Leaderboard

I was there and asked a few questions. Viney, knocked himself out last Monday during his first training back from his hip problem; failed a couple of the concussion tests so was put on light work. He feels better now, asked him could he take it down a notch at training, laughed and said he couldn't do it!! Fitzpatrick ... came up with a new one, quote "there is nothing major I am on a tapered preparation". Riley is four weeks away from full training; everything is fine with his leg, just looking forward to playing again. Hogan is getting a bit [censored] off with being restricted at the moment. I told him we wanted to watch him for 10 years, not lose him to a degenerative knee, thankfully instead of hitting me, he agreed. Terlich - asked him and said it was nothing, had his knee taped he left early, seemed to have some relatives watching, demonstrated to them he had twisted leg, i.e when it sticks in turf and twists, love the fact he was pulled out of training when it happened. McKenzie/Cross/Spencer, got a jumper signed by Jordie at the end, they spent an extra 10 minutes at the end, think it was for Spencer's benefit, Cross tapping and Mc Kenzie kicking and vice versa with Spencer leading out of the square to mark in front of his face, nice to see ... Cross is so intense, even when you chat to him, Spencer really wants that no 1 ruck, and Jordie was Jordie, relishing the hard work, think too many on here have him out of the team too early.

Hi everyone, 1st post on DL and 1st pre-season training visit for me today. After watching the last 2 pre-seasons under Neeld, today's visit was a refreshing experience needless to say. They look fit. There is now a definite focus on gut (two-way) running the full length of the ground to support and give options and saw some really solid examples of it from Trenners, Michie, Cross, Vince, M Jones and N. Jones. There are some clear differences that I see already in the way we move the ball under Roos that I'd like to point out (from my perspective). It appears as if the transition from defence, going forward, is no longer slow, wide and within 5 metres of the boundary line (TFFT). In the game-sim drills I saw, it's evident that Roos wants the ball moved as close to, or through the middle as possible. If held up at half back, the switch across half-back takes place and it transitions along the opposite wing and the instinct is look to hit back into the middle of 50m arc at CHF or the edge of the square. Makes sense really being we have some good hit up forwards in (hopefully) Hogan, Dawes, Howe and Clark , no point going to the boundary. If you can imagine the game play taking place on oval within an oval (say 15-20 mtrs in from the outer boundary), that's the radius that ball movement takes place within. It is a couple of quick short, sure ball movements and then long to the spread (and this year when there is spread, there is more than one option). I'm sure the Roos mantra is, 'Don't Give It Away Cheaply, Hit A Target'. I've been reading anxiously for some weeks now (stuck at work) of all the posters giving their feedback on training and how this guy and that guy is up and about ... but I had trouble seeing that to be honest. Not in a bad way, let me explain. Last year, I saw N.Jones dominate everything, Grimes trying hard and most others..... well let's just say a big gap between those two and the rest. Today , N. Jones was no less of a shinning light. He was as manic as we have come to expect. But also at that level were Cross, Michie, M. Jones, McKenzie, Vince, Toumpas, Evans and Watts - they were all pushing hard. I think what Roos & Co is assembling is a workhorse midfield. I was quietly impressed today with: Michie: He appears to be the quiet, under the radar type. He is a ball magnet - always near it and I'm sure will develop just nicely under Roos and Stone's tutelage. Strauss: He was vocal, pushed hard on all drills and his kicking is super smooth. JKH: I've read a lot about him. Not much more to say - it's all true! He is super exciting and will get his opportunity when the time is right. But he is doing his chances no harm by his training intensity. There's a little 'Jeff Farmer' in his evasiveness. Salem: People have said how slim he is and he may need more time to develop, and rightly so. But, he was 5 metres away from me standing with Toumpas - they are almost identical in size and physique. He may get his chance at some point this year if his form warrants. I do think his tank will limit his opportunities however. His kicking ... well ... hits the target in a very 'Adem Yze' kind of way. Frawley & Dunn - Very vocal and leading the way. After the rehab group finished Jamar, Gawn and Dawes were all used as prop forwards in some full-length drills. All moving freely. I don't feel as concerned as others here about their return to the main group. Maybe being an ex-senior coach I understand individual workloads and working to a plan. I would say at this point Spencer is the clear front runner for Rd-1. But no doubt Roos sees Jamar as the No 1 and being he is an older player, he is preparing him for an early season return (if he warrants it on form). I wouldn't be surprised to see Dawes be back in full training, if not end of this week, definitely next. Hogan probably 1-2 weeks until full training, he is purely precautionary. Clark will be the same precautionary measure but I would say probably 2-3 weeks before a main group return. I'm basing this on their movement and how I would manage them in the same position, remembering there is a whole season ahead of us. We don't need to peak at Rd-1. All in all, I'm quietly impressed without being as excited as others on here. I would think the midfield additions will definitely be more sound and provide more link up and opportunity. What we do need is for some players to take a step towards or to the next level. (Watts, Strauss, Blease, Tapscott, Evans, McKenzie, Terlich). Based on what I saw, they're all training with more intent and enjoyment. Carn the DEES

