7 minutes ago, rjay said:

Hunt is a pest 'Lucifer', in the nicest of ways. He's so quick and willing to get back to spoil & or take the ball away.

If they hesitate or are not pin point with the pass he's on to it.

Will be a real weapon, even more so in season 2017.

We've got plenty defenders now. I'd love to see Hunt moved to the wing or forward flank.

1 minute ago, Redleg said:

I love this kid.

Have you told him how you feel?

Hunt spotted Watts alone in the centre of the field and sprinted about 30 metres and then dived towards the ball, luckily Watts saw him coming and swayed his bottom half out of the way, Hunt still knocked him off his feet grabbed the ball and was away

Hogan is primed for a big big season, he was also one of the last to leave training, must have posed for about 50 photos, said he is going home at Xmas and added what day he would be back and looking forward to it already, Watts is the same said they are ready to attack the season

3 hours ago, waynewussell said:

In one tackle routine he took on Max, who had no hesitation in thrusting a forearm in Clarrie's face. Oliver hung on like a terrier and Max continued to roughhouse him. Oliver seemed a little pizzed off with this treatment, but he won't take a backward step!

I saw this one as well WR, the one I mentioned was later, so it obviously continued,  with Oliver they know exactly what buttons to push, he got heaps of praise later for a beautiful kick he produced

Edited December 16, 20168 yr by Satyriconhome

Thanks Saty - I'm glad Watts saw Hunt coming.  That kid is fearless, the way he throws himself around.

Thanks rjay. I like the idea of Hunt being a 'pest'.  We will have a few 'pests': Hunt, Bugg (very aptly named) and I read that Johnstone is modelling himself on the ultimate pest: Ballantyne!

And Oscar, anyone?  I'm hoping he is training the house down and it won't be long into the season before 'Pickett Fence' honours his promise to have a picture of Oscar as his moniker!

Edited December 16, 20168 yr by Lucifer's Hero

34 minutes ago, Lucifer's Hero said:

Thanks Saty - I'm glad Watts saw Hunt coming.  That kid is fearless, the way he throws himself around.

Thanks rjay. I like the idea of Hunt being a 'pest'.  We will have a few 'pests': Hunt, Bugg (very aptly named) and I read that Johnstone is modelling himself on the ultimate pest: Ballantyne!

And Oscar, anyone?  I'm hoping he is training the house down and it won't be long into the season before 'Pickett Fence' honours his promise to have a picture of Oscar as his moniker!

Oscar is one of those that is just doing everything with the minimum of fuss, hasn't stood out for anything good or bad, just playing his role in drills

6 hours ago, Vagg said:

Looking forward to your scintillating reports, Jack!

Don't know about that #32.

I might put pen to paper (or the equivalent on my iphone) but there's so much going on at training and I'm in awe of those who regularly report on the training sessions here because it's not possible to take everything in - well done to all of our correspondents for filling us in with so much good information.

I will say that after last night's AGM and today's training, I think we're light years ahead of the club we have been in the past decade. It seems that we've stepped up several notches in terms of the professionalism, the attitude and the culture of the place - not to mention the depth of quality of player on our list these days. That's not to deride those who have worked for the club in the past - it's just that we've moved forward so much in such a short space of time. Can I take off my rose coloured glasses now?

On 13/12/2016 at 11:18 PM, longsuffering said:

Saty, for you the world. Worcestershire Sauce will be on the table.

Thank you and I sneaked two

Can any of the regular training watchers comment on how Corey Maynard has been going at training?  Does he look out of place? Which group has he been training with (Fwds, Mids, Backs)? Thanks in advance.

23 minutes ago, hells bells said:

Can any of the regular training watchers comment on how Corey Maynard has been going at training?  Does he look out of place? Which group has he been training with (Fwds, Mids, Backs)? Thanks in advance.

I have been pleasantly surprised with his skill level, he does the occasional missed handball or kick, but every player does that

He has a nice solid build, and asks a lot of questions,  eager to learn,

Edited December 16, 20168 yr by Satyriconhome

Thanks Saty, care to speculate on a position?

26 minutes ago, hells bells said:

Thanks Saty, care to speculate on a position?

Training with the backs when they have broken up into groups

31 minutes ago, Satyriconhome said:

Training with the backs when they have broken up into groups

Thanks Saty

2 hours ago, Whispering_Jack said:

Don't know about that #32.

I might put pen to paper (or the equivalent on my iphone) but there's so much going on at training and I'm in awe of those who regularly report on the training sessions here because it's not possible to take everything in - well done to all of our correspondents for filling us in with so much good information.

I will say that after last night's AGM and today's training, I think we're light years ahead of the club we have been in the past decade. It seems that we've stepped up several notches in terms of the professionalism, the attitude and the culture of the place - not to mention the depth of quality of player on our list these days. That's not to deride those who have worked for the club in the past - it's just that we've moved forward so much in such a short space of time. Can I take off my rose coloured glasses now?

