The next Melbourne Football Club open training session is Monday 21st November, 2011 @ 9.45am - Gosch's Paddock.

This will be followed by a closed swimming session at Casey on Wednesday 23rd November, 2011.

The boys will be back at Gosch's Paddock on Friday 25th November, 2011 @ 9.45am.

I hope those who can make it will keep us in the loop with your reports.

Cheers,

D H

I love the thought of a closed swimming session. Must be some reallly important structures and strategies in those sessions !!

The next Melbourne Football Club open training session is Monday 21st November, 2011 @ 9.45am - Gosch's Paddock. This will be followed by a closed swimming session at Casey on Wednesday 23rd November, 2011. The boys will be back at Gosch's Paddock on Friday 25th November, 2011 @ 9.45am. I hope those who can make it will keep us in the loop with your reports. Cheers, D H

I wonder if there are any prima donnas left that complain about having to drive out to Casey to train? I often wondered what they would have been doing with the time it took to drive there and back.

not going to the one tomorrow, probably going to try to get to the one on the 28th

I wonder if there are any prima donnas left that complain about having to drive out to Casey to train? I often wondered what they would have been doing with the time it took to drive there and back.

It all depends on how quickly you can get to the SE Freeway. Once you are on it, Casey is not all that far away timewise.

It all depends on how quickly you can get to the SE Freeway. Once you are on it, Casey is not all that far away timewise.

Can't tell the last time I heard someone call it the 'South East Freeway'.

We used to call it the South East Carpark getting to games at the G. Was a bloody nightmare!

It all depends on how quickly you can get to the SE Freeway. Once you are on it, Casey is not all that far away timewise.

Where do footballers live - I don't mean there street address, just what suburbs. I sort of guess a lot live in St Kilda and down that way with some in through Richmond and Hawthorn sort of area.

Went to training today,Sylvia walked laps ,balance of skills speed & stamina training .I will give the chance of others to do a report,

Can't tell the last time I heard someone call it the 'South East Freeway'.

We used to call it the South East Carpark getting to games at the G. Was a bloody nightmare!

Train it from Gardiner station, by far the best solution. The train fare is peanuts compared to the toll plus the parking, and quicker too.

Went to training this morning and stayed for almost two hours. It was a really interesting session considering who was doing what.

 

There were two separate groups - the main group - and I counted 26 players in this group. The other group was a strange mixture of rehab people and late starters like Jurrah.

 

Colin Sylvia walked about 10 laps before heading inside.

Luke Tapscott walked a lot of laps with a young member of the fitness staff.

Jordie McKenzie jogged a heap of laps.

James Strauss (who appeared for only 20 mins or so) and McKenzie did a light kicking drill together, about half way through the training session. Neil Craig was with them and he was correcting thier kicking actions. Although they were only 20 metres apart, Craig appeared to be making them focus really hard on a specific kicking method.

Jack Trengove, Mark Jamar and Dan Nicholson made a small group of their own that did not sem to attach to the rehab group or main group. They did some tap work with Jamar, a bit of lap running, and maybe 1 or 2 sprints, but nothing too taxing. 

Trengove looks to have really bulked up  in upper body and legs. His chest and biceps are becoming strong and a bit chiselled.

 

The Rehab Group

It was difficult to keep tabs on this group because they kept on splitting up into mix 'n match groups and doing little drills in small, ever changing groups.

Lucas Cook, Aaron Davey, Mitch Clark, Michael Evans, Ricky Petterd, Neville Jetta, Liam Jurrah, and about three others who had left by the time I began watching this group.

About five of the fitness guys were with this group and had them doing approx. 100m run throughs, but they were paying particular attention to the running action. Petterd and Jetta in particular were given some specific coaching on this and Cook was given the same a bit later on.

Davey, Clark and Jurrah were doing a change of direction drill that was really intense and exhausting. Davey was really focused. Clark and Jurrah seemed to coast a bit but were getting stuck in by half way through.

 

The Main Group

Glad I am not an AFL footballer being coached by this group. Repeated gut running in pairs.

1 x 300 m sprint

4 x 100 m sprint

1 x 300 m sprint

4 x 100 m sprint.

Interestingly, they put Cale Morton with Jeremy Howe. Howe is clearly athletic and his running action and pace rarely changed over the 10 sprints. By the sixth sprint, Morton began to drop off and Jade Rawlings demanded that he stay on Howe's shoulder. To Morton's credit, in the last 2 sprints he busted his gut and did stay with Howe. I have to give it to him for sticking it out. Morton looks as though his body has developed but his arms are still muppet thin.

Nathan Jones, Clint Bartram, Howe and James Frawley seemed to be able to keep up the intensity the best. Jared Rivers was finding it tough going with Frawley.

Jamie Bennell has a lot of work to do. He was running with Bartram whose mental strength is telling when exhausted. In the last four sprints or so Bennell was dropping off approx. ten metres and some coaches were driving him to catch up.

