BECALMED

[Demonland 72,193]

BECALMED by Whispering Jack

Australia Day 2007.

It's a beautiful, calm summer's morning as I make my way towards the Trinity Grammar playing fields to take in Melbourne's skills training session.

A little more than four months have elapsed since the Dockers beat the Demons at Subiaco and I reflect on how the team has disappointingly bowed out of each its past three finals campaigns.

Melbourne seems to have developed a habit of peaking a little after mid season, limping into the finals and then faltering without mounting any real challenge to the top AFL teams in September action. This story has by now been well documented.

Which brings to mind an old adage in sport that you're only as good as your last game.

I'm reminded of how Melbourne was playing with confidence and had Fremantle rattled and held a 15-point lead midway through the second quarter of the 2006 Semi Final. Then Chris Connolly made a few changes and the Dockers proceeded to turn the game by running the legs off their visitors who were becalmed and eventually wilted by the warm humid air drifting into Perth from the Indian Ocean.

Freo's midfield had too much pace with Heath Black, Byron Schammer and the Carr brothers all winning plenty of quality possessions. With a few exceptions, the Demons appeared sad and slow and in the end lacked the necessary endurance to run out the full distance of a gruelling finals game. This applied not only to the on ball brigade but to the forwards and backs - they fought hard but for the most part were beaten mentally and physically all over the ground.

That was our last game and it stands as a reality check as I cross the Eastern Freeway and approach the training venue.

This is the time of year when the general feeling at every club is one of optimism looking forward to a new season. You will hear the same story everywhere - the injuries suffered in the previous year are healing, the players are looking fitter than ever, those who have previously been labelled as "potential" are starting to mature and there are a fair number out there who are, as they say in the classics, "training the house down."

But I'm not here looking for the stars at training. What I want to see is something that might signal a change – that things are happening to address the problem of those end of season fadeouts; that Melbourne is taking steps to ensure that it has the physical and mental wherewithal to match it with the best throughout the long grind of an AFL season. This was the major factor that was lacking in 2004, 2005 and 2006 when the team peaked too early!

I'm not particularly into describing training drills but I must say that a lot was going on by the time I arrived. Players in different coloured guernseys were running with their footballs up and down the length of the playing fields and one thing that was clear was the emphasis on running. The rule changes and the latest coaching tactics and strategies have demanded more and more athleticism. It's not enough to just be a footballer these days.

Enter Melbourne's new fitness advisor Bohdan Babijczuk.

Babijczuk has received plaudits as fitness coordinator at Hawthorn (where he was seen as a key component of the Hawks' push to the Preliminary Final of 2001) and with the national men's basketball team. His experience in athletics goes back three decades from competitor to high level coach and he has been used as a consultant at a number of different football clubs.

At Hawthorn, he took Shane Crawford's 800m time down from the 2:20's to well under two minutes and Crawford went on to win a Brownlow Medal fortified by his added speed and endurance. More recently he took Western Jets youngster Bachar Houli under his wing and improved his 20m sprint time from 3.25 seconds to 2.96 seconds within a fortnight by the time of National Draft Camp. Houli was subsequently drafted by the Bombers in the recent National Draft and I understand has since significantly bettered that time at Essendon.

The Babijczuk influence at the club is apparent immediately. Many of the players have significantly changed body shapes, the skinfolds are way down and a few look faster and stronger as well as sleeker. Nathan Jones and Brock McLean stand out. Jones has dropped 7kg to 80kg - a loss of almost 10% of his previous body weight.

"He is a cut above the rest," Jones says of the man who is training footballers at the club to be fitter, faster and stronger than they have ever been. Daniel Bell, who has lost 3kg, talks of feeling much better and having the capacity to get through pre season training pain free under his regimen. Brent Moloney is training solidly and is definitely moving more freely as he relishes the absence of the osteitis pubis that put a premature end to his 2006 season.

A few years ago I spoke with a Hawthorn player who was competing during the summer season at the Glenhuntly athletics track. He was suitably impressed by the fact that Babijczuk had tailored individual fitness regimes for every player at the club aimed at increasing the intensity once things got simple.

