Training notes - Monday 11 Jan

[cityslick1]

It was a lovely warm and calm morning to start with in Melbourne, with the boys out nice and early as per usual. It got quite hot quite quickly though, so it was good for the boys to get in some solid work before struggling with the heat & really working up a sweat. The new glasshouse development is looking a treat, and whilst the cafe was not open, the nearby bar / cafe under the soccer stadium is a great spot for a coffee, read of the paper and rotational viewing of the many sports screens dotted around its large and comfortable space.

Have to say that training was not as intense as the demons session I witnessed the other day... with the boys away & me hungry for some footy. But that could be because of the tough week up north, or diff loading between the two teams. More on that later for those interested.

Overall thoughts on the session were that the boys are looking stronger and more familiar / cohesive than this time last year. I'd still love to see one more dominant forward out there, and a bit more pace out of the middle, but the depth looks good, as expected, despite a few still being on the sidelines. Also think we might lack a bit of mongrel across the ground, as the Adams, Grundy, Marsh and Blair types are outnumbered by the quieter, nicer types. Just an observation, but we can't afford to be bullied by the bigger / more aggressive teams.

Goldy and Elliott did sprints early, then a bit of walking. Broomy just walked laps. Browny and White didn't last long at all, aish started late and ran laps, and treloar looked a fair way off full training... Also starting late... bulky, not moving freely, and doing half pace 'sprint' work for a short space of time. Tommy Langdon also did something to his knee early, spent a bit of time with medicos and ended up running slow laps. He's put on a fair bit of upper body weight, so I wonder if that's affected him. Was complaining of the weight on his right knee.

Drills consisted of a lot of contested marking, and set clearance plays to forwards from stoppages... boundary and centre square. Midfield work looked v slick, though there was no tackling, so not too much pressure. Finished off with a solid session of goal kicking, from all angles, and a some sprints for a few of the boys coming back from injury.

Player observations as follows...

Reidy - looked v good. Best big man out there for mine. Looks in great shape... jumped marked and ran well, moved freely, body on body work was good and kicking nice and strong as per usual. This is no doubt the player hine was drafting all those years ago. Played mostly as a forward in the one on one drills, but don't read too much into that. Please stay fit. So valuable.

Fasolo - looked good. Running well, kicking well, Marking well. Good to see as I've always got him on the borderline of my best 22, whilst on this evidence, he definitely deserves a spot. Still got ADD and bit of attitude, but is also supportive with his big voice. Could kick 30 goals if he gets it right and stays hungry and involved. Dangerous.

Pendles - going through the motions. Having a light session from what I could see. Still a focus of midfield distribution though. Moving around the groups giving instructions and getting involved. Big season ahead.

Swanny - laconic, but still looked good. In good shape and doing well in the one on ones... Looks quite focussed tbh. Glad he's still around and looking valuable.

Trav - slimline version. Has dropped some weight and might've lost half a yard in pace, or maybe always was a bit slower than the others, so will be interesting to see how he goes his year. Didn't stand out too much in be drills, but was v vocal and showing his leadership skills. Hoping the ripped physique translates to increased fitness, but can def notice the diff from last season.

Marsh - great physical specimen. V athletic and strong. Good leap. Competitive marking good, desire always high, and running v good, so will have to feature this year. Kicking better but still a bit inconsistent, so will see if he can get on top of that or if it's the one thing that holds him back.

Crisp - looked good and should continue on from last year. One of the few with pace out of the middle, so needs to stay fit and in good form.

Grundy - always looks heavy in the legs to me, but showed high desire when required and kicking looked alright.

Witts - looked fit and in good shape. More mobile and kicking good. Doesn't have a big leap, but if he can pluck some marks and kick some goals, he might get in before Darcy, who still looks too small to play ruck.

Darcy - skilful and athletic.. beautiful kicking too, but hasn't put on any size, and looks best suited to a third tall forward role at this stage. Will be a beauty after another two pre-seasons... but would love to have that player with us now. Nice kick for goal, so needs to be up forward... but still think he's too light to go up against experienced ruck man.

Adams - busy in the midfield. Not quick, but along with greenwood will provide the grunt work for the year and seasons to come. Would love a bit more penetration with his kicking, but the outside players should provide that. Important.

Sinclair - looks strong and ready to play some games after being held back by injury. Think he will fight it out with Ramsey for a spot in the side, with an outside chance of both sneaking in, if circumstances permit. Both favourites with the coach, and reliable. Promising.

Ramsey - looking good. Solid, fit... good body work and marking for a small / medium defender, with kicking also looking good. Did some one on one work with bucks at the end of the session, receiving handballs, pivoting, and kicking for goal from 50, so I think bucks has plans for him... . Also Promising.

