3 hours ago, Demonland said:

Here is an article from 2017 which welcomes a crop of Next Generation Academy players. Two Deakins (Deakyn) are listed.

• Kobi George (VIC)
• Cody Egan (VIC)
• Deakin Pereira (VIC)
• Ryan Koo Kwet Kim (VIC)
• Deakyn Smith (VIC)
• Declan Gould (VIC) - Pending
• Andrew Moniz-Wakefield (NT)
• Reggie Gallagher (NT)

I'm pretty sure the kid on the left is the unnamed tackler that I observed today.

That is Kobi George

10 minutes ago, Ethan Tremblay said:

There’s a thread on Deakyn Smith for those who’d like to read some more: 

Thanks for the reports and comments, first day of leave today, kicking back on the deck in a pair of hemp beach pants reading a bit of DL before having a siesta. Ahhhhhhh. 

 

DL? D. Lawrence of lady Chatterly fame?

This Deakin Pereira?

https://www.meltonbasketball.com.au/copy-of-carl-davis

12 minutes ago, whatwhatsaywhat said:

This Deakin Pereira?

https://www.meltonbasketball.com.au/copy-of-carl-davis

Unless he's undergone a radical procedure then no.

4 hours ago, DeeSpencer said:

Got there late but Bennell’s kick to kick was the highlight. He can kick 40m the same way most of our players kick 15. The ball seems to gather pace as it travels. And that’s with the tiny calves. 

Just a theory but the thing I’d be working on with him before building up his running is his posture. He has big round shoulders and his head is angled forward on his body. It gives him this really aggressive look when he runs but I wonder if it loads up his back than then causes the calf tightness.

I’d have him in the yoga and Pilates room (and even the suspect Chiro bed) getting those shoulders and head aligned in correct positions. Then retraining his gait to take the workload off his calves. 

Bennell was latterly diagnosed as having plantaris friction syndrome, and has had his plantaris muscle removed in both legs. Couldn’t have less to do with his vertebral posture, core or lumbo-pelvic balance and control, which obviously the physio and conditioning staff will be working to optimise - as they do for all players. 

16 minutes ago, Webber said:

Bennell was latterly diagnosed as having plantaris friction syndrome, and has had his plantaris muscle removed in both legs. Couldn’t have less to do with his vertebral posture, core or lumbo-pelvic balance and control, which obviously the physio and conditioning staff will be working to optimise - as they do for all players. 

Snap. 

I was just going to post exactly the same thing (jokes)

17 minutes ago, Webber said:

Bennell was latterly diagnosed as having plantaris friction syndrome, and has had his plantaris muscle removed in both legs. Couldn’t have less to do with his vertebral posture, core or lumbo-pelvic balance and control, which obviously the physio and conditioning staff will be working to optimise - as they do for all players. 

Webber do you have an opinion on the likelihood of an elite athlete recovering from that procedure (assuming they do the necessary rehab and work of course)?

15 minutes ago, binman said:

Webber do you have an opinion on the likelihood of an elite athlete recovering from that procedure (assuming they do the necessary rehab and work of course)?

Pretty good thus far - it’s a relatively new intervention. This journal article suggests positive outcomes for elite athletes (skip to the ‘Results’ and ‘Discussion’).

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5298419/

Edited December 18, 20195 yr by Webber

46 minutes ago, Webber said:

Bennell was latterly diagnosed as having plantaris friction syndrome, and has had his plantaris muscle removed in both legs. Couldn’t have less to do with his vertebral posture, core or lumbo-pelvic balance and control, which obviously the physio and conditioning staff will be working to optimise - as they do for all players. 

A new diagnosis that we all hope is the solution but could easily not be. The plantaris is gone but even if it was the cause he’ll still be susceptible to calf injuries given how many he’s had. To my untrained eye he looks round shouldered and hunched and not all that comfortable running. I think he’ll be a very slow build up. 

4 minutes ago, DeeSpencer said:

A new diagnosis that we all hope is the solution but could easily not be. The plantaris is gone but even if it was the cause he’ll still be susceptible to calf injuries given how many he’s had. To my untrained eye he looks round shouldered and hunched and not all that comfortable running. I think he’ll be a very slow build up. 

I'm a glass half full guy - so I am happy to accept Dr Webber's clinical opinion thanks.

As for his posture, this may well be the reason - as you commented on - he kicks so well. As many "experts" on here have stated "you must lean forward when you kick". So your suggestion that he straighten up may in fact weaken his kicking skills! What's your thoughts on that?

Just taking the (friendly) mickey DS, no need to answer that.

24 minutes ago, DeeSpencer said:

To my untrained eye he looks round shouldered and hunched and not all that comfortable running. I think he’ll be a very slow build up. 

Untrained eye are the key words in this post.

Edited December 18, 20195 yr by drysdale demon

13 minutes ago, drysdale demon said:

Untrained eye are the key words in this post.

