of the goal square and the dotted line across the ground in the Forward 50.
Assume we use these to indicate where players stand? Or an area to keep clear? Maybe some of the track watchers could elaborate?

 

[shinboner magic]

Smashed his finger apparently

Tape it up and get back out there

 

[Kangaroos4eva]

Training report: Zurhaar boots five as forward line fires

Cam Zurhaar kicked a bag on Friday morning during North Melbourne's match sim, propelling the 'Blue' team to a comfortable win two weeks out from an intraclub game

www.nmfc.com.au

Training report: Zurhaar boots five as forward line fires​

Cam Zurhaar kicked a bag on Friday morning during North Melbourne's match sim, propelling the 'Blue' team to a comfortable win two weeks out from an intraclub game
By Luke Macquire - North Media - Just now

A shift from sunny skies to grey clouds and rainfall saw North Melbourne's match simulation become slippery on Friday morning, but it didn't stop Cam Zurhaar from firing inside 50.
On the more experienced of the two line-ups that were selected at the beginning of the match, the physical Zurhaar tallied two first-quarter goals, followed by another pair in the third, capped off with a fifth halfway through the final term.
Also dominant down forward was the towering pair of Nick Larkey and Charlie Comben who kicked three apiece. Comben's ability to rise in packs and claim difficult grabs, including a one-handed pluck, was a standout as he, Larkey and Zurhaar continued to grow their chemistry as a triple threat.

Flynn Perez began the morning strongly, connecting well by hand with Jy Simpkin and Ben Cunnington as he surged forward from the backline.
Tearing through the midfield, again, was Simpkin and Luke Davies-Uniacke who both look like players that are more than ready to take their games to new levels in 2023. The back-to-back Syd Barker medallist also spent some time at half-forward where he gathered a handful of grabs and expertly fed the runners who were streaming into forward 50.
Bailey Scott was another damaging young gun who controlled his wing with his two-way running, slick hands, and a penetrating kick heading towards goal.
Charlie Lazzaro and Paul Curtis worked hard for their disposals in the midfield and got some reward in front of the big sticks with two and three goals respectively.


Charlie Lazzaro at training on Friday, February 3. Picture: North Media
Cunnington's output around the ground in match sim scenarios continues to rise each week. The veteran midfielder was able to gather possessions and weave out of traffic at contests in the difficult conditions, while adding three goals of his own.
As the session progressed, players switched between sides which formed different dynamics across all three lines. The fourth quarter saw Harry Sheezel find some touch coming off the half-backline. In what was perhaps his most impactful period, Sheezel's decision-making and disposal execution came to the forefront as he helped generate run from defensive 50.
In the absence of Aidan Corr, Griffin Logue and Aaron Hall, Jack Ziebell remained in defence and shared kick-out duties with Luke McDonald, while Blake Drury and Lachie Young were also provided with the opportunity to create from full-back over the course of the match.
In similar fashion to the most recent match sim, a two-minute drill was conducted at both the end of the first and second half, with 'Yellow' given a slim lead for 'Blue' to overcome on each occasion.


Starting 'Blue' team for match sim on Friday, February 3. Picture: North Media
STARTING TEAMS
Blue: Simpkin, Cunnington, Phillips, Archer, Davies-Uniacke, Ziebell, Shiels, Scott, Sheezel, Greenwood, McKay, Zurhaar, Bonar, McDonald, Goldstein, Xerri, Turner, Larkey, Comben, Perez, Goater, Curtis.
Yellow (supplemented by VFL list): Young, Drury, Dawson, Bergman, Stephenson, Lazzaro, Edwards, Harvey, Coleman-Jones, Ford, Free.
GOALS
Zurhaar 5, Larkey 3, Comben 3, Curtis 3, Cunnington 3, Lazzaro 2, Callum Coleman-Jones 2, Phillips, Stephenson, Turner, Xerri.
Limited minutes: Logue, Mahony, Spicer
Absent from match sim: Corr, Howe, Wardlaw, George, Tucker, Taylor, Hall, Powell

​

 

[Kanga Glory]

North Melbourne speedster Jaidyn Stephenson faces an uphill battle to claim a round 1 berth as a pair of teammates turned up the selection pressure at match simulation on Friday.
Stephenson struggled to have any impact in the hour-long scratch match after starting at half forward in the ‘B’ side at Arden Street.

The quiet performance suggests the man who was traded from Collingwood after three seasons clearly has work to do to impress new coach Alastair Clarkson ahead of the practice match games against Richmond (March 24) at Arden St and Western Bulldogs (March 4) at Ikon Park.
But key forward Charlie Comben looks on track to start in the senior side alongside Nick Larkey as the second key forward target after an eye-catching display taking several strong contested marks deep in attack.

Jaidyn Stephenson has work to do to impress his new coach. Picture: Getty Images
Comben could fill a key void for the Roos in the front half, while playmaker Paul Curtis also turned heads on Friday with a clever snapped goal and a big grab to put down payments on selection in round 1 against West Coast at Marvel Stadium.

But Stephenson’s position remains in danger with Clarkson certain to set strong selection standards and put a major emphasis on defensive capabilities.

Stephenson, 24, kicked three goals from 16 games last year but could be leapfrogged by some younger teammates three years after he was traded from the Magpies as part of a deal for pick 26.

Clearly, the ex-Magpie will face tougher competition for a spot in 2023 with No. 3 draft pick Harry Sheezel, rookie selection Blake Drury, excitement machine Paul Curtis and Jackson Archer piling on pressure to play early in the season.

Archer played a scintillating first term rebounding off half back while Caleb Daniel-style backman Drury also had some nice moments later in the game.


