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That reel shows what a truly class player he is. I would rather have him kicking around the corner from the middle of a crowd than, eg, Tracc lining up for a set shot 20m out. As I have said in other threads: he is there to kick goals and the criticism of him being selfish was totally wrong. He is not like Spargo, there to assist; he is there to finish.

He’s a gun. Highly skilful and beautiful to watch.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to everyone. It is a tough Christmas for me because my 92 year old Mum died on Saturday 10th December from bladder cancer. We had a wonderful memorial service for Mum on Wednesday 21st December. Thank you to Andy and team for running a great website.

A list came up on my Instagram feed yesterday. Goals kicked from 2018 - 2022. Fritsch is 8th on the list with 199 goals. Brown is next with 188. https://www.instagram.com/p/CmdzkaFO9a7/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=

The other that's gained him probably another 10 - 15 goals the past few years is that he's got his set short routine perfected and so rarely misses shots, particularly the regulation ones. Overall, he's really just in such a great head space for a forward that you want the ball in his hands around goal, because you know that good things will come of it.

Demonland & @Whispering_Jack are at Preseason Training Today I’ll provide some updates and posts links to this post to any full training reports from our Trackwatchers Rehab: Gus, Hibberd, Jed Adams, Will Verrell, Andy Moniz-Wakefield, Burgoyne, Joel Smith, Deakyn Smith I will collate all of my posts/observations below: Mids doing one on one ground ball drills Talls doing one on one marking drills Hunter came off second best in a drill and is limping One on one tackling drill saw two epic match ups. Trac vs Clarry Viney vs Sparrow Can’t see Joel Smith. I think Burgoyne is also amongst the rehab group. Kozzy is back at training - looks massive, so clean picking the ball off the ground, superb disposal. Some different numbers being worn at training today. Salem wearing #2 JVR wearing #6 Hunter wearing #35 Kye Turner (train on player from Haileybury) is a big unit and looks impressive in the air and has clean disposal. Jacob Van Rooyen (JVR) & Grundy are the standouts for me. Both clean in the air and by foot. Matt Jefferson is tall and very skinny. Will benefit from a year at Casey, a year in the weights room and another preseason. Can Mark. Melksham vs May in this drill. No steaks involved. ----- observation after training - Melksham trained really well Grundy vs Gawn in the ruck. Grundy wins. Taps to Viney. Viney to Schache. Schache handballs back to Viney. Viney blind turns out of a tackle and goals. Some more epic battles; Disco Turner vs TMac Petty vs JVR Disco as the defender took a great contested mark against TMac. Some of the delivery into the forward line in this drill is poor. TMac not happy with it. TMac is impressing me as other trackwatchers have previously mentioned. Strong marker and straight, accurate shot for goal. All the defenders have been monsters and have been excellent as expected. Can’t see JVR NOT playing Round 1. Trac super competitive. Viney impressive as always. Clarry is a magician. As reported Sparrow has put on size and I expect him to be a mainstay in the middle. Kozzy will definitely play more midfield minutes next season. Ben Brown has also been impressive. So good on a lead up the middle. I wish we delivered it to him more that way than putting high on his head in a pack of player. Sure he is very good one on one with his height and long arms but if the ball is delivered high in a pack then forget about it. Let him lead up the guts. The race for spots in the forward line is going to be fierce. In summary, we’re training the house down. Grundy could be the recruit of the year especially if it means Gawn plays a kick behind the play (and not in the forward line). 3/4 length ground match sim. Max vs Schache in Ruck. Grundy playing forward. Max taps a beauty to Kozzy from a boundary throw in. You love to see it. I hope Kozzy sees more midfield time. Now JVR is rucking against Grundy and beat him. Max playing forward. This doesn’t bode well for my wish of Max not playing forward. Kozzy sells some candy, kicks it to Max who passes nicely to Grundy outside the 50 who plays on and drills a goal from 50. None of the new recruits (first years) are taking part in the match sim. JVR beating Grundy in many of the boundary throw in ruck drills that start off each match sim drill. this observation is not a knock on Grundy. TMac killing it up forward. Grundy kicks another. Lever left the track with a knee complaint. Currently in the hands of the trainers. Finished with the trainers. No one looks concerned. Is limping a little. The boys then took off their footy boots and put on the runners and then did so run throughs but Lever did not participate. He then hopped on the bike that is set up under the shelter. I don't think he looked too worried. That is they weren't icing it or sending him off to get scans. Gus was doing some light running and is currently on the rower. No visible strapping on his body. Joel Smith now doing weights under the new structure with the other rehabbers. It was a long training session. Started before 9:30am and was still going at about 11:40am when I had to leave as they were doing some running after a 2 hour skills session. I will say that the tackling and intensity was absolutely fierce and I was worried that there would be plenty more mishaps. Thankfully there weren't. I was up close and personal for a few Jack Viney tackles and if my arm wasn't already in a sling from shoulder surgery it would have been after witnessing that devastation. WHISPERING JACK'S TRAINING REPORT PICKET FENCE'S TRAINING REPORT

Fritta's job is to kick goals. He does it well to our advantage. He snaps goals that Kozzie would be proud of while leading, marking and finishing in a style that TMac or BBB would be proud of. No complaints with his performances.

