Training TRAINING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[markm106]

Few notes from today’s training.


Didn’t spot Viney Weideman AVB


Jones, Garlett, Joel Smith and Tim Smith mainly just doing running. Joel Smith seemed to run a million laps. He looks very fit. Jones seemed to be doing a heap of run throughs at the end by himself with a trainer. Up close the guy is even bigger than you’d think. Just 100% solid all over.


Petty and Spargo seemed to be on light duties. Also thought I saw McKenna but couldn’t be sure.


Petracca still training with Mids and is very vocal in the group. He looks in top condition. Baker, Harmes, ANB and Brayshaw in the mids group as well. Mind you some guys like ANB seemed to be in other groups at times. Pretty sure I saw ANB with the forwards earlier. Baker looks like one of those guys who goes 100% all the time.


Oliver looking trimmer and makes it look easy.


Filipovic looks like he’ll develop into a big lad. King also in full training meaning at this point all three rucks training.


Vince and Lewis looking good in the back group. Lever very vocal and I can see what they mean with him having leadership qualities. Omac definitely has put on size. I also thought Keilty looked good in the one on one stuff.


Hogan moving extremely well in the forward group. Thought in some of the match simulation stuff he was working up the ground a bit to. Fritsch is quiet skinny but looks the goods and wouldn’t be surprised if he features early on. Hannan has put size on.


Overall I though the skills were quiet good. Maybe dropped off at times due to fatigue and the wind.

 

[Willo 17]

A copied tweet from Ben Guthrie on the Melbourne training run. Jan 19. "Alex Neal-Bullen was a real standout in today's matchplay' Works from contest to contest and puts himself in good positions to receive the footy. Clayton Oliver seems to have trimmed down again and has improved his outside game". Another tweet said the club trained hard in the over 30 degree heat with 400 run throughs and something else i cannot remember, but Goody would have wanted his sweat, I am sure. In other tweets he mentions that Corey Maynard is a possibility for early games, [good footy nous] Buggy a running machine looking trim, Lever's good kicking skills, Oscar Baker a chance for early games, putting in the hard yards well, Tom Mc Donald dominating up forward and I have forgotten any others but we should be in for a fun year if everyone stays healthy. Might upset Adelaide that want us to fail so they get pick 4/5 or less next draft. Buckleys.

 

[Majunga]

Is Oliver going to kick the ball is year, maybe a few goals?
Or will it be more of the same contested piggery + handball we saw last season?

 

[Topkent]

Is Oliver going to kick the ball is year, maybe a few goals?
Or will it be more of the same contested piggery + handball we saw last season?

The club is aware he needs to work on his outside game but look at someone like Danger. Was mostly an inside 15 disposal player for his first few seasons.
Same with Martin.

Oliver will slowly work on his outside game year by year but at the same time he still does his best work inside so expect a lot of contested possessions, just means his kick to handball ratio will be different

 

[Crusty Demon]

The club is aware he needs to work on his outside game but look at someone like Danger. Was mostly an inside 15 disposal player for his first few seasons.
Same with Martin.

Oliver will slowly work on his outside game year by year but at the same time he still does his best work inside so expect a lot of contested possessions, just means his kick to handball ratio will be different

I agree he needs to work on his outside game, but people commenting on Oliver not kicking the ball obviously don't watch him play. His handballs are usually more damaging than a kick could be. His vision and ability to handball to a teammate in space, sometimes when he's got three blokes hanging off him, is worth more to the team than a few scrubby kicks. The kids a gun. I personally don't care if he never kicks the ball again, as long as he's under the packs giving our guys service on a silver platter.

I also love the fact he doesn't take a backwards step on or off the field. Yeah, the flop against WCE wasn't a great look, but he's a tough kid who doesn't take shit from anybody. And I love that just as much as his handballing skills. Oliver, Viney and Petracca could be scary good in a couple of years time..