Sam Blease and Jordan Gysberts ran together, and in the last two sprints, one of the fitness guys ran with them making them try and catch the team in front. 

Blease has a sprint a bit like Travis Johnstone. A really long stride and he seems to be coasting but he is actually very quick.

Bartram, Jones and Howe were the standouts.

 

After the running, they had a five minute break, changed into footy boots and did some kicking/handballing drills. Simple stuff really.

 

The interesting bit was after those drills, the 26 main group players divided in to two teams and practiced a match-like drill.

To me it looked like Jade Rawlings was in charge and they were practicing how to get the ball out of defence through an opposition forward press. 

Our defenders would start with it about 25m out from goal and were not allowed to take it out of the corridor.

First, the player who began with the ball would, each time, try and beat an opponent one-on-one.  

Second, they were instructed to use a pattern of one handball, one kick, one handball, one kick etc... to bring it out through half-back.

Third, the midfield would pour down into this defensive zone, and a player would eventually kick it long to leading forwards who had lots of space created by the midfielders pressing into our defensive 50. I hope that is as clear in typing as it is in my mind!

 

I watched a fair bit of the Dees training last pre-season and  there are some clear differences.

The number of repeat sprints is higher.

A lot of clear, one-on-one specific coaching about the minute details of skill. Neil Craig might be the instigator here.

Misson has very clear instructions for the warm up session.

The training looks more tailored. The rehab group were focusing on running action, changing of direction, short step change of direction etc. and this went on for a lot longer than it did with Bailey.

 

Go Dees.

Went to training this morning and stayed for almost two hours. It was a really interesting session considering who was doing what.

Wow, thanks for that. There's some really good info in there

Appreciated

Does anyone know what the injuries are to guys in Rehab? In particular, Lucas Cook, Tappscot, Jetta?

Does anyone know what the injuries are to guys in Rehab? In particular, Lucas Cook, Tappscot, Jetta?

Cook was recovering still from his late-season injury IIRC.

They've been putting guys who are underdone and not capable of keeping up with the main group in there though.

The "Rehab" group seemed to be the blokes who were advanced in their rehab, had started late, or who were requiring specific attention on thier running and stepping technique.

Cook - injured his shoulder late in 2011 VFL season.

Jetta - I think it was arm or elbow late in the season.

Tappy - a big collision injury late in the year and is still recovering.

Davey - knee surgery

Petterd - unsure.

.

I ventured down as well and there isn't much to add to Maldonboy's excellent summary. Just a couple of comments. I'd support what Maldonboy said about Howe. I've been to each Monday session. Initially he was in about the 3rd quartile of runners for the repeat sprints but in each session he's progressed up. Today, where they ran in pairs, he was in the second pair with Morton behind Jones and McDonald (Bail didn't train with the main group). He's been quite outstanding in his running and athleticism and it will be interesting to see how he's used (sorry for the pun). The other surprise packet in the running is Tom McDonald and I just wonder if his endurance will affect how he is used this year.

The other comment I'd make is that I've not seem physical drills before in November under any coach. But today in the drill Maldonboy described there was physical contract and tackling - certainly it was far from full on but it was there nonetheless. The drill was all about decision making but with a little bit of physical pressure.

It was good to see Sam Blease back in full training and from the bit that I saw he seemed to be doing very well in the drill with his evasion and speed. Col Garland is another who has impressed to date with his application.

Thanks for going to so much trouble to give us the detail Maldonboy38 - greatly appreciated!!

second that-------^

Yes, much appreciated, Gents. Sitting here, in my office on the Gold Coast, it's great to get such exceelent insight into what's going on with pre-season. Well done, and keep it coming!

Cook - injured his shoulder late in 2011 VFL season.

Didn't Cook have a hip operation during the break?

Many thanks Maldonboy and Fan. These reports are greatly appreciated, especially by interstaters who can't get to training very often. Some very interesting insights on today's session.

Agree on Tom McDonald, Fan. Kept up with Nathan Jones in each of the 10 sprints and his stride did not shorten which shows he is tough mentally. Also, in the forward-press simulation, McDonald was up forward, not a defender bringing it out. We will have to see how Neeld uses him.

Didn't Cook have a hip operation during the break?

He must have, I saw him grabbing at the hip as he walked back to the tent about 11am.

Well done Maldonboy spot on report.

Great report! I'm super fired up about Jeremy Howe. If he can run like a small man with his marking ability he's going to be hard to stop.

For all the talk about Blease and Gysberts battling away in the running the main thing is they are out there doing it! This running will be invaluable to both of them. Unfortunately Tappy isn't doing it yet but he can't be too far away. Same with Jetta.

How did Watts and Gawn go?

The "Rehab" group seemed to be the blokes who were advanced in their rehab, had started late, or who were requiring specific attention on thier running and stepping technique.

I also congratulate you on such a brilliant report, glad I didn't,attempt to do so.Tapscott seems to have a major red rash on one oh his lower legs, maybe a recent graft, looks very sore.

Great report thanks. Any idea how Grimes is progressing?