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To me Freak it looked like the players were spending pretty minimal time on the witches hats. Yes in between drills they get a rest as things get organised but between cones they were moving pretty fast and the assistant coaches made an effort to get footies and fire off kicks/handballs etc to players coming to the back of the line. Todays session was about getting some touch, getting the basic skills done right, learning the game plan and keeping the legs rolled over. Not every session should be gut busting, swimmers, cyclist and runners certainly don't train that way. As mentioned above new draftees were at AFL induction. Tapscott and Spencer did laps, they look a bit of a way off. Strauss did sprints then he and McKenzie went in the middle for a few kicks. Jamar and Jurrah ran laps together with the big fella really helping Liam along. Lawrence, Cook and Sylvia started in the main group then broke into the rehab drill of 2 guys with 2 footies either end and a guy in the middle leading and marking each footy at a time. Jet and Grimes did this just before the xmas break. Lawrence and Sylvia looked good, Cook looks like he's battling his way back and I think we wont get much out of him this year at this rate. He probably needs the year in the VFL followed by a healthy preseason before he'll shine. After some close in work the players broke into 2 drills and did a 5 star spreading the ball around and finish with a goal drill. The foot skills were surprisingly reasonable but the better kicks (Watts, Davey, Blease) still stand out. Then they broke in lines. Once again Jetta will be a back, Nicholson a mid and McDonald, Davey and Blease forwards this year. As for individuals... Clark leads and marks well. Sellar looks pretty strong in the air defensively and has genuine size, Grimes looks ready to go. Jones and Moloney look a good size - strong but not slow. The midfield group looked short on class and numbers to be honest - hence Magner, Couch and Viney coming in. That said Stef Martin seems more advanced than last year and should combine well with Jamar who they are obviously letting freshen up after a couple of tough seasons. The backline group seems ready to go though and even with Jurrah still getting the miles in his legs the forward group seems much more dangerous with Clark and Davey added in. There wasn't much game plan style stuff today. I'm still concerned about our ability to move the ball under pressure and our contested ball winning ability but with a fair while til the season starts I'm happy we might well have a fit side with some talent.

Good lord

I completely understand your viewpoint about publicly mentioning players, but I disagree with you. This club needed a shake-up - especially the players that decided to lay down and put in that 186 point drubbing against Geelong. I don't believe that Neeld has crossed any line even though I acknowledge that you do. Here's the article, although I was referencing it from memory and put my own spin on it. The comments I was referring to are here: "I've come from a club, Collingwood, that is very direct. Very direct. I really like that," Neeld says. "That's not for everyone. I understand that . . . and that's set right from the top." Neeld noticed a marked difference between the clubs as soon as he took on the job eight weeks ago. "It's a bit more conversationalist over here. They'll sit," he says. "There's a bit more short, sharpness down the road. "Down here, it is, 'What do you feel about that?', 'What would the impact of that be?' and, 'How's that going to make him feel or her feel?'. "I've spent the last four years 300m down the road. The clubs are completely different. I'm not saying what's right or wrong, I'm just saying how different clubs can be." Though Neeld remains diplomatic about the past, in effect he has made it clear there will be no more pussyfooting around. Link: http://www.heraldsun...f-1226193168855

I'm at a loss to understand why the need to criticise Mark Neeld for publicly giving a couple of his more talented players a bit of a sting. It's a time honoured practice used by coaches in a number of sports to send subtle messages to the whole team about having the necessary commitment for success and in many ways it's something of a compliment to the players concerned because you only do it with the better ones. Moreover, I agree with maurie that it's neither humiliating nor offensive to the players concerned so I consider this to be not even worthy of even being considered a storm in a teacup.

In terms of concerns about the intensity of the running during training I can say that the training session is really only 1 component of the day's work for these guys. Prime example: I was running the Tan this morning and saw James Sellar putting in a hard hard effort up Anderson St Hill. I'm not sure how far he had already run or ran after I saw him but we should know players are doing a lot more than the training sessions on the oval. I have seen him there regularly during the off season and he seems to continually punish himself. Neeld also mentioned to me that there are 47 individual programs running at the moment and every player has specifics to complete daily around running or weights etc. It is very specific and scientific. Far more to fitness than meets the eye.

They're pretty handy for the guys that play...

I'm happy to pay the extra for the time being. My missus has told me my Birthday gifts are accounted for the next ten years (hopefully inflation will help me out a little and cut in half). $50 for all games and a 24 hr footy channel means a lot and is reasonable value in my opinion. Being in WA, I have to watch Friday night footy from 8.30pm (the game is already finished), listen to and read news reports that are heavily biased towards Freo and WCE and be subjected to local radio stations cutting from the MFC Vs ? game at 3 qtr time to go live to Subi. I've put up with this for 5 years since returning to Aus and it has worn very thin. I can't wait to watch the boys play live, record the game without ad breaks, and access the latest AFL news 24 hrs a day (web aside). The Missus however, doesn't share my enthusiasm.

