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I went along from about 10.30ish. Missed Frost. Spoke to Garlett who said he is back in full training next week, was doing run throughs and looks fine, Kent was in full training and is probably a week or so ahead of Garlett, if there is a choice between them. Watts looked fine as he has all pre-season. I am also in the camp that thinks he is hard done by. If you saw Suckling in the Dogs second pre-season game he had love handles! Goodwin says we'll get back "a very good player" when he returns, well he already is a very good player. He has been a top track worker over the years and this year is no exception, I'd be [censored] if I was him, getting dragged through the media again, but Jack just keeps bouncing back, he is a very resilient character. Anyway sorry I got distracted. He will play Thursday as reported above so hopefully all this can once again be put behind him. Tyson is back and should play Thursday, looked good. Jetta was in fine form and will take Hibberd's place in Perth I would think. He trained very well, never beaten and always hit his targets when he had the ball, which brings me to Melksham. I think Jetta helps free up Melksham to attack and get off his player and up the ground a bit as he was doing in the match sim. Kent needs a few games to get back to full fitness,came back with a bit of pud and with his injury has never got to full throttle this pre-season. May play Thursday. Johnstone keeps impressing me. He has something, I think he's a good pick up. They are working hard with Joel Smith. With especially Frost who was terrific in the intra club the last time we saw him and Wagner and now Hibberd out our depth is being tested for the third tall defender. Joels disposal is not great but he attacks the ball. Pederson who looks a bit out of favour used mainly as a back up was played in defence today.

For Satyr and all others who take the time to post training reports, please keep up the good work.

Pro Dee, let it go.

In tennis terms:15 all, Saty's serve. Fair enough to have a different view but I don't think the personal attack is warranted. I for one appreciate Saty's input to the training reports.

Notable inclusions: Jack Watts now we can all get back to our regular lives and worry about where in the 8 we're going to finish

I've put ProDee on ignore now, you would think if he doesn't find my posts informative he wouldn't read them, but then again..... I will reiterate what I have posted before re injury, I ask, if they answer I put the answer, I don't necessarily belive what is told to me, but I let others form their own opinion , something some on here seem to a difficulty with I have watched a lot of training this pre season, and I am buggered if I can see any change in Watts during any sessions, apart from the Intraclub, but that is my opinion I do find it rather amusing that if I put something a player or coach tells me it is rubbish, yet if others do the same it is 'inside mail',laughable On the Garlett situation will be ready to go Rd1

Clear September in the diary

http://www.afl.com.au/news/2017-03-07/afl-players-top-50-the-day-max-gawn-became-invincible The pre-season hype continues, with our fourth player included in this year's AFL Players top 50, a ranking voted by the players themselves. 17. Max Gawn 33. Nathan Jones 44. Jordan Lewis 50. Jack Viney It's hard to remember any point in recent history that we've had this many players considered among the competition's best (perhaps White/Yze/Neitz/Bruce back in the early 2000s?). It's a far nicer feeling than opening up Mike Sheehan/Robbo's top 50 to find Nathan Jones buried in the "players who just missed out" section.

Tom Mac is also prone to missing the odd kick here or there, but you don't see anybody on this site make an example of him...

Give myself a jolly good flogging!

Excellent to see Trenners named! I hope he has a good hit out.

Just goes to show what a (little bit) of on field success can do. IMHO Nathan Jones has been playing at this level consistently for the last four years, yet suddenly he is now deemed to be the 33rd best player in the comp.

Pedo has always been hard done by the footy club. I use to shake my head when old mate 'buckets' Dawes would continue to spud it up every week while Pedo would come in every 3rd week and make a solid contribution while in the side.

Too good not to play end of story

More specifically it is a drawing of the drawing of a long bow.

Joel Selwood has cost his club the TAC sponsorship. I await the "penalty" with baited breath. Hope I haven't derailed the arguing.

Stop watching replays of the 2006 elim final

If Hibberd, Frost and Wagner all miss round 1, I can't see how Garland doesn't play round 1. Wouldn't we need a 3rd medium-tall defender to take Membrey? The 2 Macs will take on McCartin and Bruce but who's going to take the dangerous Membery? i see this as a full dress rehearsal for Garland as we likely don't have anyone left as that third tall defender available to us in round 1.

old man love your training reports, there's not much else to read on this site in pre season, you are not the only one not to notice any different in watts this preseason, me and Eddie on Sen overnights talk all about watts and Melbourne, four times a week he thought watts had came back in good shape from the off season too, and he has connection in the club and often goes to training.

If at all possible I'll take both of them

Channel 7 M Stevens says yes Achilles soreness, likely to miss round 1 and Watts a starter for the game against the Weagles.

