Arrived around 10am and the session was just about in full swing. I’ll try my best as my fingers are frozen. 

The first thing I noticed was no rehab group. Lever, Hunt and Maynard the obvious absentees. Kent a no show also but overhead he might be lining up at Casey this week and was to train with them.

Great to see McKenna and Vanders in the main group with the latter looking really sharp and vocal. I was surprised to see Vanders move as well as he did. 

A lot of encouragement throughout the session and it was a solid hitout. A lot of short drills in duration but no lack of intensity. 

To me it looked like the session was built up around rapid ball movement and frequent switching with players supporting the receivers for options. Skills were very good in somewhat slippery conditions. 

Good luck with selection as some of the players pushing for a spot this week were certainly a highlight. T Smith and Frost very clean and strong with marking. Interestingly, Frost was used as a leading forward in some drills and was excellent overhead and kicked accurately from distance. He took J Smith to school a few times one on one.

A drill I found interesting was one of the centre square setups. I believe it was Filipovic used as the ruck with Max used as a blocking midfielder and his opponents had to find their way around him and win the ball. He didn’t let up on them.

Another Max highlight was his 50 metre chase on Baker. He didn’t catch him but never gave up and was actually gaining on him by the end. Everyone around us commented at the effort that Max put in. That’s what you want to see from your leaders even if it’s just a training session. Brilliant work.

Dion Johnstone was very good with his kicking and it was good to see him up close. Hopefully he gets a chance soon, I liked what I saw.

I am a Tyson fan and want him back in the side but unsure if it will be this week. Looks bereft of confidence especially with his kicking. Missed a few targets where other players hit theirs. 

Towards the end of the session Jesse, Weid, Pedersen and T Mac were having the ball kicked to them and competing one on one. They swapped over every kick with each winning their fair share of contests.

The other forwards, Melksham, Fritsch, Bugg, Garlett, Spargo and Hannan were setup around the goal square. A kick would come in and one of them had to deliberately tap the ball to ground whilst the others would try to rove it or pick it up cleanly from the deck. Garlett was very clean and smart around goals. A couple of times he kicked the ball off the ground truly  as his opponents were too close for him to pick it up. 

Didnt see much of the defenders drills as they were on the other side of the ground so apologies for that. It was basically a full squad out there and impossible to keep track of all.

Trac ran some solid laps after the session was finished.

Happy to answer any questions as best I can. 

Nice reporting and I'm impressed you didn't regress by inserting a Melbourne weather today and Frost pun in your report. Must have been tempting. 

28 minutes ago, Dee Zephyr said:

and Vanders in the main group with the latter looking really sharp and vocal. I was surprised to see Vanders move as well as he did. 

Hey, that is great news, it will be a fantastic recovery if he can make it. Really liked his game style and contributions in the past. 

10 minutes ago, La Dee-vina Comedia said:

Nice reporting and I'm impressed you didn't regress by inserting a Melbourne weather today and Frost pun in your report. Must have been tempting. 

On the money LDC. There’s some hope of it happening, nice little turnout today. Hopefully we get some pics later, noticed a regular with a camera.

You're a legend DZ, thanks for the report!

much needed footy chat after the last week (how has it only be 8 days since QB??)

Thanks for your efforts @Dee Zephyr

Happy to hear they practised the switch, this is one thing that stands out a mile when we play the better sides, we get pressured then either lose confidence or go the safe option every time, we need to keep the switch on as its our strength. It happened clearly in Tigers and Pies games where we went into our shells and didn't switch.

Interesting to hear Frost was training up forward, I wonder why? Apparently he played some time forward at Casey recently, could it be Frost for Pedersen perhaps?

 

Thanks for the report DZ - much appreciated.

great report much appreciated.whats your thoughts on baker making debut also fantastic news on vanders

2 minutes ago, forever demons said:

great report much appreciated.whats your thoughts on baker making debut also fantastic news on vanders

Not sure how close to selection Baker is but I did notice him in the midfield group along with Stretch during the centre square drills with the regulars.  It looked like those 2 were being used as the outlets from stoppages at times. 

DeeZ,

How about Petty?  I like the idea of he debuting this week.  Might be a good match up against their youngster, Todd Marshall who has played only a handful of games.  Thoughts?

 

Great report, cheers DZ. 

