PRESEASON TRAINING: Friday 14th February 2025

[Lexinator 1,931]

Some good highlights, liked the way X moves! Sparrow with 3 goals against Blues last pre-season, a few in this match sim, would love to see him translate this more often and into the games that matter.

[Adam The God 30,727]

5 hours ago, BLWNBA said:

I’ll try and post some more consolidated thoughts tonight, but we definitely seem to be pressing up the ground on the transition and seem to be more matured with this than we were in the first half of last year. 
 

Bowey managed to push up and kick a pearler. 

Sounds like the 2017-2018 press. I assume we still play the anchor and press high up and play a territory game?

[Ollie fan 3,671]

1 hour ago, DistrACTION Jackson said:

Happy to get a ban if they want.

Mcadam did an Achilles! Could happen to anyone, just ask Marshall from Port.

He’s been training hard and trying to get fit for round 1. His season is now over because of a mishap, which has nothing to do with his efforts of being an afl player. 
 

Maybe he is a bust when it comes to trading pick 28, but there’s a countless number of busts from pick 1 onwards. 
 

how about support your team.

Cranky doesn't do support

[godees 913]

Throw AMW forward until Kozzie is back. He will bring the forward pressure we will need.

[Left Foot Snap 2,609]

1 hour ago, godees said:

Throw AMW forward until Kozzie is back. He will bring the forward pressure we will need.

I'd like to see it too.

Edited February 14 by Left Foot Snap

[58er 6,872]

8 hours ago, Harvey Wallbanger said:

Absent: May, Pickett (All Stars), McVee, Windor, Kentfield, Mentha

Present but not playing: Petracca, Viney, Spargo, Tholstrup, Melksham

Starting Blue 18 (+ just 2 interchange):

B: Petty, TMac, Lever, Howes, Bowey Salem

M: Gawn, Oliver, Langdon, Rivers

Wings: Lindsay, Billings

F: Sparrow, Fritsch, JVR, Chandler, Turner, Langford

Inter: Sharp and McAdam (just these two rotating into the Blue team for the first half.

Seems a signal that these twenty are in the mix re Round 1 considering the number absent and injured.

McAdam's injury looks serious (2nd stanza) - either knee or ankle, no weight at all as he went straight into the rooms. Both Laurie and AMW were treated for minor knocks but re-entered the game.

For three of the stanzas all of the following stayed in white/gray, so I would expect to start with Casey this year:

Adams, Hore, Laurie, Verrall, Brown, Johnson, AMW, Sestan, Fullarton, Campbell, Jefferson

Woewodin rotated with Lindsay between teams.

Other observations later.

 

You are forgetting the two match practices which I feel will have more weight than an intra club hit out.  
 

AJ Pup Brown Laurie and Jefferson plus possibly Hore all deserve further opportunities to further make their case, 

[58er 6,872]

4 hours ago, Left Foot Snap said:

I'd like to see it too.

Agreed LFS  pace skill pressure and some forward smarts is AMW. Deserves his opportunity. 

[58er 6,872]

7 hours ago, WERRIDEE said:

So sad to see McAdam injured again. I wonder how far away is Melksham? Could be a chance.

 

Round 1 team

B: Lever, May, Bowey

HB: Salem, Petty, Windsor

C: Sharp, Rivers, Langdon

HF: Petracca, Turner, Langford

F: Fritsch, van Rooyen, Chandler

IC: Howes, Sparrow, Lindsay, Billings

SUB: Melksham

That’s a novel approach WDee 

No Rucks Ma x. No Mids Clarry 

Viney and ???? 

 

[Magnus 54]

Hi all, I went down to training last night with my daughter. Just wanted to say to the organisers and helpers thanks. It was a great trip (not sure how many would say that going down to Casey…), really well setup and great to see the players going for it (our new recruits are looking great BTW). Vines doing selfies on the boundary was great as well.

[Travy14 2,142]

10 hours ago, Cranky Franky said:

So calling me a To$$er is ok under Demonland guidelines ??? Where are the moderators when you need them.

You are totally in la la land about McAdam.

I am simply stating the facts.

At 29 years of age the best indicator of what Shane will do this year is what he did in the last 2 years - 7 games & 3 games.

He is a bust.

Was a bust when we got him.  Nothing has changed.  Baffling recruiting especially with what we gave up

[Whispering_Jack 31,368]

The report in the Herald Sun/CodeSports ~

Oliver sounds ominous warning with match sim blitz

I will come back with a summary for those who can’t crack the pay wall.

[Travy14 2,142]

10 hours ago, FTB said:

Melksham highly unlikely to be match-fit by round 1.

From what saw at Wednesday's training, Melksham will be fit and ready by round 1.  I'd expect him to be back in full training next week

[Whispering_Jack 31,368]

16 minutes ago, Whispering_Jack said:

The report in the Herald Sun/CodeSports ~

Oliver sounds ominous warning with match sim blitz

I will come back with a summary for those who can’t crack the pay wall.

The headline on p93 of today’s Herald Sun is “DEMONS SEEING OLIVER OF OLD” Tyler Lewis - Track Watch

• Clarrie lit up the ‘A’ against ‘B’ match with a dominant performance in Melbourne’s match simulation in the absence of stars Steven May (Indigenous All Stars) and Christian Petracca (still no contact). [He forgot to mention that Kozzie is also in the All Stars match but we’ll forgive him for that one].

• Oliver started in the middle of the ‘A’ team alongside Max Gawn, Trent Rivers and Ed Langdon. He gathered upwards of 20 disposals in the first half, had less of an impact impact in the second, but remained involved.