Just back from training, got there at 10am left at 11:45am. I am not going to give a full report on drills etc ... because they have all been reported on at length in previous training posts. Instead just a few reflections/opinions on how I saw some things today. Based on the four pre-season sessions I have seen so far for season 2014: Frawley, Dunn and Strauss are lock-ins for backline positions. They were sharp, precise and focused today and super impressive. The wide running receiver position(s) are open - wide open. Blease, Evans, Barry, Bail, Vince and probably others are all training well. Small forward. JKH is impressive. At full pace he picks up wobbling half-volleys and turns on a five cent piece. Was evading some of the best tacklers in the team. Will be considered for round 1. Tackling: Cross is amazing in the tackling drill. When approaching to be tackled he doesn't brace his body, he just plows in all open and sort of splats into the opponent. Very effective method. Watts was tackling very well but still seems very soft when being tackled. The kicking today, considering the wind, was really sharp. The occasional kick was missed by most players but the delivery to a moving target seemed clean cut. There was a lot of ball on ground, close in work today with a huge group of players around the ball. Considering this is how the modern game is played, good to see the emphasis at training.

Some observations from this morning to add to the fairly comprehensive run down that have already been posted. - I got there at 9:20 and the boys were out on the ground doing their warm ups. I left at 11:45 and there were still some players out on the ground, with the bulk of the group having just finished. The reason I mention this is that for well over 2 hours they really went at it and were still going strong at the end in hot (27degrees) and windy conditions, Simply put these boys are really fit (I assume all clubs would be at a similar level but it was impressive nonetheless). - the main session finished with some repeat effort gut running/strength work. This consisted of a set of about 15 push ups in the centre of the ground ,, followed by a sprint to the goal posts and back (JKH smashed them all there and back)' this was followed by a set of 15 or so sit ups, then another run this time to about 35m out from goal and back, (this time JKH paid for his earlier exertion and was well back in the pack., next was a sustained bridge (isometric ab exercise) then more run throughs, one more strength exercise and a final run through. Most interesting thing for me out of all of this was in the last run through back to middle of the ground Ie after 3-4 power/strength efforts with intensity running in between. Jack Watts was one of the first to finish, and ahead of T-Mac. - Watts' skills stood out in very windy conditions today, in a run and carry exericise 2hrs into the session, he lasered a ball 45m diagonally, and weighted it perfectly just over the fingers of Grimesy to hit the leading target in the chest. Extremely impressive given the volume of running already completed. I would just love him to assert himself a bit more, an example of this was in a transition drill moving the ball from backline to full forward, with a blue team and a green team. Jack (Blue) had put 5m on Grimesy (Green) leading out to the wing, and Nicho had the ball on half back flank looking for a target. Despite being clear of his opponent he didn't call for the ball, and Nicho ended up kicking it 10m past him to Pickles (For those wondering Nicho hit pickles with the pass. )I was thinking at the time if this was a game situation where a player had the option of pickles or watts both free, the ball simply has to go to Watts, and he has to really really want the ball in those situations and vocally demand it, so that he can hurt teams with his foot skills. - Dawes looks in very good physical condition. Compared to training sessions this time last year he is fmustve dropped at least 3-4 kilos as he looks far more chiseled. His Muscle definition is very impressive. He took his shirt off at one point while doing work with the rehab group and I instantly felt imasculated. And lastly from me it's been mentioned that one of the fun things they incorporated into training today was an exercise where players paired up standing opposite each other. Then each player with their right hand grabbed opposite players left wrist. The challenge was to slap the other player in the face with your left hand (which the other player tried to stop as they were holding your wrist with their right hand), whilst at the same time stopping your opponent from slapping you in the face with his left hand.... Sorry if that's confusing but it's hard to explain, essentially it required strength, peripheral vision and good boxing skills.... Anyway notable pairs first time they did this Nath Jones vs Trenners who surprisingly held his own (I expected Jonesy to eat him up). Grimes vs Watts (stalemate). The next time they did this towards the end if the session Jonesy was opposed to Jayden Hunt, and predictably dominated him, giving him 4 really good slaps in the face!! Hilarious!! By this time of the session there were only about 6 of us left on the punt rd side of the ground who saw it but suffice to say it provided us with great amusement.