The training regimen requires a fair degree of strong discipline from the players and that part is certainly showing out starting at the top. David Neitz is looking more like a rising colt in his mid-twenties than a veteran who has passed his 31st birthday. Babijczuk says that the player whose speed has improved the most is another post 30 year old in 2006 All Australian James McDonald and it looked that way as Junior zipped through a training drill aimed at moving the ball swiftly out of the clearances.

The players flash past and it's difficult to recognise some of them as they sport different hair colourings; they change guernseys regularly and then there are those different body shapes. Nathan Carroll, who kept key Dockers forward Matthew Pavlich well held in that last game at Subiaco, seems to have undergone a complete personality change since he arrived at the club as an unknown rookie from Fremantle a few years ago. After a year in which he must have come tantalisingly close to being an All Australian, he knows now that he belongs in AFL circles. I expect that both he and Jared Rivers will gather further in stature with the benefit of this pre season.

I could go on and on but I'd probably be charged with the same over optimism I complained about earlier and the point is that a football hasn't yet been bounced in true competitive anger.

That will change in the next few weeks as the intra practice games start. Apparently the club is planning one at Moorabbin and another at Telstra Dome in the week before the Nab Cup matches to give the Channel 7 crew a bit of practice for the forthcoming season. There's no truth in the rumour that The Twelfth Man has been pirated away from Foxtel to do the voices of all of Seven's football commentary team as a cost saving measure (although he does do a very speshialllll Bruce McAvaney impression).

If anyone fears that the intensity of athletic training might be harmful to the players, they should think again. Virtually the full squad was on hand at Trinity Grammar with Chris Johnson the only absentee - he was back in Perth to celebrate his 21st birthday. A small group is still in rehab, notably Colin Sylvia (shoulder and OP) and Clint Bartram (ankle) but they are apparently not far away from resuming training. A couple of others like Paul Wheatley and Matty Whelan sat out parts of training but on the whole things were looking good - even when I took off my rose coloured glasses.

There's a lot of interest in the new blood at the club but none of them stood out at this training run. They're all still young and shy and have a way to go although there are some reports that James Frawley might get a run in the NAB Cup. Both he and Colin Garland certainly have awkward kicking styles that nevertheless don't appear to inhibit their accuracy. However, we'll wait and see what they're like under pressure in matches.

Simon Buckley looks ready for a crack at the big time after a year with Sandringham, Shane Neaves has developed a six-pack and will be looked at with interest while Michael Newton will surely be tested in the Nab Cup. My early tip for big improver among the younger brigade is Lynden Dunn - another of Bohdan Babijczuk's projects.

Ultimately however, the players are in the hands of Neale Daniher and his coaching panel. They now have under their control what is most certainly a more athletic group with greater pace and better endurance than that which left 2006 behind them at Subiaco.

But there's a long way to go from a calm and balmy summer's day at Bulleen to what this group might achieve in the months to come when the springtime returns.

[Jaded No More 68,915]

Great report as always WJ, thanks!

Just a question for you, from the pictures I've seen, Rivers appears to be slightly bigger in the upper body. Did you notice that at all?

I still worry about his ability to play CHB on some of the bigger bodied forwards, which is a shame because he is clearly the most gifted defender we have.

Also, any truth to the rumours that Dutchy has gained a bit of speed?

[Goodvibes 3,596]

Quality - Thanks WJ!

[Guest Schtacker]

<- first post

Great training report, thanks Jack.

[demonfanjezza 1]

Great report Jack :D

[Toad33 57]

Thanks WJ.

I too went along to watch the boys go through their paces, and have been waiting patiently ever since for your report before adding my own observations.

Before I begin there are a few things I must confess.....

1. This is the first skills session I have attended since Grand Final week 1988.

2. My main interest was to take a good look Newton, Dunn and some of the new boys.

I would also like to point out that it is BLOODY hard trying to identify players, let alone keep track to them, when you are used to seeing them in MFC jumpers, or have never seen them before, and are now faced with them darting around sporting new hair styles and forever changing their singlets for different drills.