Fester ye merrily on high one and all and please don't lose sight of the true meaning of Christmas, which is to celebrate the birth of Santa Claus.

A Dees team to join in the wishes (understandably all over the place, having decided to live right up to its message?!) Backs: M.Hibberd J.Adams C.Petracca Half Backs: H.Petty G.Yeats K.Chandler Centres: J.Harmes A.Riley A.Ingerson Half Forwards: C.Salem A.Tomlinson S.May Forwards: F.Adams C.Spargo L.Dunstan Followers: C.Ellis J.Melksham C.Oliver I/C: A.Neal-Bullen E.Langdon S.Armstrong M.Newton Coach: F.Davis

Yes, compliments of the season to members of the Demonland family everywhere, and especially to Andy, and all those involved in keeping this wonderful ‘meeting place’ up and running for all Dees fans

Two things that really stood out for me were his ability to keep his feet and be 100% anticipating the loose ball from a marking contest, and just how quickly he can set himself for a kick after taking the ball from sometimes quite awkward positions. First one gains him half a second on opponents reaction and the second means he needs half a second less to make a realistic shot on goal. Those two traits have earned him somewhere in the range of 10-15 goals in 2022.

But he's also smart and our best kick inside 50 - Speaks to the whole point about ball movement being more important than leg speed.

That’s what he wants you to think and that’s why he is the greatest magician.

I concur. Could be the recruit of the year especially if it means Gawn plays a kick behind the play (and not in the forward line).

In summary, we’re training the house down.

Ben Brown has also been impressive. The race for spots in the forward line is going to be fierce.

Trac super competitive. Viney impressive as always. Clarry is a magician.

Can’t see JVR not playing Round 1.

TMac is impressing me as other trackwatchers have previously mentioned.

I like him. I’d give him a go to see what he can do. Good size & good skill.

Some of the delivery into the forward line in this drill is poor. TMac not happy with it.

Disco took a great contested mark against TMac.

Some more epic battles Disco Turner vs TMac Petty vs JVR

I Think it’s Kynan Brown

Grundy vs Gawn in the ruck. Grundy wins. Taps to Viney. Viney to Schache. Schache handballs back to Viney. Viney blind turns out of a tackle and goals.

Melksham vs May in this drill. No steaks involved.

Jefferson is tall and very skinny. Will benefit from a year at Casey, a year in the weights room and another preseason. Can Mark.

JVR & Grundy are the standouts for me. Both clean in the air and by foot.

And out of the next main drill

Deakyn Smith now taking part in the main drill

Kye Turner is a big unit and looks impressive in the air and has clean disposal.

No Thunder stealing. Please post any thoughts and observations.

Salem wearing #2 JVR wearing #6 Hunter wearing #35

Kozzy is back at training.

Can’t see Smith. I think Burgoyne is also amongst the rehab group.

One on one tackling drill saw two epic match ups. Trac vs Clarry Viney vs Sparrow

Hunter came off second best in a drill and is limping

Mids doing one on one ground ball drills Talls doing one on one marking drills

Spargo has very high footy IQ. He always plays the percentages.

False teeth ferals won a million games by a few pionts last year, VERY LUCKY. They wont have the same fortune this year.I expect them to finish lower than shark sheeit at the bottom of the Caymen trench this year.😡

but with 2 calendar curses coming in (grundy, hunter) we reversed the curse and turned it into a positive 😆

To drag this thread back to Clarry: it makes you marvel at the level that he was playing at in circumstances where he had difficulties with his handballing and dominant hand!

We'll do it in a canter

Interesting move by Freo to play Jackson mostly as a tall forward. I'm assuming it's out of necessity, since they lost Lobb and Logue (their two main key forwards in 2021). That leaves them with Taberner (injury riddled battler) and Amiss (kid who needs to put on other 10kgs for his role). Jackson is a below average forward. I've said it since before he was drafted and nothing has changed. He's a poor contested mark, two grabber, and only excels when he has a free run and jump uncontested from the side of a pack. With any form of body contact, he's poor and makes Sam Wiedeman look like Wayne Carey at times. If he's going to become the gun player he's hyped to be, it's as a mobile ruckman who becomes a link up option around the ground in the Cox/Grundy mould. If he plays predominantly forward, then they're spending a million bucks a year on a below average forward who will never kick 40 goals in a year. I'm tipping Freo to regress slightly next year. They've got fantastic young talent around and behind the ball, but they lost a chunk of best 22 experience over the trade period, and are completely limp in attack. Jackson playing forward works for us. Play Jackson forward, be an uncompetitive team, and gives us a higher draft pick in return!