On the Track (training updates) 2024

[The Phantom]

[LaurieHolden]

Pre-season raining report: Wednesday 7th February c/ Sea fog @ BF

The players appeared just after midday and I arrived as they were warming up under a brilliant sky of almost unbroken sapphire, save for a smallish mass of white clouds. As training progressed there was a bit of sting in the sunrays and the players, particularly the fair-skinned types like Noble, had daubed their faces with generous helpings of sunscreen and zinc cream.

Casualty ward
The roll call was taken but Beau and Sidey were missing with no explanatory notes provided.

Today Kreuger worked under the guidance of a physio undertaking running and sundry exercises for no specified reason. In better news, it’s not hard to be more sanguine regarding McStay given that he appeared to up the ante a bit at training today. He worked diligently on the outer side, beginning with lots of repetitive knee lifts which progressively became more aggressive and this morphed into executing this with backward movements. He also did some zigzagging which hinted at some confident in transitioning into agility work.
Donning the #11 guernsey which forced Schultz to swap to #8 is perhaps suggestive of him claiming ownership of the number he hopes to be wearing sooner, rather than later.
Murphy did most of the drills but late in the session ran separately under instruction from a trainer.

Training
The warm-ups followed the regular routine with the usual apparatus – poles and cones were spread around the arena to facilitate proceedings.
There was lots of contesting work during the session and this occurred with players dividing into pairs or mini-teams with coloured vests providing the point of difference.
There was also the usual ground balls drills and some short distance high octane sprinting was part of the warming up regimen.

There was one addition to the menu today. While players plied their particular trade in separate groups, they had to complete half lap of the oval sprints and then return to their station. For example, there was a stoppage group consisting predominantly of our centre square crew and a few ruckmen who honed their skills in this area and then completed the running before being forced quickly back into the harness. Was surprised to see Crisp lagging at the end of the last run, but Fin showed some good endurance, and the uber professional evergreen Pendles was coping very well with this.

There were also a few overlapping ball movement segments, punctuated by some refreshment breaks and some instructions from the coaching group.

The ruckmen did some dedicated skill work with Teakle, Cox, Steene, Begg, Cox and Cameron working under the tutelage of Josh Fraser.

All this aerobic and skill work culminated with some match simulation down the middle of the ground with the wings acting as the ends. Hence it was a skinny ground a la Geelong’s stadium (whatever it is now called)

It was a reasonable arduous session. Skills were often crisp and ball movement was slick but there were some miskicks evident when some players tried to kick the ball across the ground strategically to allow players to run onto the ball.

Random progress reports on the players

Ryan – great to see him back in harness today. He was moving well and even attended some stoppages.
Josh Daicos – back into drills today. He stuck closely to his venerated sibling when groups were formed and moved with pace and fluency. His fitness does not appear to be obviously compromised.
Tew – once he builds his strength to a level which helps him withstand the contests with robust AFL bodies, he must be a chance to showcase his skills to the footy world. He looked quite swift today but is tantalisingly elusive at times. Everything he does is with languid and comfortable movements as if he is gliding across the surface.
Harry - looked composed as he looked competent in all the drills and he intercepted the ball in match sim in a confident manner. His pace is tailormade for our game style.
Schultz – looks to be the consummate professional. Was interesting to hear him observe how tough our training has been. He links so well with his teammates and he dobbed a very long goal. His radar is accurately calibrated and he shows that he has a turn of speed when he plays on the ball. He may play as high forward at times but is not averse to showing vim and vigour as an onballer which increases his versatility.
Cox - has been criticised by a few track watchers for an indifferent summer but he looked strong in the running brackets and some of his passes during ball movement were very well weighted.
Begg - continues to move well, following up his ruck work and palming the ball deftly at times.
Markov - icked a huge goal on the run showing the penetration in his kicking and he continues to run with alacrity.
Noble - is approaching training like there’s no tomorrow and one can’t fault his assiduity. His excellent endurance was on show and he was industrious during the drills.
Johnson - athleticism was on show again. He gave his opponents the slip at times and found space.
Macrae - looked fit and he shows nous in positioning himself to receive the ball during the ball movement passages.
Maynard - has fitted back into match play seamlessly and is getting stronger.
Harrison - is looking good in an unobtrusively way, showcasing his speed and tidy skills and he apparently is privately lauded by the coaches.

SSP's
All the supplementary candidates were showcasing their wares again today and Eyre appeared to have a pep in his step (Is this prescient of an imminent favourable announcement? He was also mentored by Moore in respect of spoiling and with some attendant advice, and affirmatory responses to actions and deeds.

Sullivan - looked solid and busy again and like Bytel and Hustwaite wore #33 today. Were they trying to travel incognito?
Sofrinidis -was sleeveless for the first time. He touched the ball occasionally without standing out. His body looks relatively skinny.
Eyre – took a few solid grabs, one which forced him to really stretch, and his kicking was so laser like and precise again as he unleashed his trusty left boot. He got caught once in match sim much to his chagrin.

