Max was fantastic after the session staying back until all that wanted had their photos taken. Said to my twin Grand Sons that the bus will have to wait!!.

Attended for a while and took some pictures.

Never been to training before, but from what I could tell the following were in rehab:

Viney, JKH, Spargo, Lever, May, Jones, Oliver, Brayshaw and maybe Kolo. Didn't see Melksham, Hannan or Oscar.

No injuries (except for JKH - minor ankle problem during full ground simulation - still ran pretty well with Rehab group later in the session). Jack Viney must be pretty fit - easily ran the oval and would not have blown out a candle. Same cannot be said for Bradtke - as unfit a player as I have ever seen.

Impressed with Tom McDonald in full ground simulation IN FRONT OF GOAL. His field kicking up the ground was a bad as ever - missed quite a few targets. But marking and kicking for goal excellent. Impressed with Tracc's involvement up forward, led well and hands overhead as good as ever. Evasiveness and kicking spot on. Toby Bedford very involved up forward and will be a player - very speedy when necessary. Weed's hands and general play were very impressive - tackles well and positions himself well. Got a couple of Joe the Gooses for easy goals. ANB everywhere - very fit. Hunt still over-kicks the ball a bit, so misses a few targets. Very impressed with Fritter - his marking and positioning were spot on and his kicking faultless. Played mainly forward today. Joel Smith looks supremely fit and put himself about nicely. Can certainly mark the ball and his kicking seems to be improving.

That's about it for now...

Edited February 2, 20196 yr by Buffalo
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Came up for the day from Brizvegas and found the conditions hot and humid at Maroochydore where the Demons are holding their pre season camp. I stayed around for a while but must confess the temptation of the surf got to me in the end. 

I was very impressed with both Max Gawn and Braydon Preuss who both stand out with their height and imposing physiques. If the powers that be decide to play both in any given game, they are certain to cause a lot of grief to opposing ruck combinations and their defences when one of them is resting up forward. 

The club’s midfield is highly touted but many of them are still in rehab - Jack Viney, Nathan Jones, Clayton Oliver and Angus Brayshaw. No doubt the club is being conservative but it’s amazing how quickly the season comes upon us ... There were others in the group - Jake Lever, Steven May, Kade Kolodjasnij, Jay Kennedy Harris, Charlie Spargo, both of the clubs category B rookies Bradtke and Walker and a few others notably Mitch Hannan and Jake Melksham were no shows.

This gave a few players the opportunity to impress - Alex Neal-Bullen, Christian Salem, Christian Petracca (to the relief of many Demonlanders), James Harmes and the two key forwards Tom McDonald and Sam Weideman. Joel Smith was good as was Bailey Fritsch who looks like he will be taking a wing. And of course, Neville Jetta’s work was simply immaculate.

Of the new players I liked Toby Bedford (a live wire), Tom Sparrow (strongly built for a kid) and Corey Wagner (gets a bit of the ball).

Apart from the large numbers in rehab, I came away with optimism for the year.

Oh ... and if the way Viney attacks things while in rehab, heaven help the opposition if and when he gets back going full bore.

2 hours ago, ProDee said:

It is a bit, however, some clubs complain about having too many introverts. 

There's a growing confidence I like.

 

2 hours ago, FarNorthernD said:

I understand how others could enjoy that but importing another piece of American culture into our game makes me cringe a bit

The boys enjoy it, I asked, it does no harm, Nibbler's was a Haka for the physical coordination challenged, my partner was at the session and loved it

 

Long time lurker, first time poster.

First Demons training session I have attended since the early/mid 90's when Jelly Legs, Balls, Jacka and Mouse where all still running around. Unfortunately I saw little training that night as they were just finishing up. Luckily we found our way to the change rooms where Garry Lyon held sway and we got to rub shoulders with some of my heroes.

Anyhow, moving on...

Buffalo has summed up the session well so I'll just add some highlights for me:

- Aaron Davey. What a top fella, just absolutely rapt to be there and involved. Lovely bloke and really giving of his time. And still a beautiful kick. So good to see him at the club in any capacity.   

 - Sam Weideman is much like I have read in other reports, carrying muscle now and a little bit of a strut. When he cracks in there is a decent thump, which I heard whilst on the fence. And his leap will worry opponents.

- Jeff Garlett looks engaged and vibrant. Even aggressive at times. Good to see.

- Steven May is a unit. And looks fitter than previous seasons. Shame about the hamstring niggle.

- Tom McDonald has a great sense of ball drop as a forward. The fact he can see ball, get ball and not care about what his opponent is doing shows what a great move it was sending him forward. Think against Geelong in the Elimination final when Blicavs was looking for Tom and Tom was looking for the ball. He was showing the forwards a few tips regarding timing your jump at the ball and not needing too many steps to get there.

- Angus Brayshaws haircut.

- Gawn and Preuss go together like peas and carrots.

- JKH looks fit and running on top of the ground. There is a really handy player in there, hopefully his confidence at training and VFL translates to AFL.

