On the Track (training updates) 2024

[Pies2016]

It’s been enjoyable reading all the track watchers feedback and a thanks to all who have posted their notes in this thread. Thought Elliot looked distinctly slimmer in those training pics and hopefully that will help him get around the ground even better. There also seems to be a general consensus amongst those training notes that McInnes seems to be one of the big improvers in the pre season. If that translates to on field, then we will go some way to offsetting the McStay loss ( more so on the score board than around the ground )

[LaurieHolden]

From Side by Side @ BF

Pre-season Training - January 15th.

The ground is looking in superb condition after its makeover and training occurred in propitious conditions today after the point when the tufts of white cloud briefly joined providing a grey roof over the AIA centre. In terms of the roll call, the only notable absentee was Josh Daicos who is battling a lower leg issue. Checkers ran laps along the outer side of the ground, though he joined in a whole ground movement drill for ten minutes. Late in the session he had Maynard and Tew and Harry for company, the last two gaining a reprieve from the last few drills of mainstream training. Checkers undertook some agility-dedicated routines in addition to the straight running.

McStay engaged with the black and white fans who thronged the arena on the pavilion side. He is very friendly, and obliged with the signing of autographs and posing for photos with the patrons. In answer to a question regarding his return, he responded with “January” which can only be interpreted as twelve months from now. Peter Moore oversaw training on the other side of the players’ entrance with one of his white blonde granddaughters. He hugged and shook hands with the majority of our players as they came out and was deep in conversation with Jeremy Howe for a long time.

There were some tradies erecting some structures advertising the Australian Open as it seems we’re profiting from some tennis-oriented functions. The whole session played to the accompaniment of the mid-summer soundtrack of announcements from across the road guiding the hordes of tennis attendees whose steady stream continued.

It was a relatively punishing session in which all the supplementary selections had a chance to strut their stuff in the hope of impressing the Pie coaches. Eyre again looked impressive and did nothing to disabuse one of his position at the head of this queue, especially given his credentials as a 199 cm defender who might be able to play on the increasing number of giant forwards. The other players are providing plenty of encouragement and mentoring to aid his chances of selection. According to Jen who spoke with his father, his body feels better than it has in any pre-season and he’s loving his time at Collingwood. Bytel and Hustwaite both wore #33 today but in different colours. To my eye, the former looks a solid, run of the mill player. Hustwaite did a few noteworthy things today but doesn’t strike one as necessarily a player destined for a sustainable AFL career. Teakle looks all right at times but his hands certainly don’t look as sure as Eyre’s. If he was to be selected, one suspects it would be as a back up ruck, with Begg considered more a key position prospect. Regarding Sullivan, it may depend, if we select two or more players, whether our preference is for a balance of tall and shorter types.

The players engaged in a large number of drills and activities all examining various skills and movements. There was a lot of focus on tackling with players extricating themselves from congestion through their elusiveness and then laying off by hand and foot to targets. In many of the drills, coaches and players alike could be heard screaming “corridor” and there seems to be an emphasis on honing their capacity to still select this option even when under duress to create more opportunities for us when we need to score quickly.

There were also various iterations or versions of match sim, some using all, some part of the ground, as well as some activities which occupied two semi-circles where the objective was swift ball movement, precise kicking to targets and running with alacrity.

There were a few rehydration breaks and a couple of huddles, with the first showcasing rousing cheers and enthusiastic jumping as the players displayed great camaraderie.

Random observations of players based on these latest sessions:

Harrison who looks more muscular and defined hasn’t lost any pace and is moving well in all the drills, often weaving his way out of traffic and he was at the end of some balls when playing in attack, and he kicked a few majors.

Lippa looks super fit and primed for action and getting through the last part of 2023 when he may have still been sub-consciously concerned about his shoulders, may have allayed his fears so that he can now tackle his work with impunity.

IQ is looking ripped and he’s revelling in the action. He seems to be moving up the ground a bit at times.

