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This is what Roos said he'd be doing all along. 6 months in Hawaii, 6 in Melbourne where he'd be working in the media.

Stayed for around an hour and a half, they came out later than 11 and it was fairly warm so I left not long after they began a full-ground drill. I'll leave the moment-by-moment commentary to those who are good at it, I'd rather describe the things that stood out to me during the time I was there as well as answer any questions to those who have them. Rehab group from what I saw: Trengove, AVB, Stretch, King, Viney, T-Mac, JKH, Oliver, Kent and Hibberd. (May have missed a couple). T-Mac, JKH and Kent all did the running component with those who were due back today. (The ones who started a few weeks back were exempt from the running component from what I understand). Everyone else was there except Lumumba as has been previously discussed. Early observations: Attending training sessions is a rarity for me, but the one thing that continually surprises me when I do attend them is the sheer size of AFL players in general. As an MCC member who sits second level most weeks, it's hard to get a gauge on the size of AFL bodies compared to 'average-sized' humans like myself. Stretch for example walked past me on the boundary-line and I couldn't really believe the size of him. I'm 180 cm which is his height but he was much thicker than I thought. No doubt this isn't news to regular attendees. The rehab guys did their own running component, Stretch and Trengove did a few timed laps and another thing that stood out was again the difference in body shape/mechanics of those two. Stretch's lower half, especially his glutes/quads and hammies are much more developed than Trengoves and he also clearly carries less weight on his torso. Trengove on the other hand has a bulky upper body with a slightly hunched back but his lower half is much less developed, especially his glutes and calves which seem disproportionate to his upper half. Again, probably obvious to some but one can clearly see that with a body like his, it makes sense that he is so one-paced. Out of the rehab group, I'd be interested to know why Trengove, Oliver and Stretch were part of it. (If anyone knows the answer.) Running observations: The running component for the guys who were due back today lasted about 5-6 minutes at what seemed like a 'as hard as you can go' intensity for the entirety of it. No surprises Tom McDonald blitzed the field and if AFL wasn't his caper, he'd be an Olympic middle-distance runner. Others to impress were Jones, and Bugg who were neck and neck most of the way, JKH (surprised me) and Spencer (also surprised me). Funnily enough, Jordan Lewis was last. But he was also the most vocal when the running finished, yelling at guys to get up off the ground and walk it out. Having Lewis, Jones and Vince is the elder statesmen out on the track is a pretty nice thing. And along with the rest of the list, there's a definite confidence within the entire group. No longer do I shudder at certain players who in my mind shouldn't have been playing at AFL level. And the talent is insanely exciting. There's young talent everywhere, which no doubt adds to the positivity that was on display. Standouts/player comments: Sam Weideman, (similarly to Hogan a couple of years ago) is an imposing figure and presence. I think it's his body shape at this stage and the way he moves that excites. He just looks like a guy who is going to easily fill out his frame and with that will come further confidence. Beautiful hands and he just kept catching my eye today. Already looks close to Hogan's size. Salem: He just looks bullet proof at the moment and is one I think could be a game-changer for us if he plays a full year in 2017. Looks like he is in really good condition and his foot-skills are just disgustingly good. Gawn: Trains like he is a demigod. Knows he is the best ruckman in the league and looks driven to hold onto that mantle. Work-rate and intensity over the duration of the session was really impressive as well as skills and ball-handling below his knees. If he remains injury free, he'll be AA again without a doubt. Harmes: Just a smart player in my eyes. A footballers footballer. I know people knock his disposal at times, but generally I think it's an execution problem rather than a decision making one. He moves so well and just looks so natural kicking on both feet. Will be a really handy rotating mid in a few years I reckon. Brayshaw and Petracca: Can't wait until they reach that 100 game mark. Brayshaw looks fit, I like his left over his right foot but it's pretty handy that he is dual-sided. (Still not on Mitchell's level which is something I keep hearing). ANB: Looks like a man on a mission, was vocal, was hard on himself and was angry at others for not "[censored] spread"(ing)! Garland: (For Wiseblood) - Deliberately tried to ignore him because of my propensity to criticize him. But I will say this: No left foot, constantly looks exhausted, can't see him as a best 22 player... Overall, the man-love and mateship between all players but particularly the young talent is pretty contagious for the group. At one stage I thought Petracca was going to kiss Hogan but it didn't happen. The positivity, intensity and overall vibe has clearly changed from sessions I've been to before and you can tell that they're super confident in each other and individually. It's an exciting time, of that I'm certain. Any questions, feel free. STMJ

It might also be Lewis telling them to get into the habit at training of not showing fatigue so they can (hopefully) translate this approach to matchday.