And lastly, what a great bunch of young men. A credit to the club and their families. After training they were outstanding with the supporters, of which there were quite a few. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

5 hours ago, Demonland said:

Welcome Back Flash

 

Hope May's ready before May. Looks a bit "proppy" there. Which leg was it? Anyone know?

 It was generally a good session and well received by the impressive crowd .I thought the stand out was Joel Smith .He clunked everything and looked the fittest I have seen him .His kicking was ok as well 

 

our pre-season is looking like a terrible one. All of our good players have been on modified programs. Oliver, Brayshaw, viney, melksham, lever etc ... 

28 minutes ago, kallangurdemon said:

 It was generally a good session and well received by the impressive crowd .I thought the stand out was Joel Smith .He clunked everything and looked the fittest I have seen him .His kicking was ok as well 

 

I really hope J Smith stays fit and shows his full potential this year. I really think the sky is unlimited for this bloke if all goes right, good height, great leap, very mobile etc. It seems they want him to play forward, hopefully it works this year. 

Ventured out to Maroochydore today with the family and it was a great day. 

Spoke with May, Lever, Viney, Gawn, TMac and Preuss. 

May is a great fella and very easy to talk to. Is loving being at the dees and is in great nic and looking forward to rd1. He said GC is like a melb was in our dark days/yrs which was interesting. He is a much bigger unit than I thought he was. He is also looking forward to slotting into melb backline and playing with hibbo, Jetta and Lever etc. said there was a really good feel about the place. 

Lever was in the ice baths so he couldn’t get away when I started talking to him ha ha. He was easy to talk to and said he was looking at a round 3-5 return but is 4 weeks away from joining the main group. Said his knee was progressing really well and looking forward to playing. I asked if he would be put back straight into the seniors or via the reserves and he said prob through the reserves to get his match fitness up. Really nice bloke and he is keen as mustard to get back. 

Viney loves being married. I asked about all his injuries and surgeries and he said he is progressing well and is well ahead of where he was last yr. He should be ready for rd 1 and is really excited about getting back into it. Said it feels really good around the club which seems to be the general consensus with the players. As we know viney is a great bloke. 

Gawn is Gawn and was happy to take photos and signatures. My daughter didn’t want a photo with him but Gawn convinced her to have one ha ha. He is really looking forward to playing along side Preuss and is looking forward to rd1. 

Tmac was another who was happy to chat and said his toe was good but just has some problems with blisters on and around his toe but this would be managed. He is confident his toe won’t give him problems this season. Looked in very good Nic and very accurate in front of goal which was good to c. 

Preuss was happy to be at the dees and is looking forward to getting a really good combination going with Gawn. Looked in great condition and worked separately at times with Gawn. 

Brayshaws haircut was a result of his brothers trying to be hairdressers ha ha Best bogan haircut I have seen for a while.  He is looking great shape too  

Also spoke briefly to Kielty who is looking forward to trying to crack it into the seniors on a regular basis which was good to hear. Competition for spots is what we want  

Didnt get to speak with Trac but from what I saw he doesn’t seem to be hinder by any knee problems. Looks in great nic too.  

I have posted some photos below which was taken with my iPhone so I apologise in advance for the quality  

Overall it was a really good day and the players are working hard and looking forward to the season. Hopefully we have a cracker of a season. 

Go dees. 

 

Edited February 2, 20196 yr by DemonOX

3 minutes ago, Dr.D said:

our pre-season is looking like a terrible one. All of our good players have been on modified programs. Oliver, Brayshaw, viney, melksham, lever etc ... 

 But the rehab group has been working hard back in Melbourne, a lot of running, ball work including kicking drills. Just not doing physical contact stuff and match simulations. So I see no problem as I think they will be ready to go later in February. 

1 hour ago, Dr.D said:

our pre-season is looking like a terrible one. All of our good players have been on modified programs. Oliver, Brayshaw, viney, melksham, lever etc ... 

Terrible defines a preseason like Carlton’s, I believe we are managing just fine. Fingers crossed. 

Edited February 2, 20196 yr by Dee Zephyr

2 hours ago, DemonOX said:

Ventured out to Maroochydore today with the family and it was a great day. 

Spoke with May, Lever, Viney, Gawn, TMac and Preuss. 

May is a great fella and very easy to talk to. Is loving being at the dees and is in great nic and looking forward to rd1. He said GC is like a melb was in our dark days/yrs which was interesting. He is a much bigger unit than I thought he was. He is also looking forward to slotting into melb backline and playing with hibbo, Jetta and Lever etc. said there was a really good feel about the place. 

Lever was in the ice baths so he couldn’t get away when I started talking to him ha ha. He was easy to talk to and said he was looking at a round 3-5 return but is 4 weeks away from joining the main group. Said his knee was progressing really well and looking forward to playing. I asked if he would be put back straight into the seniors or via the reserves and he said prob through the reserves to get his match fitness up. Really nice bloke and he is keen as mustard to get back. 

