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Went to training this morning and stayed for almost two hours. It was a really interesting session considering who was doing what. There were two separate groups - the main group - and I counted 26 players in this group. The other group was a strange mixture of rehab people and late starters like Jurrah. Colin Sylvia walked about 10 laps before heading inside. Luke Tapscott walked a lot of laps with a young member of the fitness staff. Jordie McKenzie jogged a heap of laps. James Strauss (who appeared for only 20 mins or so) and McKenzie did a light kicking drill together, about half way through the training session. Neil Craig was with them and he was correcting thier kicking actions. Although they were only 20 metres apart, Craig appeared to be making them focus really hard on a specific kicking method. Jack Trengove, Mark Jamar and Dan Nicholson made a small group of their own that did not sem to attach to the rehab group or main group. They did some tap work with Jamar, a bit of lap running, and maybe 1 or 2 sprints, but nothing too taxing. Trengove looks to have really bulked up in upper body and legs. His chest and biceps are becoming strong and a bit chiselled. The Rehab Group It was difficult to keep tabs on this group because they kept on splitting up into mix 'n match groups and doing little drills in small, ever changing groups. Lucas Cook, Aaron Davey, Mitch Clark, Michael Evans, Ricky Petterd, Neville Jetta, Liam Jurrah, and about three others who had left by the time I began watching this group. About five of the fitness guys were with this group and had them doing approx. 100m run throughs, but they were paying particular attention to the running action. Petterd and Jetta in particular were given some specific coaching on this and Cook was given the same a bit later on. Davey, Clark and Jurrah were doing a change of direction drill that was really intense and exhausting. Davey was really focused. Clark and Jurrah seemed to coast a bit but were getting stuck in by half way through. The Main Group Glad I am not an AFL footballer being coached by this group. Repeated gut running in pairs. 1 x 300 m sprint 4 x 100 m sprint 1 x 300 m sprint 4 x 100 m sprint. Interestingly, they put Cale Morton with Jeremy Howe. Howe is clearly athletic and his running action and pace rarely changed over the 10 sprints. By the sixth sprint, Morton began to drop off and Jade Rawlings demanded that he stay on Howe's shoulder. To Morton's credit, in the last 2 sprints he busted his gut and did stay with Howe. I have to give it to him for sticking it out. Morton looks as though his body has developed but his arms are still muppet thin. Nathan Jones, Clint Bartram, Howe and James Frawley seemed to be able to keep up the intensity the best. Jared Rivers was finding it tough going with Frawley. Jamie Bennell has a lot of work to do. He was running with Bartram whose mental strength is telling when exhausted. In the last four sprints or so Bennell was dropping off approx. ten metres and some coaches were driving him to catch up. Sam Blease and Jordan Gysberts ran together, and in the last two sprints, one of the fitness guys ran with them making them try and catch the team in front. Blease has a sprint a bit like Travis Johnstone. A really long stride and he seems to be coasting but he is actually very quick. Bartram, Jones and Howe were the standouts. After the running, they had a five minute break, changed into footy boots and did some kicking/handballing drills. Simple stuff really. The interesting bit was after those drills, the 26 main group players divided in to two teams and practiced a match-like drill. To me it looked like Jade Rawlings was in charge and they were practicing how to get the ball out of defence through an opposition forward press. Our defenders would start with it about 25m out from goal and were not allowed to take it out of the corridor. First, the player who began with the ball would, each time, try and beat an opponent one-on-one. Second, they were instructed to use a pattern of one handball, one kick, one handball, one kick etc... to bring it out through half-back. Third, the midfield would pour down into this defensive zone, and a player would eventually kick it long to leading forwards who had lots of space created by the midfielders pressing into our defensive 50. I hope that is as clear in typing as it is in my mind! I watched a fair bit of the Dees training last pre-season and there are some clear differences. The number of repeat sprints is higher. A lot of clear, one-on-one specific coaching about the minute details of skill. Neil Craig might be the instigator here. Misson has very clear instructions for the warm up session. The training looks more tailored. The rehab group were focusing on running action, changing of direction, short step change of direction etc. and this went on for a lot longer than it did with Bailey. Go Dees.

http://www.melbourne...75/default.aspx Interesting 12 months ahead with a greater Football Department, more staff and paying 100% TPP which was always the clubs aim and to remain competitive. Well done to the club in clawing back and to the supporters for digging deep to help wipe the debt.

hey guys...please all enjoy this video ive made on the change in our club! http://youtu.be/7MwWFWBG_lE

I want to thank all of you who take time out to post on the trainng sessions believe me it helps us o/s people out. The reports help us to keep up to date on what's happening; and believe me your efforts are very much appreciated.