Beau is the fittest he’s looked in a January as he’s generally been waylaid by a niggle at this time of the year. At times it was great to watch him today again bursting through congestion with power and speed and one wonders if the coaches will consider becoming more creative with his positioning.

Schultz – the nuggety forward who likes to wear #11, generally looks solid and precise in everything he does.

Nick who wore his #35 today turned heads again with his skilful negotiating of traffic and his general speed, precision and wherewithal to know what to do in all situations.

Reef is definitely more involved in the play and he looks appreciably stronger the way he is sticking and withstanding tackles. He is a decent marking target who offers flexibility to the team.

Noble predictably his approaching his work as industriously as ever and today he showcased his speed at times. He and Howe stood out for the amount of zinc cream applied to negate the effects of the potentially malign sun.

Ash looks fit and willing. He played as a deep forward today and slotted a few goals. He would be aware of the McStay opening, but equally the requirement for him to work harder off the ball.

Crisp and Mitch are players one takes for granted, they are constantly where the ball is, and Crisp’s often reckless attack on the ball to initiate attacks is there to see at training too.

Pendles was responsible for one egregious error today when he blundered into the corridor for a turnover but apart from that was linking up seamlessly and directing traffic. He played in defence during the final match sim which occurred down the middle of the ground from wing to wing.

Richards moves speedily and is blessed with reasonable skills but it’s hard to see him breaking into the firsts, maybe by dint of his size but also because he is competing with players who currently have a mortgage on a certain position.

Murphy is showing no ill-effects from his knocks and is playing with his customary courage and attack on the ball. He always dons the white top and tends to pitt himself against more seasoned players.

Carmichael is still recovering from the effects of his concussion sustained shortly before Christmas but he’ been on the track.

Moore is moving extremely well after battling multiple injuries late last season. He’s quite vociferous when guiding his fellow defenders and was the recipient of many admiring comments on the sidelines from bystanders who saw his physique at close range.

Fin floated forward a few times was at the end of a chain which saw him lining up for goal. It would be great to see him getting an early chance to shine as he’s certainly looking as fit as a fiddle and he’s a very willing tackler.

Allan again impressed at times and his body looks big enough to withstand the rigours of AFL. I love how deft he is by hand which is sometimes I also noticed in the VFL last year. He is getting a liberal dose of on ball time.

Tew who answers to the sobriquet of TJ, is quite springy and a very fluent mover around the ground.

Seeing Harry at close quarters, his body looks reasonably mature for a neophyte and it wouldn’t surprise if he graced the seniors this year.

Cox looks clean and he and Cameron who’s been marking will again be the mainstays of the rucking department if they remain fit.

Maynard is still working his way back to full fitness.

[LaurieHolden]

From Jen @ BF

Pre-season Training - January 15th.

A late start this morning, not til about 9:40am or so.

A strong set of numbers. Only Josh Daicos was missing.
McStay made an appearance, doing some kicking for goal (right leg) some handballing, chatted to some fans, who he mentioned he would be back next January.

Checkers still away from the main group doing some running, but did participate in a light kicking drill early on.

Carmichael did some drills, but then spent the rest of his time running with Maynard and Mihocek.

Today's session was focused on fluid ball moment, and it was slick. The skills are getting better every session, and moving the ball in quick unison. Forming good connection between mids. backs and forwards.

Howe was back in defence.

During match sim, it went as follows ~

Pendles played at half back in match sim
Crisp also back in defence
Ryan was in the middle.

Eyre v Teakle
Hustwaite v Jordy
Fin v Lippa
Nick v Allan
Ryan v Bytel

Eyre had another impressive session, making him one of the front runners for a spot on the list. He did lots of spoiling from contests, and he actually is a real booming nice kick for his size.
Hustwaite and Bytel did some nice things
Sofronidis got involved a little more than usual, and had some nice kicking during some plays.

Teakle did a little bit ruck in some parts of match sim, but mostly spent his time forward with Eyre for company.

