7 minutes ago, beelzebub said:

I know , but still It's all a bit Aldous Huxley !!!

lol - i hope that doesn't mean you are taking psychedelic drugs, bub

Has Chris Dawes taken a mark yet?

2 minutes ago, DemonDave said:

Has Chris Dawes taken a mark yet?

No sign of Chris Dawes at all today. 

4 minutes ago, Die Hard Demon said:

No sign of Chris Dawes at all today. 

You can't help good luck!

1 hour ago, Die Hard Demon said:

Full ground drills now. 2 sets of Attackers vs Defenders .. One thing I'm noticing a lot are the low trajectory passing. Powerful, flat & accurate. Exciting to watch. The occasional mis-kick. But the ball is being transferred much quicker. So less hospital hand passes & kicks to hopefully keep guys like Pedo out of hospital. 

Thanks the reports. 

Sounds like the skills are up on last weeks "sloppy full ground drills". 

55 minutes ago, beelzebub said:

Just need to confirm DHD......this is Melbourne you're watching ??

Which bit threw you BB?

Low trajectory passing, powerful or flat and accurate? 

35 minutes ago, Die Hard Demon said:

Spoke to one of the coaches.. confirmed that he's kicking with both feet & in a really good head space.

1 minute ago, Bombay Airconditioning said:

Thanks the reports. 

Sounds like the skills are up on last weeks "sloppy full ground drills". 

Which bit threw you BB?

Low trajectory passing, powerful or flat and accurate? 

any and all !!   I need a warning ,,,,days out,,,before someone lobs that at me..lol

8 minutes ago, old dee said:

You can't help good luck!

....zing !!!!!!!!!

1 hour ago, Die Hard Demon said:

When Matt Jones disposes of the footy it's an unfortunate reminder that it is & there are still a few loose ends. 

Won't be too many more after this season. 

50 minutes ago, Die Hard Demon said:

No sign of Chris Dawes at all today. 

but he hasn't dropped a single mark, right?

The southerly wind at Casey in the winter is a sure recipe for a miserable day.  However, on a mild summer day in summer it just made the training session a sheer delight.

I won't go into the actual drills, as there is little point in describing them unless you are there, and the important thing is how they translate to match conditions.  So for those not there here are the observations:

* In the rebab group we have 8 players, and no Jack Watts to be seen today at all.  Not a good sign at this time of year for numbers.  However, Trengove we all know about.  Was really testing the foot with shuttle runs back and forward and lots of drills which put plenty of pressure on that left foot.  Despite what was told to others, he is NOT yet kicking on the left.  

Dawes had a knee strapped, but that has been the case while he has been at Melbourne.  Nothing on the calf.  He, Weidemann, Trengove, Mitch King, Petracca and Lamumba  ran a series of sprints with timing over the middle 50m ( my guess).  Most were recording mid 4 sec times, but Dawes topped them all with a 3.6.  One can assume he is not too far from being back to the main group.  Newton managed to run a few laps before disappearing into the rooms.

* Garland has changed his running and kicking style,  I had trouble recognising him until later. 

* There is a real emphasis on moving the ball quickly, and other running to receive downfield.  The mobility of Gawn is simply breathtaking for such a big man, and his first real pre-season should see him really break-out in the coming year. His strength is also incredible as he rag-dolled a couple of forwards in marking contests, who thought they had position. 

* Spencer still can't mark overhead or kick the ball properly after all this time on the list.  However, he has learnt to jump off the ground in ruck contests, instead of aiming at the opposition ruck.  The result was that he got his hand to the ball nearly every time against Gawn in the ruck contests.  Some hope there....

* Neville Jetta is a seriously hard defender to beat one-on-one.  He was pitted against Hogan and then Gawn and managed to stifle their opportunities, when it should have been only a one way contest. Still a bit slow off the mark, which can give the opponent space.

