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Him and Sparrow are two of our most professional players at the footy club. Yze said in a Russell Robertson podcast 12 months in his time coaching at AFL (Hawthorn included) he hasn't seen two players who are so incredibly professional and diligent with their off field preparation.

I actually think Sparrow has a big future with us because he will leave no stone unturned to improve and get the most out of himself. Coaches love players with those traits at any level

Just back at The Manor and thawing out - I dressed for a balmy day rather than arctic conditions. The comprehensive reports above cover most things but I will add couple of observations. For me, the standout player across all drills was May. He started with some goal kicking (pretty good too) but was very prominent in all the simulation drills.He wasn't saying much but was very physical and aggressive towards getting possession and using it well. He was setting an example and a standard . He looked super fit (although I didn't stay for the final run throughs) and, on today's showing, I'm really looking forward to an AA season. It appears BBB still has some work to do. He looked ok in the short goal kicking drill but when he had a kick from about 50 it fell well short. I didn't see much of him after that and I suppose he's on a special program. Saw a first (for me anyway). Clarry came off during one of the simulations. He was blowing a bit and was handed an inhaler. He had a couple of puffs and seemed fine. Is this usual for him? Had a few looks at JvR. Good shoulders and lean rather than bulky upper body muscles. There's physical development left in him. He flew for a couple of marks but I didn't see one stick. However, he wasn't alone in that given the conditions. My overall impression of the session was intensity and enthusiasm. I was close to the "interchange area" for one of the match sims and was interested to note that players on the "bench" were having animated discussions about tactics and positioning - again a high level of passion about doing the job well. The overall "vibe' was very upbeat and made me very upbeat about 2023.

Didn't notice him do much yesterday. Other times, when I had seen him he has been going well. His composure with ball in hand has been great. Has developed a good side step,schimmy and back peddle, and finds space when doing it. He is also looking stronger in body but not much bigger. I sense, his head is well in the game as he develops as a smart footballer and does the preparation with a professional attitude.

I went along today too with a mate who used to work with a couple of AFL footy departments. He was useful to stand next to … The emphasis was on quicker movement but we will still play wide. I overheard one of the coaches telling a player to “keep it tight on the attacking side”. I think the coaching was directed at Burgoyne as he had held the ball a bit too long moments earlier. Of the younger players, I found Woewodin, JvR, Disco and McPhee the most interesting. Woewodin maybe lacks x-factor but moves well and runs without a second thought for the betterment of the team. I can see him playing 100 games of senior footy if he continues to develop. JvR attacks the ball, the body and the man. Our forward half pressure will lift with him playing. Disco is smart and a neat kick. Size might be his problem in the long run but he looks good in sims. McPhee is a better athlete than I thought. Worked hard and handled the ball well in slippery conditions. He’s behind a lot of good players for a senior spot but he looks better than I remember. Of the next group Rivers, Bowey, Sparrow and Kozzie all look really strong, composed and sharp for mid Jan. Kozzie was the most influential player during the sims in my eyes. Left or right foot his skills were excellent. Defensively roams with a certain amount of menace much like his uncle. Sparrow is just so strong. He can absorb a fair bit of contact and dispose neatly. Special mention to Chandler. He was within the top 3-4 on the field. Covered ground well, tackled hard and hit targets. His intensity was very high in the drills and sim. Some other bits of info I gleaned:- Grundy is 6 weeks behind in his running but will be good for Rd 1. Brown is being managed but they’re not worried. Jefferson has impressed the coaches with his application and has a bit of flair to his game. I must admit, watching him today, I didn’t see the flair. He is a lovely kick though. Expect to see 30-35 players play in the preseason. Club thinks our depth is now a strength.

Yes it's a good comparison. But Seston could be gold in that he kicks goals. Not many of our small/medium forwards kick goals consistently but watching him on Monday he can just turn and kick off a step knowing where they are. I don't know whether he can do that often enough, so will just have to wait and see how he goes at Casey.

BANNED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

red backs can kill ya...