 

[Topkent]

I agree he needs to work on his outside game, but people commenting on Oliver not kicking the ball obviously don't watch him play. His handballs are usually more damaging than a kick could be. His vision and ability to handball to a teammate in space, sometimes when he's got three blokes hanging off him, is worth more to the team than a few scrubby kicks. The kids a gun. I personally don't care if he never kicks the ball again, as long as he's under the packs giving our guys service on a silver platter.

I also love the fact he doesn't take a backwards step on or off the field. Yeah, the flop against WCE wasn't a great look, but he's a tough kid who doesn't take shit from anybody. And I love that just as much as his handballing skills. Oliver, Viney and Petracca could be scary good in a couple of years time..

I agree and disagree, You can't tell me Dustin Martin's ability to push off a bloke and beat the press with a 50m bullet isn't more damaging than a handball. I agree he has elite vision but at other times he does handball to a bloke going backwards a meter away from him. Nothing wrong with a teenager doing that and with experience his decision making on whether to handball and kick will improve. The other thing about kicking more will hopefully mean your in more space. Alex Neal Bullen has become one of our best and reading the ball breaking from a stoppage and knowing where to be next to link attack. Slowly teaching Oliver (and anyone) to not always run towards the ball will be critical in him going from inside player to perfectly balanced.

Petracca for example already has the balance perfect of being able to go towards the ball or make himself dangerous. It's a race to see who becomes the better player and it's fascinating

 

[ponsdale]

It's a race to see who becomes the better player and it's fascinating

Long may it continue.

 

[Tempy Tiger]

I agree and disagree, You can't tell me Dustin Martin's ability to push off a bloke and beat the press with a 50m bullet isn't more damaging than a handball. I agree he has elite vision but at other times he does handball to a bloke going backwards a meter away from him. Nothing wrong with a teenager doing that and with experience his decision making on whether to handball and kick will improve. The other thing about kicking more will hopefully mean your in more space. Alex Neal Bullen has become one of our best and reading the ball breaking from a stoppage and knowing where to be next to link attack. Slowly teaching Oliver (and anyone) to not always run towards the ball will be critical in him going from inside player to perfectly balanced.

Petracca for example already has the balance perfect of being able to go towards the ball or make himself dangerous. It's a race to see who becomes the better player and it's fascinating

Have you been watching Burgo videos?

 

[Topkent]

Have you been watching Burgo videos?

Don't use rhe website

 

[schmuttt]

I agree and disagree, You can't tell me Dustin Martin's ability to push off a bloke and beat the press with a 50m bullet isn't more damaging than a handball. I agree he has elite vision but at other times he does handball to a bloke going backwards a meter away from him. Nothing wrong with a teenager doing that and with experience his decision making on whether to handball and kick will improve. The other thing about kicking more will hopefully mean your in more space. Alex Neal Bullen has become one of our best and reading the ball breaking from a stoppage and knowing where to be next to link attack. Slowly teaching Oliver (and anyone) to not always run towards the ball will be critical in him going from inside player to perfectly balanced.

Petracca for example already has the balance perfect of being able to go towards the ball or make himself dangerous. It's a race to see who becomes the better player and it's fascinating

Olivers biggest problem with the over handballing is since we have heaps of 'see ball get ball' mids like Viney/Tyson/Jones, Oliver wins the ball then only sees these guys on the inside with him and hence the two foot handballs to a guy with someone on him.

 

[markm106]

I agree he needs to work on his outside game, but people commenting on Oliver not kicking the ball obviously don't watch him play. His handballs are usually more damaging than a kick could be. His vision and ability to handball to a teammate in space, sometimes when he's got three blokes hanging off him, is worth more to the team than a few scrubby kicks. The kids a gun. I personally don't care if he never kicks the ball again, as long as he's under the packs giving our guys service on a silver platter.

