18 hours ago, Bitter but optimistic said:

Players get paid a shitload and I cannot see any excuse (injury excepted) for not meeting the targets they were set for the off season. If this is indeed the case ,it is extremely disappointing and does not bode well for the culture we supporters are told is being built.

jeez, if it's a bit laissez faire for uncle bitters, we must have a real problem here

Article on Travis Boak today saying that "temptation was outweighed by the sting of failure". This is the mentality we need our players to have when they're on holidays. 

A great rap from Roos for Hunt: “Hunty’s really grown – literally. He now has an AFL body and he’s got elite speed, which we’re starting to see at training. He’s come out of his shell a bit with his personality. It’s been hard for him, when you’re not playing and you’ve been out injured for most of the time. Now, he’s back in training and really enjoying it and doing well, so he’s starting to have an impact, which is good.” – Paul Roos

For a while there Hunt was struggling to make an impact even at Casey and some doubted he would get a new contract.  We don't really have players with 'elite speed' and with 'an AFL body' but given Roos comments he will get his chances in 2016.  He provides more competition for the on-baller spots...at 187cm he is one of the taller guys vying for those 10-12 roles.

Looking forward to a really good year from him be it at Casey or the seniors.  Just hope he stays injury free and has a really good run at it.

 

On 4 January 2016 at 0:04 PM, The Song Formerly Known As said:

 

Well put it this way. We are having our 3km time-trial on Wednesday. All results pending it will be very interesting. Especially taking this into account, as this is what we want to aim for:

 

AFL

Just now · 

Three quarters of the Port Adelaide Football Club list ran PBs in this morning's time-trial!

...Just to make us all feel worse about our own Christmas blow-outs.

Ours run tomorrow (Wednesday), so let's see how they go then...

It seemed their range was from close to 9.14 (Kane Cornes record) to just under 12mins for the stragglers.

As a matter of interest, now that Bail and Nicholson are no longer with us, who are considered to be the top endurance runners expected to compete with Tom McDonald for fastest times?

1 hour ago, La Dee-vina Comedia said:

As a matter of interest, now that Bail and Nicholson are no longer with us, who are considered to be the top endurance runners expected to compete with Tom McDonald for fastest times?

In the last 3km time trial at Princess Park Tommy McDonald beat home Jack Grimes and Tommy Bugg.

14 hours ago, Curry & Beer said:

ah yes, more discussion of skin folds and agility tests and the pretense that it all really matters

these blokes put in pretty hard. They get a few weeks off over christmas to be very young men.

give them a break FFS

These reviews aren't based on the Christmas break, they are based on the two months off after the season.

17 hours ago, Lucifer's Hero said:

A great rap from Roos for Hunt: “Hunty’s really grown – literally. He now has an AFL body and he’s got elite speed, which we’re starting to see at training. He’s come out of his shell a bit with his personality. It’s been hard for him, when you’re not playing and you’ve been out injured for most of the time. Now, he’s back in training and really enjoying it and doing well, so he’s starting to have an impact, which is good.” – Paul Roos

For a while there Hunt was struggling to make an impact even at Casey and some doubted he would get a new contract.  We don't really have players with 'elite speed' and with 'an AFL body' but given Roos comments he will get his chances in 2016.  He provides more competition for the on-baller spots...at 187cm he is one of the taller guys vying for those 10-12 roles.

Looking forward to a really good year from him be it at Casey or the seniors.  Just hope he stays injury free and has a really good run at it.

 

Thought exactly the same thing.

Potentially another new recruit this year who was already on our list.

Also wondered what pick he'd command now in the draft given that he has an AFL body and a couple of years of development in him.

 

 

3km Time Trial results from Princess Park this morning:

1st - Tom McDonald 
2nd - Jack Grimes 
3rd - Nathan Jones

1 hour ago, Tough Kent said:

3km Time Trial results from Princess Park this morning:

1st - Tom McDonald 
2nd - Jack Grimes 
3rd - Nathan Jones

Good to see Grimes up there. I hope that he can solidify himself in the best 22 this year.

3 minutes ago, Good Times Grimes said:

Good to see Grimes up there. I hope that he can solidify himself in the best 22 this year.

his fitness/running was never the issue, it's his horrid decision making and disposal that he needs to fix.

3 minutes ago, The Song Formerly Known As said:

his fitness/running was never the issue, it's his horrid decision making and disposal that he needs to fix.

I know, but it's still good to see him doing well. I really want him to succeed.

1 hour ago, Tough Kent said:

3km Time Trial results from Princess Park this morning:

1st - Tom McDonald 
2nd - Jack Grimes 
3rd - Nathan Jones

Has Jones ever finished that high previously? Can anyone remember?

3 minutes ago, Good Times Grimes said:

I know, but it's still good to see him doing well. I really want him to succeed.

I'm sure we all do. But hes had 8 years to work on his decision making and disposal and we have not seen any improvement. He is not in our best 22 and will be lucky to play 10 games next year.

1 minute ago, dazzledavey36 said:

I'm sure we all do. But hes had 8 years to work on his decision making and disposal and we have not seen any improvement. He is not in our best 22 and will be lucky to play 10 games next year.

