Several Demonland Trackwatchers were on hand at Gosch’s Paddock to share their observations from the opening day of preseason training, featuring the club’s 1st to 4th year players along with a few veterans and some fresh faces.

DEMONLAND'S PRESEASON TRAINING OBSERVATIONS

The players start to meander from the Bubble Dome towards Gosch's paddock and there are some familiar faces in different guernsey numbers.

Harvey Langford is wearing Judd McVee's number 4. Xavier Lindsay has donned the number 5 made famous by the departed Christian Petracca whilst Jai Culley is wearing the number 13 previously worn by 4 time Bluey medalist Clayton Oliver.

Whether or not these are permanent changes or just random is yet to be seen and the case for it being random is highlighted by Bailey Laurie wearing the absent Christian Salem's number 3 and new Demon Brody Mihocek wearing Captain Max Gawn's number 11.

Recent acquisition Changkuoth Jiath was wearing number 14 whilst ex-Saint Captain Jack Steele donned the number 46. Former Saint ruckman Max Heath's guernsey did not have any number on the back.

PLAYERS IN ATTENDANCE:

Adams, AMW, Oscar Berry (38), Campbell, Chandler, Culley (13), Heath (no number), Henderson, Howes, Jiath (14), Jefferson, Johnson, JVR, Kentfield, Kolt, Langford (4), Laurie (3), Lever, Lindsay (5), Mentha, Mihocek, Petty, Sharp, Sparrow, Steele, TMac, Windsor.

PLAYERS MISSING:

Bowey, Fritsch, Gawn, Langdon, May, McAdam, Melksham, Pickett, Rivers, Salem, Turner (?), Viney.

COACHING STAFF IN ATTENDANCE:

Steven King (Coach), Troy Chaplin, Jared Rivers, Rory Atkins, Taylor Whitford, Nathan Jones.

REHAB (at various times - some of these players participated in some of the main session except for the contact stuff)

Mihocek (foot/toe), Jiath (unspecified soft tissue), AMW (recovering from ACL - participated in some of the main session and will resume full training in after the Christmas break or in February), Henderson (ran laps during contact and match SIM), Johnson (ran laps during contact and match SIM).

Both TMac and Lever who are not required at preseason training were in attendance and participated in the whole session. Importantly Lever appeared to be fit and over the injuries that plagued his 2025 campaign.

Players warming up in different groups. Some kick to kick, some having shots at goal, some handballing into the bouncy net.

Steele, Jiath and Mihocek kicking to each other in a triangle.

Lever and Steele doing some work with Selwyn Griffiths with the stretchy band. Band around both of them while one of them walks backwards trying to pull the other one along with them.

Mihocek doing some rehab work on the boundary.

First 4 set shots I have seen have all gone through the middle. This is a new dawn. 😜

Lindsay and Langford really have beautiful silky kicking skills.

Of the new boys Steele, Jiath and Heath are participating in the main session. Mihocek doing rehab. Seems to be the only player at the moment in rehab.

All players doing the elastic band exercise I described earlier.

So far AMW is participating fully in training.

Max Heath is huge. Head taller than Jvr.

They did not sprint to the water bottles for their break as was a fixture at last year's preseason training sessions.

Mihocek, Steele & Jiath now training away from the main group doing some agility work with one of the high performance staff.

AMW has joined Mihocek and Jiath away from the main group.

Checkers running quarter laps. Doesn’t appear to be too hampered by anything. Understand that he has a foot/toe complaint but appears to be moving well. I heard someone say that he still might be a while away from returning to full training but I have no idea whether that means after Christmas or into the new season.

Jiath jogging laps. Looks super fit.

Steele has joined the main group for most of the session now.

Johnson, Henderson and Steele jogging laps rather than participating in the handball/tackling drill.

Sparrow laid a heavy tackle on Langford and eventually took him down but came off 2nd best. 

There is a big difference between this handball/keepings off drill from previous years. The drill used to be 5 on 5 keeps off with light tackling. This is the whole group in close quarters doing keeping’s off with AFL level tackling ferocity. 

I will leave it to the others to give some more indepth observations.