I also love the fact he doesn't take a backwards step on or off the field. Yeah, the flop against WCE wasn't a great look, but he's a tough kid who doesn't take shit from anybody. And I love that just as much as his handballing skills. Oliver, Viney and Petracca could be scary good in a couple of years time..

Agree. Obviously you were only joking re nicer kicking again as he is a beautiful kick. But agree that his hands are amazing and he is so creative. You can’t teach what he does.
His over handballing is obvious at times and when he has a clear opportunity to kick and looks for a handball that isn’t at all useful it stands out. I think he seemed to do that less towards the end of last year. I fully expect him to kick more this year. Meaning he’ll likely kick more goals to.

 

[Proper Gander]

Everybody shut up about Oliver. He's mine and he's perfect.

 

[Topkent]

Olivers biggest problem with the over handballing is since we have heaps of 'see ball get ball' mids like Viney/Tyson/Jones, Oliver wins the ball then only sees these guys on the inside with him and hence the two foot handballs to a guy with someone on him.

I reckon he's main issue is I could guarantee coaches now especially at Melbourne with the way we set up would be telling the midfielders to never bomb long from a stoppage because we set up with numbers at an behind the stoppage to try and manufacture run and carry.
Oliver is like the first year apprentice at a site who's keen to impress who ya tell to go sweep and they're on the hands and knees looking for every washer and screw.

Everybody shut up about Oliver. He's mine and he's perfect.

Except that lid of his. Poor bastard looks a possum mated with a pit of fire.

 

[Proper Gander]

Except that lid of his. Poor bastard looks a possum mated with a pit of fire.

A few years back, during the NAB Challenge games, someone on another board - Port, I think - said he looked like the offspring of Cameron Ling and a plate of mashed potato. Was a bit mean but I confess I LOL'd.

 

[TheCount]

Except that lid of his. Poor bastard looks a possum mated with a pit of fire.

I reckon he's ok with it at this point ...

 

[Proper Gander]

I reckon he's ok with it at this point ...

I feel as though his Mrs needs to meet him halfway in her choice of foundation.

 

[Topkent]

I reckon he's ok with it at this point ...

He is bloody good at using his hands....

 

[Topkent]

I feel as though his Mrs needs to meet him halfway in her choice of foundation.

The before an after of making drunken toast

 

[liamjurrah]

He is bloody good at using his hands....

Real creative by hand.

 

[Simon_Says]

Hey, not confirmed to be true. But also not false.

Has anyone, heard or seen anything in regards to Petrecca.
I heard through an FB melbfc fan sight he was leaving training early with a limp. (His leg presumably)

 

[TheCount]

Hey, not confirmed to be true. But also not false.

Has anyone, heard or seen anything in regards to Petrecca.
I heard through an FB melbfc fan sight he was leaving training early with a limp. (His leg presumably)

I read something while casing Land for anything interesting the other day that he hurt his knee, had it looked at, and then left early by himself. You’d think if it was serious he’d have been accompanied by multiple people, so likely just a knock ... we’d probably have heard something about it by now too.

 

[Proper Gander]

I read something while casing Land for anything interesting the other day that he hurt his knee, had it looked at, and then left early by himself. You’d think if it was serious he’d have been accompanied by multiple people, so likely just a knock ... we’d probably have heard something about it by now too.

I’m guessing not a big deal. They usually get the golf buggy out for anything north of a splinter.

 

[FAILTOSUCCEED]

How is Brayshaw tracking this pre-season?
Will he play predominately mid, and rotate forward? Cheers

 

[Topkent]

How is Brayshaw tracking this pre-season?
Will he play predominately mid, and rotate forward? Cheers

I would say he will play predominantly HBF and rotate through the wing. Due to his concussion troubles the club is doing its best to restore his confidence in his body before putting him through the wringer

 

[FAILTOSUCCEED]

I would say he will play predominantly HBF and rotate through the wing. Due to his concussion troubles the club is doing its best to restore his confidence in his body before putting him through the wringer

I wouldn’t see him as a half back type. Interesting!