Pendles just defying his age, and moving like he is 20, not 36.
Bobby showed some tricks.
Fin was very impressive through the midfield, and pushed forward and kicked a few goals, one to finish off match sim from 40 metres.

Harrison was busy up forward, getting on the end of some good passages of play which resulted in him getting some shots on goal.
Both Cox and Cameron performed strongly in the ruck and forward.

[pietillidie]

Good stuff. Love the positive updates on Ash and Beau. There are more levels yet in those lads.

[The Black and White Lion]

To be fair to Ash as a mature age recruit, we sometimes take for granted that he's a 3year player taken in the 2021 MSD. Missed pretty much a full season of games through injury in that time. By way of comparison the Maccas from the 202 draft - McCreery, McInnes and Macrae are all 4th year players with different paths to success.

We always lament that KP take a bit longer. Ash is not your typical KP but has all the attributes with his athleticism. Would be great to see him attain some sustained success if he wants it at AFL level

[Pies2016]

^^ ^
Was interested to read Side by Sides comments on Ed Allan. Totally agree about this kids creative hand ball. I posted something very similar in the VFL thread last season. His handballs are particularly damaging and he has good 360 awareness. He’s not quite in the N Daicos mould of creative ball use (not many are) but he has a very good understanding of giving the ball off to a player in a much better position. Hes remains conservative by foot and that’s smart until he adapts to the tempo. This kid’s got some weapons, so hopefully he gets the opportunity to maximise his talents sooner than later.

[Charlie Oneeye]

One year later, both Ed Allen and Jacob Ryan have gone from boys and are looking like men.

I have a feeling we may have gotten really lucky with these two,
Ed looks far more self-assured and is trending towards being a really imposing player. In an A grade sort of way.

Jacob has gone from a pimply faced teen to just starting to harden his body. Tom Stewart like.

Early calls... lol

[lazzadesilva]

You gotta call them as you see them and your comments add to the overall picture that shows our recruiting staff have been very good over the recent past. The final hurdle is for these players to display the potential, talents and skills that they showed to impress our recruitment team.

[piffdog]

[Quincy]

Comprehensive report here from Extreme Black and White by Annabelle about training today.

Under heavy, slate-grey skies training commenced around 9.30. The ground was wet and water pooled on the track abutting the oval. The only player missing from the action today was Josh Daicos who is managing a foot injury but he’s expected back within a few weeks, according to Hayden Skipworth who spoke with Sarah Olle in a press conference shortly after match simulation – which is the longest we’ve witnessed this pre-season. Interestingly he praised all those on trial for a last minute list spot and singled out Lachlie Sullivan and Jack Bytel because he focusses his attention on the mids. He was also laudatory of the next group of youngsters vying for a spot such as Reef and Fin. The list hopefuls were joined by some young academy boys again. It was raining for the entirety of the session, save for a break at 10.46, only to force umbrellas up again. The lights illumined the gloomy setting, though it was still relatively humid and the dismal weather did not deter the faithful. There were hordes of autograph hunters bothering the players every time they took one of their frequent water breaks. The drills were conducted at high intensity and many of the players were blowing hard when they gratefully guzzled the liquid to rehydrate. Once the players had literally whet their appetite, the sated bunch listened to various instructions from a range of coaches. Once Pendles briefly addressed the group. Fly also enjoyed rapt attention when he issued some specific directions, whilst the board was displayed before the match simulation and this seemed to stimulate some raucous applause. Before one of the drills in which there four groups, captains were named for competing teams within the group and this activity was particularly competitive with a some verballing going on between teams and some healthy affirmation of good performances evident. Some players decided they would do some umpiring here and Kreuger even indulged in some gestural mimicking as he indicated a push in the back etc.