Varcoe - looked slick and in great nick. Kicking good. Still loves a goal. Again, extremely valuable with the lack of pace across the ground. We're v slow in the middle if he, Crisp and Treloar all get injured. Important.

Maynard - solid, nothing too spectacular. Quiet. Ditto Toovey. Didn't spot Howe or DeGoey, but thought I saw Sidey being prominent as always. Mason still not on top of his disposal on the run, and Frost looked solid in his drills.

Will be back later this week, so hope to fill in a few blanks, confirm early signs of form, and see if other players step up from their modified training programs...

Go pies!

[Woods]

Thanks for the report.

[Mossi]

Much appreciated cityslick1. Like Neil you guys like your coffee!
Great to hear Reidy (fingers X) is training well, doesn't seem real!!!
Disappointed Aish and Broomy are not on full training, but the season is long and as they say in Italian " better a living donkey (dunce) than a dead doctor (scolar)" ...... Think I lost a lot in translation but it has to do with overdoing it . In other words better they train less and remain in one piece than having them on the injury list.
Trav is an interesting cat, I recently met a Pies supporter who knows Trav from his spouse well, and the word is that he's over all those niggles he had to play through in the last few years and is rearing to go. I wouldn't be surprised he is not overdoing the sprinting work at this stage and like many building into the season gradually.
Like your angle on Ramsey, I wouldn't be surprised he could be earmarked for an additional role as a wingman with good defensive skills. I'm also Sinclair fan! ( there is no Pie player I'm not a fan of!) so good to know he seems to be back training well.
Looking forward to more insights thanks again.

[Dave The Man]

Thanks Mate

[cityslick1]

Funny... I don't actually drink much coffee, but always find it handy to point out to people. Everyone else seems to like it.

Back to footy, and I saw the demons train the other day and it was interesting to compare the two sessions. Melb trained in the early arvo, which must be tough on days like today. Our boys are always out early, which avoids the heat and prob keeps them off the p*ss the night before. I jest, but bucks is so meticulous in his planning, I wouldn't be surprised to find this out to be true.

As stated, Melb looked more intense in their drills and application..which could be for a variety of reasons. They looked big and fit and fast, but still didn't recognise more than 50% of the players. Whilst looking quick, they couldn't get the drills right as much as us out of the middle. Maybe b/c Vince and brayshaw were running laps, or maybe b/c we are organised and all on the same page now re strategy. Bucks had the mid group go over the same plays again and again as if like muscle memory. They could prob do it in their sleep now. Melb were more intense in the tackles though, which was a big part of their training.

For the ex pies, Dawes has slimmed down and was in great nick... Easily out pacing the forwards and rucks he was running laps with. If he can hold his marks, he might be dangerous. Kennedy looked bigger, but will struggle to get in their midfield. Slowish and no penetration on his kicking, has him behind the pack. Maybe a small forward gig if he can convince them he's good enough.

Of the others, Watts is a decent sized unit, but turned the ball over in the match simulation, whilst their rucks looked v big and quite impressive. Petracca looked strong in their forward line, whilst most of their defenders looked liked their rookies.

Reading over the training notes above, it doesn't come across as overly positive, but I want to keep it real and not sugar coat anything. Overall the boys looked to have developed from last year, but I'm expecting big things, with an outside chance of pushing for top 4, so I'm marking them against where I think they can be.

I still think the Hawks and Freo will fall away, and maybe Sydney... so the time is right to make a big play for significant finals action. Trav, Pendles, and Swan won't be around forever, so this and next year could be prime chances to give the title challenge a shake.

I'm also rapt to have Treloar and Aish at the club, so was disappointed to see them both virtually on the sidelines. Still a bit of time to go before the real stuff, but preseason is the best way to get that base to carry you through the season, so is important to get as much in as possible. Hoping for some more positive signs in the next few sessions... Cheers

[roar]

Great work, slick! Thanks.

[MightyMagpie]

Thanks.

[Dave The Man]

[Jezza]

Fantastic reports Cityslick1! This is hugely appreciated by everyone here! I'm eager to head down to training next week which coincides with the start of the Australian Open which I will be attending most of next week during the day.

Hopefully I can get a glimpse of how the boys are progressing and to truly appreciate the hard work you and Neil put in to deliver such comprehensive training reports for the rest of us.

It's great to hear Ben Reid doing well at the moment. Seems like forever since he was fit in the pre-season.

[winpies]

Many thanks for the report cityslick1. Appreciated.

[watt price tully]

[E]

I am a little surprised how quickly Frost has fallen from grace.

Cityslick, do you get the feeling Frost is a best 22 type player, or is he now simply insurance for Ben Reid?

[HAL]

I think Cityslick do you get the feeling Frost is more than that.

[stui magpie]

Great report mate, always great to read the observations from someone thee.

[jackcass]