I think it could be really interesting to hear Roos commenting on a Melbourne game. He'll be very familiar with the side and the players and should provide some real insight for the fans.

Judd commenting on the footy? Put away the Stilnox, we have a natural alternative.

I suspect they are being paid to keep their mouths shut.

funny how the hun made a big deal of his (fanciful) claims of how he was going to prove the innocence of the players and get jobe his brownlow back. here's a guy who continually loses court cases, fails repeatedly to turn up to hearings, fails to abide by legal court requirements yet the hun makes a bigger point reporting his hollow claims of "getting jobe's brownlow back". the quality of journalism these days is so pathetically low and downright lazy

I can't wait for the 2017 season to start...

Please attend more training sessions Steve. Absolutely sensational report.

Why bother replying...

'He spent the off-season working through a tailored program with personal trainer Tom Couch' It would appear that the program consisted of running from the local bakery to KFC and back. Perhaps it's a typo and 'Tom Couch' should read 'The Couch'

best sense of humour in the afl:

far too scientific for saty, rbg

why don't you find out and tell us?

Benny Cousins, Chris Yarran....Who's Next Richmond's recruiting over the last 10 years could well be worse than ours, and i say that in all seriousness!!

I agree fully.....do a deal like Yarram and the Tiges have done today....so we can move on....that's my opinion

I dont ubderstand why they are getting payouts. They were responsible for what went into their bodies...

What really irritates me about these crap jumpers apart from representing the shade of Surrender is the simple fact that offten i have to double check to see if it is MY TEAM playing. It dilutes the connection between the member and club even if only slightly. I find it offensive. Would my family EVER think of altering the Family Tartan? No.

Danger can kick long to a context or long to the goals but give him a leading target to hit from 40m plus away and hes very average.

Literary reference: The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis.

I reckon you're overthinking it, i get the impression Roosy is done with club land. Having said that by round 12 this year if the Suns, Tigers and Pies have had rubbish starts to the year, they may all be shopping for a new coach and all three are capable of offering big $$ his way, so who knows. Wonder if Roosy will talk about us constantly like he used to do with the Swans?

thats what I wanted to see... cheers

Got along to training today, obviously warm blustery conditions. As already noted, no Lumumba. No Garlett either. Everyone else appeared to be there and were either in the rehab group or the main group (with some rotating between, depending on the nature of their injuries). Some random observations: - Petracca already looks leaner, particularly his upper body - Hogan and Brayshaw continue to impress (as was noted in previous sessions) - there is a significant focus on non-preferred foot skills - the ground was segmented into three sections longitudinally with lines running end to end from about a metre either side of each point post. Not clear what role this played in the drills I observed - Lewis is already vocal (eg imploring those in a group that ran 4/5 fast laps to stand up at the completion and not hunch over) - Melksham trained with the main group, Hibberd with the rehab - other rehab group participants (not exhaustive) were Stretch, VDB, Viney, TMAC, Pedersen, Oliver, JKH, Trengove (running laps), King - the skill sessions were mixed - a bit difficult to be fair as conditions were atrocious. Harms and Neal-Bullen (in particular) have some residual challenges around their disposal Will revert with more if anything else comes to mind.

Love reading this... "When Lewis hit Jesse Hogan on the chest in a drill, the former Hawthorn vice-captain joked that the star forward should get used to that sort of service, to the laughter of his new teammates." http://www.afl.com.au/news/2016-11-21/star-demon-recruit-jordan-lewis-hits-the-track

Aha, I knew I should read books instead of comics.

To be fair, I think there has been precious little outrage either. There has got to be some middle ground between dismissing the incident completely and putting him in front of a firing squad. I suggest that blowing any alcohol reading when you are on P's is foolish (and the law is in place for a reason) and will elicit some form of punishment - definitely from the police and probably from the leadership group. These sorts of offenses (even though this appears on the minor end of the scale) is something sponsors absolutely hate. I dont drink so .05 has never been a problem but have absolutely sped and copped my right whack on occasions. But there has to be an understanding that different professions have different standards associated with them. With all the money in AFL there is an expectation from the league, the club, the players themselves and certainly supporters that players conduct themselves in a certain way on and off the field. To re-iterate - it is not a hanging offense but merely acknowledgment of a behavior that is below expectation. We move on.