There were many drills and activities prior to the match simulation which went for a decent length of time. These included: extensive warm-ups when the group cleaved with the white tops limbering up first while the blacks honed their close-in hand and foot skills. There was some sprinting which involved players springing from a prostrate position before motoring to the other end. There were plenty of activities demanding that the players practise tackling and alternately being asked to elude a tackler. Others centred around one -on- one duels which were effectively a test of strength, as the trainer holding a ball aloft tossed it up and they competed aerially but also had to use their body to outpoint the other. Other contested situations were longer range with kicks travelling at distance to two competing players whose overhead and body manoeuvring prowess were examined. Quite often there were four groups operating on separate drills concurrently with alternate players within each donning either a blue, salmon, lime-green or yellow vest. During one of the more tackling drills, some of us held our breath as Reef felt and then massaged his shoulder region after being dumped by Jack Crisp on the sodden turf.

Following the main drills there was a whole ground ball movement session in which kicking skills became quite ragged. The irony here was earlier on, when the rain was more intense, the players appeared to have acclimated quite well to the trying conditions. The ball was certainly heavy as testified by the sound it made when in contact with players’ boots. Some of the more storied senior players still exhibited solid skills, but players had to stretch, quite often in vain to lay fingers upon the ball they were running to. Usually in the dry, the ball movement is slick and polished.

Carmichael, Checkers, Maynard eschewed the final drill and instead ran at the river end under the guidance of a trainer.

During one of the drills, our stoppage players were selected to simulate skills in this area. This group comprised: Mitch, Pendles, Sidey, Allan, Nick, Lippa, Crisp, with Cox and Cameron providing the ruck service. Generally a few of them would perform push ups on the sidelines, while the rest would go through their paces and then they would swap.

As alluded to it was the most protracted match simulation track watchers had witnessed this pre-season. There were some interesting match-ups, though as usual this was fluid as players rotated, sometimes under the instruction of coaches, and sometimes one suspects spontaneously, like the time Moore took himself forward for one centre bounce. It was black versus white tops and the designated colour meant nothing as there was a spread of senior regulars among each team.

Random observations of some players based on the match simulation and the drills/activities.

Eyre – was impressive again. He played as a key defender in the white team. He took the odd mark and chastised himself upon making errors, but most significantly he has a wicked weapon in his penetrating, flat and accurate left foot kick. If he can quell and opponent and hold his own, his left boot could instigate some attacks.
Crisp – he’s such a gun. He was superb in all the drills and was the only player in a large group who won every one on one, by dint of his body strength and positioning in every duel he was involved in. In the match sim he was prominent, bursting away from packs. He started on the wing opposed to Lippa. Nobody embodies our exuberant chaos style more than him.

Nick was sensational through the middle and at stoppages. He is deceptively quick but quite boldly elusive, while his skill is non pareil.

Begg – perhaps a bit of a surprise packet today as a ruck in the match sim. He beat Cox was dominating early. Not only was he winning but once he took the ball cleanly out of the air, powered forward and handballed to a teammate. My only reservation maybe is that he doesn’t cover the ground swiftly but he’s developing well and maybe he has a future as a ruckman. Steene did the odd good thing but appeared to be mistiming his leaps at centre bounces.

JDG – really dominant and impressive in the match sim and he used his powerful body to very good effect in some of the drills when pitted against direct opponents.

Sam S. – moved quite well at times but wasn’t prominent and it will be difficult to see him being at the top of the pecking order when the coaches are calling out the names of list additions.

Macrae – Fin looks AFL ready. In the match sim he was notable with his performance at clearances, stoppages and linking up around the ground. He reads the play well and so often sharks hit outs. In the one-on-one activity, his body strength held up all right against bulkier opponents.

Reef spent some time in the middle and in attack in the match simulation but wasn’t as noteworthy as in other sessions.

Ash moved well in the activities but as confirmed by Skipworth, his loads were managed today and he spent some time running on the pavilion side of the ground. He unlike many other players, relishes being in photos with fans and is always friendly and obliging for autograph seekers which endears him to our younger supporter base.

Carmichael – he flashed in and out of the play. He got a bit of the pill in attack and his boot can be a weapon at times. He also seems to have ball getting nous. He is still donning the blue non-contact cap as he recovers from concussion, and ran while some of the drills took place.

