Training Watch

[UpTheGuts]

Afternoon all,

Was driving past Punt Road Saturday morning and, with some time on my hands, noticed the boys were having a few drills. Decided to drop by

After reminding myself that people with exotic lives are rarely seen watching their footy club train in November, I noticed the following:

* Mark Graham doesn't look flash in a Tiger top, and does everything on his left side - kick, handball etc. Biggish guy, but wouldn';t want him holding a key defensive post

* met Brian Royal who was working with the guys on some elasticised nets that enabled thewm to kick or throw the ball against it and catch the rebound - I've since learned that they've been at other clubs for years but not at Rochmond. The boys seemed to be struggling to get used to it (big guys especially), but Rodan was clearly the best (and I told Chocco so)

* Royal said people like Cogs and even Sugar really need to improve their ball-skills in traffic, and agreed Rodan was a very good handler. Sugar handballs "inside-out", using his right hand to handball right, which is slower and less accurate/ penetrating - still looks a consumate professional though

* Rodan looked like he could play on the wing for the Fijian rugby side - as has done with Josh Hunt apparently, he may be asked to tone down his weights

* Ray Hall is much broader in person, less giraffe-like

* Bowden doing a number of individual drills after others had gone inside - don't discount him for the captaincy

* Andy K running laps and working with Bowden on ball drills

* Tom Roach looks less likely to fall over in a decent breeze

* Cogs looked alert and defined in the legs and was certainly taking drills seriously - time will tell

That's about it. Most of the guys were in the gym by the time I managed to park the car, but the headline would be that the guys seem properly concerned to impress the new coaching staff and that ball-handling is a major focus

Cheers and bring on Saturday....

 

[JohnF]

Thanks for the report mate

Just wondering, did you notice any improvement on the physiques of guys like Krakouer, Schulz, Raines, Jackson?

 

[UpTheGuts]

Raines looked OK, didn't see Krak (yesterday's Sun said he was still in Broome) and must have just missed Jackson.

I had a quick squizz into the gym and Scultz looked like he was a lifetime bricklayer. Then again, I guess it's all relative one you're next to guys like that.

But no massive improvements at this stage - they've been going just the 3 weeks now so maybe January will be a better time to see the big improvers.

 

[Darth_Tiger]

Stafford surgery
17 November 2004 Herald Sun
Michael Stevens

RICHMOND ruckman Greg Stafford will be sidelined for a month with a knee cartilage injury.



Welcome to Tigerland: Matthew Richardson wrestles with former Docker Troy Simmonds at Punt Rd yesterday.
Picture: George Salpigtidis



Coach Terry Wallace said yesterday Stafford needed arthroscopic surgery to clear a problem which has troubled him for some time.

"He looks likely to go in for a knee op within the next couple of days," Wallace said.

"It's nothing that's happened to him in recent times, just an old war wound that's flared up.

"But it's just got to the stage where we reckon it's got to be cleared up now or otherwise it's going to be on-going for the whole of the summer.

"So that will put him out of action for a month."

Stafford, who will lead the ruck division this year after the departure of Brad Ottens, missed the last eight games of last season with a knee injury.

The Tigers are also closely monitoring the condition of midfielder and 2003 best-and-fairest winner Mark Coughlan.

Coughlan, who played seven games last season because of osteitis pubis, has yet to join in pre-season training.

Wallace said Coughlan would not resume training for at least another 10 days.

"His condition has not deteriorated, but is something that probably will have to be managed throughout his career," Wallace said.

"The sort of thing you wouldn't do with him is double him up with sessions in a day; you've just got to manage his program more individually."

Wallace has the Tigers on the same skills development program which lifted the Western Bulldogs from 15th to a preliminary final in 1997.

Track watchers believe the players have been subjected to torturous running sessions, but Wallace denied this yesterday.

"I wouldn't say we've been flogging them," Wallace said. "We've probably been doing more footy stuff than what they've been accustomed to.

"Probably a bit similar to '97, I suppose, taking the skill development stuff up a couple of levels.

"We're not doing any distance work at all, it's more 200s, 400s on the ground, rather than on an athletics track."

Former Hawthorn defender Mark Graham and former Collingwood ruckman Steven McKee – who started his career at Punt Rd – have been training with the Tigers, and Graham yesterday was one of many delisted players to nominate for Saturday's national draft.

"He's (Graham) in our calculations," Wallace said. "I think we've been pretty honest, saying that if we re-hash players, we'd only re-hash a couple of stronger-bodied types, either a ruckman or a taller defender.

"We only invited two down to train, Graham and McKee, but we've made no promises to either player."

http://www.heraldsun.news.com.au/footy/common/story_page/0,8033,11421588%5E19742,00.html

 

[Punt_Road_Roar]

Afternoon all,

Was driving past Punt Road Saturday morning and, with some time on my hands, noticed the boys were having a few drills. Decided to drop by

After reminding myself that people with exotic lives are rarely seen watching their footy club train in November, I noticed the following:

* Mark Graham doesn't look flash in a Tiger top, and does everything on his left side - kick, handball etc. Biggish guy, but wouldn';t want him holding a key defensive post

* met Brian Royal who was working with the guys on some elasticised nets that enabled thewm to kick or throw the ball against it and catch the rebound - I've since learned that they've been at other clubs for years but not at Rochmond. The boys seemed to be struggling to get used to it (big guys especially), but Rodan was clearly the best (and I told Chocco so)

* Royal said people like Cogs and even Sugar really need to improve their ball-skills in traffic, and agreed Rodan was a very good handler. Sugar handballs "inside-out", using his right hand to handball right, which is slower and less accurate/ penetrating - still looks a consumate professional though

* Rodan looked like he could play on the wing for the Fijian rugby side - as has done with Josh Hunt apparently, he may be asked to tone down his weights

* Ray Hall is much broader in person, less giraffe-like

* Bowden doing a number of individual drills after others had gone inside - don't discount him for the captaincy

* Andy K running laps and working with Bowden on ball drills

* Tom Roach looks less likely to fall over in a decent breeze

* Cogs looked alert and defined in the legs and was certainly taking drills seriously - time will tell

That's about it. Most of the guys were in the gym by the time I managed to park the car, but the headline would be that the guys seem properly concerned to impress the new coaching staff and that ball-handling is a major focus

Cheers and bring on Saturday....

sounds to me you have an infactuation for Rodan

I'll leave my criticism of him until the season starts where his first game will be a blinder and then we wont see him for the remainder of the year.

 

[sante]

everything sounds good except for Cogs That Osteitis Pubis better not stuff up his career