• Also in the midfield rotation were Tom Sparrow  and Harvey Langford. The latter might not have shown his best, but excited fans with his capacity to play an almost 50-50 split between midfield and forward.

• Jake Lever, who took command of the back six early without May, displaying his power in the air.

• The starting back six for team ‘A’ beside Lever was Tom McDonald, Harrison Petty, Christian Salem, Jake Bowey and Blake Howes.

• Casey recruit and former Eagle Jai Culley was impressive getting a stack of the footy at stoppages as well as around the ground.

• Mature-age draft pick Aidan Johnson proved a threat on the scoreboard and in the air up forward for the ‘B’ team.

• Shane McAdam was the only serious injury casualty. He was helped from the ground, unable to put any weight on his left foot.

[picket fence 18,179]

Time to get Jai Culley in for Mc Adam, I was seriously impressed by what I saw of him in match sims a few weeks ago. Shocking list management decision by Weagles! Our gain, now is the time!

[Gator 18,053]

I'm not great at estimating crowds, but I tried to do a bit of a head count yesterday and my guess is that 250 people would be generous.  I was struggling to get past 150.  There were sponsors tents, etc. and I couldn't help but feel embarrassed by the turnout.

Clearly, the allocated time wasn't conducive to attendance.

[BLWNBA 1,483]

48 minutes ago, Gator said:

I'm not great at estimating crowds, but I tried to do a bit of a head count yesterday and my guess is that 250 people would be generous.  I was struggling to get past 150.  There were sponsors tents, etc. and I couldn't help but feel embarrassed by the turnout.

Clearly, the allocated time wasn't conducive to attendance.

Agreed on numbers. Speaking to Robbo he mentioned they’d forecasted a crowd 2,500, but the promotion of it wasn’t fantastic. 

[dazzledavey36 56,327]

14 minutes ago, BLWNBA said:

Agreed on numbers. Speaking to Robbo he mentioned they’d forecasted a crowd 2,500, but the promotion of it wasn’t fantastic. 

That's incredibly disappointing. 

Unfortunately for many years this is an area the club is incredibly poor at. For such a professional organisation we really do lack in this department. 

[BDA 23,048]

3pm on Friday for a family day was brain dead scheduling 

[rpfc 29,026]

35 minutes ago, BLWNBA said:

Agreed on numbers. Speaking to Robbo he mentioned they’d forecasted a crowd 2,500, but the promotion of it wasn’t fantastic. 

Laughable

[Bring-Back-Powell 15,545]

North Melbourne are doing a 9:30am intra club and family day today. That’s how you build fan engagement and membership in February.

We on the other hand have an intra club and family day when 95% of the membership base are probably at work.

Why would they do this? To give the boys the weekend off?

We just continue to kick own goals - no matter how major or minor.

[Gator 18,053]

I looked at Brand gazing into the empty little stand. He had a slight tear in his eye.  I asked if he was OK.  He said he was fine.  Just had a little bit of sand in his eye.

[Bring-Back-Powell 15,545]

2 hours ago, picket fence said:

Time to get Jai Culley in for Mc Adam, I was seriously impressed by what I saw of him in match sims a few weeks ago. Shocking list management decision by Weagles! Our gain, now is the time!

Anyone that has kicked 4 goals in an AFL game warrants consideration.

Sounds like they need to be 100% certain that McAdam will be unable to play at all this year for Culley to get added onto the list. Just speculating but McAdam might have a fracture in the leg or ankle and be out for 3 months rather than the entire year.

[Ghostwriter 5,454]

16 hours ago, BLWNBA said:

Wasn’t sighted, but I might’ve missed him. 

Roy George and Ricky Mentha have gone with Maysie and Koz to WA. 

[dice 733]

13 hours ago, Oxdee said:

Which injuries? 

McAdam, Tholstrup, McVee, Melksham, Spargo and Viney.

And by the sounds of it, Trac not 100% either

[58er 6,872]

3 hours ago, Whispering_Jack said:

The headline on p93 of today’s Herald Sun is “DEMONS SEEING OLIVER OF OLD” Tyler Lewis - Track Watch

• Clarrie lit up the ‘A’ against ‘B’ match with a dominant performance in Melbourne’s match simulation in the absence of stars Steven May (Indigenous All Stars) and Christian Petracca (still no contact). [He forgot to mention that Kozzie is also in the All Stars match but we’ll forgive him for that one].

• Oliver started in the middle of the ‘A’ team alongside Max Gawn, Trent Rivers and Ed Langdon. He gathered upwards of 20 disposals in the first half, had less of an impact impact in the second, but remained involved.

• Also in the midfield rotation were Tom Sparrow  and Harvey Langford. The latter might not have shown his best, but excited fans with his capacity to play an almost 50-50 split between midfield and forward.

• Jake Lever, who took command of the back six early without May, displaying his power in the air.

• The starting back six for team ‘A’ beside Lever was Tom McDonald, Harrison Petty, Christian Salem, Jake Bowey and Blake Howes.

• Casey recruit and former Eagle Jai Culley was impressive getting a stack of the footy at stoppages as well as around the ground.

• Mature-age draft pick Aidan Johnson proved a threat on the scoreboard and in the air up forward for the ‘B’ team.

• Shane McAdam was the only serious injury casualty. He was helped from the ground, unable to put any weight on his left foot.

Have the Coaches thought to test Jai Culley out at all by assigning a tag to check on  his ability ?