It was, another good session of ball movement drills Frost, Garlett, King, White, Wagner in rehab group No VDB, JKH Tyson, Jetta and Kent all looking sharp hoping to convince coach Same with Watts The speed and accuracy of some of the ball movement good to watch Hogan and Brayshaw my standouts

Not going to add any more fuel to this raging inferno but would just make this observation, as one of the regular track watchers by the way. The track watchers (myself included) naturally focus on the actions of the guys with ball in hand....and Watts has been elite in that space for some time. The rub on Jack (particularly from Goodwin and McCartney) at the end of 2015 going in to 2016 was his defensive stuff and attack on the football...attributes that they are adamant are the cornerstones of how Melbourne FC will play its footy. It's not too much of a stretch then to conclude that Jack may well have had a relapse in this area and/or returned in less than stellar shape fitness wise. The possibility of off-field indiscretions has also been raised but nobody has thus far shared credible intel. To conclude that he's been targeted or made a victim frankly beggars belief.

Dwayne Russell is commentating the game (heard him mention it today on 3AW with a Tom McDonald interview). So perhaps watching the replay on mute if we win?

... leave Etihad in a happy mood for a change.

That's because the media didn't ask about Jetta or Frost or Garland etc. The media loves a Jack Watts story so it was actually them who singled Watts out. The club just responded. Garland may also be down in his standards but no one cared to ask.

be happy !

There are very few butchers left in the AFL as teams can't afford to carry them. There are so few around that I now buy my meat from "an average kick".

It would be exciting to see some good form from Trenners...fingers crossed for him he gets a bit of a run

Please indulge my verbosity .The fear of flat battery and the loss of my "train" of thought is ever present so I will keep my second instalment brief.Many of you would liken the train to a red rattler I'm sure. Besides speaking awful French with De,signalling to beer wench,signing and gesticulating with moocher and rotten tooth,I shall miss all the kids in the village.(Not in a Gary Glitter way either before you think the worst). The children are learning English these days and venture up to parlez with the ghost from oz,always smiling as if there futures were as bright and promising as the morning.There seems to be little evidence of disaffection,angst,dread and irritability that we've come to know and love in our brilliant society.They can find amusement in such games as kick the can,get the bread or fetch the anything.No grumbling,no whining, no self-pity.A leaf or two could be taken. The smell of urine incense tells me my coffee is waiting,the tinkling of bells,the nattering of women.The worst natterer of all is a Lady I've dubbed Hanoi Helen.HH gets us all up at 5am ,ready or not.She travels over the loud speaker from the govt office known as The Voice of Vietnam. She starts off with a bit of "news" possibly fake ,before digressing into a bit of exercise instruction and counting for the benefit of our health .Mercifully,she only rants on for 30 minutes but that is enough to start the chooks ,who get the dogs going,who start up the ladies,who start the scooters and before 6 the village is abuzz with the pursuit of industry. I've obtained some wire cutters and my parting gesture to the town will be to snip the two loud speaker wires in the street so HH gives it a little rest tomorrow.No doubt some good citizens will patch it up when the alarm is raised, or isn't . Sometimes we all need a little break. Even Hanoi Helen.

Viney is certainly capable of kicking well - his goals in both JLT matches are a good example. He definitely doesn't lack the skill. But while he's capable of hitting a leading forward on the chest from 30-40 metres, he's also capable of missing them by 10 metres. To me, sometimes he just doesn't take enough care to get it right. When he's created some space for himself in congestion, he either hurries the kick or bombs it, without taking that fraction of a second to steady himself and kick it to advantage. So we often don't get value out of the clearances he wins. If he had Tyson's or Oliver's ability to find a teammate from a clearance, he'd be much more damaging. With all this talk about KPIs, he should have a KPI for "taking care with disposal". But that'll never happen, of course.

This is a drawing of a long bow.

You've got plenty of Kant about you Deiter, and there is no need for you to stop the other. Such a successful formula is worth persevering with.

Jeffy is fine, was running freely chasing kicks from Frost, hence telling me was fine when he did it, he has 3 weeks and he was zipping around today Wagner was also back running at mearly full pace Frost is another one who gives nothing not sure what issue is BenKen did whole session same with Viney Got to welcome Mr Whelan back, was watching training, been in a good paddock Watts was Watts still think it was his effort in Intraclub

Never mind the bollocks Bitters,nor the Block. Some of my former "receptionists" have some rather arty photos and video of Scott Cam on a bender, looking less than stunning in his birthday suit.Mrs Cam might be interested to know how he spends his evenings after a big day of filming paint dry and cement hardening. There is (low) life in the old Gat yet. Still no vacancy for Special Robert. We may be desperate and deranged but we have standards.

Not to mention his 2018 training observations are courtesy of Nostradamus.

