I have diarised this in my Outlook and look forward to having a look at the new recruits tomorrow.

The website says that it is the only open session this week.

Go Dees.

Sorry about the misspelling of November - is there any chance a Mod could amend?

Sorry about the misspelling of November

I noticed that as well. I wouldnt worry about it.

I used white-out on my screen, all fixed!

Fixed.

I noticed that as well. I wouldnt worry about it.

I used white-out on my screen, all fixed!

You're an ideas man Deevoted!

I have diarised this in my Outlook and look forward to having a look at the new recruits tomorrow.

The website says that it is the only open session this week.

Go Dees.

Really, given the open aspect of the training ground at Goschs Paddock (I assume it's there today and not at Casey Fields), you have to wonder how you can hold anything but an open session there?

Like most of those of us who are bound to our workplaces or homes, I look forward to some more of the high quality reports we've been getting of late.

Do the boys head up North for a week on Friday to Darwin?

I think we are doing the Target equivalent of High Altitude training.

That would be Top End Training.

What am I going to do next week. Don't tell me Xmas shopping.

I may have to just go into a coma.

I love the pre-season, we don't lose any games.

Hey everyone, I decided to stay in Melbourne a couple of days longer just to watch training to-day. The lady is not happy, she said “it was her or the Dees”; I'm going to miss her. Business partners not to happy. No respect “I say”.

I will try to get as detailed a report as possible. I will also try and speak with some of the other players and see if Neeldy is up for a chat.

Back soon.

FNQ Demon

Edited November 27, 201212 yr by FNQ Demon

Hey everyone, I decided to stay in Melbourne a couple of days longer just to watch training to-day. The lady is not happy, she said “it was her or the Dees”; I'm going to miss her. Business partners not to happy. No respect “I say”.

I will try to get as detailed a report as possible. I will also try and speak with some of the other players and see if Neeldy is up for a chat.

Back soon.

FNQ Demon

Nice to see you have your priorities in the right order.Mods will be handing you A1 rating.

Hey everyone, I decided to stay in Melbourne a couple of days longer just to watch training to-day. The lady is not happy, she said “it was her or the Dees”; I'm going to miss her. Business partners not to happy. No respect “I say”.

I will try to get as detailed a report as possible. I will also try and speak with some of the other players and see if Neeldy is up for a chat.

Back soon.

FNQ Demon

Devotion beyond the call of duty FNQ demon.

I suggest a medal should be struck in your honour.

Cannot think of a good name.

Any suggestions?

Devotion beyond the call of duty FNQ demon.

I suggest a medal should be struck in your honour.

Cannot think of a good name.

Any suggestions?

How about "Death Wish"...? LOL

Hey everyone, I decided to stay in Melbourne a couple of days longer just to watch training to-day. The lady is not happy, she said “it was her or the Dees”; I'm going to miss her. Business partners not to happy. No respect “I say”.

I will try to get as detailed a report as possible. I will also try and speak with some of the other players and see if Neeldy is up for a chat.

Back soon.

FNQ Demon

Nice one FNQ. That last report you gave us was a ripper. thoroughly enjoyed it and its great you go and have a chat to the boys. Enjoy it and wish i could be there myself

Hey everyone, I decided to stay in Melbourne a couple of days longer just to watch training to-day. The lady is not happy, she said “it was her or the Dees”; I'm going to miss her. Business partners not to happy. No respect “I say”.

I will try to get as detailed a report as possible. I will also try and speak with some of the other players and see if Neeldy is up for a chat.

Back soon.

FNQ Demon

Your "likes" to posts ratio is thoroughly justified. Love your work

Devotion beyond the call of duty FNQ demon.

I suggest a medal should be struck in your honour.

Cannot think of a good name.

Any suggestions?

FN crazy

Devotion beyond the call of duty FNQ demon.

I suggest a medal should be struck in your honour.

Cannot think of a good name.

Any suggestions?

The FNQ 'memorial' medal

^{I popped in to training today. I'm sure someone will be able to contribute a much more thorough report than this, but a few notes.}

• ^{It was really warm out there. I was sweating standing in the sun watching.}
  
• ^{Lots of contested game simulations moving the ball from one end to the other. AFL umpire controlling things. Players were split into their line groups, ie FWDs, BACKS, and MIDS/RUCK Players were continually encouraged to run and carry wherever possible.}
  
• ^{Stand outs (from what I saw), Jones, Howe, Rodan (although he was run down once or twice) Viney was also very good at times.}
  
• ^{Watts was feeling the effects of his weekend bout with Gastro, as he looked to be battling a bit in the heat, but did the whole session (while I was there) with the main group.}
  
• ^{Sam Blease was cooked, but was doing his best to push through. He copped a spray from Neil Craig for failing to make a second effort after hitting up a lead as he was out on his feet. However, he was clearly the classiest finisher in an end to end drill which finished with a mid hitting up a forward who would then play on and have a shot at goal.}
  
• ^{Neville Jetta looked good today, did a couple of really good chase down tackles and also was clean by foot.}
  
• ^{Tommy Mac seems to have a lower ball drop with his kicking and was good by foot.}
  
• ^{Flash looked reasonable in my opinion today.}
  
• ^{Overheard Rawlings talking to Misson, and both were saying they were really pleased with the "flow"}
  
• ^{Toumpas, Kent, Terlich and Matt Jones did not participate with main group, they were doing interval running together.}
  
• ^{Dom Barry was running laps with a red headed bloke I did not recognise.}
  
• ^{Sylvia on light duties.}
  
• ^{Mitch Clark came out briefly to encourage the boys, didnt see his little brother Hogan or Maxy Gawn now that I think about it.}
  
• ^{No sign of Trengove, Grimes, or Neeld.}
  

Good to see the devotion and committment from FNQ.