Viney loves being married. I asked about all his injuries and surgeries and he said he is progressing well and is well ahead of where he was last yr. He should be ready for rd 1 and is really excited about getting back into it. Said it feels really good around the club which seems to be the general consensus with the players. As we know viney is a great bloke. 

Gawn is Gawn and was happy to take photos and signatures. My daughter didn’t want a photo with him but Gawn convinced her to have one ha ha. He is really looking forward to playing along side Preuss and is looking forward to rd1. 

Tmac was another who was happy to chat and said his toe was good but just has some problems with blisters on and around his toe but this would be managed. He is confident his toe won’t give him problems this season. Looked in very good Nic and very accurate in front of goal which was good to c. 

Preuss was happy to be at the dees and is looking forward to getting a really good combination going with Gawn. Looked in great condition and worked separately at times with Gawn. 

Brayshaws haircut was a result of his brothers trying to be hairdressers ha ha Best bogan haircut I have seen for a while.  He is looking great shape too  

Also spoke briefly to Kielty who is looking forward to trying to crack it into the seniors on a regular basis which was good to hear. Competition for spots is what we want  

Didnt get to speak with Trac but from what I saw he doesn’t seem to be hinder by any knee problems. Looks in great nic too.  

I have posted some photos below which was taken with my iPhone so I apologise in advance for the quality  

Overall it was a really good day and the players are working hard and looking forward to the season. Hopefully we have a cracker of a season. 

Go dees. 

 

Great report on the chats and never apologise for the standard of photo

Careful though, you may get criticised for actually talking to players

1 hour ago, Earl Hood said:

 But the rehab group has been working hard back in Melbourne, a lot of running, ball work including kicking drills. Just not doing physical contact stuff and match simulations. So I see no problem as I think they will be ready to go later in February. 

But it’s how they can survive a full 22-26 weeks after a compromised pre season?

13 minutes ago, Bring-Back-Powell said:

But it’s how they can survive a full 22-26 weeks after a compromised pre season?

Nearly everyone in rehab has been able to do full running training which is the key to conditioning. What they haven't been able to do is match sim and body contact drills because so many of them had shoulder surgery.  Crossy explained that they stay in rehab until they are as fit as the main group and can slot straight in at the same level.  He does a lot of skills work with them so that is also ready. 

A year ago missing match sim would have been a major issue but most key players have got 4-5 years under their belts now so according to what I heard McCartney say the sort of game plan teaching that was going on last year is already learnt and now it is adding in fine tuning. I'm sure that's easier to pick up than the volume of learning in past years. 

The most compromised player is Lever because his running has been compromised. 

 

29 minutes ago, Bring-Back-Powell said:

But it’s how they can survive a full 22-26 weeks after a compromised pre season?

I would think it more likely they would be at their peak come finals time...

There certainly doesn't seem to be any compromise on fitness, all are up and doing some serious running.

Just to emphasize Joel Smiths level of fitness, this picture probably sums it up (it is totally unretouched - those biceps are REAL):

 

Well at least there's no rehab group in early Feb as some stated a month or so back... 

 

13 hours ago, Dr.D said:

our pre-season is looking like a terrible one. All of our good players have been on modified programs. Oliver, Brayshaw, viney, melksham, lever etc ... 

Oh, but didn't you know? No one except Lever has had an interrupted preseason. Nothing to see here

10 hours ago, Buffalo said:

Just to emphasize Joel Smiths level of fitness, this picture probably sums it up (it is totally unretouched - those biceps are REAL):

 

You sure? Looks like they photoshopped my left arm into that shot.

Some great reports on here. Good insight from some of the player chats. 

Sounds like we are being extra cautious with the rehab group. But as mentioned the guys are running hard. 

Loving the reports on Trac. Seems in good shape and hopefully a big year to come. 

4 hours ago, stevethemanjordan said:

Well at least there's no rehab group in early Feb as some stated a month or so back... 

 

 

3 hours ago, Moonshadow said:

Oh, but didn't you know? No one except Lever has had an interrupted preseason. Nothing to see here

You 2 'experts' are like a broken record, it is 2019 the whole approach to rehab has changed

I spoke to Nev Jetta, emphasis on the word spoke, came out of rehab and bettered his 2k by a full 10 seconds, since rejoining main group has been regularly nailing opponents in tackles in match sim,  so obviously his interrupted pre season has had a major impact NOT

Same with Brayshaw, Tim Smith, Hunt et al

Of course it hasn't stopped them going for a pie and a beer after Thursday night training

21 hours ago, FarNorthernD said:

I understand how others could enjoy that but importing another piece of American culture into our game makes me cringe a bit

Yeah i agree FND,if i was an opposition player id be standing there laughing at their schoolgirls cheerleader effort

18 hours ago, Dr.D said:

our pre-season is looking like a terrible one. All of our good players have been on modified programs. Oliver, Brayshaw, viney, melksham, lever etc ... 

Like Carlton's?

3 minutes ago, Fifty-5 said:

Like Carlton's?

Carlton have good players?