Others have given a pretty good rundown of the session so just a few observations. I like the interaction with the players and coaches, noticed Roos & Stone in discussion with Trengove and Jones then Jones at another time, I'm guessing about the mid set ups as that was what they were previously working on. The communication appears to be good so I think players will be in no doubt about what they are required to do. We now have more than a couple of players who can kick the ball well, hopefully this translates to match day but bringing in Tyson, Michie & Vince with the recruiting of Salem added to Watts, Strauss, Barry and Toumpas the forwards will get some ball to advantage. We need to thank the Doggies for giving us Cross, the guy is a natural on ground leader and sets a great example at training. Adding him with Vince to our midfield along with Tyson and Michie as young guns and hopefully the emergence of Watts and Trengove the opposition should have more than Jones to worry about this year. Terlich seemed to pick up a minor injury in one of the drills where he was tackled pretty hard. Did a few light run throughs then went in. Over all I know some have asked about the game plan. If trainings anything to go by then it's nothing startling. Win the hard contested ball and spread, switch & share the ball and run hard both ways. No evidence of the down the line Malthouse/Neeld approach.

Went to training today but will probably be my last for a while. Far different conditions warm and windy. Reasonable crowd with quite a few kids (anklebiters to teens) in demon colours. I was there for the start and went and watched some of the recovering tall timber. This was Fitz, Hogan, Clarke, Gawn and Jamar. It was a re creation of Friday with lots of stretching, flexibility and movement around low markers. Viney was also with them but again just mucked around with the ball and headed off after about 20 mins. He looks fine and seemed to kick the ball with freedom. They then went on to some moderately paced running. When I looked over there about half an hour later Dawes had joined them and all were engaged in tapping/ handballing drills. I watched the main group for about an hour. There was a lot of emphasis on tackling, scrapping and wrestling type contests. Spencer, Cross, Clisby, Jordie and another did some contested marking practice. They seemed to be working on timing the bump/push to gain advantage. Some individuals. I watched Trengove a bit today. He is very fit and maybe a bit lighter. He was quick and elusive and looks like a mid who gets his own ball. I thought Jack W lacked intensity on Friday but today he went at it in tackling drills and hit the bag hard. He also fired off some quick and accurate handballs in those team on team possession drills. I took a reasonable look at JKH today. I dont think he is hard bodied enough yet but he showed good and quick hand and tackling skills. Toumpas was also very impressive in the tackling/possession drills. He was surprisingly strong and was keen to impress. Hogan returned to the main oval and ran about 4 timed 300s. He looks very fit. Long and often sad experience tells me that Melbourne plays good January football. However, this year I like the vibe. The players are competitive but also supportive. They seem to enjoy training.

To the contrary Bob.A footballer who has been playing quality football since the last century wins a prestigious national award is very much a football topic and the reaction here sadly reflects what many people in this community think about his award and in some cases reveals that we're not as tolerant a society as we would like to be. What's there to moderate among this? Rather than ban bad thought I would rather that the inane comments be kept up on the site to demonstrate how stupid and unthinking some people can be and hopefully to help us all learn something more about hatred and prejudice. (However, there is a line and if it gets crossed, the poster won't be around for a long time). The person who I quote below was not without his human frailties and did wrong things in his lifetime. Neither is Adam Goodes perfect, yet nevertheless, the debate here convinces me more than ever that he's the perfect choice for this year's Australian of the Year.