Bravo. Rehydration is so important. 🍻

What a terrible day to be a trackwatcher, but wow, was it worth it. It rained just about the whole time and the standard of play was very good given the conditions. Ball handling was generally clean, very few dropped marks but of course very few contested marks taken. Training is great fun compared to the old days. Today’s training mainly consisted of handball keepings off game and match sims which are good fun to watch. At the start of training Lever, Howes and J Smith did a couple of little handball drills but not much else and were not sighted by me after the proper stuff started. AMW did his usual boundary running but there is no lateral movement in his training yet so I'd imagine he's still a long way off. Verrall and Adams also doing bits and pieces and quite a lot of running and as far as I could tell everyone else was in full training. The match sims are interesting. They are now played at full pace with what I call "respectful tackling" but the intensity is there and the players are really determined. There is also an "interchange bench" where players are practicing going on and off the field when the situation allows, but it's a designed part of practice, not just some random interchanges. Players like Trac and Oliver do their thing and look to be pacing themselves a bit to me but that doesn't seem to apply to Viney who is just in ripping form at the moment. There were two standouts for me today. Langdon must be invisible because nobody was near him all day in the match sims and just kept on getting it. His ball handling is good and his kicking was precise. The other standout was Chandler. His tackling was ferocious and he's so clean with the ball in the wet. He'll put real pressure on the small forwards this year because he just looks ready and very keen. For Dazzle I can report that Jefferson was quiet but it wasn't a tall forwards day. JVR and TMac were also quiet and that just puts it in perspective. Burgoyne was interesting. I thought he did quite well without dominating. He was involved in quite a few passages of play but to me he doesn't have the x factor that a lot of the First Nations players do. Based on what I've seen he'd be behind Chandler and AMW and I doubt he'd be picked up but there's a bit of water to go under the bridge yet. Others to impress me today were Trent Rivers who seems to be more imposing than previous years. He looks big and strong and is now a man rather than a boy. Judd McVee was clean in what he did and Woey was also pretty good at times. Fritter was good around goal and very clean and Melk did a couple of eye catching things. Kossie was just out there having fun, nobody could catch him and he just did what he pleased. The other positive was Salo who was involved more than I've seen him. Hunter found the ball regularly and his kicking is just great and to confuse the selectors even more JJ was clean and involved with good kicking. Oh, and Seston produced some really good kicking during the sims. All in all most players showed good patches but the comment from Monday's reporter about the young kids looking good in the drills but a bit lost in the sims is so spot on. The major problem we will face at the beginning of the season is going to be the selectors trying to work out who to play. There are a lot of contenders for multiple spots and there will be some disappointed and hard done by players. KEV MARTIN'S TRAINING REPORT GEORGE ON THE OUTER'S TRAINING REPORT BITTER BUT OPTIMISTIC’S TRAINING REPORT

Tomorrow is at Casey.

The above highlights that we have better depth going into 2023. Grundy as extra ruck. Tall forwards with JVR close last year and now another pre season of improvement and Schache better back up than Weid. Hunter coming in gives greater flexibility around usage of Brayshaw & Jordan. Looking at backline options, it looks rock solid. Tomlinson will be much better this year, so if one of May, Lever or Petty unavailable he will provide better coverage. Smaller backs look well and truly covered with Brayshaw and JJ available if multiple unavailable. The challenge is for two of ANB, Spargo, Sparrow, Harmes, Chandler, maybe JJ to find 10 goals more a season, so basically a goal a week combined to boost the forward line. Our midfield, wings, ruck also need to be adding a goal or two a week, you look at the talent - Gawn, Grundy, Oliver, Petracca, Viney, Brayshaw, Hunter & Langdon is the best in the league and they need to also step up their influence going forward. Trac kicks straighter and there is 10 plus to start! Across the team find 2-3 extra goals per week, defence maybe a goal tighter and percentage is up 20~25%, and we won’t be losing too many matches in that scenario! 17-5 or better season, top 4 likely 2 finish and a red hot crack at the flag in September!

Wow, now I feel I can 'come out' too 😁 Actually, I am the flipside ... a Carlton supporter whose second team are the Dees! [Maybe even a minority of one?!? 🤔😆]. I supported Carlton since I was a young kid but grew up in one of MFC's old suburban recruiting zones. Demons players used to come to our primary school footy clinics. Robert Flower taught me how to handball. Am a Carlton member but still watch many Dees games on tv and occasionally even catch a live game at the MCG. There ... I am out of the closet now 😊

The best advice is to check the link below (at the time of writing it has not been updated) or phone the club. At the moment there is no clear pattern of which days (Monday, Wednesday, Friday) are at Gosch’s or Casey. Due to the tennis it might be more likely that they are training at Casey but then again they trained at Gosch’s yesterday. https://www.melbournefc.com.au/teams/training-times

Agree mate. Disagreements on reasons aside, let's hope we learned whatever we needed to and get another flag this year. Gotta make the most of the window we're in.