17 minutes ago, Lucifer's Hero said:

DeeZ,

How about Petty?  I like the idea of he debuting this week.  Might be a good match up against their youngster, Todd Marshall who has played only a handful of games.  Thoughts?

I’m a fan also LH. He was noticeable early in the  session as the drill he was involved in was close to us. He got to the contest well, won his own ball and delivered some good passes up the field. As soon as I talked him up to a friend that also came along today he tried to sell some candy to Hannan and it went horribly wrong. He was crunched in the tackle but got up and shook it off.

Unfortunately I didn’t get to see much more of him as the defensive drills of one on one combat shifted up the other end and by the time we tried getting there Goody blew his whistle.

I honestly have no idea which way they go this week but I wouldn’t be against it if Petty was selected.

Edited June 19, 20186 yr by Dee Zephyr

9 minutes ago, Dee Zephyr said:

I’m a fan also LH. He was noticeable early in the  session as the drill he was involved in was close to us. He got to the contest well, won his own ball and delivered some good passes up the field. As soon as I talked him up to a friend that also came along today he tried to sell some candy to Hannan and it went horribly wrong. He was crunched in the tackle but got up and shook it off.

Unfortunately I didn’t get to see much more of him as the defensive drills of one on one combat shifted up the other end and by the time we tried getting there Goody blew his whistle.

I honestly have no idea which way they go this week but I wouldn’t be against it if Petty was selected.

Thank you.

Great of you to go training  and giving us great insight.  Cheers. 

37 minutes ago, Lucifer's Hero said:

DeeZ,

How about Petty?  I like the idea of he debuting this week.  Might be a good match up against their youngster, Todd Marshall who has played only a handful of games.  Thoughts?

Such an important game.

Not the match to trial Petty despite his promise. 

Frost for mine. 

Just a few add ons to Dee Zephyrs report.
The rehab had only Harley Balic in it. He later joined the main group but not in any contact drills. I assume he was a bit sore and needed a test.
Training with the midfield group was Oskar Baker and Billy Stretch. 
Dion Johnstone still getting plenty of help from Neville Jetta. 
Both Aaron vandersBerg and Pat Mckenna trained with the backs.
Jay Kennedy-Harris trained with both mids and forwards.
I thought Tom Bugg and Sam Wiedeman had bad training sessions (maybe just my impression). Tom could not get his hands on it in simulations and Sam fumbling (slippery ball) and finding it difficult to get to the right positions.
Oscar McDonald had a good hit out considering he had some concussion problems. Dom Tyson looking professional given the situation he finds himself in (breaking back into selection).
Jeff Garlett killing them for pace. Charlie Spargo doing everything correct, rarely misses with his collection and disposals. Harrison Petty seems to have matured quickly, looking confident and strong. I think he needs an AFL game so he can figure the pace and skill level required in order to further develope.
The backline had a drill where the players created space by using bodies against the forwards to have one player go up for the mark uncontested. Another drill included punching the ball when it was kicked in the goal area.
Some of the drills today were in slow motion, probably in order to get the structure and game plan right.
I think they were working on a bit more awareness of each other.  So they work together and not compete for the same ball and space. There were also attempts to control the tempo. The simulations had both get the ball and move it or hold on and wait.
Plenty of individual or small group assistance by the coaches to end the session. 
I thought the training was a bit subdued and a few finding it difficult to keep up the pace, some gasping for air. Hopefully they will be ready to go by friday.

 

A lot of the groups for drills were mix and match, so fwds with backs is irrelevant

AVB and McKenna aiming for a run with Casey in 2 1/2 weeks time

1 hour ago, hemingway said:

Such an important game.

Not the match to trial Petty despite his promise. 

Frost for mine. 

Goodwin isn't afraid to back the young guys in.

Would not be surprised in the slightest if Petty is selected and I'd also back him in to perform well.

2 hours ago, Lucifer's Hero said:

DeeZ,

How about Petty?  I like the idea of he debuting this week.  Might be a good match up against their youngster, Todd Marshall who has played only a handful of games.  Thoughts?

Like that idea. We now need height in defence. (I still think T Mac may return down back if our defence doesn't stack up over the next 4-6 weeks but that's another story)

Although I've never seen Petty play, I think he'd be a good match up for Marshall who's just a 19/20 year old kid himself and is coming back from personal tragedy. Hinkley talked up Marshall massively last night as one for the future, but he only had a 6 possession 2 behind game last week in his return.