Number 4 is a certainty. Mainly because being in the west and playing footy with a heap of WCE supporters who give me heaps on the Nic Nat vs Jack Watts comparison. I wear my Melbourne gear to every training session. Go Dee's! Ed: I even throw in some blind-turns in the middle of lane work when no-one's around me. That really gets 'em going.

would love to get Jeremy Howes number but reckon theres a fair chance he'll get a lower number next year!!

Indeed as a captain he has a good head on his shoulders - two in fact!

Trained with the defensive group. He looked good, but then again, he always has.

I havent had a number on the back since the Wizard flew west, but will be getting the sewing machine out and stitching on a big 9 this year!

Howe

Maybe you should have had a quiet word to Neeld and Misson as they obviously have no idea of what they are doing?

I too want my players overworked and tired before the season even begins. Surely we'll play better if they've been run into the ground!

No-one has questioned his courage, he's very brave, although I wouldn't consider him a physical player. But this is a supporter's forum where discussion is encouraged even in the knowledge that we won't all agree. You thought he was pretty good as captain last year and I thought he was the worst I've seen in my time following the Dees.

Neeld has already stated that he comes from an environment at Collingwood where a spade is called a shovel; and one of the first things he noted about the MFC was that there was a reticence to speak one's mind because such frankness may offend. I suspect that he decided very early on to alter the mindset of a very conservative football. club. I think his comments were considered and calculated. I didn't find them over the top with regards to Watts, or Davey, they were merely pointed remarks that nearly all supporters with any reasonable knowledge of the club would have already held. I find the notion that we can all think it as supporters, but he was somehow out of line as coach with what I consider to be relatively innocuous remarks to be overly precious and merely reinforces his early views of many associated with this club.

It is surprising to me that the club has not asked for some of the more brilliant insights and ideas of posters to be removed so others don't benefit...

I say put the video back up. If other teams start copying us it might bring them down to our level.

The mourning process for indigenous Australians is very complex & sometimes lenghty(sometimes upto 18 months). It can probably only be fully understood by a member of that community. Anyone making a judgement on whether Austin has enough heart is being unfairly judgmental IMO. Only Austin knows what his obligations are & some posters should seek to understand what he is going thru before forming an opinion.

I'm with you WW. I've been wrong more often than I care to remember but this bloke seems to me to have so much talent. I think potentially he could be Barry Prendergasts best value for money pick and could be one of our most important players going forward.

I'm not sure Neeld's comments were even statements of negativity. He said Watts needed to: Focus on becoming an elite footballer. Find new levels of fitness and hunger Develop a massive work ethic and appetite to play footy Not forget his core business and train really hard Get to know the new sports science director really well Get to know his new coaches really well Get a massive work ethic to fall back on and train his backside off. Sounds like statements of positivity and an action plan to me (nowhere did he use perjoratives like 'lazy', 'disinterested' or 'unprofessional'). The only argument could be whether it should or shouldn't be in the pages of the Herald-Sun. You can't discount the idea that the club, Neeld and Watts were happy for such a challenge to be made public.

The worry warts concerned about Neeld naming a couple of players would have suffered nervous breakdowns on a daily basis when Norm Smith was coach! Once, when full back Bernie Massey turned up at training with a moustache, Smith sent him home and told him not to come back until he was clean shaven. Public humiliation? Didn't worry Bernie, the team or the supporters in those days. Maybe everyone at the club needs to harden up?

Thanks for the insights FootyNut. Really enjoy what you have to say regarding our new coach. Regarding Jack Watts being "named" what absolute PC rubbish. Take it on as a challenge Jack to better yourself and become an elite like Brereton. He can be that good. I remember that article on Watts in 2010? When he said losing didn't really bother him too much. Time to hurt a bit Jack to challenge your own space. I remember reading that article and thinking "oh no...."

In runs Cunis. His bowling, like his name, neither one thing nor the other.

That might well be the case but I thought he put his case well and argued it through in a clear and concise manner. That's what debating and discussion of this nature should be like rather than the nitpicking, ad hominem attacks or misrepresenting other peoples' viewpoints which happens on this and many other forums (please note, I'm not having a go at any individual poster on this thread). BTW, I read the views of the new AFL coaches for 2012 in Inside Football and didn't consider it a contest between them as to who was the best or the worst media performer. That's something that in the main is in the eye of the beholder anyway (I was more interested in what they had to say about lifting their respective teams and all made some interesting points and observations). I consider Malthouse and Clarkson as poor media performers but they're premiership coaches and I think Clarkson is a terrific coach in that he is innovative and flexible both during and between games. He's fortunate to have a great list but it's what he does with it that impresses.

Like it or not Austin made the decision to walk away from the game as it was his right to do. The personal tragedies and the injuries did not help. I think we should all wish him well representing the Tiwi Islands which is his home and that he can be happy in his place there.

On top of this Telstra customers will receive access to watching every game live to mobile handset next season. Can you imagine all the birthday's, weddings etc now people gathered around their phones watching the footy!

Trenners, people like you are a godsend for country members like myself, thanks so much for report and photos are sensational. Great stuff mate...