Australian of the Year is an idiot award because it tries to pretend that there is any semblance of a unified idea of what a 'real true blue dinky di you beaut Aussie' is supposed to be. It's an embarrassment that the award list is peppered with 'celebrities' who have reached that status because of achievement in pretty banal fields. Pat Rafter, Steve Waugh, Lee Kernaghan, Mark Taylor. Flannery was an obviously politically motivated error too - the man is a not-especially-effective and poorly disciplined science communicator who's self-promoting overreaching has set back the vitally important credibility of climate science in Australia. I say that as someone who was mortified that the climate commission was cut and a firm supporter of the task of the independent climate council. Anyway, regarding Adam Goodes. He never actually 'went after' the 13 year old - his entire message from minute 1 of any contact with media was 'it is so sad, she probably doesn't really know how hurtful it is or even why, it's just so sad to see that this young girl has being raised in an environment, at home or at school, where saying things like that is seen as appropriate and clever'. Other than that, he's one of the top players in the AFL for the last decade, seen as the quintessential leadership figure at THE club in the AFL known for it's leadership culture, and an all-round nice bloke who gets involved in the community. so, good for him. And for those implying that the award has been given on skin colour and politics, you've missed a chance to back up your great mate Cory Bernadi because 'obviously' this award has been given to Goodes as a part of a leftist conspiracy to make it look like children of single parents are regular human beings who aren't actually going to become criminals and vagrants.

You're better than this. Dead set, this country disappoints me. It is so hopelessly anti intellectual. That people can't have a certain view on the appointment of an individual as Australian of the Year is simply pathetic. Then again, we laud Ned Kelly. The Yanks respect Thomas Jefferson. Says a lot really. People have been labelled as racist on this thread. I can't see any clear evidence of obscene or racist views, but the label comes out, quite conveniently, because it is at odds with an opposing view. Labels that are used to censor opposing opinions are generally the domain of the inarticulate. Calling someone uneducated over the keyboard is not particularly clever either.

I was there but hard to focus on drills and training report as I had both kids running amock. Some random observations: Some competitive one on one marking/spoiling near me was really impressive. Dunn a stand out, rarely beaten and uses voice to instruct younger guys. Despite his light frame Hunt actually did ok in the same drill. Michie, Cross, Tyson etc. means we can actually work the ball through in the full length match drills. Lots if game simulation today. Players really intense and involved with lots of discussions/analysis when they were rotating through the drill. Watch Watts this year. I think he is set for a real bolter. Blease and tapy might also surprise a few. Skills pretty good for most of the session. And it was nearly all skills (although we did get there 40 min late) Saw Hogan and Clark do a run through but not much else. Viney not sighted. Howey a great bloke with the kids. My little one asked how many speccies he would take this year. He said how many do you want. She said just 30! Not asking much are we!

"Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former." - Albert Einstein

I've somehow convinced the lovely wife that we should pack up and leave Torquay early tomorrow. She will drop me off but the one condition is I have to train it home afterwards. Win win if you ask me! I get to see training and get an hour of peace on the train ride home.

I remember the first time I saw him play. It was the TAC Cup Grand Final of 1997 and he dominated with six goals helping North Ballarat to win the premiership against the favoured Dandenong Stingrays. All eyes in that game were on a member of the losing team who was later drafted to Melbourne with the first pick in the draft later that year. Travis Johnstone showed flashes during his career while Adam Goodes (picked at 43 for the Swans) personified greatness both on an off the field. Two premierships, two Brownlow Medals, four times All Australian, Indigenous Team of the Century and now Australian of the Year and not just for his achievements in football - AFL footballer and anti-racism campaigner Adam Goodes named Australian of the Year I remember at the time he was drafted, reading about how his mother had singlehandedly raised Adam and his two brothers. She must be proud of him. We should all be proud of Adam Goodes on this day.

