TRAINING: Friday 21st November 2025

It was a beautiful morning out at Gosch's Paddock for the final session of Preseason Training before the whole squad reunites for the annual training camp in Bright.

DEMONLAND'S PRESEASON TRAINING OBSERVATIONS

Xavier Taylor is wearing #19 whilst Brody Mihocek has donned the #5 guernsey. Player without any numbers on their back: Lindsay, Lever (has not worn the number 8 at all this preseason), Kolt, Heath, Berry.

PLAYERS PRESENT:

JVR, Langford, Windsor, Mihocek, Lever, CJ, Gawn, Kolt, Culley, Laurie, Bowey, Lindsay, Jefferson, Howes, Adams, Sharp, Sparrow, Petty, Kozzy, Chandler, Mentha, Campbell, Heath, Kentfield, Henderson, Berry, Taylor, Johnson

PLAYERS ABSENT:

May, Salem TMac, Melksham*, Langdon, Viney, Turner, McAdam, Rivers, Fritsch

* POSTSCRIPT:

Jake Melksham was a late arrival and joined in some drills after warming up.

REHAB:

Henderson, who in addition to his current injury is reported to have tight glutes. He was noticeably hampered whilst running laps. Not quite a limp but NQR. Definitely running something out as an athlete where most of us would have retired to the couch to watch the cricket.

AMW is still in the final stages of his ACL Rehab and appears to be on track for a post Christmas return to the main group.

Mihocek, CJ, Campbell & Johnson floated in and out of the main group depending on the drill as a result of any injuries that they are carrying most notably any drills with heavy contact or lateral movements. None look too far away from resuming full training.

Warm up drill with player long kicking from half back to a player in the middle and then run past for the handball to kick to a player on half forward. 

New recruit Xavier Taylor looks composed marking and kicking well. 

Couple players peeling away from the main drill to train separately. Campbell, Mihocek, Taylor & AMW.

Mihocek & Campbell have re-joined the main group. Taylor watching the drill from the sidelines and is being instructed by various assistants on what the drill entails. He then joined many of the drills once instructed from the side.

Prepare for your houses to be trained down. Taylor just collected a ground ball sold some candy whilst moving laterally through traffic gave off a hand ball kept running and received it back before pin point kicking it long down field.

Such fast ball movement on display. Lot of controlled chaos ball.

Kozzy, Culley, Windsor & Langford all impressing through the middle of the ground.

JVR looks to have trimmed down considerably and looks in excellent condition.

Lever appears to be well and truly over the ankle injury that curtailed his season last year as well as the injuries that plagued his last preseason.

The incredible Melk has arrived and working separately with a trainer doing some warmups. Not sure whether he will join the main group or do his own separate program.

Broken up into 3 groups.

1. A one on one marking drill (Chaplin & Atkins)

2. A simulated ground ball get off half back to get it to the half forward line. 6 vs 3 (white bibs) - (King & Rivers)

3. 4 on 4 confined space keeping’s off handball drill. (Whitford & Jones)

Split into 2 groups on either wing. 4 (red) vs 4 (white) with 3 yellow bibs which seem to be on any team handballing in a congested area to eventually get it out of the area and then hit up a target leading out of full forward.

Melksham has joined this drill.

A couple of players who have been in and out of the “rehab” groups when it comes to to more contact or lateral movements are acting as the leading forwards. Mihocek with CJ acting as a defender. Campbell, Berry and Taylor at the other end.

Match SIM

Petty playing as a defender.

WHISPERING JACK'S PRESEASON TRAINING OBSERVATIONS

I couldn’t have selected a better day to return to Melbourne following a sojourn in the north, where sunshine prevailed in stark contrast to reports of icy winds and rain at home in early November. Today, I attended a training session at Gosch’s Paddock for my first Demons’ men’s preseason training session to a pleasant surprise in the form of new recruit Xavier Taylor from the Eastern Ranges. Taylor received the customary Demon Army hug of welcome and then proceeded to demonstrate all of the skills and talent expected of an early first round draft selection.