[LaurieHolden]

I like this, clearly taking the piss out of one of the other regular track watchers prose - LH.

Pre-season training report: Wednesday 7th February c/ Apples @ BF

As the radiant sun cast its golden hue upon the verdant expanse of Olympic Park, a palpable air of anticipation enveloped the meticulously manicured fields, heralding the commencement of yet another epochal football training session.
As the dew-laden blades of emerald grass shimmered in the gentle zephyrs, the symphony of nature intertwined seamlessly with the cacophony of eager footsteps and the resolute thud of leather meeting boot...............

Just joshing. We went along to training this afternoon and what a beauty of a day it was. Not a lot of spectators were present which made it easy to get autographs and selfies. We ran into Jen and told her we'd come to watch a few players in particular - Bytel, Sullivan, Teakle and Eyre. I also wanted to have a close look at Charlie Deane.

Not long after we settled on the boundary, Craig McRae appeared and spoke to a few blokes on the fence. I assumed he knew them, as they chatted for quite a while. Then he walked along and chatted to anybody who was up for it. Mr Apples asked for a selfie and Craig graciously agreed. I then spoke to him briefly. I told him that his brilliant interview with Luke Darcy had moved me to tears. I'm glad I was able to thank him for giving us all a premiership, especially us older blokes who wondered if we'd ever see another. Lovely genuine man - what we see on TV is the real thing.

Expletives Galore
I don't think I've heard so many expletives at training as I did today. Perhaps the wind was blowing in my direction, but there were a couple of rippers.

Firstly, Bobby Hill went ballistic when a set play was ruined by an errant kick. "f*****g hell!" he screamed.
Some time later Craig McRae strode menacingly toward McInnes and gave him a thorough dressing down. I was quite gobsmacked. Something like, "That was f***** selfish".......then something about playing in the VFL." I asked a guy close by if he'd heard it too, but he hadn't. Reef must have wanted the turf to swallow him up.

A few observations
Bytel and Sullivan are vying for the same spot, you'd think, but go about it in different fashion. Bytel looks more the athlete, with smooth movement and a physique made for the centre bounce, but in a Lipinski kind of way. Sullivan is more your inside mid brute; big strong legs, stocky and unflinching. I've seen these two about four times and I can't separate them. If I had to choose it would be Bytel; he's played at the level.

Mr Apples has been singing the praises of Bryn Teakle for months now. He took a few good grabs today and is a very mobile unit.
Jen's boy, Eyre, looks very green to me, but has he got a left foot on him!

I tried keeping an eye on Sofrinidis, but when he came to the club-house side, he just handballed it on a few times and didn't stand out.

I've watched Charlie Dean a few times this summer and he impresses every time. Nothing fancy about him, but he's a real hard-working competitor. Knows where the ball is too. He gets games this year for mine and he deserves to after the pain he's been through.

Pendelbury and WHE - you'd think these two were trying to impress and so get a game, such was their work rate. Will won many of the sprints in his group, but Pendles wasn't far behind. What a great example they both set. Pendles looks to be in great shape.

Player of the Day
One player was a titan today as far as I'm concerned. Lachie Schultz showed why many think he was the pick-up of the draft. He must be a coach's favourite already. Just a full-on, hard-working, uncompromising player. Today he worked as well as anybody on the track and he never flagged. I'm excited about what this guy can bring.

Mason Cox -the gathering gasped during some match-sim when Mason flew across a pack at great elevation to punch the ball and fell awkwardly with a thump onto his right arm. It was the kind of fall that could break a bone. Luckily, Coxy got up straight away and saw out training.

Other Snippets
•My man Kreuger didn't do a lot. Ran half laps over on the AAMI side of the ground.
•Sidey was absent.
•AJ dislocated his finger in a marking duel, but was back raring to go in no time.
•Moore had work on his ankle but appeared fine. Ditto McCreery.

During some of the exercises mimicking match play, our rucks smashed the ball forward rather than taking a mark. When Coxy did it the first time I thought he had seen the small fleet running beside him and decided to belt for the crumbers. But then Cameron did the same thing and then Cox again, so they were obviously working to instructions. It had the affect of lightning fast movement from end to end. I haven't seen this before, but it was great to watch.

•Harry DeMattia looks and sounds like a natural leader. Very vocal around the ball. At one stage today, he emerged from a pack and danced around two opponents and left them flat footed. It was Daicos-like.
•Mr Apples said Josh Daicos wasn't his usual self. Looked a bit subdued today and was wayward by foot.
•We both like Ed Allan. Fast and a terrific size. Plays with admirable grunt. I'd love to see this boy running through the middle.
•In ruck duels, Cox was easily our best.