DITCHA'S PRESEASON TRAINING OBSERVATIONS

I am attended most of the training session today. I had the great pleasure of talking to my great friend the wonderful Ghostwriter. I also met Kev. I was most impressed with how fit everyone looks. Also great see all sessions been performed at great pressure. Also great to see no soccer balls at training as they are playing AFL and not soccer. Also while at training my 2026 membership pack was delivered.

HARVEY WALLBANGER'S PRESEASON TRAINING OBSERVATIONS

Stephen King had mentioned that 15 of the Year 1 to 4's were required today:

They were Windsor, Tholstrup, Langford, Lindsay, Jefferson, Howes, Adams, Sharp, Mentha, Johnson, Henderson, Kentfield, Moniz-Wakefield, Culley and Berry - all present.

The other 12 were JVR, Lever, Laurie, TMac, Campbell, Sparrow, Petty, Chandler, Steele, Heath, Minocek and CJ.

Total present 27 - absentees were May, Salem, Viney, Turner, Gawn, Langdon, Bowey, Melksham, McAdam, Rivers, Fritsch and Pickett.

Total 39 on the list with the draft to come.

MIhocek will be a while with his toe - so will Moniz after the Befbruary ACL, etc... Lots of running for Minocek, Moniz, Steele, CJ, Henderson and AJ and they did not take part in the match sim work.

Nice to see Andy, Fritta and Turner, Slarti, Tim, Redleg, Kev and of course Ghosty present.

Chaplin took the match sim. King seemed hands-off. Spotted Rivers, Atkins and Whitford - and Selwyn of course. Did not see Jonesy today - nor Scarlett?

Rory Atkins was there. Also I believe Taylor Whitford who will also take on a developmental role. Nathan Jones also. Only Scarlett I didn't spot (booked for just one day per week) - apparently King is still working on Hawkins and that will be a specialist role - i.e. maybe once a fortnight...

FRITTA AND TURNER'S PRESEASON TRAINING OBSERVATIONS

Weather cool, overcast.

When i arrived only TC, Ghosty and some trainers were there. Ghosty gave the players her traditional welcome.

I reckon TMc would turn out to train in a blizzard.

Rehabers were CJ, AMW and Brodie M, though CJ and AMW did some ot the other team drills as well.

Brodie is old/mature enough to exchange some pleasantries with the track watchers.

Lever was moving freely.

As mentionned they trained with big elastic bands, one pulling the other. I tried that once, didnt end well.

Go Dees.

WAYNE WUSSELL'S PRESEASON TRAINING OBSERVATIONS

Impressions from first session.

Jai Culley is the real deal

Jefferson was surprisingly agile and active in the in-close handball comp

Roo looked full of confidence

Lever moved freely

Langford even better than before

Windsor cut it up in running half back role… disposal as before

Petty looked poised

Berry confident in traffic

KEV'S PRESEASON TRAINING OBSERVATIONS

First I see is Jared Rivers, working with Jefferson and McDonald. During the session he was quiet and observant.

King has a strong presence, talks to them and regularly gives them instructions during drills and sims. Chaplin led the session, Jones taking some close quarter competitive drills. A few new others, trainers and tech staff. Taylor (drafter) walking around the paddock with Richardson (head of something), and at times they are with Guerra (CEO).

They started with goal kicking and a few doing kick to kick, before they got down to the structured stuff.

The emphasis was competitive footy, with some contact and plenty of intensity. They did a few drills that were mainly warm-ups, though predominantly did sims. They didn’t perform handball games or soccer. Finished with goal kicking. Not one of them did the snaps and trick shots from the boundary.

Mihocek looks big, in runners and doing a variety of endurance runs.

AMW runs hard, looks happy and is pushing himself, in Light duties.

Steel quietly goes about it.

Heath is a JVR double though bigger, appearing a little lost at times.

Berry quiet, a little fumbly.

Jiath has light duties, as is Johnson and Henderson (they did some of the sims).

Langford is looking taller.

Windsor missed a few kicks, though was in everything, getting to sequential tackles.

I liked what Howes was doing, lots of pressure.

The Sparrow looked powerful.

Mentha has bulked up around the hips.

Henderson is all muscle.

Culley ready to go.

General feel was one of getting down to business, didn’t appear to be much bonding amongst them.

Weather was good for a first up, overcast, cool and no wind.

Enjoy a whole bunch of images from training from @Six6Six

PRESEASON TRAINING GALLERY: Monday 10th November 2025