TRAINING NOTES 17/12 - Whadda ya know, sparrows do fart! (Pa

[Nick]

Training notes lifted from Hotrod's Extreme Black 'n' White Bullet In Board (with permission)
---------------------------------------------

or......

WHEN MR. MALTHOUSE TALKS EVERYBODY LISTENS.

A lone figure in a white t-shirt jogged laps as the express from Clifton Hill clattered past. Somewhere in the distance a dog barked.

The stride wasn't elegant. The tempo quite subdued. But Mr Wasley WAS jogging laps sans knee strapping & were it not for seeing him last Mondee, barely a limp.

The Special K was beginning to settle in my belly as I parked my arse in the Ryder Stand. The previous days rain had given the oval a lushness that contrasted nicely with the sea of Emirates red.

As the boys hit the paddock at 8 sharp the names of former legends looked proudly down on the new breed of heroes resplendent in their red training jumpers.

Thankfully it appeared that they would be training in their respective playing numbers. All things being equal expect:

* Shaw - #22

* Roach - #39

* Jacotine - #13

* Clark - #29

* McKee - #12

**Both Fraser & Bazookavic trained in numberless tops. Bazookavic & Roach are SKINNY farkers! And while I'm at it Smithy walks & runs like a baboon!

The session began with the usual light jogging & stretching exercises followed by more jogging.

As the group prepared for their first drill. Neon Leon peeled off the pack & underwent the same supervised running exercises Tuckey endured on Mondee. Then emerging from the race was Tuckey himself to join Davis in the running drills. When finished (about 30-40 minutes into the session both players left the field never to be seen of again)
Meanwhile the rest of the group went through a short passing routine at full tilt. Comprising 4 groups the players ran & passed to the opposite group forming a criss cross. Pretty standard fare at most clubs.

Carpet Burns was pulled aside for supervised short kicking.

This drill was then repeated using handballs with some blockers (players holding those punching bag type things) thrown in.

As Mai Ling once told Tommy Byron & Jerry Butler, there will be more to come in a couple of hours.

Hotrod

[Nick]

TRAINING NOTES 17/12 - Whadda ya know, sparrows do fart! (Part 2)

Okie dokie, shall we continue?

The handball drill was followed by a simulated match situation. A marking contest on the members end forward flank would see the ball hit the ground. The players would then crumb the ball & run it through the centre to the midfielders who would kick to a designated player (wearing a black jumper) in a one on six situation at FF. This player had to lead & somehow create enough space to not only mark or take the ball but goal. Anything short of a goal was not good enough.

The players then split into 2 groups where a similar kicking/marking drill saw a player on the run kicking to a trio of players. Two of whom were his team-mates & the third (black top) the enemy. Mick pointed out it was all about decision making. The two team-mates were to lead. The defender had to decide as late as possible which man to mark & the bloke kicking had to decide within 5 steps which was the correct lead to honour. Any pass that didn't hit its target cost the kicker 10 push-ups.
Roachy made a total bollocks of this drill & may still be out there on the flank pushing his ups.

After this we reverted to Mondee's one on one/body on body marking drill.
While the main body of troops were involved in this the 'centre square team' did their hit out routine.
Once again it was McKee v Smith while Fraser watched on.
The midfielders and their opponents were:
Ricky Oh!/Lane, Tark/Jacotine, Bucks/Willo, Orchy/Licka & Roop/possibly O'Bree???

By about 10ish the boys were all heading into the rooms to pump weights.

THE MINUTES FROM TODAY'S MEETING ARE:

* Adkins' nickname is CHIPPER

* Both Ricky Oh! & Wasley took part in full training & ran at full speed.

* Big Sexy Sav Rocca still unsighted. As was as far as I could tell Hawking.

* It's hard to see Bazookavic as being that walk up start to a senior birth some said he'd be.

* McKee doesn't make me brim with confidence either even though he is the numero uno ruckman.

* Very impressed by this Clark fella!

* Mick & his coaching staff don't take short-cuts. During every drill it's as if there is one of them there for every marking contest or shepherd. Players are quickly pulled up if they give away what would be a free for anything.

* When Mick is talking you could hear a pin drop. All eyes are focused on the 'teacher', there is no laughing or 'Monkey'ing about. He has not once yet had to ask someone "are you listening?"

* The two training sessions I've seen run like clockwork. There are no flat spots.


*************************************************


Finally, I'd just like to recount a very touching story I was told this morning.

I find it somewhat amusing when the media create these fake heroes like Carey & Winmar & herald them role models to this nation's troubled youth.

I was expressing my total admiration for our captain, not only as a player but as a person, to a softly spoken elderly gentleman.
He smiled at me & told me this little story.

When Bucks first came to VP he bunked down at the old Coventry House digs. An elderly woman called Betty would cook for the boys. As she had done apparently for years.
Well sadly, Betty spent the last year in the Corpus Christi Hospice for the Dying where she finally succumbed to terminal cancer.
The padre who also happened to 'work' there said, in what seemed like almost every day of her last few months, Bucks would rock up around dinner time & spoon feed Betty her dinner until the cancer got the better of her.

When he finished telling me this story the players were leaving the field. A young boy stood at the race with his autograph book in hand. Bucks signed his book, ruffled his hair & stood chatting with the kid while the whole team filed by & signed their names.

Just thought I'd retell the tale to help put things in perspective next time a Wayne mistakes his wallet for a ladies breasts or a Nicky beats up a granny.

I don't often feel humble but it has been a very peculiar day.

I later asked the padre to bless my FJ (Ya gotta keep all bases covered!). He thought I was joking.

Hotrod