Ex-Hawk Liam Shiels started in the ‘A’ side on a wing on the same side as Bailey Scott who was excellent on the other wing.

Jy Simpkin will be one of the Roos most important players in the midfield in 2023. Picture: Mark Stewart
MIDFIELD MIX

Tarryn Thomas is facing an uncertain future after taking time away from the club to deal with allegations of threatening and intimidating behaviour towards women.

But without him on Friday midfield stars Jy Simpkin, Luke Davies-Uniacke and Ben Cunnington fired to lead the ‘A’ side to a dominant victory before the teams were swapped around.

At one stage the ‘A’ side led by 17 goals to two as Clarkson wheeled out his preferred senior side.

Simpkin and Davies-Uniacke combined impressively in the centre square with Will Phillips, who is on the way back from a nightmare year ruined by glandular fever, and Hugh Greenwood who ramped up the tackle pressure in the engine room.

Cunnington was also a force in attack when he rested forward taking a strong contested mark close to goal.

The inspirational veteran remains a key cog in the engine room after taking time away to fight a cancer battle last year.

Griffin Logue has injured his finger. Picture: Jake Nowakowski
FINGER INJURY

New recruit Griffin Logue suffered a finger injury which ended his day in the first quarter.

The former Docker dislocated his finger and required medical attention but should be fine to return to main training next week, the club said.

Backman Aidan Corr was on light duties as he recovers from a calf problem after overcoming groin problems.

Darcy Tucker also remains sidelined after making the move from the west.

DEFENSIVE MANTRA

More Coverage​

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Clarkson has spent the bulk of the pre-season helping bed down key defensive principles for a team which was belted at times last year.

Free agent Ben McKay will anchor the defence and was strong in the air on Friday, while Luke McDonald and Jack Ziebell are also in line to play key roles in the back half.

 

[Makeshift Park]

New recruit Griffin Logue suffered a finger injury which ended his day in the first quarter.

The former Docker dislocated his finger and required medical attention but should be fine to return to main training next week, the club said.

Thank Christ

 

[Sillygit]

 

[Jasemon]

I’m fairly sure none of our track watchers mentioned Zurhaar today let alone the fact he kicked a lazy 5!!
Slipping guys!!!

 

[zoomba23]

I’m fairly sure none of our track watchers mentioned Zurhaar today let alone the fact he kicked a lazy 5!!
Slipping guys!!!

Beggars belief for a wooden spoon side, but I genuinely think everyone's too engrossed in the shiny new toys (Phillips, Comben, Cunners back, Archer, Curtis et. al) to even notice the seasoned lads like Larkey and Zurhaar

 

[Istanbul Roo]

Seriously though here we are with our prized pick and he needs longer hamstrings, tell me that hasn't disaster written all over it.

I'm loath to agree with The Ziebull, but given his injury history I was hoping we'd look elsewhere ...

 

[franjon]

Just get the sticky-tape out ala Bruce Reid.

Did they tape him back together properly?, because from memory he went to pieces after the next delivery.

 

[Ether]

I'm loath to agree with The Ziebull, but given his injury history I was hoping we'd look elsewhere ...

His preferred pick, Tsatas, has a meniscus tear in his knee and will be out for months. We knew we'd be doing a lot of pre-hab with Warlord so I'm not alarmed.

 

[Passmore]

Just get the sticky-tape out ala Bruce Reid.

Any mention of Bruce Reid reminds me of the 12th man.

 

[Heaps of fun]

Thank Christ

Great news. I'm actually excited if we'll line up with McKay, Logue and Dawson as our tall defenders. Skies controlled and tons of speed on the lead.

 

[DuckYeah]

For me it is what he does structurally. We have McKay, Logue and Core set for the backbone, we need agile runners around them and Ziebell isn't that.

Up forward we have 2 big guys plus a resting ruckman, then we have a few mobile HF and resting mids. Again, he just doesn't fit unless someone like Zurhaar falls over.

And in the middle, he was never a great mid and we again need more run in there and skill.

I don't care how fit he looks, it doesn't change his athletic profile or his game skills deficiencies. Bloody Tarrant.

Who’s to say Corr is a lock? Is he? Should he be? He has not lived up to any expected potential. Obviously almost losing your legs has a part to play HOWEVER he has not been any better in his position as what JZ would be.

 

[Nugget 83]

Who’s to say Corr is a lock? Is he? Should he be? He has not lived up to any expected potential. Obviously almost losing your legs has a part to play HOWEVER he has not been any better in his position as what JZ would be.

My understanding is that the introduction of Logue will allow him to play the third man role he is better suited to, rather than the 2nd tall he has been forced to be so far.

 

[DuckYeah]

My understanding is that the introduction of Logue will allow him to play the third man role he is better suited to, rather than the 2nd tall he has been forced to be so far.

Plausible. Remember after the mid season draft he was playing the 3rd option in 2022

 

[Tas]

It seems sticking your head in the sand is a winning strategy.

I need a new sand pit for TT...

 

[Passmore]

Beggars belief for a wooden spoon side, but I genuinely think everyone's too engrossed in the shiny new toys (Phillips, Comben, Cunners back, Archer, Curtis et. al) to even notice the seasoned lads like Larkey and Zurhaar

Zurhaar, McKay, Larkey, LDU, Simpkin did what you’d expect them to do against VFL opponents.

It’s the others your focusing on to step up with them.

 

[shinboner magic]

Great news. I'm actually excited if we'll line up with McKay, Logue and Dawson as our tall defenders. Skies controlled and tons of speed on the lead.

And on the rebound