Petty could then take on St Kilda's youngster in Josh Battle while O Mac takes McCartin and someone else minds Bruce if he's back.  

Edited June 19, 20186 yr by Bring-Back-Powell

8 minutes ago, Is Dom Is Good said:

Goodwin isn't afraid to back the young guys in.

Would not be surprised in the slightest if Petty is selected and I'd also back him in to perform well.

Would not be surprised either.

If selected, I hope we are not throwing him in the deep end with the pressure of going home to strut his stuff in his home town. I would hate to see Petty play and get smashed. 

I also think that if we are going to persist with Frost on the list, we need to give him a shot. He is tall, fast, and will be desperate to do well. 

Petty has time.  He seems to have what it takes. Its just a question of when.  

What's the lower risk given the importance of the match?  Not sure, but Frost has several years in the system and some big game experience. 1

 

4 hours ago, Deemania since 56 said:

Hey, that is great news, it will be a fantastic recovery if he can make it. Really liked his game style and contributions in the past. 

Can only agree.   Great to hear he was training with the main group again 

he deserves a good bit of luck for s change

1 hour ago, Satyriconhome said:

A lot of the groups for drills were mix and match, so fwds with backs is irrelevant

AVB and McKenna aiming for a run with Casey in 2 1/2 weeks time

Can't agree with you Satyr. The groups during simulations are a mix but when a player drills with the back, forward or midfield coaches then I think there is relevance. The coaches want them there, fulfilling roles, learning structures, checking cohesion with each other. Very rarely is a training move in professional teams irrelevant. I'm not suggesting that the move to train with particular coaches indicate where they may play, you may know better.

2 minutes ago, kevin martin said:

Can't agree with you Satyr. The groups during simulations are a mix but when a player drills with the back, forward or midfield coaches then I think there is relevance. The coaches want them there, fulfilling roles, learning structures, checking cohesion with each other. Very rarely is a training move in professional teams irrelevant. I'm not suggesting that the move to train with particular coaches indicate where they may play, you may know better.

Frost and Keilty can both go forward for Casey, Keilty wasn't there today, and depending who is picked for AFL, Casey should have enough tall timber for Frost to play in defence

2 hours ago, kevin martin said:

Just a few add ons to Dee Zephyrs report.
The rehab had only Harley Balic in it. He later joined the main group but not in any contact drills. I assume he was a bit sore and needed a test.
Training with the midfield group was Oskar Baker and Billy Stretch. 
Dion Johnstone still getting plenty of help from Neville Jetta. 
Both Aaron vandersBerg and Pat Mckenna trained with the backs.
Jay Kennedy-Harris trained with both mids and forwards.
I thought Tom Bugg and Sam Wiedeman had bad training sessions (maybe just my impression). Tom could not get his hands on it in simulations and Sam fumbling (slippery ball) and finding it difficult to get to the right positions.
Oscar McDonald had a good hit out considering he had some concussion problems. Dom Tyson looking professional given the situation he finds himself in (breaking back into selection).
Jeff Garlett killing them for pace. Charlie Spargo doing everything correct, rarely misses with his collection and disposals. Harrison Petty seems to have matured quickly, looking confident and strong. I think he needs an AFL game so he can figure the pace and skill level required in order to further develope.
The backline had a drill where the players created space by using bodies against the forwards to have one player go up for the mark uncontested. Another drill included punching the ball when it was kicked in the goal area.
Some of the drills today were in slow motion, probably in order to get the structure and game plan right.
I think they were working on a bit more awareness of each other.  So they work together and not compete for the same ball and space. There were also attempts to control the tempo. The simulations had both get the ball and move it or hold on and wait.
Plenty of individual or small group assistance by the coaches to end the session. 
I thought the training was a bit subdued and a few finding it difficult to keep up the pace, some gasping for air. Hopefully they will be ready to go by friday.

 

Thanks to @kevin martin and @Dee Zephyr for the reports.
I'm really interested in the midfield drills. We have the best ruckman in the comp and we've been slaughtered in the midfield the last two weeks. You mentioned that Max played a slightly different role in the drills. Did there seem to be a particular focus on the taps and clearance work at the session? Cheers