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Dear everyone, Don't worry about Clarry. He was the standout for me today. Hogan was also brilliant.

I arrived at 10:00am and took up position on the fence where the players rested before rejoining the action. For that reason quite a bit of what was happening onfield was blocked, but the conversation of the resting players was a real insight to their focus and commitment to the drill. Too much to mention in detail but Gawn, Lewis, Watts and Jones were central to giving feedback and adjusting the tactics to be more competitive. I snapped away with my iPhone, being so close, and I will try to post a few here. In general, the training session was grueling in the already balmy atmosphere. There were many turnovers but I put that down to the growing awareness and application of defensive skills and the clear understanding of the gameplan. The players were going at full pace and the run and spread was exceptional. There were so many standout moments by the regular stars that I will only make mention of those that are on the rise. Oliver is going to take the next step in 2017. In one tackle routine he took on Max, who had no hesitation in thrusting a forearm in Clarrie's face. Oliver hung on like a terrier and Max continued to roughhouse him. Oliver seemed a little pizzed off with this treatment, but he won't take a backward step! Salem is back to his 'smooth-as-silk' best. Brayshaw is set for 22 games plus finals! Petracca will live up to the promise. Prepare to be pleasantly surprised by Johnstone's belief, skill and forward pressure. Oscar is looking sharp, more defined and more confident.

No Kent, no ANB as far as I saw. Rehab: Hannan, Wagner, JKH, King, Flippers, Melksham. Pedda and McDonald for some. Joel Smith and Mitch White did runs throughs instead of the final drills. Lots of full ground ball movement v opposition after some lighter drills earlier. Observations: - Frost is a hard one. Half the list couldn't get near tackling him today, not even close. But his disposal is a worry. - Oliver was certainly training hard. Sprinting passed team mates in drills on the spread. - Garlett's lack of brains with forward pressure continues to annoy me and he's not the only one who seems to switch off as a forward or not quite get the zoning right as a defender. They are working on them and some get it better than others. - Hibberd seems very good across half back at reading the play. - Lewis looks well versed at where to go as a mid. He'll often just sit inside and infront of a target down the line. Today was the most impressed I've been by him. Super sharp quick decisions and kicked well. - Vanders back up forward makes a difference to the work rate both ways, his skills might not be perfect but he works hard - All of the first year draftees were held out of the final match sim but Tim Smith impressed earlier, the tempo doesn't look too fast for him and Keilty took a nice grab and kicked well - Viney makes a noticeable difference to the pressure around the midfield. Players just know they can't run around or through him. Frost was running passed everyone but stopped with Viney. - Brayshaw was heavily involved in several of the drills. His ability to intercept and burst was really noticeable. Some of his kicks were picked off but other times his direct style of play led to getting out the back - Tyson is just better. Faster. Smoother on both feet.

A question came from the audience with regard to the Away Jumper and basically we are restricted to what we can have by the AFL. Incredulously there are seven or eight Clubs that the TV Media say we clash with - St. Kilda, Richmond, Adelaide, Carlton and have forgotten the others. The Club has put several options forward. PJ said the Club hate the away jumper and he knows that the supporters hate it as well. Also he was upfront in saying that although the supporters get cranky with the AFL they did listen to the Club's proposal that we do not play anymore home games at Etihad. Great to think of what the relationship with Casey has now become. Put the right people in place and good things happen. Simon Goodwin is not a "come with me on a journey" type of speaker like Paul Roos but certainly very down to earth and obviously passionate about his job. He spoke one on one to Hannan, Johnstone, Hibberd and Lewis. Jordan Lewis got one or two rousing ovations - a very clear favourite"son" now that he has chosen the destination Club. Simon asked about his decision to come to Melbourne and it certainly was his relationship with Todd Viney that clearly was the determining factor. He said he knew other people from other Clubs but he wanted to go to a Club at this stage of his career where he could make a difference and that it was a Club that was "going places" He spoke very well with Simon saying the first time he spoke to the other players he really made an impression. A good night, succinct, not over the top but definitely there is a certain finals feeling in the air. Be excited. CBD Get well - I thought you might be there in your hospital nightie!!!!!!!!!!!! Sorry for the repeat but just read other posts.