This was the first time I had seen him in the flesh but I had followed the highlights of his stellar season through the winter in the Coates Talent League and at Victoria Metro Under 18 level. I watched him carve up the Sandringham Dragons forwards on screen in a CTL Grand Final best-on-ground performance in the Ranges’ 15-point premiership victory where he controlled the air and the ground with 25 disposals and 15 marks. He ran onto the ground today and looked and felt completely at home with some skillful manoevres that suggested he is headed for a long and successful career. Unfortunately, his fellow draftees in Latrelle Pickett and Thomas Matthews (reputedly excitement machines par excellence) weren’t yet available so I’ll have to come back for some more before the team breaks off for the end of the year.

Taylor wasn’t the only player to impress. Kozzy Pickett was in everything , showcasing his innate ability to anticipate the exact point where the ball was about to arrive. The skipper appeared comfortable as he transitioned into training after his recent overseas trip and he had a good contest with a physically imposing trainee understudy ruckman in Max Heath from the Saints. New recruits Brody Mihocek and Changkuoth Jiath (CJ) were both in partial rehab, but demonstrated that they will bring new dimensions to the team's dynamic.

I liked the look of Blake Howes who showed a fair bit of run and there’s a bit of competition among budding key forwards JvR, Matt Jefferson and Luker Kentfield. Jai Culley looks a likely improver and very impressive wearing the number 13. Bailey Laurie is working hard for one of the spots opening up in the midfield.

As training finished for the men, the women came out for their final warm up session before tomorrow’s Preliminary Final against North Melbourne. They looked keen an bouyed for the task as they kicked off with a soccer friendly.

It was time to get back to the office before watching Mitchell Starc destroy the Poms in their first innings in between the Rookie Draft where Melbourne welcomed a tall midfielder in Riley Onley along with the long-awaited arrival of Kalani White.

It’s been a great day for Demonkind!

WAYNE WUSSELL'S PRESEASON TRAINING OBSERVATIONS

They are in the red flame kit.

Henderson jogging with a noticeable limp, right ankle perhaps.

Jiath moves impressively in end to end stuff. Just gave Culley a ‘don’t argue’ that put him on his back!

Lever seems to be over his foot problems.

Watching the 1 on 1 marking duels was interesting. Sparrow too strong for Sharp, Culley and Lever 50/50, Petty got the better of Kentfield, Jiath and Langford 50/50, AJ did well against taller Heath.

Well, not wanting to be unkind, but at his first hit out, Taylor looks like a boy amongst men! He could still be hung over from draft night!

Tholstrup sometimes holds on to the ball for too long. It is only pre-season training, but that was occasionally his downfall during the season. I would like to see him take the first option.

Standouts for me today are Windsor, Sparrow, Jiath & Kossie

Henderson more likely trying to run out a glute issue.

CLANIKO'S PRESEASON TRAINING OBSERVATIONS

Ball in at the pocket ar one end then working it quickly to a couple key forwards at the other. Attacking team outnumbering defenders roughly 10 to 4. Very quick movement with the next play starting as soon as the deepest forward gets it, plenty of running in this one. The got players resting on the sidelines and swapping in every few plays but the seem absolutely buggered when they come off.

Split into 3 groups rotating through some drills. One is a handball drill with roughly even teams working it from one side of a box to another. One is a 1v1 marking drill. The other is a kicking/handballing working it from one pocket out to coach at halfway. Mix of talls and smalls in each group, no obvious forward/defender split.

Taylor sat out the handball drill while talking to a coach observing it, looked like getting some instruction but joined in the marking and kicking one fully.

Currently doing a drill where a group on each with try to work it up to a 2 v 1 in the forward 50. One side has mentha and mihocek vs CJ and the other has Campbell, Taylor and a bloke I don't recognise. CJ always defender but the other trio are rotating the defender bib. Taylor getting plenty of leading/positioning instruction from Campbell.

Groups are swapping which wing they're on after every play and the forwards/defenders have to sprint back to the goalpost before leading again. Seems like they've traded out endless laps for unnecessary running in their drills as the fitness component.

Taylor sat out of the match Sim. Was standing in one of the pockets chatting to whichever key forward was subbed out at the time. Kind of like having a rotation of people babysitting the work experience kid but good to see all the boys welcoming him. His preferred standing posture is both hands holding the collar of his training top, which he has reverted to anytime he's not been in a drill (not that this matters to anything but I found it amusing).

Henderson apparently had tight glutes and spent the whole training running laps. although his gait was a bit off he ran well, heard the trainer say he hit 7.5k before he finished up.