Good luck to adam goodes, i'm sure he will be a good role model I've always thought the title "Australian of the Year" a tad pretentious and over-reaching, and the selection essentially political A better name might be "Australia Day Ambassador" or something similar

Another BigFooty Report from Tasmanlvr (bolding is mine) It begins again. Another week at Gosch's. Alright, so I'm here now and it seems that they are doing their general stretches/runthroughs. Rehab: Hogan, Jamar, Clark, Fitzpatrick, Gawn, Riley. Dawes and Kent are on the track doing seperate exercises with Miller. Short kicks the order of the day. Split into three, four, five? Huh? One group doing short kicks, one group doing some weird activity with an occasional kick + contests when they do occur. One group doing upper body strength drills and one doing a quick kick or something along the lines. Some lower strength drills now. Pretty much they are doing some grappling/wrestling activities. What is this even. Two groups doing stoppage stuff. Nice. Tappy laying tackles in one group. Yes yes yes. You have blokes you don't expect throwing themselves around at training! Blease, Tapscott, Byrnes etc. I haven't seen this in far too long. Boys called in now. Should be interesting to see what they do now. Alright, split into two now. One group doing pick up/ride bump/handball like they always do and one group doing more stoppage drills. Okay... they seem to be doing this play-fighting thing and I can't even. What the hell. I was speechless for a solid couple of minutes. There is a great crowd here today! Full grounder now, standard switch drill and kick down the line culminating in a goal. They're doing an extension of this drill now. Rehab group doing activities on the sidelines. Fitzy doing work on the sideline with ruckwork, Hogan doing some sprints and the others watching on. Skills are up, a few missed targets here and there (Nicho missed one but in an extremely strong breeze this is impressive. Quick half lap, Grimes and Trenners at the front. Words I thought I'd never say - Tom McDonald at the BACK??? in a running drill??? Wut. A stoppage drill now. Two groups, one on the sideline, one participating. Of the first group, Christian Salem looks solid getting into space and finding the footy. Liking the fact that Chris Dawes is a designated forward. Of the second group, you still notice people using their bodies, people hitting targets. WHERE WAS THIS TWO YEARS AGO? Players are taking this fair dinkum srsly. Three groups now. Defenders/midfielders/forwards. Defenders doing a switch drill, midfielders doing stoppages, forwards doing lead-up work. Another full grounder now. Looks like the match simulation we had on Friday but a tad different. Now a proper full grounder match simulation drill. And there's huddles and spreads coming off the kick in. New recruits looking decent. JKH, Salem finding space; Tyson using the ball efficiently and getting it often Dom Barry using run and carry and then nails a long kick pn the run to the designated full forward whom I can't recognise up the other end. Another bloke who's looking solid is Byrnes. He's having a nice little patch here. Getting the ball and using it well. Somehow I think he'll benefit a bit under Roosy. What I'm liking is hearing Lynden Dunn's voice consistently. He sounds like he wants to be part of the leadership group. Some pushups/running combos. Here's a statement - during one run JKH smokes everyone in a run from the centre circle to the goalsquare and back. The bloke is picking himself for round one. Training finished after that. Wished I had a bit more info but the training sessions are starting to get a tad repetitive. See you Wednesday.

Just back from training; left early because the young feller had had enough and the dog was starting to whine a bit! I will leave training notes to others but a few random observations: Good turn out - about 200 by my count. I walked half a lap with Shannon Byrnes. He seems like a really affable and outgoing guy. We talked about the changes he has seen over the last 14 months; the new faces and challenges that he has had to meet. He said that he felt like he had seen footy from both ends now. Agreed that bad drafting in the early 2000s had caused a lot of the problems that we have found ourselves in. His most interesting comment was that the team were great runners but now they just need to learn how to play footy! I suggested that we could not be worse than last year to which he replied ruefully as he wandered off ... "we couldn't be worse ..." Later on we watched Tappy, Blease and Bail practice their goal kicking. The difference between the 3 was interesting to see. Sammy and Tappy rarely missed on either foot. They practised set shots and snaps and were pretty impressive; Bail not so much. I presume these guys are being assessed for small forward role; at the moment I reckon the choices were pretty obvious. Any questions please feel free to ask away; I will be on and off for a while.

What some of us don't like and some of you don't understand, is that without the incident with a 13 year old girl I doubt Goodes wins the award. Declaring a 13 year old girl as "the face of racism in Australia" was outrageous by Goodes. The girl stated post the event that she didn't even know Goodes was indigenous. She was merely yelling at a big man with a big black beard running towards her. Who am I to call her a liar. And even if she knew what she was doing her treatment was appalling. Whispering Jack is quick to use the racism card and throw around words like intolerance. There may be prejudices on this site and there may be some in this thread, but some simply don't agree with the decision to grant this award on the back of chest beating about a teen's foolish comments. There's far too much discussion in society highlighting our differences. There's far too much discussion about what divides us. Those that think they're enlightened often only reinforce the divide. The quicker this country moves forward without so much concentration on colour, background, or guilt for the sins of the past, the better off we'll all be. Don't forget the past, but embrace the future. Promote unity.

