Training Report: Thursday March 26

[Neil Appleby]

Brisk, sunny morning. Perfect for training.

Not Training:
DeGoey, Marsh, Witts, Seedsman, Dwyer, Moore, Broomhead, Gault not training due to VFL game later.

Restricted Training:
Ben Reid � Ben did a warm up of walking/jogging laps before gradually increasing his pace to somewhere between 50-70%.
Said he was feeling good. He worked hard with personal trainer to begin with and then did a lot of work alone.
Nathan Freeman � looked good as he concentrated on sprint work all morning. No body contact.
Clinton Young � for the first time all summer Young joined in the general warm-up drills and handball work. Sprinted and looked like he was close to full fitness. I�d guess 2 weeks away.
Jack Crisp � Like Young, joined in the general warm up drills and then did sprint work.
Keeffe - Close to full fitness after his hammy. We coaxed him over for a chat and he said he�s looking to a week 2 start, hopefully on the backline! Don�t tell Bucks.
Mason Cox � Did the warm up as above and then joined Freeman in multiple 100 metre sprints. Coxy finished only a metre or two behind Freeman. This guy really can move.
Brent Maccaffer � For the first time since his reco, Caff joined the team in the warm ups and ball drills. Later he joined Freeman and Cox in 100 metre sprints. Even later did intensive, supervised dodging, weaving work. Plenty of changing direction here and he came up trumps. Great to see.

The general theme of today�s training was not sprinting or endurance work, but ball work, predominantly by foot. There were two separate match simulation drills and plenty of stoppage work.

Teams (Black V Yellow): Some Initial match-ups
Elliott (full forward) V Frost
Brown V Cloke
Langdon V Faz
Pendlebury V Maynard
Goldy V Manteit
Swan V Goodyear
Sharenberg V Elliott
Adams V Maynard

All the young recruits playing on ball roles in this first match practice. Taylor Adams impressive as is Maynard. Elliott now switched to an on ball role and is really working hard picking up possessions at will.

Now at the Olympic Boulevard end, Keeffe, Cox and Young do some goal kicking work. Young and Cox do this drill for about 30 mins. Young misses mostly.

Now a change-over of personnel for a new match - Black V Yellow. A few of the new match ups.
Cloke V Frost
Faz V Sinclair
Blair V Williams
Thomas V Sharenberg
Langdon V Goldy
Elliott V Manteit
Grundy V Brown

A few highlights:
Ball comes in long. Elliott V Manteit. Manteit takes front position but runs under the ball after being caught in two minds. Elliott waits behind and takes a simple chest mark. Manteit remonstrates with himself.

White covering plenty of ground, marks on the wing. He loves running onto the ball. Does it often during this drill. This is his go. Leave him here please Bucks.

Pendlebury covering enormous ground today. A class above.
Sidey gets the gig of trying to curb Pendlebury�s dominance.

Pendles on HB finds Scott Burns with a lovely kick. Burns then finds the running Pendles. Pendles was surrounded but the pass was a ripper.

Williams dances through traffic and finds Swanny. Swan gives a bullet like hand-pass to Frost who kicks long to Ramsay. Ramsay to Grundy standing alone. Boots a behind.

Varcoe picking up heaps across the last line of defence.
Sharenberg now playing back against Josh Thomas with Goodyear tailing Swanny.

Sharenberg yet again and finds White with a long searching pass. Sharenberg smothers a Thomas kick for goal and it ends up with Grundy at the other end, who goals.
Sharenberg has now smothered two kicks � a very hard worker and he�s giving Thomas a bath.

Elliott on HB finds White on the wing. White runs onto the perfect kick. Maynard intercepts the kick. Maynard has been everywhere. Williams now turns it over and it ends up with Maynard who will shoot. Behind.

Pendlebury wheels around onto his left and finds Maynard. What a perfect kick! Maynard with a long kick and finds Cloke in the pocket.

Williams giving Fasolo a bath.

Pendles kicks long to Goldsack vs Manteit. Goldsack a strong grab above his head. Manteit wouldn�t be happy with his defensive work this morning. Misjudged it in the air again.

Sharenberg takes another mark deep in the back pocket. That�s three or four marks like that. Perfect kick to Swan on the wing and Swanny doesn�t need to break stride. Swan finds a leading Jesse White. White long to Goldsack who weaves around Manteit and goals.

Maynard gets the ball in the centre and looks long but smothered by Sharenberg again! This boy has reflexes like a cat.

Nathan Brown hasn�t been beaten in a one-on-one contest this morning. Good sign.

That�s a wrap. Brains trust now conferring for our votes.
Old Codger: 5. Elliott
4. Pendles
3. Adams
2. Maynard
1. Williams

Super Old Codger: 5. Elliott
4. Pendles
3. Williams
2. Brown
1. White

[watt price tully]

Thanks Neil. It read like a symphony of success.

What about codger & lil' codger's votes?

[Stupied]

Cheers Neil, love the reporting on Berg. I'm salivating at the prospect of him being fully fit and playing footy again!

[Neil Appleby]

[Neil Appleby]

[swoop42]

Thanks Stuart.

Hope all is well with the old todger.

[watt price tully]

[HAL]

Why specifically do you hope for all is well with the old todger?

[jackcass]

[TimetoFly]

Thanks Neil!!

From what u saw do u think Reid is injujred or just managed????

[rand corp]

Great Report thank you

[Neil Appleby]

[John Wren]

any chance burnsy for round 1?

i like the look of maynard. did he impress you?

[Brown26]

Thanks Neill - I get the feeling we look great on the track but rubbish on the field! I hope Witts, Broomhead and Patty K make a difference against Brisbane!

- Ben

[Mossi]