Following on from what WJ has put, I have been going to training since they moved to Goschs, I was dubious three of four years ago when Misso came on board and said they would have to start from scratch and rebuild the whole fitness/medical/rehab area, there wasn't instantaneous results, but over time the whole standard has lifted and those at the club now are benefiting from the new regime/organisation that was put in place

Everybody players/coaches/kit guys/trainers/medicos/media/analysts, me knows exactly what is going to occur during a session and each player knows exactly what he is required to do in that session.

The coaches all have earpieces (except Macca) and two way radios so they can talk to each other during the session, to watch Macca prowl around the field, coaching the players, coaching the coaches, a little word here, a gesture there is a treat for the watchers

A player has to report the slightest twinge/niggle immediately, it is assessed and a call made on whether they stay out on the field

We have the new draftees and rookies training with the main group before Xmas and nearly doing the whole session

The guys in rehab are given targets weekly to ensure that if and when they get out of the rehab group they can go straight into everything

The morale of the players is the best I have seen,

 

Best moments of the day:

Nathan Jones running at the back of a group encouraging and physically pushing Angus Brayshaw and another ??? saying, "C'mon, all of us... keep going...all of us..."

Great captain's stuff.

Col Garland leading nearly every sprint at the end of a gruelling 3 hour session.

Jack Viney, Petracca, Jesse Hogan, Max Gawn and others making themselves available for photos and autographs... Yes, Hogan was smiling!

General feeling of positivity and camaraderie amongst the players and coaches.

Meeting Saty!

All in all, a great day. Bring on 2017.

Edited December 16, 20168 yr by The Reverend
addition

Thanks to all reporters and others, one big happy family and it really shows professional here as well. Makes for such a pleasurable read.

One thing unexpected about Maynard is that he didn't look overly tall which was what I was expecting because of his basketball background.

4 minutes ago, Elwood 3184 said:

One thing unexpected about Maynard is that he didn't look overly tall which was what I was expecting because of his basketball background.

he's not overly tall, i'm guessing he was a point guard in basketball?

if he's training with some backs he's with some pretty tall guys now too - so perhaps it's that our depth of taller players has increased? at 191 (6 foot 2 in the old) he'd be smaller than both mcdonalds, frost, kielty, and the same height as garland.

interestingly, in looking that up, vandenberg is listed at 191. i'm sure he looks more like the same size as tra, who is listed at 186.

7 hours ago, Courtney_Fish said:

Have you told him how you feel?

He knows.

Huge thanks to all that contributed today and every other session.

Being based in Perth makes me super jealous of not seeing the team move forward over the pre season so the reports are like crack to me.

Fortunately for me, the lads will be playing WCE here during the NAB (or whatever it is now) and I look forward to sharing my observations when that happens.

I think we can all agree that there's a certain feel to next season, one that I think us die-hards can only interpret and make sense of.

I believe 2017 is going to be the birth of an incredible window of success for the MFC. 

Giddy up.

 

26 minutes ago, xarronn said:

 

I think you got the wrong angle on Goffy's comment Saty.  His post expresses how I feel about Garland. His analogy about an old friend with depression seems particularly apt in respect to Garland. He has rarely seemed a joyous person.

I think it is unlikely, but I would really love for him to become a best 22 again. 

Maybe, but being Liverpudlian we major in sarcasm, as for Garland    misconceptions  he is a typical Taswegian quiet with a dry sense of humour, I just find it staggering he has played with pain for four years, club first principal maybe why he is still here

He is running really well and seems to have his leap back again as well, I don't care who is in the 22 each week as long as the coaching panel regards them as the most in form for that game

On the running I joked with Tommy Mc that Jesse Hogan is getting closer to him on the runs, I said Jesse might be the next king of the 3k, Tommy said it ain't gonna happen

I am going early reckon Dion Johnstone is good bet for smokey of the year

Edited December 16, 20168 yr by Satyriconhome

11 hours ago, Lucifer's Hero said:

Haven't read much about Hunt or Oscar in training threads - would love to hear any news on how they are travelling.

Kicking will hold Hunt back but that's about it. Had a set shot on goal that went sideways and a running shot that went end over end and maybe it about 30m of the 50 required. 

Oscar's had some good moments. He's another who is moving faster and hitting targets with more confidence. I haven't seen him one on one with forwards very often, but in terms of his zoning off and disposal under pressure he's looked good. He's a nice size now as well. Porter they call him.

When they yell Oscar at training it's in reference to the AFL Academy kid Oscar who is also a rangy tall defender and from what I've seen so far I think he'll go top 30 in the draft. Does a lot of things right for a kid mixing it with AFL players.

8 hours ago, hells bells said:

Can any of the regular training watchers comment on how Corey Maynard has been going at training?  Does he look out of place? Which group has he been training with (Fwds, Mids, Backs)? Thanks in advance.

A mix of mids, forwards and in the rehab group. Decision making and skills aren't quite there yet but he cracks in and seems at least decent athletically. Wait and see until games.