Before responding, I'm going to say that this will be my last post on Grimes in this topic so as not to hijack the thread. 

He's not currently in my best 22, but I think that if he can stop overcomplicating things and trying to do too much, he can be a good, solid player for us. I don't think he's ever going to be the star that we all once hoped he would be. But he is capable of becoming a very useful role-player for us if he can get some simplicity into his game. 

14 minutes ago, The Song Formerly Known As said:

his fitness/running was never the issue, it's his horrid decision making and disposal that he needs to fix.

again highlights how utterly unimportant these things are

in previous years Tommy Mac would be sharing no.1 spot with Rohan Bail

doesn't have a huge bearing on game day does it

Just now, Curry & Beer said:

again highlights how utterly unimportant these things are

in previous years Tommy Mac would be sharing no.1 spot with Rohan Bail

doesn't have a huge bearing on game day does it

No, but it's a good indication of how well players followed their fitness programs over the break, and it gives them something to think about while they're on holidays.

Seems like Paul Roos is a fan of Ben Kennedy

 

BEN KENNEDY – No.35

Date of birth: 3/3/1994 (21 years old)
Height: 175cm, Weight: 76kg
AFL debut: 2013, MFC debut: yet to debut
AFL games: 25 (Collingwood 25, Melbourne 0), AFL goals: 15 (Collingwood 15, Melbourne 0)
Position: Midfielder
Recruited: Brighton District (SA)/Glenelg (SA)/Collingwood
Drafted: 2012 NAB AFL Draft (No.19)/2015 NAB AFL Draft traded by Collingwood for Jeremy Howe and Jimmy Toumpas

“Coming from another club, Ben knows what footy is all about. He knows what he has to do and he has an AFL body. He’s a really determined kid and he leaves no stone unturned. He’s exploring a lot of things and he’s embracing everything about the footy club and we just love having him around.” – Paul Roos

On 4 January 2016 at 0:51 PM, big_red_fire_engine said:

I suspect alot of this has to do with now higher expectations on the shape you are in and also culture being built on transparency when not meeting expectations. I dont take this as we are worse off than previous but more so that the bar is alot higher. 

NB: I saw Harmes in the training session before the Xmas break and he looked in ripping shape and appeared much trimmer than end of last year.

Harmes is the perfect example of our improved list. He is not a guaranteed first 22 player, yet he can play and is improving, adding contested high marking to his armoury. No one would be panicking if he is in the team and that demonstrates our improved depth. 

23 minutes ago, Redleg said:

Harmes is the perfect example of our improved list. He is not a guaranteed first 22 player, yet he can play and is improving, adding contested high marking to his armoury. No one would be panicking if he is in the team and that demonstrates our improved depth. 

Very good chance he will play more games than a recent no.2 pick in 2016.

1 hour ago, dazzledavey36 said:

I'm sure we all do. But hes had 8 years to work on his decision making and disposal and we have not seen any improvement. He is not in our best 22 and will be lucky to play 10 games next year.

He had decent skills and decision making in his first few years and then:
- the game got faster and more congested requiring quicker decision making and more accurate skills

-  he was forced to play inside midfield despite not being suited to that role

- he missed a lot of time with injuries

- he was lumped with the captaincy

- he completed Neeld preseasons that involved a heap of lap running and not nearly enough skills drills under AFL intensity

I don't have high hopes, but I'm willing to give him a little benefit of the doubt given he looks stronger on the track this year and is clearly one of our better runners. 

Last preseason he looked skinny, was kicking poorly and I said very early on that he was cooked as an AFL player. Thankfully the coaches saw it too and really started to address the problems even if it was about 4 years too late. 

12 minutes ago, Georgiou R.R. Martin said:

He had decent skills and decision making in his first few years and then:
- the game got faster and more congested requiring quicker decision making and more accurate skills

-  he was forced to play inside midfield despite not being suited to that role

- he missed a lot of time with injuries

- he was lumped with the captaincy

- he completed Neeld preseasons that involved a heap of lap running and not nearly enough skills drills under AFL intensity

I don't have high hopes, but I'm willing to give him a little benefit of the doubt given he looks stronger on the track this year and is clearly one of our better runners. 

Last preseason he looked skinny, was kicking poorly and I said very early on that he was cooked as an AFL player. Thankfully the coaches saw it too and really started to address the problems even if it was about 4 years too late. 

How's his training looking now?
 

 

19 hours ago, Tough Kent said:

In the last 3km time trial at Princess Park Tommy McDonald beat home Jack Grimes and Tommy Bugg.

 

4 hours ago, Tough Kent said:

3km Time Trial results from Princess Park this morning:

1st - Tom McDonald 
2nd - Jack Grimes 
3rd - Nathan Jones

Demonland optimism: Great result by Nathan Jones.

Demonland pessimism: What's wrong with Tommy Bugg?

1 hour ago, dazzledavey36 said:

How's his training looking now?
 

 

Better. He's kicking with more penetration and consistency and looks stronger. 

1 hour ago, Georgiou R.R. Martin said:

Better. He's kicking with more penetration and consistency and looks stronger. 

I wonder if he changed his banana diet?