[Take_a_Screamer]

Ultimate (Magpie) Greatness
Video of Training and match sim 7th Feb, 2024. Hey, good quality

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CZndSv9qah4

[LaurieHolden]

Pre-season training: Feb 7th c/- Jen @ BF

Casualty ward

Josh Daicos is at 95% as he did everything but match sim. He did running with Murphy at this point.
Murphy for some reason they had him do some running for half the session.
Kreuger did a running session, then went inside.
McStay came out and did some agility work, which was nice to see. I don't know if this is normal or moving at a rapid pace, I've never paid much attention to previous ACL recoveries.

Sidey was absent. Richards as well, I don't recall seeing him out there.

Training
Yesterday's session was decent as it went for over 2hrs. They started coming out at 12ish, and probably started 12:15 or so.
The session was focused on stoppage work, and moving the ball from stoppage to inside 50, and then moving from end to end.
Also some ground ball work, sprinting around cones during one of the drills. It was a taxing drill, non-stop action.
After some of the drills, they proceeded to do some match sim, which was used as a skinny area of the ground, with the goal posts sideways, and coned in a specific area you had to stay within the limits.
They split into three groups for this to occur, given it was done in smaller groups.
Blacks, Whites, Yellow vests. They rotated every few minutes. They were done after this, which was after 15 mins in total.

Beau did come out and warm up, but I heard he had a poke in the eye, he didn't return. I'm not sure when it happened, must have been early as I totally forgot he was even out there.
Jakob Ryan is back in full training, as he completed the whole session.
Carmichael and Steene wore what we suggest is their new numbers, which they wore in the early few sessions of the pre-season but resisted since; as a change of numbers has yet to be announced. This would be #12 for the former and #21 for the latter.

SSP's
Eyre in #20
Teakle in #44
All the mids in #33 (some changed for match sim, we don't want to get confused lol)
Sofrondis in #40

Only two more sessions until the intraclub next Wed.


Live training footage c/- Ultimate Greatness
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CZndSv9qah4&ab_channel=UltimateGreatness

[LaurieHolden]

Grand Final of a handball game the Pies have been conducting all summer. Fly has invited the fans out onto the ground to watch the decider. It’s the little things…

Source :
https://www.instagram.com/reel/C3HUo5EyPF3/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

[Magpietothemax]

Not sure if this is a good or bad omen, coming from David King. (I like him, but I know many others don't)
He is warming to the idea of selecting us winning back to back flags, due to his observations of our training.
https://www.sen.com.au/news/2024/02/08/if-youre-ever-tipping-a-team-to-go-back-to-back-kings-big-collingwood-call/

the interesting thing about his comments is that he does not see the injury to Dan McStay as of strategic significance. He instead refers to our explosive power from half back and the combination of small forwards as of greater importance.
I take these words as encouraging, but with caution. Clearly the opposition is analytically attempting to tear apart our game plan, and I think we clearly need a tall to replace McStay in F50 to balance up the kaleidoscope of talls and small forwards we have in F50. Checkers needs a counterpoint. However, given the enormous talent we have across our HB line, with IQ set to reach new heights,and John Noble (I am so excited to see what he does in 2024), along with all our stars (Bruzza, Jem Howe, Nathan Murphy, Darcy Moore), our defence will remain a rebound accelerator.
I love the possibilities we have in 2024.

[LaurieHolden]

Live pre-season training 9th February footage ~

c/- Ultimate Greatness You Tube
Source:
https://youtu.be/RAC5cGEncPs?si=_7MwEnqEwbCLdtnA

c/- CFC IG
Source:
https://www.instagram.com/reel/C3Lv3D-Bmjx/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

[stui magpie]

From training this morning, according to Jen on X


Jen 🖤🤍 Flagpies23 🏆
@Jen2310
DeMattia has gone for scans and Shultz limped off and gone inside. Maybe some jarring in his foot.
10:50 AM · Feb 12, 2024
·
1,490
Views

Also apparently reef kicked 4 goals in less than a minute.

[Culprit]

^^DeMattia hand tendon injury, he will be out for a few months.

[lazzadesilva]

Murphy to be held back from playing for at least another 4 weeks.

[LaurieHolden]

Pre-season raining report:: Monday, Feb 19th c/ Jen @ BF

Most players were on deck, apart from Beggy (and DeMattia); this being the 2nd session he didn't train. Friday being the other session -- I heard someone mention to me that something happened to him in the intraclub -- anyone notice anything?
Later in the session, I did see him on the outer near the glasshouse in training top and runners, like he had been doing stuff inside. Hopefully not too serious.