* Vandenberg is still a beast although a much trimmer version.  Bad news for the opposition is that he has replaced body fat with muscle, so he is even stronger than before.  He simply ripped a pack apart in the match simulation.

* Frost will be another welcome addition to the backline this year, but he is NOT a ruck option in defense.  He simply doesn't have the body to grapple against some of the gorillas.  However, he reads the play beautifully and took an absolute scorcher of a pack mark during the match simulation.

* Hunt, Hulett, Harmes, Kennedy, ANB and JKH all did what they had to do when required, and will get their opportunities as required during the season. It is nice to have all these options in the side now. JKH has spent a lot of time in the gym, and will be able to hold his own much more in the coming season, as some considered him to be too small and light for AFL.  Not now!

* Oliver still has a lot of work to do.  His skills and endurance seem to be OK, but needs a lot more work on his upper body.  That will come, as one can see he has the frame that will respond to AFL level training in a big way.

* Don't let Jeff Garlett a yard spare, because he cuts defenders to pieces if they do.  I guess we all know that already, but he is simply lethal around goal.

* Hogan was simply a presence on the field.  He demands the ball wherever he is, in front of goal or up the field.  Pity the backman this year, because he was simply too mobile and strong for any of ours today.

* Bugg is like a blow-fly in the middle.  Is very, very capable in and close, so hopefully his addition will make a serious improvement to the mids.  I only hope his size doesn't limit him, as I was reminded a lot of James Magner. Hope I'm wrong.

* Good to have Kent back and running.  His input was truly missed last season, and todays efforts were matching his best from last season.  His acceleration opens up space and if the game plan is based on spread and speed, then he is the man.

That's enough of the good news.  Now that there is more physical contact in the sessions, then the injuries start to happen.  I would love to put a lot of them in cotton wool until season opener, but that is not practical. 

So we saw Jones leave the track very early.  Brayshaw came off and had his knee bandaged with what looked like a knock.  No ice, and then he went for a run and took the bandage off.  However, he too left early. Vince followed, but returned to run some laps.  Then Oliver came off. 

Nothing looked too serious and I think all were just bruises, but the heart finishes up in the mouth when half the mid-field is forced off the track! 

 

 

 

Thanks for updated DHD. 

How are the new draftees looking today? Are some of them in the full contact drills

Edit. Just saw your report George. Thanks for update on newbies

5 minutes ago, daisycutter said:

but he hasn't dropped a single mark, right?

That is something I never considered dc.

There is an up side to almost everything I guess.

Thank you George for the above report.

If Chris Dawes is running 50 m in 3.6 seconds he shouldn't be playing football but representing Australia in the 100 m in Rio.

2 minutes ago, La Dee-vina Comedia said:

If Chris Dawes is running 50 m in 3.6 seconds he shouldn't be playing football but representing Australia in the 100 m in Rio.

Or a drug test is in order!

6 minutes ago, La Dee-vina Comedia said:

If Chris Dawes is running 50 m in 3.6 seconds he shouldn't be playing football but representing Australia in the 100 m in Rio.

quite! i think it must be a typo. meant to be 5m?

4 minutes ago, La Dee-vina Comedia said:

If Chris Dawes is running 50 m in 3.6 seconds he shouldn't be playing football but representing Australia in the 100 m in Rio.

Haha, true. In Adam Spencer's World of Numbers they reckon the quickest 10m chunk Usain Bolt ran in his WR 100m took 0.81 seconds (between the 60m mark and the 70m mark).

Dawesy has him well and truly covered.

Concur with what Die Hard and George have said about the session- they are definitely willing but will need to continue to improve to compete with the best sides in the league.

Not to make a big deal out of it, but I only saw Trenners snapping around the corner on his right. I think the real test for him, and he admitted this in an interview when they were on camp, is when he gets into full contact work, with tackling and bodies crashing.