I would also like to say that I have gained a new appreciation for the masterful job that WJ does in providing so much information in his reports. Sometimes it is easy to forget that ONE person watching 38 players in up to 6 different groups all at once is actually possible. Believe me it is NOT. It is hard enough just following a handfull.

I would also like to add that I will try and deliver a balanced report, with plenty for the optimist and pessimist alike. :angry:

Overall I left with a mixed impression from the session.

I guess I expected to see 'gut busting running' and hear coaches 'barking' at players; but I can't say I really noticed either. That is not to say that the players weren't working hard, nor the coaches not pulling players up to let them know when they weren't happy. Perhaps it was just the clear blue sky, acres of lush manicured green grass and the mild summer conditions, and a public holiday, that made things seem relaxed.

Before annoiting 'champions' and dismissing 'also rans' I would like to try and describe the feeling, or vibe if you will, of the session (as I saw it).

Among the players there was a lot of encouragement, 'bum slapping' and 'slapping hands' during the warm ups and at the beginning of the ball drills. This evolved through the session, especially the competive drills, to a lot of competitive 'sledging' and joke making amongst opponents and 'high five-ing' with respective team mates. This continued right into the warm down stretches where Godder's started mouthing off and chesting Neita, who chested him back, all in good fun. This continued for a minute or so and then escalated into a standing wrestle with both players eventually falling to the ground, where they remained locked in a show of strength for several minutes, much to the delight and encouragement of their team mates and coaches.

For a split second there it seemed like Godder's had Neita's measure, but in the end all he got was a face full of Trinity grass.

Everyone seemed to have a heir of confidence about them.

The drills were short and the players interchanged positions frequently (changing tops too).

The first one I remember involved two players running a line sharing the ball by hand with two players positioned along the line trying to intercept. The goal seemed to be to draw the intercepter and hand pass to the team mate and put him into space.

This evolved into fours players running the line and four players trying to intercept, some bumping with tackle bags with the direction from the coach to "put 'em down if you get the chance". There was plenty of chatter, encouragement, sledging and big hits.

Another saw the players doing some 'triangular' kicking drills. Firstly kicking to the 'fat side' of the intended target, and then hitting them on the lead. No one really stood out.

They then split up into groups to run through a boundary throw in and clearance in drill. This is where I noticed Jamar out muscling White, and Bate easily 'walking through' some tackles laid on him. Yze was very vocal and pointed out set up mistakes when they were made that allowed the opposition to take the ball away easily. I didn't watch any of the other groups.

The final drill of the day combined those preceding it. Players were split into two sets of two teams of both midfield/backmen and forwards. Two of the four teams would take the field. The forwards set up in the forward half and everyone else started deep in the defensive end of the ground. The attacking team would endeavour to run the ball up the ground and hit a leading forward target. The drill would stop when they managed to put the ball in a scoring position, or in one instance out of the dozen or so, the defenders stripped the ball. At the conclusion of one run up the ground the forwards and defenders would rotate with others on the sidelines and the midfield/backmen would run back down the ground the where they started. As soon as they arrived the next teams would start the drill. The drill started in a variety of ways. From static kicks by a defensive player to ND just kicking the ball in the air or mongrel punting it along the ground and also with boundary through-in contests clearances.

After this the players wandered off to practice goal kicking and one on one marking duels.

What stood out.

Travis missed more targets than he hit.

Neitz, Newton and Robbo lead and marked well.

Newton moves like a Gazzelle and unfortunately ended up in the injured group doing groin stretches just before the end of the session.

Flash was untouchable in the last drill.

McLean got a lot of the ball was great in traffic.

Yze looks set to be a running backman but strangely ended up with the ball in a scoring position a few times in the last drill.

Buckley looks promising.

Bell out bodied and marked against PJ in the goal square.

Dunn's kicking at goal on the run is very good. His bent leg, step to the right, set shots need a lot of work though.