I think she should be straight into the men's senior coaching team as soon as we can possibly get her back. Listened to this wonderful podcast from her on the way up to watch the AFLW grand final win last year. A true highlight for me in over 50 years supporting this club was being there to witness the victory and watch a truly wonderful Melbourne team playing for each other. https://www.theage.com.au/sport/afl/so-much-more-than-that-daisy-pearce-on-finding-fulfilment-outside-flag-dream-20221115-p5byi3.html An amazing leader and human being. I love the way she's been outspoken on a number of issues in footy over the last couple of years. A great football brain and commentator. She is just all class. Please don't stay at the cats for too long Dais.

Short answer is yes. I've observed this several times and often in similar conditions as today. I also think he gets a bit knocked around by hayfever season which can fire up asthma. Thanks for the observations today, yourself and the other track watchers have done a terrific job of reporting. I know it's a cliche but they really are "training the house down" for this time of year. You don't really get a sense of it unless you've been there. It's a far cry from days gone by

Thank you DIO. This the most astonishing Aussie Rules playing record we will EVER see. Playing at the top level possible for her whole career. On top of this, she is my favourite commentator, has a genius level football IQ, articulate and seems the most wonderful human being. All posters here know how blessed we have been to call her ours. The AFL community has also been blessed and I sincerely hope her multiple skills will be best utilised for the betterment of the game. More than anything I wish her a happy and contented retirement. She so deserves it. ❤💙

TMac, BBB and a couple of others were taking set shots on goal from the pocket Choco was supervising — “kick through the ball” was his mantra. Had a brief chat to TMac — he looked really trim and fit. He said he felt “ pretty good” An understatement, I’d say.

That's a pretty weird thing to say given Bucks was his head coach when Grundy signed a 7-year deal on $1m per year.....

There is a press conference at 10.30 this morning and one could guess it’s a retirement announcement. If she does retire, well done on a great footy career, as a pioneer of the AFLW and in the game of women’s footy. The cherry on top of the cake would have to be the Dees first AFLW flag as Captain.

Thanks for the uptake, LDvC; it was a genuine invitation for discussion. Barass and Bucks were two that occurred to me, and you'd be right to include Teddy and Lou with them. However, I feel the three 'oldies' were fairly narrowly 'footy blokes' and showed only parts of themselves - Lou and Ted their humour and knockabout-ness, Ron his seriousness, and all three their quirky passion. Bucks comes closer, prepared to show different, revealing, non-footy, sides of himself - for example, in the few occasions I listened to him with Gerard Whateley - combined with more (expressed) football 'intelligence'. Compared to the others, he may have benefited from the much broader platform modern media gives to individuals, both in reach and in openness. However, fairly or not, he has seemed somewhat divisive and self-interested. Daisy has benefited from the same thing, no doubt, and it has further evolved between Bucks' and her 'times'. AFLW has contributed, encouraging further reach and, particularly, openness. There may also be 'a gender thing', in (generalisation warning!) women's preparedness to be vulnerable, particularly in supportive environments. So, Daisy seems to have everything all the above have, and more, and of equal or better 'quality'. So, I think I'm still searching for peers. More thoughts anyone?

Then again, the sky was hardly blue yesterday...

Can you link to where you’re seeing these comments? Absolutely disgusting and pathetic for people to say a bad word about her; she’s been a champion of women’s footy, a champion of the game, and should go down as a legend of the footy club. I find her special comments far more in line with the modern game compared to the likes of Dermie, Carey, and I’d throw in Gary Lyon as well (just to show I’m not biased 😉). Interestingly I remembered having a debate with an Adelaide person that argued she shouldn’t have the standing in the game that she has. They were arguing Vic based bias, but the fact is that without Daisy pushing the women’s game as much as she has I really doubt they would be in the 18 team position they are now. The Dees B&F will surely be named after her at the least.