I don't talk to the staff or players, so these are only observations, but Salem came off about halfway through the session concerned about his left hamstring, and Oscar Mc came off after a bump to the knee at the start of the match simulation. He was strapped and tested it, but went to the rooms shortly after.

3 hours ago, Die Hard Demon said:

Boys started with some slick ball movements, running it from full back into the centre. Being checked closely by defenders, the message was to keep looking for your nearest man as support. Move it fast & clean. Quite impressed here. Standouts for me was Bernie, Salem, Brayshaw. Very few mistakes. Spence a bit clumsy. as expected. 

 
How well were defenders able to see the passage of the ball and move to intercept?

The wind was very strong (cap close to blowing off) and not conducive to precision skills.

Rehab group Dawes, Lumumba, Max King, Trengove, Petracca, Weideman, Newton – no Watts.

Uncontested ball movement drill starting in deep defence and using wing flanks before hitting a target leading from the goal square.  Then broken into 2 groups for ground ball drills - one v one short marking with designated marker, plus long marking with hard lead after pushing/feigning, then doubling back marking/spoil with the same opponent.  Neville Jetta doing well negating taller opponents; including Hogan.

Four groups in orange (8), pink (9), white (8) and blue (8).  Taking turns in working it out of defence through either the corridor or wing.  Quick ball movement the theme.  It’s a full ground drill that finishes with a score.  Oliver and Hulett do a couple of nice things.  I like the look of Hulett.  His body is ready and he’s only slightly smaller than Hogan.

The match simulation starts with a couple of AFL umpires, but Goodwin dictates where play starts (no sign of Roos – although others might have spotted him).  The umpires depart, but simulation keeps going for another 20 minutes with Goodwin in charge.

Skills difficult due to wind and there are numerous turnovers from missed kicks or errant handballs.  Ball movement is far quicker than we’re used to.

Players that stood out to me:

He made the odd error, but Tyson was the most prolific closely followed by Bugg, who also made skill errors.  But he will be handy.

Kent was terrific.  Speed, evasion and penetration in his kicking.

vandenBerg looks like a shiny colt that has been trained to the minute.  He’ll make a difference this year.

In fact all those that you’ve heard have had a great preseason look like they’ve had a great preseason, including Gawn.  Jetta looks in great form.

Mitch White took a couple of nice intercept marks and Stretch also impressed.

Harmes was quite noticeable with his involvement.  I'm not sure his kicking is overly damaging, but he's lively and we all know he can mark.

Hogan looks fantastic and got a few touches, but it wasn’t a day for talls.  In quick handball congestion drills he also excels like a mid.

Brayshaw, Oliver, Vince, Salem, and Jones didn’t take part in the match simulation.

Brayshaw with left knee twinge that got bandaged - goes for some running along boundary.  Later jogging laps with bandage gone.  Doesn’t look in too much discomfort.  Points to the inside of his knee as the area of concern.

Oscar McDonald hurt his right knee.  Had a pronounced limp with a bandage just above the knee.

Salem also was getting hamstring worked on along the boundary and failed to take part in the intra.

Not a bad session, but the wind made it hard to hit targets.  Good energy levels and a far more attacking game style.  Getting the balance right will be the key.
 

20 minutes ago, Kumamoto_Ken said:

Haha, true. In Adam Spencer's World of Numbers they reckon the quickest 10m chunk Usain Bolt ran in his WR 100m took 0.81 seconds (between the 60m mark and the 70m mark).

Dawesy has him well and truly covered.

maybe so but can Usain Bolt not take a mark like Dawesy...hmmmm

3 minutes ago, nutbean said:

maybe so but can Usain Bolt not take a mark like Dawesy...hmmmm

You don't really need a reply do you nutbean.

35 minutes ago, La Dee-vina Comedia said:

If Chris Dawes is running 50 m in 3.6 seconds he shouldn't be playing football but representing Australia in the 100 m in Rio.

No, his dodgy calf wouldn't last out the additional 50m required. 

Top quality reports, thank you.