Bytel – appears to be confident as he is prepared to take on some of our seasoned players in drills and during the match sim. He got a bit of the ball but am still a bit agnostic regarding his chances of cementing a spot on our list, let alone in our team.

Noble – as per usual provided some drive and impetus from defence with his searching runs.

Harry – has blinding speed and competed well at times with his opponents but at this juncture, understandably still seems a bit light-bodied against the big boys despite not being like some of the callow youth who’ve looked well behind in their first year. Wouldn’t rule him out from debuting as he looks confident and quite impressive but it may come only in the case of injury. He wore the black top today.

Tew – played in defence for the whites. Got some ball and his languid movements suggest someone who has a bit of time when in possession of the pill. Will need to build his body up before senior consideration.
Allan – he played on the wing and a bit around the ball. The fact that he was in the dedicated stoppage group for that drill, is indicative of how the coaches are now viewing him. He was part of some impressive chains, none more than when he an Nick combined to sublime effect which whetted the collective appetites of the onlookers.
McCreery – he impressed with his power and pace in the drills but one centre bounce burst left us pondering the extraordinary possibilities of Beau. He sharked the hit out and smashed his way in high octane style reminiscent of Dangerfield as he sent his team into attack. While Nick or Pendles can scythe their way, the latter with surgical precision, Beau was like a feral chain saw. How do we get the ball in his hands more?

Hill – Bobby dazzled in some passages of play. His speed and hands are both powerful assets.

Harrison – also continues to look good on occasions. His leaner body is more conducive to weaving his way through traffic. This time last year he was on a separate program designed to correct his running to take pressure off his troublesome hammies.

Dean played in defence for the black team. He didn’t stand out but looks to be a dependable set of hands. Eyre might offer more of the X-factor. Dean is solid.

Lippa is covering lots of territory and looks primed for a big season.

[warburton lad]

Thank you for sharing, Quincy.

Based on this report, I am very bullish about the following players who can make their mark in 2024.

Begg- was always going to take time, but continues to develop nicely.

Steene- has played senior football in SANFL and, like Begg, is a developing player- certainly has a great frame to build upon.

Allan- Is probably ahead of where I thought he may be at this stage- has clearly put some serious gym time into his frame- has elite pace and some very good skills by foot and hand.

McInnes- has teased with his attributes to date but now has the body of an AFL player and will be a lock by mid-year in this team.

Johnson- similar to McInnes- if one views the footage of the players on the ground after the Premiership of 2023, it is hard to suggest that anyone was more excited about the outcome than Johnson himself- he is very good mates with Bobby Hill and McCreery and would love to be part of the team moving forward.

Macrae- whilst Adams will clearly be a loss to our midfield group, Macrae offers a ready-made strong body to fill that void.

Carmichael- people may forget his contributions in his early games; a goal-kicking mid who is very strong in the contest.

DeMattia, Jath, Dean and Jakob Ryan- all will be developing their craft further in 2024

I think Eyre and Bytel will be elevated to the Senior list-

Eyre has good hands and is an excellent and long kick- I think his time at the Bombers was hampered by troublesome hamstring issues (shades of early Darcy Moore) but he is now in his second elite AFL environment and has been consistently impressive on and off the track.

Bytel, similarly, has been troubled early in his AFL career by injuries. It is important to note that despite playing very little football at the end of his junior career (he had stress fractures in his back) he was still touted as a Top Ten pick in that draft. He has been untroubled by the intense workload during our pre-season and the leg injuries that troubled his time at St Kilda seem to be in the past.

Bytel has two qualities that appear to be valued highly by the Magpies: he enjoys tackling and pressuring the ball carrier and he has confidence to 'back-himself' against every opponent.

For the naysayers (outside of the Club), I believe that the depth of the Collingwood list will become very evident in 2024. The intensity of the competition for spots on the primary list (let alone in the first team) will ensure that complacency will not be an issue.