Today's rehab group: Hogan, Dawes, Clark (our forward line together at last!), Jamar, Gawn and Fitzpatrick. Looks like Dawes has rejoined the main group now. Awesome!

It was 12 months ago to the day that I started creating a chronicle of MFC training Here is todays offering. Enjoy ===>http://www.smugmug.com/gallery/n-r29mf

Here's some more photos for everyone from training this morning. http://mrobertson.smugmug.com/Melbourne-Demons-Training/i-R6nwZRJ

Coupla (hopefully different) notes to add to the heap of info already posted: * Have a feeling maybe Fitzy is being managed through some diabetes troubles. Wasn't taped up at all, didn't run much, but was struggling a bit in between grappling/ruck work drills. * Spencer was kicking really well today. Usually hit targets on the run. * Dawes didn't do much once with the main group. Sat in the forward line purely to be a target. * JKH just bounces around, and was one of the very few players able to get his hands above the tackler too. * Nicholson just a terrible kick. * Watching Vince, Tyson, Cross, Jones, and Toumpas out there I'm genuinely excited about our midfield. * Watching the backline without Garland is like a whole different scenario ... bit worried. * King is at least 2 years off playing AFL. * Salem being very slowly eased into things. * Byrnes is just a space filler. Eerie feeling leaving training today happy with our midfield but concerned about each end of the ground ...

As mentioned the highlight is probably how much physical stuff they are doing. At least in the years I've been to trainings I have rarely seen much physical stuff at all and if it is done its usually tackling bags or pads. Almost every session they do a couple of drills that involve picking up a ball along the ground as another player lays a tackle then get the handball out. They then go in to grappling on the ground and today they added a bit of fun for the players. In pairs they'd link hands then have a strength test trying to whack each other in the head. It looked silly but it wasn't done in a silly way. It was just a bit of fun but competitive and interesting. Obviously the new recruits will help (Aidan Riley a big smokey as well if he gets fit and can show his stuff) but Roos seems intent on making sure our guys aren't bullied at the contest. The 3 main rucks were all back on track for some part doing some hit outs and were used as forward targets for a drill. With his long legs, added size and speedy bounds I'm telling you right now Jake Spencer is going to monster a marking contest at some point this year. He's got a heap of work to go in all areas of his game so I'm not predicting anything from him in terms of what improvement he's made overall but at some stage he'll either clunk a mark or break a pack in half and everyone will be surprised.

I hope you educate yourself one day.

JKH tearing it up as usual in a drill with about ten other guys. Standout, along with Dom T.

I'm up here on the Gold Coast this week so I thought I might try to catch up on a Suns' open training session just to get a comparison between our training and that of another club. So I checked out their website and for those who like to complain about melbournefc.com.au (and you know who you are), I discovered this under OPEN TRAINING SESSIONS You are invited to join the Gold Coast SUNS on Saturday 18 January for an open beach training session on the Palm Beach foreshore. Date: Saturday 18 January Time: 8am 10:30am Location: Pirate Ship Park, Palm Beach Parklands, 945 Gold Coast Hwy. Fair dinkum - that was nine days ago and the only way I could get to that session would be if Doctor Who lobbed in on The Tardis. I think it's high time that Vlad investigates this mob. They're not promoting the game and it's un-Australian not to have an open pre-season training session here today of all days!

too right and don't get me started about all the f'n rednecks in this country!!!!!

Fast becoming the worst poster here. By a long way too...

In retrospect, I probably would have gone for Redfoo.

