Is Sylvia training the house down?...like a man on a mission?

Is James Strauss at training?

Running?

What about Aussie? Is he there?

I wonder if any players missed training thanks to Qantas?

Some players only doing laps ... they are Clark, Davey, Cook and Evans.

I can't see Strauss anywhere.

Mitch Clark was always going to with rehab group, Cook not a surprise due to late injury, wouldn't be surprised if Strauss is still in heavier rehab.

Most of the group were there. No LJ, Newton or Wonna, and obviously Trenners, Chip and Green are on International duties.

From what I could see, in the rehab group were Grimes, Spencer, Davey, Clarke, Cook, and Evans. They were mainly jogging laps, except Grimes and Spencer - did some light exercises.

There was a group that came out, ran a couple of laps before heading back in which included Sylvia, Tapscott, Strauss and Petterd. Good to see Strauss was able to jog a couple of laps before heading in.

Not much else to report but I didn't hang around too long as the main group were just doing running drills.

Austin Wonaeamirri to be delisted.

  On 30/10/2011 at 22:39, Born to Run said:

I hope many, many MFC players are "training the house down!!".

I also hope "<insert players name>" is Cale Morton and he has put on 5kgs in the last month, he sure needs to!

Unfortunately looking at the twitter photos of Cale today, he actually looks even skinnier!

  On 31/10/2011 at 00:11, nutbean said:

Jones ? Maloney ? its not necessarily muscle - its players who can get the ball and extract it.

you need more than 2 guys with muscle playing in the middle, to as you say extract the ball.

Just home from the training session. Took 3 of my kids with me and had a few shots on goal.

 

The surface of the Goschs Paddock training area is magnificent, but really slippery in runners. 

Collingwood were training at the same time on the actual oval, but the the Dees used the larger area right next to AAMI Park .

 

Although scheduled for 9:45am, the players didn't emerge until 10:15am which was a real bummer becasue I had to go soon after 11am. 

I stayed until about 11:15 but then had to scoot off.

 

The session was mainly running. However, during the warm up, one of the fitness coaches (I think it was Misson, but I am unsure) was barking out clear instructions as to how to do the stretching properly. He seemed very intense.

 

Sylvia, Strauss, Petterd and Tappy only graced the training session for 10 minutes warm up and then went back inside.

Evans ran about 10 - 12 400m laps on his own. He looks a lot bigger and this running didn't even break  a sweat.

Mitch Clark also ran laps on his own at a very leisurely pace. I am not sure if he is coming off surgery but he was nowehere near full tilt.

Lucas Cook and Aaron Davey ran laps in a pair and did not really interact with the other players after the warm up.

Jack Grimes and Jake Spencer also ran lapstogether.

Great to see Rohan Bail (I am a huge fan) particiapting fully. He is a born runner and ran with relative ease.

Jake Spencer is HUGE. He looks really cut and fit if still a little awkward. Boy I wish he could kick.

Morton does not look any bigger, but the the pre-season is just beginning. I hope the next four months means lots of gym work and about 5 - 7 kgs.

If Spencer is big, Max Gawn is a monolith, including the size of his head. In about 2 years time he will be an imposing figure.

 

The players split into groups of about 8 doing either 200m runs aroud the boundary or 400m runs, all at about 3/4 pace. This had been going for about 1/2 hour or more by the time I left.

 

Nothing special to report. It all seemed very run-of-the-mill but I prefer this than the hype that followed on Ben Cousins to Richmond for his first training session.

 

Neeld was doing very little. He stood near the centre of ther ground and interacted casually with the coaching staff, usually one on one.

 

We have a LOT of coaches. At one stage, when all the players were warming up, I counted 21 staff, and that did not include the physio staff who were over near a small marquee.

 

I took some photos, but I going to work in them a bit before posting. I hope I get a chance to do it today.

Any "permission to train" players sighted? or will they not be there for a while?

  On 31/10/2011 at 01:33, rhaz said:

Any "permission to train" players sighted? or will they not be there for a while?

Pretty sure that is for the few weeks between the Main draft and rookie/preseason draft

  On 31/10/2011 at 01:21, why you little said:

you need more than 2 guys with muscle playing in the middle, to as you say extract the ball.

Its not the muscle - ( although it certainly helps) - my point is that the key is the ability to get to the fall of the ball.

I watched our centre clearances last year and we were putrid (except for when Maloney/Jamar were on song), not because we were out-muscled - call it patterns, call it set plays, call it not getting to the fall of ball.

Last year - we were where the ball wasn't.

Why is Newton still trawling around overseas. I would have thought it would have been wise to be at the first training session with the new coaches. Unless he got special permission. Which knowing him he probably did.

  On 31/10/2011 at 02:09, nutbean said:

I watched our centre clearances last year and we were putrid (except for when Maloney/Jamar were on song), not because we were out-muscled - call it patterns, call it set plays, call it not getting to the fall of ball. Last year - we were where the ball wasn't.