Popped down for a good hr or so. Agree with Whispering_Jack....the Barbie! that onion smell. felt like I was at Bunnings... Few little points. Jordan Lewis! ...I already feel like he is going to bring some serious value to our boys this year. The little "Lewis School" coaching sessions that were going on during every break while his group were resting. brings a smile to my face. eat it Hawthorn.... Other noticables for me. - Stretch is catching my man Tracc in the quads department. that leg press must be copping a beating. - TMac still on light duties. - Big Spence also moving well. still has a rough disposal - Salem. Such a sublime kick - Hibberd. Big unit. - Crossy....could still get a game. - JKH looks like he needs a few more months of building back up. - Hoges looking good. - Wattsy (and his hair) building a huge amount of confidence & swagger. - The rookies, are all looking like rookies. baby giraffes.

PJ - Casey Scorpions to become Casey Demons in 2017 and wear the Melbourne jumper.

A few observations from today... Crossy is a gun, had the rehab group working before the main group came out. Just professional in his approach, well organised and you can see he has the respect of the players...funny thing, when the players were coming in early in the session Trac (sure he has ADD) was calling for a ball from Crossy, just turned his back and ignored him. A few polite words from Trac...then he found a ball to play with. The 2 big rucks in development (King & Flip) working with Crossy handle the ball well but both are a bit awkward with their kicking style. Frosty is a great athlete, really hard to get away from as Hibbo found out but really has a problem with kicking, decision making or maybe both. As soon as he stops to think he's done. He needs to go with his first option, but if it doesn't come off it may do him in for confidence. As for Clarry, he worked pretty hard but did get chipped from one of the coaches at one point for not pushing up into the action. They're making sure he doesn't sit back and admire his work. He's still a kid and at times still trains like one...but he is a gun in the making, no doubt about that and the FD will leave no stone unturned to get him there. Skills look up across the group as far as my memory of previous year goes which is good. A thought on the np kicking, and I hope 'Sat' gets to ask 'Macca' about this. Just looking at how this session was going, and I left before it finished. Players were still coming around onto there kicking foot so it's doesn't seem to be a rule to kick on np if you are on that side. I noticed a couple of times some quick kicks on the np and it seemed to be when covered on the mark instead of trying to get a looping handball over the top there was a quick kick on the np if necessary in place of a long handball to get play moving...just a thought. Edit: forgot this.... Every now and then I would notice some nice work by a player, seemed quite composed and professional in how he went about it...who is number 9? looks pretty good. Whether Trenners makes it back as a regular who knows but he doesn't look out of place.

Don't know about that #32. I might put pen to paper (or the equivalent on my iphone) but there's so much going on at training and I'm in awe of those who regularly report on the training sessions here because it's not possible to take everything in - well done to all of our correspondents for filling us in with so much good information. I will say that after last night's AGM and today's training, I think we're light years ahead of the club we have been in the past decade. It seems that we've stepped up several notches in terms of the professionalism, the attitude and the culture of the place - not to mention the depth of quality of player on our list these days. That's not to deride those who have worked for the club in the past - it's just that we've moved forward so much in such a short space of time. Can I take off my rose coloured glasses now?

Following on from what WJ has put, I have been going to training since they moved to Goschs, I was dubious three of four years ago when Misso came on board and said they would have to start from scratch and rebuild the whole fitness/medical/rehab area, there wasn't instantaneous results, but over time the whole standard has lifted and those at the club now are benefiting from the new regime/organisation that was put in place Everybody players/coaches/kit guys/trainers/medicos/media/analysts, me knows exactly what is going to occur during a session and each player knows exactly what he is required to do in that session. The coaches all have earpieces (except Macca) and two way radios so they can talk to each other during the session, to watch Macca prowl around the field, coaching the players, coaching the coaches, a little word here, a gesture there is a treat for the watchers A player has to report the slightest twinge/niggle immediately, it is assessed and a call made on whether they stay out on the field We have the new draftees and rookies training with the main group before Xmas and nearly doing the whole session The guys in rehab are given targets weekly to ensure that if and when they get out of the rehab group they can go straight into everything The morale of the players is the best I have seen,

