Training report 18th December 2017

[K]

[Dave The Man]

Just love Hearing how good Murphy Kicking has been

[RudeBoy]

Thanks heaps Laddy.

Will Shakespeare would be proud!

[Dave The Man]

Thanks for the Great Work warburton lad

[FLAGPIES]

Thank You So Much WL.
Absolute LEGEND!!!

[John LEWIN]

Just want to add my thanks to WL, great to be able to follow whats going on as we build for the future. Great writing.

[Mossi]

great as always WL.
Lad from your astute observations.
Any visible signs out on the training track from that intensive YOGA course their partaking in?

[warburton lad]

[warburton lad]

Good evening K,

Madden is a sandy haired, square jawed 192 cm utility.
He is quite solid in the thighs and played most of the match practice running into the action off the back of the square.

When match practice was on, Lynch was running lap after lap with his shoulder strapped

[cityslick1]

Was great to get to my first training session in two years, and what an intense session it was.

First might I just say that it was a pleasure to meet the warburton lad at training. Have been enjoying his reports for years now, and it was great to see him action, bringing insight and commentary to the magpie faithful.

It was a v young squad that took the field today, with Moore, Grundy, pendles, treloar, goldy, hoskin Elliot, oxley and De goey for large chunks reduced to a limited schedule on the sidelines.. ably joined by sier, wills and Callum brown.

Times have certainly changed since the days of Taz and Rocca dominating training with their high marking, as with Elliott and fasolo missing, the major forward targets were Crocker, Kirby and Tarks.... with a bit of Reid and mayne thrown in.

It's actually a v small side, still full of not quite mids and not quite key position players, which had me lamenting what would happen if Moore and Dunn go down for large chunks of the season. Football has no doubt changed over the years, but the lack of genuine KPP's could again be our undoing this year.

For the sideline brigade first...

Pendles was free from finger bandage and running boundary circuits at medium pace, building his tank and most likely being managed for the big season ahead.
Treloar looks strong, but regaining fitness and touch after the op.
Goldy did v little, as did Grundy, though he looks in ripping shape.
Oxley honestly looked lighter than I've ever seen him, awkward and unfit, whilst seemingly making up the numbers at this stage. Obv had a bad injury, but looks half the player he once was.
Whilst Hoskin Elliott was running sprints with his head perfectly still, reminiscent of the great Rams hall of famer Eric Dickerson in full flight. He isn't toned, but does look to have added a minor bit of baulk, and has a deceptively wide frame.
Wills looked knackered and in minor distress, with a build that doesn't scream out mid. He is an animal when playing though, so I look forward to seeing how his 2018 season pans out.
Sier covering the ground v well, and has a v nice physique for a mid. Kid screams josh Kennedy in build, so still hoping he makes it.
C Brown has def filled out and reminded me of a young diesel williams in build. V solid legs, and upper body hasn't been neglected. Will feature this year.

For the mainstays, it was quite brutal in the heat, with no leniency given to first year players or the less fit. A solid 2 hours of running and skills games weeded out the ones who couldn't keep up with high intensity drills... a stark contrast to the demons training around the corner, who were much more casual in their approach with the mercury pushing 30c. I dare say that sideline group weren't upset to have missed today's session. I can't imagine the recovery for the younger bucks is a simple exercise... welcome to the big time lads.

Maynard - poss best on today, slimmed down, but has lost no power. Will def feature in the midfield, as he looked like a quicker pendles at times, tackling and endurance, with arrow like passes and a few goals to cap off a v good session. Looks a senior player now and def has high respect within the group.

Howe - also prominent throughout, with intercept marks and nice delivery. A born leader and crucial to our chances of success.

Adams - in ripping shape, at 3/4 pace from what I could see, but snapped goals, showed some poise and class, as well as some Quick movement that was nice to behold.

Tyler Brown - quite impressive and a session to warm the hearts of the faithful. Has already filled out a little in the lower body, and his lateral movement, reading of the play, and spring when marking had me jogging my memory for a player of similar style. Then it came to me... Gavin Wanganeen. Now I'm not going too early here, but this kid looks to have a bit, and I'm now v happy with the decision to draft him where we did. Def one to watch.