I went down myself for the first look of the pre-season. I usually leave it until now, so that the majority of the new recruits are there.

No doubt others will fill in with their observations but here are mine:

* Davey looks to have had arthroscopy, with a small medical bandage on his left knee. He is still favouring it, which wouldn't be surprising if he has had the operation. He wasn't running freely or moving to that side, but kicking superbly with the left in subsequent exercises.

* I have been to pre-season for many years and this is the FIRST time that our new recruits don't look like 17 year old stick insects. All of them are built solidly and have that upper body definition that comes from working out in the gym. The comparisons with the body shapes of Gysberts and Morton would be chalk and cheese.

* Josh Tynan ran a lot of laps and a serious pace. But his body is simply enormous for one so young. I wish I looked like that at 19!

* Rory Taggert was hard to pick out for a while, but has he grown as well!

* Jack Viney is a bull at a gate with everything that he does. He hasn't got the body yet, but he simply charges and tries to break through or walk over anyone in his way. He simply reeks of attitude......

* Jake Spencer has been taught to jump. For the first time ever, I saw him jump off the ground to take a mark. When he does, no-one can get close to him.

* Max Gawn ran laps and again is simply a monster! If we get him on the ground this coming season, a few opposition rucks/players are going to need a change of pants.

* Didn't see Trengove, Grimes, Sylvia at all, whil Clark was there but only jogging lightly. Has lost a bit of definition in his calf, which is to be expected.

* Rhodans legs are like tree trunks. He never gets moved out of the contest, and even if he only plays for 1 year we WILL get great value from him.

* Collingwood trained at the same time, but they shut up shop long before our guys, who just kept on going. We probably have to given our relative positions last year, but it is apparent we are putting in the extra work needed to produce better results.

* Big emphasis at the start on tackling. I didn't recognise who was running the session, but they certainly knew their job and pulled players up constantly for not adopting the correct technique. Expect to see a lot of opposition players lifted off their feet and thrust backwards this year.

* It was interesting to see the number of assistants on the ground. It means that no-one gets away with anything. And while Neeld was watching from the side, Craig is prowling around everything barking orders. Everything is completed correctly according to the coaches instruction. No half-arsed efforts are tolerated.

Can't think of anything else. I'm sure others will fill in the gaps. No pictures today, the wife pinched the batteries from the camera. Next time......

Rosso it was Tynan that Dom Barry was running with, thing I found interesting was the back line group seem a really tight group continually encouraging each other and it looks like Jetta is being groomed as a small backman, dont mind it as I think he is a great tackler, there was one instance where Viney tried to run away from him with the ball and Jetta just kept coming and got to him, got some big slaps on the back after that!

The tackling coach is John Muggleton, from the Melbourne Rebels Rugby team, been in the game for 30 years, both with League and Union, renowned tackler when he played league, I loved watching him last week and good to hear he is again pulling up the arm wavers, the technique I think he is teaching is to aim for the midriff and push upwards and back.......I reckon we will see lot's of panicky handballs from tacklees (if that is a word) assume plan will be to get second player to follow in

Thanks George on the Outer, glad to see your back. Really miss your contributions on Demonology. Very little activity over there these days.

Edited November 28, 201212 yr by Theo

That was the plan for Jetta last year before he got hit with injury, (I know because I spoke to both him and Jade Rawlings, because of all the hard work both had put in last preseason and they were both [censored] off) it's his agility and fierce tackling they like, but they also know that in a pinch he would still be able to be thrust fwd in the small fwd role

Thought it might have been Tynan, but for some reason I thought Tynan had darker hair. Thanks for the tip Demon Destruction.

No worries Rosso, one other thing I liked hearing was Neil Craig doesnt hold back, Troy Davis was coming out of the back line and kicked it behind the player leading to the wing,

NC just screamed at him that he had just turned the ball over to the opposition for kicking behind the player and to get it right.

Times are changing no longer accepting average performance!

Nice one Rosso.

I was there also, Maxy Gawn did a couple of laps, he looked good.

I was impressed with the stoppage setups, little tweaks were done to them to suit different areas of the ground , Forward / Defense / Wing etc..

Young Viney looked great, dad was a very fat. Jack really has a go all the time, he was called up a couple of times for trying to do too much by himself and not bringing others into the game.

Nicho looks super fit but kicking still a problem. ditto Magner.

Watts copped an ankle which sent him off the ground for ten minutes. He came back on but didn't seem to contribute much after that.

In the end the Rucks were doing some setup ruckwork with the mids. The rest of the team was doing laps. At this stage Watts had packed his bags and was headed back for a shower.

Guys I have been down to training a few times over the last 3-4 years, I have noticed how well orchestrated the training program is these days, compared to the days at Casey under Bailey. Those old days training was "adhoc", almost to the point they didn't know what was going to happen until they got there.

I'd like to be a fly on the wall and sit in on some of the lessons that they do at AAMI park.

I'm sure I would get a really good idea of the amount of preparation these guys have to do just to get on the training track.

The "arm wave", it has almost become a trademark of Melbourne over the past decade.

Morton and Moloney were both very good at it.