Some observations delayed after watching a fascinating last hour or so of the cricket last night -

I had promised the grandkids a special end-of-school year treat and what better than a late December visit to Gosch's Paddock for the Demons' last training session of 2016?

The club laid it on for the large crowd - a sensational BBQ with the smell of snags and grilled onions wafting all the way to the bridge over the Yarra on our arrival, to the flies, to a Satyriconhome-like built Santa, to the flies, to Checker the big mascot and to the flies. Most of the players were there too, with the exception of our now regular absentee Heritier, ANB (patella tendon according to the real Saty) and I didn't see Dean Kent.

I worked out that the rehab group (and there were quite a few but none looked seriously injured from my layman's viewpoint) were the ones not wearing numbers on their backs. I saw Cam Pedersen riding a bike on the sidelines and Jake Melksham running the boundary looking like an Olympic middle distance runner and some of the newbies like Flipper and Mitch Hannan getting acclimatised in the foreground. Josh Wagner and JKH were also doing some running and light work at the side.

My 14 year old granddaughter who was once a fan of Jeremy Howe came expecting to see Jack Watts' platinum locks but was disappointed at the hair colour which didn't appear as extreme white as advertised in previous photo galleries released by the club. Her two younger brothers didn't last long. After picking out their favourites in Max Gawn and Jesse Hogan (not hard to do as they really stand out) it was off to the hot dog stand, followed by a kick to kick session which soon ended in the obligatory fisticuffs. I broke up the fight by pointing to the players on the nearby ground and telling the boys that they should follow the lead of their team who train like professionals and don't get involved in any argy bargy.

It dawned on me then that this is the fundamental difference between the club now and what it has been in the past, for more or less fifty years. A club that intermittently seemed always divided about something with the rifts constantly leaving us unable to reach the professional standards we are last witnessing both on and off the field. The argy bargy is thankfully a thing of the past - the club's nameless, faceless men are now sad and irrelevant fossils.

Peter Jackson, Paul Roos, Brendan McCartney and now Simon Goodwin (far more hands on at training than Roosy) have seen to that and a new spirit permeates the club now. You can sense it when watching training even though you can't see everything and you don't know what every individual drill is about. It feels good - I call it "the vibe" but it's much more than the vibe from The Castle.

I guess the exception to the rule might be "the Heritier situation" but I think the club has that well covered. One of the work experience AFL Academy players wore #8 on his back in what appeared to be a message that like Heritier's namesake, Lumumba is gone. In all likelihood, he will soon be replaced by the son of Shaun Smith.

Jesse Hogan looks and trains like a man ready to grab centre stage on the AFL scene. I heard that big Maxy is about to get a gig in Foxtel's superhero of the month series and I know that I'm prone to making big statements but look out next year because I reckon Jesse will be on that programme in a big way after his next season. He is moving beautifully, runs hard, looks solid and even cracked it for a smile at one stage. The story about extending his contract for a couple of years must be true because he looks like a man unburdened by the contract speculation, one who is now on a mission.

Clayton Oliver also impressed me - he just has that something special about him, especially in close pouncing cat-like on the ball and dishing out handballs  to players in space. He's one of a number of members of the young brigade ready to move on to a higher plane. Billy Stretch is no longer a skinny kid, Jayden Hunt looks solid and there's something about Sam Frost that suggests he will be one of those who will step up another notch.

As the session went on, I couldn't help but think of poor Colin Sylvia recovering in hospital from a broken neck and other injuries sustained after falling from a balcony. If only the place was like this a dozen years ago when he arrived fresh from Merbein, he might truly have become one of the champions of our game. 

The team moves on to a break of a couple of weeks before it gets really serious. To my eye it looks as if there is great room for improvement and a move up the ladder, especially with the infusion of some seriously experienced talent in Jordan Lewis, Michael Hibberd and Jake Melksham. The question is whether, when the battles begin, our improvement can outmatch that of the others.

5 hours ago, DeeSpencer said:

Kicking will hold Hunt back but that's about it. Had a set shot on goal that went sideways and a running shot that went end over end and maybe it about 30m of the 50 required. 

That's a bit of a harsh assessment of Hunt after two fluffed kicks DS, overall through all the sessions I thought his kicking had actually improved

Same with Garlett, last year we had games where he had managed to shake off his opponent and get free out the back, we either turned it over or slowed down to such an extent that he was marked again and the ball went sideways, how is he expected to apply defensive pressure in those situations? It appears that he has drifted out of the game when in fact he is working his arse off to create space.

Two moments yesterday, one, where he picked up the ball at full flight in the middle of the field, three bounces and a lovely low flat kick to a leading forward, secondly during the tackling drill, he tackled Jack Watts and pinned his arm beautifully, comment from Macca, "take note boys, that is how you tackle", that is the real Jeff Garlett, how a bloke who averages just under 2 goals and 3 tackles a game can also be called lazy (not your comment) is beyond me