A game-changing pioneer in the history of our sport. And one thing’s for sure I’d say….“She’ll be back”.

It’s just being revealed more, and the more toxic ‘take’ hits the algorithm and gets amplified. Its always been there. The only silver lining is I hope those that have mildly misogynistic, racist, and anti-gay views see the toxicity they are standing in front of and turn around and step back.

We all saw this coming. Great career giving the short history of the AFLW. More importantly our club is better for her involvement more than just on the playing field. She has been part of the cultural change in the club, plus the creation of the culture of our women's team. Despite only winning 1 GF so far, we have always been almost there with her in charge (Often unlucky based on AFL season decisions or 1 lost game). We'll hopefully get the see her become a great coach and a regular first string commentator of the footy.

Thanks to all the reporters how is Jordon traveling?

Wow thanks reporting team and all posters I have loved the read today and you all had to brave this inclement weather as well. Greatly appreciated.!!!!

My daughter has had number 6 on her dee's jumper every time since she was about 3 years old. One day at the footy she got asked if was for Jordan Lewis and she said straight back no it's for Daisy

Headed straight to The Duke of Wellington for some necessary restoratives Steve, then opened a red back at The Manor.

What an immense character she was to help drive the women’s game forward. She went out as she will be remembered - a winner and a leader. My favourite story is the one where she reportedly told the fledgling AFLW that if she wasn’t at Melbourne she would not play. That may be a myth but it will stay with me. Personally, I hope she is with Geelong for a few years and then on the AFL coaching staff at Melbourne in a key role ahead of a more substantial and historic role in the game.

Pleased Judd McVee and Taj Woewodin are getting some favourable reviews from our knowledgeable trackwatchers. In the VFL big dance last season they were the most noticeable of the uncapped younger guys out on the park. For sandgropers they stood up well in the inclement, heavy conditions not unlike today by the sound of it. Like Kade Chandler’s intent too, his determination will hopefully be rewarded this season. Go Demons!

Cheers to all the track watchers on the reports

The tributes are flowing and yet it's hard to capture Daisy's immense impact across women's footy, men's footy and the media landscape, and as part of the MFC. The vast, vast majority of players in the AFLW today would have been directly or indirectly influenced by Daisy's career on some level. She's shaped the culture of women's footy at every stage, from Darebin in the VWFL, to VFLW and AFLW. In some ways it's amazing to think how much of her playing career actually occurred before AFLW, given her huge impact as the face of the game. Those 55 games at AFLW level are the tip of the iceberg, and we can only dream what might have been if her opportunities had come sooner. I've said it many times before, but thank god she was a Demon. And she has epitomised all the best parts of our club: pioneering, history-making and competitive yet humble. A couple of stats: And some highlights from that era before the spotlight came: VWFL/VFLW Darebin captain: 2008–2016 10× VWFL/VFLW premiership player: 2006, 2007, 2008 (c), 2009 (c), 2010 (c), 2013 (c), 2014 (c), 2015 (c), 2016 (c), 2017 6× Helen Lambert Medal: 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2015 VFL Women's best and fairest (later named partly in her honour): 2016 2× Lisa Hardeman Medal: 2005, 2014 5× Darebin best and fairest: 2005, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012

Thanks Daisy for your service onfield and off whilst at the club. You’re a legend of the game and no doubt will be deservedly inducted into the HOF. You have been a breath of fresh air in the commentary box and I wish you and your family all the best in the next chapter of your life

I'm really glad we snagged a premiership before she retired. I feel like it is important just to be sure that nobody, ever, gets the impression that there was anyone greater than her in the first decade of AFL-level women's football. Hoping to see more commentary from her and I'm sure a terrific book is coming along soon!