Yes it’s there for absolutely everyone to read. I’m providing an opinion on the running I saw this morning. You don’t have special powers of comprehension 

@DeeSpencer   different opinion time   myself and the lady both thought he had a relaxed running style, he did about 20 of those runs, if he was constricted in any way it would affect his breathing, didn't look puffed at all

Trac easing his way through traffic 

 

 

 

 

 

 

6 minutes ago, Satyriconhome said:

 

one of uncle bitter's favourite exercises (sans whip)

 

 

 

Apologies for not contributing earlier, I've been having Optus internet issues and have had to revert to emergency Telstra dongle ( don't understand why, but I always feel a little dirty when I say that). I got down there today before any of the players appeared and spied a relatively young looking fella taking the shade under a tree at the City end. Turned out to be George on the Outer. Pretty much stayed in the same posi. till around 11 when most of the action dried up. During that time most of the brains trust turned up in Whispering, Urban Legend BB and D'land himself. Good  banter and opinion ensued during this time and I'm happy to report we are all a bit bullish for the year ahead. I think we all agreed that while we temper our expectations, as it is preseason, observing training at the moment has way more positives than negatives. I don't intend to revisit what other posters have said other than to agree with their comments.

The one thing I can add is that I stayed until the last player and coach departed. The last player was Petty and the last coach - Stafford.

At the end of the session JJ, Chandler, Viney, Clarey and Petty spent 15 to 20 mins on goal kicking. In the end Stafford was working one on one with Petty on his run up. It appeared Stafford had identified a flaw where Petty was making contact with the ball either to early or to late. For any of the other training watchers; I would be interested in future obs regarding A/ this as on ongoing coaching with other players and B/ any observable improvements in individual performance in this area.

I should have also mentioned I watched Langdon a fair amount and thought his disposal was much better today than on Monday. I also saw him celebrate this a few times to the amusement of his teammates. This shows he is very aware of his deficiencies  and is working on them

Edited December 18, 20195 yr by dworship

It’s been a long time since I attended an MFC training session - mid January of this year in fact. I remember it well although I thought it was somewhat closer to the start of the season. Despite the significant numbers in rehab, I still waxed lyrical in my report on the session, believing that the team was building its way through the preseason and on the way to bigger and better things.

All would be good for the first bounce, I thought. In the end, I was wrong.

I completely underestimated the effect of having so many of the club’s key midfielders missing in action during the preseason. Jack Viney (foot), Angus Brayshaw (back) and Clayton Oliver (shoulders) were all on modified training programmes for most of the summer and Nathan Jones was troubled by hamstring issues at the time. When these players were taking their first tentative steps onto the field in full combat in the opening round against Port Adelaide, the realisation of just how important it is to complete the hard yards set in very quickly. Combine this with an injury scourge that went through the club from go to whoa and it’s not hard to figure out why the wheels fell off so early in the season and why it was impossible to recover fully.

But that was then, this is now and the time for excuses is over. When I came down to Gosch’s there were still quite a few team members off the track but the rehab group doesn’t appear to be so problematic, especially as I was assured that some players are being rotated around and a tough session awaits the group tomorrow in some top secret location where the players will be going through a “closed session” to finish off the year.

Others have already given their impressions of what transpired in the heat of the morning so I will simply give some views about the new faces. I begin with Ed Langdon, the running outside midfielder who comes out of the shadows of near anonymity that comes from playing at Fremantle. He was moving well and his disposal whilst not under match pressure was passable. Another man from Freo was quietly going through some light pedestrian work on the far side boundary. Harley Bennell was being barely more active than we spectators in the early days of a much hoped for career revival after years of calf problems, but he was doing a little more than last week and, in a brief moment of kick to kick, he showed that he still has the ability to hit targets from 40 metres with bullet-like efficiency. Of course, he has a fair way to go. The other newcomer from interstate was Adam Tomlinson, still in rehab from a calf injury. I didn’t see much of him so I can’t really comment.

I’ve already been convinced about how  beneficial a basketball background can be in the development of footballers. That became patently obvious when Luke Jackson sublimely grabbed the ball off the top of a pack and ran into goal. Don’t get carried away by this yet but it’s fairly obvious why club recruiter Jason Taylor says the club has had eyes on this former national junior basketballer for three years. Jackson was the first player on his interview list in February and I can understand why the club didn’t frig around playing games with the Giants at the draft hoping they wouldn’t pass on Tom Green. This kid can play a little bit. His mate from East Fremantle in Trent Rivers also goes alright - he’s solid, moves and kicks well and isn’t all that far from being AFL ready. 

Finally, you couldn’t miss our X Factor recruit Kysaiah Pickett wearing the number 36 made famous by Aaron Davey. Pickett has the lightning speed and run down attack of the man we knew as Flash and he promises to bring some excitement to the MCG in a place that last year was dull, colourless and boring.