What a truly depressing day. Time to leave you see,and say ta ta to all my unhired help. Saying goodbye to virtually free cigarettes,notably these Kent "switch" things that contain a small capsule of menthol in the filter,the cracking of which is as addictive and pleasurable as the nicotine.Saves on toothpaste. Au revoir to my Little restaurant on the river where my every culinary fantasy is eagerly indulged with the point of a finger at a photo,then ruined with a little twist of their own.Last night For example,a plate of French fries presented with a [censored] of butter and some sugar on a side dish,no sauce and evidently,no salt. Goodbye to my blinking pal De, who runs the restaurant when he isn't drinking with the clients or off down the road for a relaxing massage in his Audi,which I must have financed over the years ,mostly the early times when I was charged double or triple rates. De and his 9 or 12 brothers manage a dream life flitting between Paris and the Delta,exporting various tacky bits of furniture ,knick knacks,and probably some other medicinal materials if the recent renovations to the house are any guide.The junkies of Paris can consider themselves fortunate they have their own Franco Cozzo business model in Europe.Not having to deal with the Afghan supply chain must save them from commiting several burglaries per month. Goodbye to the obnoxious ,mooching bastard next door,whom I only tolerate in the hope of bedding one of his daughters one day.His ability to sniff the scent of a freshly opened beer bottle is truly a gift and makes up for his hacking cough,obtained through gratis smokes donated by village idiots like myself ,though there is ample competition for the title here.. His counterpart, the other bastard next door manages his own tobacco needs and beer somehow but he has made the dreadful mistake of demolishing his own house before having somewhere comfortable to stay in the interim.Roof tiles have been cleverly used as a type of terra cotta pebble mix to avoid cartage,though I did persuade him to save some ancient teak beams from the firewood stock-hand carved centuries ago at a guess.Iwont miss looking at his rotten front tooth or hearing his terrible broken English,the glorious tales of his cousin in Sydney or the virtues of Communism. The beer wench opposite will no doubt miss me,her face lighting up at the prospect of my custom ,which is often twice daily.The Saigon stuff is quite tolerable and the crates hold 16 bottles .You would think 16 enough for my immediate needs but moocher and friends always assist.Beer wench is a stout woman of about 50,very tanned,and charmingly informally dressed in floral pyjamas. Won't miss the erratic power supply and low voltage output playing havoc with the rotten iPad and it's impertinent predictive text function,nor the foul odour of the Thay Ninh rubber company boiling latex daily in the 35 degree heat,the various village karaoke machines set to deafening volumes and the various stars and starlets who produce less harmonious tones than the stray dogs and Roosters manage every morning.

That's usually the hammy before it goes twang.

It's hardly a revelation that amateur observers miss the nuance of conditioning and intensity as they watch training. Watching training and picking up some odds and sods is very different to processing training, knowing what the coaches are assessing, as well as being behind the scenes in meetings/conversations and having an understanding of what is being asked of the player. Scoop is worried that his entire 2018 training observations won't be taken seriously because he had no clue Watts wasn't meeting training standards. Annoying players by questioning their injuries and getting told porkies doesn't help his credibility either. I draw both of your attention to these direct quotes from Goodwin, "Jack had a few months where he wasn’t at the level, to his own admission." Link below. It also mentions in the article that Watts came back "underdone", although that's not a quote from Goodwin, so no doubt you'll dismiss it, because it suits your biased narrative even though it's a logical conclusion given recent reports, as well as comments from @Leoncelli_36 who received inside mail that this was indeed the case.. So this isn't about one intra-club performance as Scoop asserts, it's about "a few months" of below level training intensity. However you want to put your own slant on it you're both wrong. Accept the coach just may have a better handle on things than your good selves. http://www.foxsports.com.au/afl/jack-watts-slowly-building-training-intensity-as-he-pushed-for-spot-in-melbourne-round-1-lineup/news-story/b1e55d6e171bfd20008a8d0215fb172e

I despair for the state of American Politics. I am not sure it would have been any better had Hillary got in - I think it would have been an entirely different sort of disfunction with continued "corruption" and "misdeed" type of allegations swirling around her. It's like going to the footy and knowing you have to eat but then seeing the choices before you. You are going to eat, but you know the food is all going to be crap. ( and for the record - Australian political choices are no better)

My mate Jacko reckons 50 shades of gray is just the first 50 days of sodom rewritten to include a billionaire.

So he didn't say much?

Of course. Each time a filth player does one.

I'd also play cautious with Jack Viney if there is any sign tenderness in his (previously) broken hand. We know exactly what we will get from Jack, and there's no point taking even the slightest risk with such an important player when there are no premiership points up for grabs.

I'd be interested in some details on how Jack Watts trained. Did he impress enough to make his selection v the Eagles likely?