Well Hunt tried to break Jack Watts' leg at training, "I got the ball didn't I" he is looking better than last year I asked both Goody and Macca they want a team that can kick both sides to keep ball going forward, non preferred practice will be staying Col Garland looks in top shape, asked him how he was travelling, first time in four years he is pain free in ankles, able to complete every session Also Trengove trained really well today said he is now able to do whatever he wants on the field without 'worrying' about his body More later, pics are up on Instagram and treat time later Six was there taking heaps of photos

Best moments of the day: Nathan Jones running at the back of a group encouraging and physically pushing Angus Brayshaw and another ??? saying, "C'mon, all of us... keep going...all of us..." Great captain's stuff. Col Garland leading nearly every sprint at the end of a gruelling 3 hour session. Jack Viney, Petracca, Jesse Hogan, Max Gawn and others making themselves available for photos and autographs... Yes, Hogan was smiling! General feeling of positivity and camaraderie amongst the players and coaches. Meeting Saty! All in all, a great day. Bring on 2017.

This is a subject that I've thought about a lot over the years and my answer might surprise a few but I think the renaming might be the best thing to happen for the Casey Scorpions Demons. The club originated in Springvale which underwent significant population changes from the 1980s and as such would have struggled to survive at this level had the decision to relocate not been made a decade ago. However, the move to Casey Fields was also problematic because Casey had little identity at the time. The Casey municipality was created in the 1990s as part of Jeff Kennett's overhaul of local councils. It essentially merged two councils - Cranbourne and Berwick and the club found itself located just outside Cranbourne which already had its own strong local club with an identity of its own and some natural resistance to embracing the relocated club. What we've seen in my view at Casey is a club with declining support from the old Springvale following and not enough local support although that should change because the closer residential environment around Casey Fields is growing at a substantial rate. It's good to see that with the new name there will still be recognition and respect for the Springvale tradition while the club moves forward into the future and will continue to foster the game for both men and now women in the area. There will be some old Springvale supporters who are not happy but you have to be realistic and embrace the future. Casey Scorpions set to drop name and jumper and tighten links with Melbourne Demons Ironically, yesterday's announcement came on the same day on which the 2017 fixture was announced with the club shown on it as "Casey" rather than "Casey Scorpions". Perhaps somebody knew?

Colin Garland - made life member.

Peter Jackson on board as CEO until end of 2018.

Just another thought on the rebranding. The old Dandenong VFA side was known as the Demons (and I think a Dandenong side plays in a local competition branded as the Demons as well). Here's an opprtunity to extend the connection all the way up to Dandenong which is up the road to the city from Casey and which has a large and diverse community. I note we also have an existing connection because the Dandenong Stingrays which is one of our feeders for the new academy system. Makes sense to me that we also foster Dandenong as well as the Casey-Cardinia-Gippsland regions.

Amazing Messi 42 Right Foot Goals

It's probably more to do with the peak interfering with their peripheral vision with footies flying about the place. Necks and faces can easily be covered with sun screen anyway, scalps not so much (unless your name is Nathan Jones).

KC, just interested, how will the Scorpion followers feel about the name and jumper change?

lol, i'd be rapt if we could get 50k, but 45k represents a big increase of 15%. patience grasshopper

So for Foxtel suscribers, next Friday is a good day to start you Christmas leave early or queue up some recordings on the iQ for some classic big Maxy (and MFC wins) showing on the Fox Footy channel. Eight whole games in total starting with Rd 11, 2011 Vs Essendon, cumulating with Rd 20, 2016 Vs Hawthorn. ...hanging out big time!

Completely agree with bolded section, but I don't agree that it is just "the next best thing". How would our own standalone VFL club be any different. We largely bankroll Casey, appoint the coaches, have exactly the same number of VFL listed players as Collingwood or Geelong etc. They will now play in our jumper and be called the Demons. Justin Plapp has created a genuine bond between the AFL list and the VFL list and we've recruited two of their players for 2017, showing that there is a genuine pathway through this affiliation. It is our club!

