PRESEASON TRAINING: Wednesday 24th January 2024

[binman 42,972]

3 hours ago, Damo said:

Has there ever been a ruckman that has been better than just ok while still growing? 

A very good point.

And there's perhaps no better example than the best ruck i have seen play - Maxy.

[stinga 566]

3 hours ago, Slartibartfast said:

Interesting comments on KFW. He’s a young kid who hasn’t played much footy and it shows. But I’ve been told by people who know him just how dedicated he is to achieving an AFL career. His body is bigger than last year, he’s taken serious time off his 2km time and he’s much more involved at training. 
The club will have to assess whether he has the skills to make it but if they think he has he could be a very good long term prospect. It may take him another 3 or 4 years to get there but he’s a big boy who shows good agility and would be a cheap long term investment as a category B rookie.

One thing for sure, he won’t die wondering if he could have made it.  

No-one seems to have mentioned it but KFW has not only height advantage, he probably has the best leap of anyone to go with it.   Just needs to learn to accumulate possessions - he was only getting it 3/4 times a game last year.  If he has bulked up, he won't be pushed away and the possessions will come.

[Tarax Club 3,914]

22 minutes ago, La Dee-vina Comedia said:

I'm just one of a number of English language pedants on Demonland. I'm confident you haven't seen the end of any lessons. 

LDC count myself amongst you, but we are a disappearing breed. Perhaps the Gideons could co-dispense dictionaries. Wide reading l have found does encourage independent thinkers.

 

Edited January 25 by Tarax Club

[picket fence 17,169]

11 hours ago, JJR said:

T Mac is smirking cause he knows he ain’t catching Trac 😂

He wont be smirkimg when he plays most games at Casey!

[binman 42,972]

1 hour ago, stinga said:

If he [KFW] has bulked up, he won't be pushed away and the possessions will come.

A very good point. Most of the work rucks do is around the ground as opposed to the centre square (80%?) where relative strength is a huge factor (and height).

KFW was getting pushed around at thrown in and around the ground stoppages at Casey last year. That will happen less and less, particularly because there's not that many mid twenty ruck behemoths running around in the VFL anymore with so few stand alone clubs.

So he'll get more taps - and more contested marks too for that matter. 

[Demongirl35 1,053]

Good to hear some thing out game plan seems to be at a faster pace.

We seemed to love for the ball to head into our defence, flood it and then go quick to our forward line leaving opposition defenders nervous and not organised in Our premiership year. That has change in the last two seasons. We took way to long leaving other teams to do exactly what we did to them to us. 

[Bigfoot 296]

Thanks for the training updates guys.

[Jeremy 981]

3 hours ago, picket fence said:

He wont be smirkimg when he plays most games at Casey!

Alongside your mate Ben Brown 

[MrFreeze 1,966]

On 24/01/2024 at 15:45, Demonland said:

 

And then I elaborated in the collated reports thread with ...

Instead of Daicos, he may be closer to Nick Blakey running HB, at least for the start of his career 

[Redleg 40,925]

6 hours ago, picket fence said:

He wont be smirkimg when he plays most games at Casey!

Thats a bit nasty.

[Redleg 40,925]

6 hours ago, binman said:

A very good point. Most of the work rucks do is around the ground as opposed to the centre square (80%?) where relative strength is a huge factor (and height).

KFW was getting pushed around at thrown in and around the ground stoppages at Casey last year. That will happen less and less, particularly because there's not that many mid twenty ruck behemoths running around in the VFL anymore with so few stand alone clubs.

So he'll get more taps - and more contested marks too for that matter. 

Correct, he is a developing kid, just learning the caper.

[dee-tox 4,835]

On 24/01/2024 at 12:18, DubDee said:

I’m excited about Billings. Gun junior who struggled in the poor environment of the Saints. I reckon he might prosper with no expectation and with our superior program. 

No doubt his skills are excellent. just needs the right environment 

This far too simplistic in my opinion. Demonlanders trot this out nowadays in the hope that recruits will magically become players they weren't at their old club. Billings' old coach runs our football programme for one! That same Saints environment never stopped the likes of Steele and Marshall from being great players.

Billings' problem, aside from constantly breaking down has always been a lack of pace, and his ability to win the contested ball. He's also a double grabber.  However, given space he can be very dangerous and his delivery is excellent.

Saint supporters were always frustrated that his form seemed to improve dramatically in a contract year and he ended up getting paid far too much for the output he provided.

I wonder if Harmes and him being in a 'superior programme' all this time will automatically make him a star at the Bulldogs?

[Queanbeyan Demon 6,848]

On 24/01/2024 at 09:47, La Dee-vina Comedia said:

Keep up the good work. You've got Jefferson in both rehab and in the white team. Is that possible?

He's in the white room with black curtains.

[picket fence 17,169]

7 minutes ago, Queanbeyan Demon said:

He's in the white room with black curtains.

Maybe he's a Tired Starling?

[DubDee 25,868]

1 hour ago, dee-tox said:

This far too simplistic in my opinion. Demonlanders trot this out nowadays in the hope that recruits will magically become players they weren't at their old club. Billings' old coach runs our football programme for one! That same Saints environment never stopped the likes of Steele and Marshall from being great players.

Billings' problem, aside from constantly breaking down has always been a lack of pace, and his ability to win the contested ball. He's also a double grabber.  However, given space he can be very dangerous and his delivery is excellent.

Saint supporters were always frustrated that his form seemed to improve dramatically in a contract year and he ended up getting paid far too much for the output he provided.

I wonder if Harmes and him being in a 'superior programme' all this time will automatically make him a star at the Bulldogs?

a star? i just said he might prosper/do well. The Saints have had a poor culture/environment for years imo. Even with their golden generation they couldn’t win even one flag.

A more professional environment and less pressure of being pick 3 i reckon he could do well with his skills providing his body stands up and he put the work in

[La Dee-vina Comedia 16,755]

3 hours ago, Queanbeyan Demon said:

He's in the white room with black curtains.

 

2 hours ago, picket fence said:

Maybe he's a Tired Starling?

Nice work. I suspect the majority of Demonlanders have no idea what these posts mean, though.  

[Neil Crompton 5,560]

23 minutes ago, La Dee-vina Comedia said:

 

Nice work. I suspect the majority of Demonlanders have no idea what these posts mean, though.  

Creamed it DVC.

[La Dee-vina Comedia 16,755]

31 minutes ago, Neil Crompton said:

Creamed it DVC.

Probably would have helped if Ginger Baker was still on our playing list.

[Neil Crompton 5,560]

27 minutes ago, La Dee-vina Comedia said:

Probably would have helped if Ginger Baker was still on our playing list.

Agree, but unfortunately he was drummed out of the club.

[Queanbeyan Demon 6,848]

1 hour ago, La Dee-vina Comedia said:

 

Nice work. I suspect the majority of Demonlanders have no idea what these posts mean, though.  

It's kinda like going to the footy and watching the umpires. Does anyone really know what time it is?