Need more novelty items. Like the Chris Dawes football. "The ball that never leaves a mark! Is it a ball? Is it a brick?....It's hours of fumbling fun". Or the board game Geelongopoly. "Be the first player to lose by 186 points. Then choose who to sack - the coach or the CEO". Or the new party game "What Mark Neeld really meant" - One player chooses a favourite quote such as, "I simply want to coach the team that's the hardest to play against in the AFL". Another player then guesses what he really meant "I simply want to coach the team that's the hardest to watch in the AFL". You'll be rolling down the aisles in tears.

wasn't even an issue without hd and since digital tv

It's about Danks ego. Banned or not he will never get another AFL gig. This man has serious issues, and in my opinion he will not be with us for long.

He's not really contesting it. He thinks he's shoving it up The Man. Like that's some kind of personal victory. The fool doesn't realise that he's wasting his own time and resources as well. Or maybe he doesn't care. Any way you look at it he's a dropkick.

Another baffling outcome: How could any of the EFC 34 look at Dank and seriously think this guy was an expert in cutting edge pharmaceuticals? Or anything for that matter. If he came near me with a BS explanation about calves blood and high performance and a needle I would run a mile. They deserve everything they have received in penalties on that alone.

The left embracing every minority and in social interest group that exists has turned it's rhetoric into bland twaddle. Unfortunately we see a similar pattern with speech here. Strong words receive immediate rebuke or censorship. For instance ,I can't call BBO a fat,lecherous,drunkard completely lacking in any moral fibre whatsoever even though I know it to be true and he will admit as much. Nor can I point out that Australian crime ( terrorism/ treason) is dominated by one ethnic group named in Parliament yesterday (finally). The left side of Politics thinks to protect the weak ,you need to be weak in speech. It has never been thus. I see politics as bread and circuses , similar to football. Outside of entertainment , politics will never change a life- it merely reflects how sick society is. The Donald has held a mirror to society- it says " booo" publicly and votes for him in private.

Funny thing. I know a few folks who are into running and they all tell me that hunching is the worst thing to do and you need to keep yourself upright with the shoulders back. It seems that your instinct is to hunch/bend over but it's not necessarily the best thing to do, which is probably why the reports are saying that Lewis was making his group stand up and walk around rather than collapse on the ground or adopt the classic Hands on Knees pose.

Judd's taking over from Buckley... ...or maybe Roos is and they are setting Judd up as the coach in waiting. Eddie has previous experiences with succession planning. I mean what could go wrong.

danger is an average kick? wow, give me average any time

But it is an offense none-the-less. There's a good reason they don't want people drink driving.

are you now surmising that he is surmising, because i'm surmising that you are?

Hallelujah! But see below... While I'm delighted we seem to be working on improving the non-preferred side, I suspect in the last few years so much work was needed on the preferred side there wasn't time to add this particular icing to the cake. In any other industry it wold be illegal to "cut them loose" if a person is sick, injured or unwell. I'm surprised posters don't appear to recognise that OH&S laws also apply to professional football clubs.

Not everyone is Clark, OD. We still did the right thing there too.

Garlett was a no show also and Melksham joined in main group so must be ahead of Hibberd with fitness. Couldn't stay long today - work called. Oliver was crook last week so probably rehab for the week, Trengove will be eased back in. Stretch just managing his body.

STMJ how is Hulett looking in comparison to Weideman and Hogan size wise and moving wise please?

How dare you derail the H thread! Oh wait.... Thanks Steve great in depth stuff, appreciated, even if I did have to wade through pages of debate about a player that already has its own thread.

I'd suggest that if Lumumba is walking like a duck and quacking like a duck then there is every chance he has concussion (and more)

Glad to see the Lewis effect has already begun. Am positive that his will be a marvelous influence. Some players will think they do all they can. He'll educate many into the understanding of what makes 'elite'

Can't tell with Brayshaw either - superb kick with either foot.

In regards to H, I played with a fella who got a couple of successive head knocks, had terrible headaches for over a year, wasn't allowed to drive and was never allowed to play again. I could totally understand if H was still feeling the efdects

Im still not sure who we actually clash with ?

for sake of clarity this is the work I was just talking of Between the Blue and the Red versions...cant see what else is needed. They both invoke the new Acorn in a fashion whilst paying respect to the MFC logo. They LOOK like proper jumpers not Touristy Souvenirs of Basketball Singlets The White isnt necessary at all IMHO

Red option plus a royal blue option would cover all bases - can't think of any team we would go close to "clashing" with if we had these two plus our home jumper to choose from. West Coast have done a similar thing for 2017.