This coming Monday will be a holiday for most of Australia but not our footballers. The melbournefc.com.au website states that our TRAINING TIMES for next week are: I think that last bolded sentence is worth noting because many are still under the impression that if a player is not out there on the track during the hours of open training then he's injured and not doing anything much to get fit for what lies ahead and, if enough of them aren't out there, the sky's falling in. However, in all likelihood, that's not the case at all.At the only Demons training I attended this year (at Casey Fields in midweek last week), the session took place in 40 degree heat and barely lasted an hour. As the players were coming off I quipped something to Cam Pedersen about them "knocking off for the day" but he said this wasn't the case and that the group was off to AAMI Park and would be working there till 4pm. I also discovered that a very small group of players, part of what's called the "rehab" group were already at AAMI doing their modified programmes. These days pre-season training is far more scientifically based than in the good old days when players would roll up (often a tad overweight) at some time in late February for a season that would begin in mid April. There are specific programmes tailor made for each individual player with the aim of having them in best condition for the season ahead. So we don't necessarily need to be concerned if we don't see for example, a Mitch Clark or a Mark Jamar joining in with the rest of the group on Australia Day. It doesn't mean that it's the end of the world or that they're on holiday like the rest of us. The likelihood is that they will be doing their allotted work behind the scenes in the gym or the pool or in some lecture room inside one of the best sporting faculties in the country in closed sessions only metres away from Gosch's Paddock. I wish I could join those fans who venture out there on Australia Day but I'll be up in Queensland doing something important (probably near to or in a swimming pool). I would still appreciate your reports.

Mainly agree, except I have some level of confidence with the backline due to Frawley and McDonald both looking good. Tommy Mc in particular is kicking pretty well and not showing any issues with shoulder surgery (except he could do with a bit more weight in time). Grimes as well looking good and Strauss, Clisby and Terlich in particular are all out there competing. They should all be better than last year and are fighting for one or 2 spots. Garland is a big miss but Dunn is the interesting one. If he can stand up and finally deliver on good training that he's shown for a couple of years then we could be ok. I've got no confidence in him really but he's fit, he trains hard and fast and he kicks the ball really well at training. If all goes completely pear shaped with our backline then Jayden Hunt is a prospect long term. For a guy who didn't play TAC at least he looks comfortable out there. Forward line is even more up in the air but I'm pretty confident on Dawes and Hogan right now. And Kent is back doing stuff. Plus JKH as everyone notes is impressive. Howe's doing well and Tapscott and Blease are out there. Same with Byrnes. So again it's not perfect but at least the numbers are there for some competition between the smalls. The 3 main problems we've hard in the Neeld years are: 1. Unable to get our hands on the footy 2. Unable to move the ball with skill which is often related to 3. Complete lack of run both in terms of movement at a contest, spread and follow up Judging on today's training there will probably still be days when we struggle to move the ball as the overall skill level of the group isn't outstanding. Which is true of most teams but it makes sense if it's against Freo or Sydney compare to against the Gold Coast like it was for us last year. But there will be run and there will be guys going after the ball at the stoppages and around the ground.

You're missing the point. By stating that she was the face of racism he wasn't saying she is the most racist person in Australia, rather that racism has become so ingrained in our country that it has an innocent face. That is also the point about someone using a term without even realizing how racist it is. But you just live in your denial and accept the casual racism this country is known for.

Jeez we're an interesting bunch here. One day let's organise an opening drinking session at the Precinct. 1pm opening card with Biffen and Moon debating BBO, with the final one around 10pm, 10 beers down between Stuie and Ben. What a day that'd be! On a serious note, Adam Goodes aside, this award shows how much we over-value a sportsman in today's culture. They're seen as heroes because they can play sport well weekly on TV. It's quite interesting how we got here.. Congratulations to Adam, and like a few on here I really couldn't care less. I could tell you 2 of the last 10 recipients, and them having it on their resume doesn't make me look at them in a better light. It's just a semi meaningless award with a really good name... Adam does do alot of charity work, but there is people who dedicate their lives to trying to integrate better relations between Aboriginal culture and the general Australian public. Yesterday there was an article about Monash doctors who have world leading progress on Cancer treatment that moves a cure unimaginably closer. What about the 85 year old people who have never retired instead tend to homeless people trying to get their lives back on track. Adam Goodes does what every human should do, do his or her best to give back to those less fortunate or in worse positions, but I do agree that without the outcry of this year's situation, he'd just be another appreciated footballer. Well done Adam, but in my opinion, there are for more deserving members of the Australian public. Keep up the good work nevertheless.

I went for the third view this pre-season. Ball handling and intent were good but kicking was poor with some blame on the blustery conditions. Big focus on in close hands, tackling and two way running. Tyson and Grimes really stood out to me today for their hard run and clean handling and skills. Trengove will never be a jet but is clearly moving better than anytime in the last 2 years. Session went a good 2.5 hours and overall mood among the group was excellent. The guys in rehab have been mentioned but they are definitely doing a lot more than when I saw them 3 weeks ago and are building toward round 1.