I think that the Collingwood VFL team will play finals in 2024- it is hard to imagine that with so much talent on the final list that our seconds would not be in contention.

Finally, do not be surprised if Dan McStay plays late in 2024. It is only mid-January, but he appears to have come through the surgery very well and is already out on the track and doing a power of work.

[Ronnie McKeowns boots]

[LaurieHolden]

Pre-season training - January 17th c/- Jen @ BF.

Wet morning, but the rain didn't stop the boys from going out on the track. I went over the the cafe side of the ground and to get out of the rain, stood on the benches for a better view.

Pretty much a full squad except for JD, and I think Jakob Ryan. I don't recall seeing him there.
The two academy kids were there again, they look like they'll be good players, especially the blonde. Played some match sim. They seem to go well v AFL players.

They did some experimentation during match sim to see who can play where. They put Fin, Lippa on the wing. Reef. Allan. Beau in the middle.
Howe on the wing. Pendles (in his rare long sleeves) and crisp rotated off half-back.
Had Sidey and Carmy in the middle also. Just rotating as many players through there as possible to get a look.

The intent with the way they were moving the ball was aggressive. Just run and run, move the ball up forward at all costs. Whether it's along the wing, or through the middle.

While this won't mean much right now, not until after Feb, but these were the match sim teams.

Black:
Lippa, Allan, Cox, Howe, Nick, Beau, Markov, Dean, Steene, Moore, DeMattia, Frampton, Pendles, Mitchell, Reef, Kreuger, HH, Schultz, Noble

White:
Elliott, Jordy, Murphy, DC, Crisp, Sidey, Richards, Fin, Begg, Carmy, Hill, TJ, WHE, IQ

SSP
*Eye, Sofronidis, Hustwaite, Teakle were on the white team
*Bytel and Sullivan were on the black team

*Johnson was doing some running, after they decided to deload him a bit. He has been working hard, but he will be back with the squad tomorrow Skipworth said.

*Bruzzy and Mihocek were doing rehab stuff. Mihochek has been dealing with a calf, was involved in some drills; but he should be back in main training tomorrow or Monday.

They did well in handling the conditions given how wet the ground and ball would have been with the constant rain. There was a lot of work being done with stoppages, and ground balls.

There was a big drill where the squad split into two big groups, squared in into a section working through stoppage plays.

Match was then shortly after which went for about 20 minutes, probably the longest they have done so far. They had to start ramping it up given time is ticking. Only a week and a half before the start of feb.

Post the session, Mitchell was seen working through handball drills with Fin. Allan and HH.

Eyre was really aggressive with his spoiling and spoiling with intent. He then used his trusty left foot to set up the attack going forward. During match sim, he spent 100% TOG. He was aggressive on the ball, even if he makes some mistakes he gets up and back in the action. The defenders applauded him for a number of his contest work, pressure on the ground and spoiling. Had a contest with Cox who had gone forward, and he made a 50/50 ball, knocking it out to stop any influence Cox may have had in the air.

Sofronidishad some good moments in his kicking. Seemed to rotate with Markov in defence, so probably that running type player role wise. But was mostly unsighted and fumbly when trying to pick up a ground ball out during match sim.

Teaklewas doing some ruck work and forward but can't say he did anything that stood out.

Begg - I thought was really good. Dominated Coxy in the ruck, won his own ball and clearance, moved forward also. Just looks stronger this pre-season.

Noble - was aggressive off half back, set up play down the middle, or along the wing with his run, had a goal saving smother -- heath shaw like. Won the plaudits of his fellow defenders.

[The Black and White Lion]

Who are the current academy players? Is IQ's little bro Luke Quaynor one of them?

[RudeBoy]

Many thanks to those posting training reports. It's greatly appreciated by all us Nicksters I'm sure.

I agree with Warbuton Laddy that our depth looks stronger this year.

My main hope is we don't have any more serious injuries between now and the start of the season.