I don't think anyone has said they know better than the footy dept, but if you're happy with us falling apart as the year went on and getting bundled out in straight sets than you had lower expectations for 2022 than me. So? Hunt is gone too but we still played him. That's the point. You said only Bedford and Chandler were pushing for selection, that seems incorrect given the facts on who was listed in the emergencies, who was being talked about by the coaches and the fact Howes was inline to play the week he got injured. Disagree. You seem to be one of the very very few here who think there were no issues with our management and selection last year. For mine, the fact we fell apart in the later part of the year was due to those factors. From my perspective, the issue was about managing our sore and injured players and perhaps trying to 'do a 2021' with the management when our injury situation and preparation were different to the previous year. It's not about blooding young players or bringing in someone who's banging the door down, it's about using the depth on your list to sufficiently fulfill our role based system in a way that allows our best players to perform at their capacity for more of the year and at key times. Now that seems to be where we disagree, which is fine, but again, given how our year played out I find it strange you can be so firm with your "you are both wrong".

It's my understanding that the womans best and fairest awards are just labelled 1st place, 2nd place etc... Surely the bnf winner will now be the recipient of the Daisy Pearce medal/trophy.

The Daisy Pearce Medal

Along with Barassi a true icon and legend of our club and sport

She’s an icon. A fantastic footballer who played a key role in getting women’s footy on the map. In the early years she was such a clear level above everyone else out on the field. Watching her was inspiring. She’s a great role model and leader, and you can see her drive and the strength of the relationships she builds. It’s no surprise she found success. She’s also been brilliant in the media helping to raise the profile of women not just in AFL but sport in general, even standing up to some big names at times. Great footy brain and one of the best commentators going round. All the best for the next chapter Daisy. You’re an MFC legend now.

Bowing out as the captain of the reigning premiers. Very fitting. What a champion she is.

2 months until our rd 1 game.

I'm here too. My God, Kozzie is all class. Very wet conditions but he's kicking like a dry day Haven't seen Blake Howes ANB looking super fit. Seston has hips and legs like Lethal Leigh! Must build a tank though Woey has put on considerable size Lever and J Smith were around earlier. Not doing match sim. Non contact Melksham good skills in the wet during match sim Fritter smothers Pig kick out of defence, collects, turns, snap on the left for goal. Classic Fritter Grundy last by a long way in every half ground run through Jefferson looks good but is very, very light. Knickname should be Pirate. Give him 12 months in the gym. Good hands and a beautiful kicking action. Needs time and development, but has much potential. Got a bit of it in match sim. JvR did well today, very assured, put on size over summer Setson and his tree trunk legs In the kick and mark session near the end I saw Grundy, Tmac, JvR and another drop 7 marks in a row. The marks that were eventually held were two or three grabs. I know it's wet and early January, but it no joke when fans over the fence are laughing at simple spilled marks. DEESPENCER'S TRAINING REPORT SLARTIBARTFAST'S TRAINING REPORT KEV MARTIN'S TRAINING REPORT GEORGE ON THE OUTER'S TRAINING REPORT BITTER BUT OPTIMISTIC’S TRAINING REPORT

Morning all. First time at Goschs for a while, there’s a scoreboard set up which I’ve never seen here before. Possible match sim? Williams yelling out to players to get their hands off hips during drills. Gus looks fine to me. Absolutely., first two mins of match sim and his kicking is exquisite on both sides. He’s moving incredibly well. Some observations from a match sim drill that lasted about 15-20 mins. The purpose seemed to be fast ball movement from the backline with players linking up through the middle and hitting forwards on the lead or over the defenders heads as the forwards ran behind them to an open goal. The play would end when a forward took a mark deep or scored a goal, play would resume instantly from the back with the non-possessing team now pushing back to defend really hard and fast. Coaches were screaming at players to do just that. Kozzie looks in immaculate condition and was a standout in the short time I watched. Spargo never misses a target and he’s really clever when you watch him closely. He has a very good sidestep. Viney is Viney, just doesn’t stop harassing and getting in your face. Hunter is really good at finding free space on his wing and drifting forward to become an option. Schache looks really good, I liked his movement and involvement deep forward. Will be interesting to see how we use him. Melksham another looking really good. Ben Brown was having shots at goal prior to the match sim drill. Left knee bandaged, didn’t see him after that. STIFF ARM'S TRAINING REPORT DEESPENCER'S TRAINING REPORT SLARTIBARTFAST'S TRAINING REPORT KEV MARTIN'S TRAINING REPORT GEORGE ON THE OUTER'S TRAINING REPORT BITTER BUT OPTIMISTIC’S TRAINING REPORT

See I see the cowpatties like Carlscum, those cheating pats are more like Essendon for me.