Miller outmarked Jamar four times in a row in their competitive marking duels and Anthony Rock was happy to tell his team mates he had just been pants'd.

Doggie yelled at some of his team mates to sign autographs after they had walked past some kids who wanted them, to get themselves drinks.

I am happy to answer any questions if I can.

Go Dees

[Whispering_Jack 30,140]

Jaded - Toad33 is spot on when he/she says that it's "BLOODY hard trying to identify players, let alone keep track to them, when you are used to seeing them in MFC jumpers". With Jarrod Rivers I would agree that he looks bigger in the upper body but that might be because he seems to have slimmed down everywhere else. All I can say is that he's looking pretty good and even appears a bit taller.

I'm not sure however, as to whether he'd be able to handle the monsters but if the game is evolving to a point where athleticism is god, then we have to expect that there are going to be fewer monsters around. I'm not suggesting that the big-bodied key forwards are going to become extinct like the dinosaur ruckmen but they're going to need more than size to get around in the AFL. That's what I like about the new, sleeker version of David Neitz.

Incidentally, I saw Leigh Matthews at Brisbane's training talking up Jonathan Brown and the fact that he hopes to have him fit and going for Round 1 after a horror year with injury last year. That may be the case but for the moment Brown has developed a sizable backside and is making Serena Williams look positively anorexic. He's got a fair bit of work to do before he can terrorise the AFL's top defenders again. So has Anthony Rocca at Collingwood - he was found lacking late last season and my Collingwood friends reckon he's not showing signs of any greater speed or endurance this year. Perhaps he should be thinking of joining his brother in the NFL as a kicker.

But getting back to Rivers, the big benefit of a training regime under Bohdan B is that he might be better suited to playing on someone like Nick Riewoldt who would have killed him for pace in past seasons.

As for Dutchy, I'm sorry but I can't confirm much about him. He trained but didn't really stand out to me but, as indicated earlier, as Toad says it was hard to keep track of some of the players because the changed tops both between and during drills which made it hard to keep up with everyone doing different drills going over a large grassed area. At one stage I noticed Isaac Weetra wearing a yellow # 42 top, then someone else was wearing the same number and a few minutes later Daniel Hayes was wearing it.

I figure this must be one of Neale Daniher's ruses to confuse opposition club spies because it got me a few times.

Toad33's (please don't wait for me to post though) done a great job describing the drills but I must confess I thought Anthony Rock had gone on to other pastures and the assistant coach in question might have been Paul Williams. Whoever it is who's doing the midfield drills, they look creative and challenging for the players.

The practice matches will tell us more on how some of the younger players are developing.

[Toad33 57]

Toad33's (please don't wait for me to post though) done a great job describing the drills but I must confess I thought Anthony Rock had gone on to other pastures and the assistant coach in question might have been Paul Williams. Whoever it is who's doing the midfield drills, they look creative and challenging for the players.

My oops , it might have been Curran who was the coach running the competitive marking drill.

Honestly I didn't see who said it but did note that Jamar wanted to have a another go at out marking Miller and Curran wouldn't let him saying, he would have to wait until Monday's session. No doubt fuelling Jamar's motivation to do better. A bit off good psychcology by the coach I thought.

Go Dees - Not long to go now!!!

[dazzledavey36 54,944]

thanks for the reports guys.. hows danny hughes going at training? haven't heard much from him and just been wondering if he has been training well? also hows daniel hayse going aswell. thanks

[Toad33 57]

I didn't notice Danny that much in the final drill but he was 'busy' in the others. He has great hands....but we already knew that.

Daniel made himself stand out in one drill where he skilfully evaded many players before disposing of the ball. Unfortunately he chose a poor option and and ND telling him to lift his head and have a look around. (he chose an option laterally and didn't see a team mate dy himself further down the ground.

He seems thick as thieves with Davey and Pickett and didn't mind mouthing off and bumping into them and feigning smothers when they were all having leisurely shots at goal at the end of the session.

He appeared to be very confident around them to the point of being cocky.

I hope this has gone some way to answering your questions DD36?