Casualty ward
Murphy; if you can call him part of the rehab group, as nothing is wrong with him physically.
But he did the warm up and running, but instead of the drills and match sim, he did a running session along the boundary on the AAMI park side of the ground.
McStay came out and did the full session rather coming outside in stints. Did some agility work, warm up, and ran for the rest of the session. The boys amped him up as he ran past them.
Elliott is another one that only did a running session. Much like Friday. Not sure if its load management (2 sessions in a row?) or if he picked up a niggle from the intraclub game as well.

Given the practice game v North on Wed, you'd assume yesterday would be light; and I suppose in a sense it was, but it did go for 2 hrs and some match play and bit of other things. They did more than I thought they would. Friday was really light, but this was more on the normal side of things.

Training
They did some stoppage work, match play that was separated in blacks, whites and green vests as they rotated in shorter groups.

Without Elliott playing, they had Reef and Johnson in the same team during match play. Which Reef playing deep forward.

Then they split off into blacks and whites.

Match sim teams:
Blacks
Defenders : Dean, Ryan, TJ, Crisp, Maynard, Pendles
Midfield: Lippa, Jordy, JDaicos, Mitchell, Harrison (DC - Ruck)
Forwards: Checkers, Shultz, Hill, Johnson, Beau, Reef

Whites

Defenders: Frampton, IQ, Moore, Noble, WHE, Markov
Midfield: Sidey, Allan, Fin, Nick, Carmy (wing) Cox (ruck)
Forwards: Kreuger, Oscar, Bytel, Sullivan, Richards

Player observations:

Macrae - really quick hands in stoppage work, what I've noticed lately is that his disposal has very much improved, he's clearly worked hard in the off season. Along with the fact he has discovered a bit of pace.
Johnson - Took some nice marks, which is what we know he is known for. Good hands.
Steene - Tried to keep crashing packs and going for mark of the year in every single time the ball came into the F50.
Harrison - Interesting they are starting to use him on the wing. I know this is a position we dont have a lot of depth in, so prob testing out where some players can play. I don't mind it, he has the pace.
McInnes - field kicking was elite, set up a couple goals.
Cameron - His marking is becoming an highlight. Took a nice contested grab from a pack up forward that included cox, Hill (who was flying), Carmy.
Lipinski - Played very well, sometimes it was on the inside, and sometimes it was on the wing. His chains up the ground and kicking was on point. He rotated with Josh Daicos between wing and inside, during which Josh gathers a clearance from the opposite ruck (Cox) and kicks a goal from 50.

[The Black and White Lion]

Anyone know who the Phil In player was wearing 44 during the last training session this week?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D2vTwqeqGcw

Parker wearing 45 looked like he had some stamina despite being away from the game for so long.

Naicos(5) and Billy(35) were wearing opposite jumpers all session.
Sidebottom(10) and Pendlebury(22) did it too!

[LaurieHolden]

Training: March 5th c/- Jen @ BF

It's the first session of the week, pretty strong squad leading into Opening Round.

Casualty ward

McStay & Eyre (these two made a brief appearance, then went back inside)
DeMattia and Kreuger did some running along the boundary, the former more so, as Kreuger deals with a hamstring injury.
Murphy started some contact work with drills, which was pleasing to see. I saw him late Monday night at the club, when the VFL boys were training and he went inside with a couple women. I wondered what he was doing there, but whatever it was, it was a good sign. Maybe getting the green light to start the next phase of his recovery.
He didn't do any match sim, but did a fair bit of contact drills. While the others did match play, he and Parker did some ball work, then did some running drills toward the end of training.
Parker was doing more drills than running, but not quite match play yet. Hopefully in the next few weeks. But he knows how to get involved in the play, and kinda demands the ball off half back. He had about 5 disposals in a couple seconds, fumbled one, but cleaned it up and got the ball back.
Howe was outside, and I thought he would complete the session no problem. He started to do the drills, then after that, he began some run throughs, which he didn't complete. Probably lasted a few mins, and they werent at fast pace or anything. Clearly his calf was bothering him, he then left the track and didn't come back out. It was seen as more unlikely he would play this week if he couldn't complete the session.
Pendles on the other hand, he looked fine. Completed the full session. Did some run throughs as well, so signs are positive on that front. Although his official test is Thurs, but unless there is something that goes wrong, I expect he'll pass the test and play on Saturday.

The Black and White teams were mixed, so there was no indication on selection. We'll know more on Thursday.

For the first part of the session, I kept seeing this kid wearing #16, and kept thinking, who is the guy? It was Allan, but geez, it must be the new haircut because I barely recognised him. Even a friend who turned up mentioned... Geez, he looks like Draper lol He has cut his hair shorter.

[MagpiesTheGreat]

https://www.afl.com.au/news/1085663/veteran-defender-jeremy-howe-former-first-round-pick-fin-macrae-possible-inclusions-for-collingwood-magpies

Jeremy Howe completed Collingwood's main training session, while Fin Macrae is edging closer to a earning a spot after being excluded in Opening Round