PJ signed to 2018 - a great club is created not on the back of one man but by unified group of people. The board develop the agenda and strategy and management execute it. Credit should go to all levels of management starting from Glen Bartlett, his leadership, his board PJ, his team the footy department, players and every one else that work within our club. That's success!

I love this kid.

I think they have a 2 week break over xmas/new years which isn't really all that unusual, it just falls early this year. Unlike most of us they can't spend it boozing and eating. The long break from September (for non finalists) all the way to mid November is a different issue but if they want to play well they better work in that time. And who really cares how long they get off, the 22 weekends from March to September is when they earn their money regardless of if they trained 365 days a year or had 20 weeks off.

Cheers for that, it deserved a double take .

We can blame the AFL for the fact it has to be white while others are allowed red!

Arrived with my grandkids for the penultimate session of the year. Smell of the barbie is magnificent. Good crowd (but there are some strange characters out here ).

Goody interviewed Hibberd, Hannan Johnstone and Lewis, nice mix of humour and fact Hibberd has no sea legs Johnstone has a selfie with Jordan Lewis from last year Goody going to employ Hannan to reno his house Lewis was Joe Cool

Hope you are better soon.

Hard to believe that it is only 3.5 years since he came on board - he has achieved so much already. Can't wait to see where he takes us over the next few years. From a big picture club view that is as good as extending Hogan's contract.

Simon Goodwin now speaking about the added experience Jordan Lewis and Michael Hibberd bring to the club. Players working hard and willing to learn.

Volunteer awards to Sophie Galer & Ryan Sinclair of the Demon Army

Now THAT is a good signing Well done. Fantastic He has 'nailed his reputation to our mast' He would not stick around if he didn't think we were going to get there Well done everyone at the Club.

Have you told him how you feel?

Has Watson found his ill gained Brownlow yet? Hope i see him in Elwood soon. I will remind him

Don't think that the door is ajar, the house has been demolished. More chance of an 18 year old girl picking me over Jesse Hogan, to go on a date with.

Thanks for the updates! As a baldy myself, I completely understand Nathan Jones covering up the top of his head- burns very, very easily. (Ps. Hat backwards so you don't poke a teammate in the eye when in close)

That would have to be the great Jack Dyer , good ordinary player

In looking around about the Redlegs i stumbled on this brilliant website. Worth a look if you a footy history fan: http://australianfootball.com/

Yes, nothing like sacrificing your face for the back of your neck!

been checked for concussion lately bbp? he ain't coming back.

Yes Saty - that was one of the two questions asked from the floor and PJ made it quite clear that the AFL lays down the rules about when there's a clash and that the club is working on a better outcome. The suggested jumper for Round 1 v St Kilda is based on the women's team jumper. I personally can't work out the one about the genius at the AFL who thinks our colours clash with those of Richmond. Did my eyes deceive me or was the guy who asked the question wearing a top in Eagles' colours? The other question was about China and PJ says we haven't given up on China but our emphasis is more on attracting the local Chinese community to the club. He said that there were problems associated with playing games there in May. Having spent some time earlier in the year in both Shanghai and Beijing and experienced the smog there, I would add that there are definite health issues that need to be taken into account. Glad they're giving it a miss although PJ did say we were asked by the AFL if we were interested.

As the Casey Demons, are we precluded from having a Casey Demons Women's Team? Be nice to have depth in both the male and female teams down the track.

Mentioned celebrating diverity through a round and making that a key event for the club. Mentioned there was a footy cost to playing games in China and current strategy was focused on attracting new diverse support here in Australia

John Clare - trainer inducted as a life member.

Casey Demons wearing the red and blue!

My recollections of playing Doveton Lions in the junior comp are: Being punched in the head every time I lead up for a mark by a bloke with a full beard who then did time for murder Several parents beaten up when we played at their home ground as juniors Most of their u16 side driving cars to our ground A general feeling of fear

Appreciate the updates for people who can't be there.

Just announced that PJ contract extended to end of 2018

Soft....try playing coolooroo rovers in the vafa as old boys of a private school They were reputed to have been ejected from f grade and their team included players taking part in a pentridge day release scheme I found the spectators more of a risk than the players