[dazzledavey36 54,944]

Yes it has and thank you. though also how would you rate jace bode and heath neville chances this year from just watching them train? dont have to answer if you dont want to

[Blistering 541]

Thanks to WJ and Toad33 for your excellent coverage of training. Please continue to keep us informed and also let us know when and where the next training sessions take place. Are the clubs being affected in ground selection by the drought?

[Toad33 57]

Yes it has and thank you. though also how would you rate jace bode and heath neville chances this year from just watching them train? dont have to answer if you dont want to

I didn't notice either. In fact I didn't even get time to work out which players they were.

If either had stood out I would surely be saying something like that guy with the dark hair and the bright blue gernsey no. ? looked good.

Sorry I am not into 'rating' players, especially after not paying much attention to them at only one of dozens of training sessions they must have had this preseason.

All I can say on their behalf is that overall the standard of the session was high. Some fumbles and missed targets but all under some sort of pressure.

I guess you, like me, will have to wait and see if they get a game in the pre-season competition before we can make an assessment of them.

GO DEES

[dazzledavey36 54,944]

cheers mate thank you so much

[Whispering_Jack 30,140]

Thanks to WJ and Toad33 for your excellent coverage of training. Please continue to keep us informed and also let us know when and where the next training sessions take place. Are the clubs being affected in ground selection by the drought?

I believe that Victoria Park which has been the venue of the club's first intraclub practice match has been found wanting as a venue for practice matches and won't be used this year except for the occassional training run. Not sure if it's the drought or the fact that that Eddie's crowd have neglected their spiritual birthplace since moving on to the Lexus Centre.

As to the players DD36 enquired about -

I noticed Daniel Hughes do a couple of good things at training but wasn't really focussed on him.

Likewise for Heath Neville except I noticed him having a few kicks towards the end and he looked quite balanced.

BB mentioned Jace Bode as being one of the players who had done well with the speed and endurance training he'd been given but again I didn't notice him much.

If I can get the time off work to see a practice match I'll concentrate on some of the younger players like those above and the 2007 newcomers but don't expect too much too soon.

[Dappa Dan 2,188]

Well done guys. Keep 'em coming.

[Redleg 40,925]

You are a marvel Jack. How do you turn an ordinary summer training session into a sporting event worthy of such prose? Demonland is truly very fortunate to have you.

[Whispering_Jack 30,140]

You are a marvel Jack. How do you turn an ordinary summer training session into a sporting event worthy of such prose? Demonland is truly very fortunate to have you.

Thanks for that Redleg.

To explain, I was really writing about something more than just "an ordinary training session" - it was more a case of writing about something that's concerned us for a few years now and that is the way the team hasn't been able to sustain itself after reaching a position from which a decent challenge for the premiership could be mounted. What is it going to take to overcome that and get us into the top echelon?

I'm hopeful that the measures taken by the club address the problem but I guess we won't know the answer for a while yet.

In the meantime, I can tell you that the exercise of revisiting the defeat at Subiaco was probably more painful in January than it was in September last year. I can't get over the way we were reeled in so easily after getting that two and a half goal lead and the way the Dockers dominated us for the next thirty minutes of football. If you are going to overcome that then you can't have any ordinary summer training sessions on the agenda. It's all hard work from here on in.

[DeeBest 13]

You are a marvel Jack. How do you turn an ordinary summer training session into a sporting event worthy of such prose? Demonland is truly very fortunate to have you.

Very true.

[Chelly 810]

In the meantime, I can tell you that the exercise of revisiting the defeat at Subiaco was probably more painful in January than it was in September last year. I can't get over the way we were reeled in so easily after getting that two and a half goal lead and the way the Dockers dominated us for the next thirty minutes of football. If you are going to overcome that then you can't have any ordinary summer training sessions on the agenda. It's all hard work from here on in.

FWIW I haven't gotten over that game either.

[QueenC 74]

Well done guys. Keep 'em coming.

I'll second that....

I love reading the reports you guys give us and since I am in Sydney they are my only real contact to what is going on down there.

So thanks for all the work!!!