Sidey - also at 3/4 pace and bobbed up when he needed to. Nice tan and mo, and hopefully primed for a big one.

Josh Daicos - also v impressive. Will have to feature this year. Looks to be sidey's heir apparent to me. Running was strong, disposal a1, and reads it v well. Another draft bargain in the making... though another hff to add to the mix. So where to play him the only issue if all the other young guns also come on.

Stephenson - v skinny, but has toe and a v nice style to his game. A real dasher who can also win his own ball, and brings some class too really like this kid.

Murphy - looks to have lost weight since the draft, as is stick thin, but has elite decision making, nice skills and a strong mark. Another HF something that is holding his own at this stage. Saw the intercept that the Lad mentioned, and it was the stuff of a veteran, in a crucial passage of play. Nice

Phillips - has also shed some lbs and looks a diff player for mine. Lean & Built for endurance and did some nice things. Decision making is good with this guy, and looks a solid chance for starting best 22.

Broomhead & aish - paired off against each other in the sprinting duels and was surprised to see aish win a lot. Has better endurance. Broomy solid but didn't impress as much as hoped. Really want him to take the next step. Aish still looks a bit vanilla to me, without any big tricks. Two more HF something's.

Varcoe - trimmed down and youthful looking. Didn't recognise him at first. Looks v fit and tackling was a feature.

Crisp - fitness shone through at end. V productive and strong in the sprints and miss work.

Dunn - fit, lasted well with plenty of desire. Great addition this guy... thanks melb for two leaders. Backline would be completely lost without them.

Reid - just glad he's out there. Looking in good shape. Need this guy to hold down a key spot. Didn't feature too much.

Mason - agile and skilled for a big guy, but decision making a split second off at times and was punished. Gotta stop beating himself up and just get better. Looks strong and fitness has to be getting better with all this running. Tailed off towards the end as Dunn easily had the better of him in sprints.

Appleby - kid impressed me. Looks a footballer and won two group backup sprints comfortably. Great rookie pick

Mihocek - looks like a smaller version of glen jakovic. Strong and could be used this year, with mclarty still looking raw.

Magden - plenty of desire and effort. Has the right traits for a defender, so will be v interesting to see how he goes.

De Goey - solid but skin folds didnt look impressive, as he returns from injury. Looks a sometimes distant figure at training. Something slightly off. Blair punched him the guts at one stage, and someone else gave him a Don't argue to the face.. so all didn't seem 100% if I'm being honest. Turned it on when he needed to, and looks classy when on... just need him to be switched on. Again, will watch with interest.

Wells - minimal work also. Not overweight, just looks to have an old physique now. Also hope he is switched on this season.

Kirby - def fitter than last year. Didn't disgrace himself in the running, but is still last. Big leap but dropped off at the end with fatigue. Perfect example to show him why he needs to be able to backup towards latter stages of games, if he wants to be best 22. Promising signs though.

Shaz - bigger, but also struggling a bIt with fatigue. Awkward running style, with right shoulder always higher, and def not quick. Some good kicks and decisions, as expected, but a mid he will never be. HBF is it for shaz... and hopefully in the 1's.

Langdon - trim, and looking like a cross between John McEnroe and martina Navratilova.

[cityslick1]

Dp

[K]

[qldmagpie67]

[cityslick1]

I'll also add that I believe McLarty did his knee before being carried off. I was quite close when it happened, and whilst he was limping at first, he quickly went to ground and could not put any weight on it. Was visibly in a lot of pain, but will wait to see the club's official announcement.

Either way, I still think he's v raw and may not feature this year. Love his desire, but doesn't look ready and still growing into his body and gaining seniors fitness. Would have Mihocek ahead of him at this stage.

[Pie as a Kite]

Thanks Warburton Lad and Cityslick, I love all the training updates you're providing for us.

WL, you mentioned Josh Smith training as a forward. Do yout think this is a permanent new position for him? Aside from Crisp to the backline, have you noticed any other positonal changes for players?

Fingers crossed for McLarty, hope he's ok.