I reckon Goodes would agree with you. Empowering a group of people to realise opportunity and rise above a victim mentality. He has refused to be tagged as a second class citizen by anyone, so he should. In essence that is what I believe that Goodes and good indigenous leaders are about. Goodes has risen to the top of the heap as a footballer on merit and he wants his people to be treated and treat themselves as first class citizens, not victims. If nothing else Goodes is an excellent example to young indigenous people and can be held up as a person who has achieved at at high level in his chosen field and he may just inspire others to do the same.

Ignorant ranting has always been Australian - in fact, it's universal. And then came the internet.

Freedom of opinion comes with responsibility and measured thought. Ignorant ranting is not Australian, but unfortunately appears to be growing in popularity.

Just ban this guy. I'm all for heated discussion and copping my fair share, but no one wants this rubbish here.

Have you considered that she might be meeting her lover?

The award is Australian of the Year. It's not specifically for a person's work with one community. It's the subjective view of those on the panel. I think he stands as a worthy winner having come from a background of family hardship and deprivation to a point where he has risen to the top echelon in his field of endeavour as well as standing out as a worthy person in the community. I'm comfortable with it and if people must think there is a conspiracy or a negative issue involving race or colour in the decision to bestow this honour on him, it reflects on them more than anyone else.

Adam Goodes and other indigenous leaders are a beacon of light for young indigenous people. Great choice, legend of the game and a man of integrity. we need blokes like him. He has achieved, he can communicate and considering some of the crap he has had thrown at him he has been fairly gracious. You can throw money at reconciliation and parity but people like Goodes get us closer than any $. I have 2 indigenous foster kids and seeing indigenous people achieving and being recognised has a major impact.

Yeehaw...

Geez - how many laps did you end up doing?

Clearly you are more interested in outrage than facts. All the attention at the time was VERY sympathetic to her and all the talk was about education rather than attacking her. As WJ correctly pointed out, it's "Australian Of The Year", not 'Scientist Of The Year", or "Community Person Of The Year" etc. The focus you're putting on defending an event that so harshly shows the way racism is so ingrained in "our" culture just proves you have no understanding of the actual point.

While I think Goodes is fine as an AOTY, I just don't see why we have to have these awards in the first place.... what is the point of Australian of the Year, Father of the Year etc etc... totally meaningless in my opinion.

DL keyboard warriors at their finest; someone does more community service than most people on this forum combined but still find the nerve to criticise. The award as a whole is flawed, it's silly to appoint one person Australian of the year over others. All should receive an order and that's it. But as for comments such as he does it part time in a sense it's half arsed are inane. As for the 13 year old girls comments... It was the indigenous round, emotions were high, what she said was wrong, and FFS he wasn't trying to shame her in front of the nation he was trying to show the security guard who said the comment so they could deal with it - it was the president of the club she supported which shamed her and went overboard.

Goodes is an amazing footballer whose best is up there with the very best of the game. One of my favourite players to watch of all time. He also happens to be an articulate, passionate, thoughtful and famous advocate for a racial minority that is beginning to heal and reconcile with the multi-racial majority. But an AOTY he is not. He has responded to racial abuse incidents: he has not been a broad based, hard-working advocate for the broader indigenous community for long enough. The young man with the bottled water program, or the man working with the bionic eye program seem to have been overlooked due to a lack of fame and a lack of political power in their sphere of influence. Fame and form have triumphed over substance yet again.

I always thought Steve Vizard as father of the year was a watershed moment.

I'm not against it, in fact I don't really care that much, the award has almost always been given to sports people or celebrities so in my eyes it doesn't hold much value. But I thought that 'over the top' reaction from Goodes which effectively left a 13 y/o exposed to a national media circus hell bent on destroying her character which far outweighed the crime. Both Dale Thomas and Buddy Franklin did similar actions without the over the top 'showmanship', it just smacked of attention seeking. Goodes does no more than what many other Footballers and sportspeople get paid to do, excellent community work around the country. Meanwhile, elsewhere in Australia... http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-01-08/cancer-protein-breakthrough-prompts-drug-development/5190502

They can afford anything they please WJ after the last 7 years.