I take your point, but I also have memories of being completely outmuscled by Hawthorn in round 2 this year. They turned that 3rd quarter around in 10 minutes with midfield muscle. We have to get better and stronger. Mentally and physically.

would love to know who will provide defensive pressure in our forward line besides Petterd

.........couldn't say any of Sylvia, Clark, Jurrah etc like to chase that hard and no small forwards with quick pace losing Wonna and Maric

Bring on Tappy up forward

  On 31/10/2011 at 00:11, nutbean said:

Jones ? Maloney ? its not necessarily muscle - its players who can get the ball and extract it.

Who the hell is Maloney -- some new hopeful? We do have someone with a somewhat similar name who wears #22, but as he has been on our list for several years I am sure every true red and blue heart would know how to spell his name.

  On 31/10/2011 at 02:13, dees189227 said:

Why is Newton still trawling around overseas. I would have thought it would have been wise to be at the first training session with the new coaches. Unless he got special permission. Which knowing him he probably did.

The only conclusion that I could draw from this is that he is gone -- surely there is no way that a new "no nonsense" coach would give anyone, even a superstar if we had one, permission to swan around overseas whilst the others start training.

  On 31/10/2011 at 02:27, myboiwattsy said:

would love to know who will provide defensive pressure in our forward line besides Petterd

.........couldn't say any of Sylvia, Clark, Jurrah etc like to chase that hard and no small forwards with quick pace losing Wonna and Maric

Bring on Tappy up forward

Well just maybe no nonsense Neeld will insist and ensure that oft time posers such as Sylvia do the team thing, all the time, week in, week out, or plays at Cranny!! Let's hope so.

And I suspect that a similar ultimatum may be issued to Davey, who will be asked to play where he started, as a small, crumbing pressuring forward.

  On 31/10/2011 at 02:27, myboiwattsy said:

would love to know who will provide defensive pressure in our forward line besides Petterd

.........couldn't say any of Sylvia, Clark, Jurrah etc like to chase that hard and no small forwards with quick pace losing Wonna and Maric

Bring on Tappy up forward

Interestingly, Blease was part of the forward group at the end of training today.

Although it may have been because he was too knackered to do anything except goalkicking after the running!

First running about a dozen 400s in 3 groups based on running capacity - although Cale was inexplicably in group 2. Jones and Bail leading in group 1, Sam Blease in the rear of group 3.

Then the non-rehab players split up into their areas for minor ball work which provided some insight - notables highlighted (I think I've got it close to right - corrections welcome):

Forwards

========

Watts

Dunn

Martin

Howe

T.McDonald

Blease

Fitzpatrick

Backs

=====

Bartram

Bennell

Morton

Garland

Rivers

J.Macdonald

Davis

Mids

====

Jones

Gysberts

Bate

Viney

Moloney

Gawn

Jamar

Bail

Nicholson

Rehab

======

Clark

Sylvia

McKenzie

Petterd

Grimes

Cook

Tapscott

Davey

Jetta

Spencer

Lawrence

Strauss

Evans

Absent

======

Frawley - International

Trengove - International

Green - International

Jurrah - unofficially reported delayed by Qantas action

Newton - unknown

Wonnaeamirri - officially delisted

There were 3 running groups doing 400metre runs. They did about a dozen or so. From what I remember (and I may be missing names if someone wants to help fill in gaps) they were:

Jones, Bail, Watts, Bartram, Martin, Moloney, Bate (otherwise known as the 'Group of Death')

Of this group, it was usually a battle between Jones and Bail, with Jones usually getting the choccies. Bate was strong also. Watts kept up until the last 3 or 4 laps, but looked like he hit the wall late. No disgrace in that, considering this group contained our best midfield runners.

Morton, Nicholson, McDonald, Bennell, Davis, Dunn, Fitzpatrick,

This group tended to split into two groups. Morton, Nicholson and Tommy McDonald led the way every lap. Morton appeared to be doing it with (relatively) little difficulty. Of the others, I was impressed that Bennell was able to get through it all reasonably comfortably.

Blease, Gysberts, Garland, Howe, Jamar, Rivers, Viney, Gawn

Howe was the best of these runners, along with Viney. Howe and Viney really started to string out this group and are obviously far better runners than the rest. Viney had a break in the middle for a few laps, as they are obviously managing his workload. But he was doing the running very comfortably. This also had the big boys, in Jamar, Rivers and Gawn so there was a big difference between the top runners and the worse. Sam Blease, who has never done a proper preseason due to injury, is not going to enjoy this summer but it will be very good for him. He blew up about half way through and was almost at a standstill by the end of the session. He'll need a fair bit of time to be able to build his engine up to the point where we start seeing his best footy.

I was pretty happy to be watching it happen from the sidelines, although I'm feeling very guilty and am dreading doing my own preseason!!

Poor ol' sammy blease started off in the 2nd group, but after falling off the end of that, joined the third group...and fell off that too. Gysberts did not look particularly comfortable running either. Jack Watts got a lot of encouragement when running with the group of death...but had just about had it by the end. Viney ran along and looked unencumbered throughout. He is a short fella, but well muscled for a teenager.

I think that it's a great sign that Watts is even in the group of death. Most of those guys are nuts, and he did a reasonable job. Considering his aerobic ability was a real question mark when he was drafted, it's an additional bonus that it has improved so quickly that he is now one of the better aerobic runners at the club.

I agree that Gysberts wasn't covering the ground with great comfort. He was just lucky that he was in Blease's group!