TRAINING: Wednesday 19th November 2025

Demonland Trackwatchers were on hand down at Gosch's Paddock on Wednesday morning to bring you his observations from the preseason training session which saw the return of a couple of veterans in Max Gawn, Jake Melksham and Steven May.

DEESPENCERS PRESEASON TRAINING OBSERVATIONS

CJ and Hendo doing laps.

AMW was in rehab, now in a small forward group doing snaps with Chandler, Fritsch, Mentha, Sharp

Mids doing one on one ground balls: Lindsay, Langford, Culley, sparrow, Steele, Kolt, Laurie, Windsor, Salem, Bowser

Talls are doing some one on one marking.

Moose and Gawn. Mihocek, May, Melk in a little veterans trio.

Petty, JVR, Jeffo, Kentfield, T Mc, Berry, AJ, Adams, Howes. Geez we’ve got some talls. That’s without even mentioning Disco and Lever.

Petty and JVR both look leaner and to be moving better than last year. Berry is perhaps a little shorter than his 194cm quote, moves well enough and kicking from an earlier drill seemed good for a guy who hasn’t played footy in 6 or more years?

Repeat sprints for half, repeat 200’s for others.

Sharp, Sparrow and Chandler dominating the 200’s.

Culley from Kolt the best of the sprint group. But like the way Jeffo, JVR, AJ and Kentfield powered on. Berry with a bit of a welcome to afl moment on these.

Match sim (minus the rehab guys, Berry, Mentha, Melk) is designed around white exiting 50, kicking it up to Nath Jones to spoil and then a quick counter from half back to score (hopefully).

In to the corridor then long and deep inside 50 (to advantage) seems the aim.

A couple of Sharp turnovers (before some better moments). Howes and Lindsay prominent.

Fartlek in small groups now.

JVR in with Langford and tasked with trying to keep up with Kolt, Culley and Windsor. Probably 30m off after a few laps.

Jeffo right on the back of AJ putting 15m on Howes.

Kentfield putting 40m on Lindsay and Adams.

Time will tell if these young key forwards are any good but looks like they’ve all put the work in.

KEV'S PRESEASON TRAINING OBSERVATIONS

The training squad continues to get bigger.

First look, there was Max Gawn and right beside him was Max Heath (he matched up well against our captain in the sims). Gawn pushed himself in the runs.

Steven May looking in good nik, abdominal muscles are tight. Spent quite a bit of time after drills, encouraging and instructing others on an individual level. Got burnt by Caleb Windsor, but who hasn't when trying to corral.

Jake Melksham had the biggest smile all through the session. I think he missed them all. Still a smart player, stepping, selling the candy, moving well.

CJ continues to rehab, plenty of running, the same with Jack Henderson.

AMW participated in some drills, first group action for quite some time, then went to light duties.

No Brody Mihocek.

Jack Steele has joined the main group.

They had them running again. It looked like they went through a few of the mental and physical barriers.

Harry Sharp has them all chasing him.

Drills had them in a keeping-off handball game with heavier tackling. Another was two kicking games. The object of one was to find the loose player with either a small hit up or getting it over the back of the defense (out numbered 9 to 5) within a 50 by 25m area. The other had them spread from outside the fifty and finish with a shot on goal. The defense did well if they could slow the offence down.

The talls had a one on one contest for the high mark. By the end they were marking, as earlier the contest regularly became halved.

Jed Adams is looking good.

Steven King has a soft spot for CJ, often talking to him. Tom Sparrow is in the same boat. King is an observer of the training. If they muck up the structure or get caught out from the plan, he will immediately pull them in and explain the situation (very proactive).

Rivers ran the sims today.

The sims were less frantic. Plenty of hugging the boundary, and then hitting the forwards on leads.

Most of the players played in the positions as expected.

Matt Jefferson and JvR doing well, leading directly at the kicker.

TMac looked good, moving well and making the right decisions down back.

Christian Salem who “slows time” when he has the ball, very clean and smooth.

Harvey Langford continues to get even better.

Koltyn Tholstrup notices all the players. The rest were drinking when Heath was left out there to finish set shot during a sim. He made his way to tap him when he goaled. Leadership written all over him.

Jake Bowey, Xavier Lindsay and Bailey Laurie are going about it well. All very humble personalities.

Harrison Petty will be a big improver, he is training well.

Ricky Mentha Junior needs Kossie with him. Appeared a little low in energy and couldn't get into “it”.

Kade Chandler looked good, fit, strong and boisterous.

AJ is going about it well, using his strength and is putting his learnings in place.

Still a few more to join in, they are looking professional and the buzz is on.

DEMON SPUR'S PRESEASON TRAINING OBSERVATIONS

My first trip to training in many a year, so I have no comparisons to make from previous years. The players look happy and engaged, I have notice not a lot of down time, they seem to move from one discipline to another with a minimal break. Got to meet Kev and Ghostie, (I’m a bit starstruck). Observations of the morning, Sharp, Laurie, Culley and Sparrow stood out for me in the match sims. Lindsay and Langford seem to do stuff with a minimum of fuss.