Well it won't be in the rookie draft as you suggest in your post 128. He will only be ours IMO, if he is there at 36 and we select him,because he won't be there at 52.

Good stuff Clucka. Bit like owning an unraced two year old at this point but happy to go with that.

It seems to get lost by most but that funding in part is compensation for the inequities in the draw. If we had a draw like the pies we would more than likely make up the amount we receive through better corporate return, better sponsorship $$$ though grater exposure and in turn more members through that exposure...

Many thanks Maldonboy and Fan. These reports are greatly appreciated, especially by interstaters who can't get to training very often. Some very interesting insights on today's session.

I guess this just underpins why the club stuck by Schwabby. Not too many other CEO's could have done this, he may have stepped on some toes but he is getting the job done.

I think this weeks performance will temper a lot of club's views of him. Granted that I didn't see the game, but unless he was playing up the ground, no goals in a 92pt win is a bit suspect. That being said, 32 goals in 4 weeks is a great effort regardless of the opposition. I would be happy to see Melbourne pick him up with our first pick, given that this year is a 'shallow draft'. We have the support network for him, and it sounds as though he is a similar style player to Jurrah. Imagine 2 on-song Jurrah's in the same forward line (I know I'm dreaming a bit....)

He's actually a human being trying to learn from his mistakes. That's how I'd like to paint it.

I'm no expert at analysing Under 18s games, but Viney to me had a decent game tonight, not great. Was my first look at him, and he's as short as I expected, but reasonable playing weight for that size (one of the Metro kids was listed at 66kgs!). He seemed to spend the start of the quarters on the ball, then after 10 or 12 he'd head to the forward line for a couple of minutes and then to the bench for the last few minutes, it was the same flow every quarter. Plenty of hard ball gets in the centre, he was often to be found on the bottom of a pack. Missed a gettable goal in the second quarter from a set shot (but wasn't alone in that regard tonight). Absolutely crunched a Country opponent in a dive for a loose ball, forcing his opponent off the ground the worst for wear. Young Jack dusted himself off and ran off unpeturbed. And in a scuffle involving 6 or 8 players later in the game he was the main man in the middle of it all. Kicked at least one that I saw quite comfortably on his right foot to a teammate so opposite side of the body doesn't seem a huge weakness. Only knock is he didn't do a lot of gut running through the middle when his team was in posession wide on the wings and he was relatively unmarked in the middle, although it was probably due to the nature of the contest of the kids taking the ball and wanting to run and run and link wide. Metro dominated the tempo and patterns of this game. I guess at this stage Viney reminds me of Luke Power with his stubby legs, left foot style and in and under fondness. As for the others playing, Patton was the obvious standout he took at least half a dozen contested marks inside 50, seems to have nice soft hands. Hooked at least three of his set shots to the right so will need to work on his kicking action. Other Metros to impress were: Toby Greene (another small onballer), Matthew Haynes, WIll Hoskin-Elliott (albeit let down by a couple of turnovers), Jackson Paine (another KP Forward), Dom Tyson and Brandon Ellis for his run out of defence. Not many standouts for Country, although Lachie Whitfield stood out as expected. Spotted Jack Trengove and Tapscott in the crowd having a chat to Peter Rohde, while it seems almost every person around us in the crowd had a laptop and/or ipad taking notes. Didn't stick around for the second game but it was good to get an early glimpse at one of our future stars... PS. Poor form by the Etihad staffers at the door, despite it being free entry tonight and there being only two food stalls open on the entire top level, they were still preventing people from bringing their Nandos in from across the walkway. The sheer greed and self serving of this stadium never fails to amaze me ...

I think that he is saying that GWS "may" be inclined to trade the 17yo picks with MFC because: -They cannot get Jack Viney under any circumstances -And this means that the 2012 draft where they will most likely have the first or second pick will be stronger -Keeping an extra 17yo in that draft while still receiving compensation from MFC If they trade other wise it draws 17yo talent out of the next draft where they will have 1 high pick, could O'Meara be that pick will the extra player picked be that pick? They would effectively trade one less 17yo if the trade Viney to MFC is this the point?