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Great day all round. It was a low key kind of session which I suppose makes sense from yesterday’s full match sim. The boys are seriously looking fit and they know. To see the boys up close and see the likes of JvR who really is a beast for his age is something to be excited about this year. @Deemania since 56 is right 100%. There was no stand out particular just the team cruising along ticking the boxes. Very jovial out there with Maxy, Melksham, Lever, Petracca the ones always vocal and keeping the group up beat. I apologise I didn't get a chance to see you mate. We got caught up with some supporters near us and got talking to the two official getting around with membership pamphlets. Realistically it wasn't so much a full footy type training but more groups of about 10? rotating through to each drills with some doing stationary kicking drill, and some doing some keepings off down the far wing. Short and sharp and was enough to draw a crowd. They still would have worked up quiet a sweat considering was fairly hot. Was great to catch up with a few local boys such as Spargo, Turner, Schache and Oliver from MB days and James Jordon who's a close friend with my little brother from Yarrawonga. Once they picked me out of the crowd they came and shook hands and was happy to take photos with my young lad. Was great to catch up with these lads and not even a change of ego or arrogance in them since being in the syste.. Still the same country kids as when i knew them back when they were 16 year olds coming through the ranks. Was blown away with how incredibly fit Turner is compared to when was a fat chubby kid coming through the system. Was blown away also with how trimmed Schache is. Leaving no stone unturned and wouldn't surprise if on training form he plays round 1. Got carried away talking to Oliver just talking life in general and about few mutual friends we knew that I completely forgot to ask about his hand 🤦‍♂️ Maxy Gawn is a genuine rock star. Everywhere he went the kids were following him around and hassling the poor guy (in a fun way). Very good with the kids and we're incredibly lucky to have him as our skipper. Few notes on players. Blake Howes: Smooth mover and quite tall then i thought. He was standing next to Turner during the initial warm up and I thought he was a smidge taller? Turner is listed at 194cm. JvR: Has a presence already. Just a big strong lad who'll command that forward 50 in the next few years. I knew he was a big boy but didn't realise how physically imposing he already is. You can certainly build a forward line around this kid. Matt Jefferson: Didn't really see much of him to be honest. Jed Adams: Interesting kicking action but didn't seem to trouble him, in fact he's got a pretty good kick on him with a bit of penetrative to go with. Got a few positive feedback from choco. Deakyn Smith: Very interesting player. He's a smooth mover who's well balanced and is clean below his knees. Quiet poised in the kicking drills and was happy. No idea what position the coaches have in mind for him but he'll be a player of interest for me. Tom Sparrow: A big ball of muscle. Trains at a real intensity and look pretty focused and ready to go. Hoping he takes that next step. Trent Burgoyne: In the stationary kicking near me he didn't even miss a target. Was compased and just neat with his disposal. I think he was a bit surprised that I called him out for a photo and sig for my lad. Asked him abut his chances getting on the list and in his own words.. "Yeah nah should be pretty easy to get a gig." Grundy and Hunter do train at high intensity. Can tell they have come from clubs that demand high performance and these blokes are certainly bringing that to the club. You can't have enough of these guys because it certainly rubs onto the young players. Guys like Lever, Melksham and Rivers are looking incredibly fit. Ball in hand all 3 barely missed a target. Competition for spots will be heating up! Good luck to Goody and the coaches picking round 1 side because there is some genuine talent on display today that will miss out unfortunately. Players mingled with supporters and went out of their own way to take photos with the kids etc. Happy to answer questions.

Bit of a PR exercise really. Good to see the players. No TMAC, Clarry protecting his right hand (requesting gentle hand shakes) BBB is a very nice human, Trac and Clarry seem to really enjoy each other. Steven May did a poor handball in a drill, the next drill he put in serious effort to steal possession, he is a real competitor. On to the serious side. Bucks Bakery in Yarck was closed! Fortunately The Giddy Goat was open, great sausage roll and coffee. Players have been signing memorabilia and having photos taken, many now leaving the ground. ManDee signing off from Yea Recreation Reserve.

They certainly were fit, Daz. I rather liked the low-key crowd at the training session, keeping out of the way but close to the action. It complemented the very purposeful intent of all of the boys undertaking some really hefty interval training focussing mainly on the upper torso - yet it was comprehensive, and everyone egged everyone else on to work very hard and complete the tasks against the clock. The fieldwork was also low-key but the players were all committed including the rehab group working at the far end of the ground. The teamwork, teammatey nature of the lighter drills were impressive, as was the universal commitment to achieving one's best in the shuffle drills. Interestingly, there really was no particular stand-out group or individuals. The 'team' is absolutely welding and working together and with this endeavour, comes elevated performances and team-wide acknowledgement. Some of the young blokes remain unknown to me at this point; however, I was impressed with the levels of performance across the board. This was also an extremely good PR exercise for the adoring fans and locals around the area - quite a few, too - and for the diehard Demon supporters, many who came from miles away. Nice to see nearly an entire school dismissed yet supervised to observe the mighty Dees in such glory. A resounding 'GO DEES!' or three at the end with the players intermingling with the kids occupying the grandstand was really touching. Sorry to have missed you, by the way - one gets talking to other Demon supporters who '...don't let go...'

Groups have no rotated. Near me is choco Williams with the kicking group. Barking orders and wanting to keep it low and hard. Kye Turner has an unusual kicking style but is effective so far. Kozzie, Rivers and May are so efficient with their kicking style. Rivers looks extremely fit. Would love to see him spend midfield minutes if an opportunity came across.

Trent Burgoyne really showcasing his poise and clean kicking skills in the group near me. AMW is another who kicks it flat and hard. Mark Williams would still make a good senior coach. He barks orders but also gives good constructive feedback and demands 100% in all aspects. Benny Brown moving well also.

And that's a wrap.

Apparently Tmac woke up feeling unwell in the guts and left early. My Dad asked one of the Melbourne Staff members walking around and got told that.

Holey moley! Not a skerrick of fat

I suspect it was a gentle loving caress before planting a wet kiss (on Clarrys hand).

Have arrived and boys doing a circut on the netball courts. Some ridiculous fit dudes here.

Gee BBB is moving very well. Can,t see TMac. Will be surprised if there is a match sim on this ground. Its quite dry and uneven

In saying that, if I'm going for a needs point of view then I'm going Burgoyne @dworship. Just not entirely sure another key defender is really on top of the needs list. Burgoyne on the other hand would add some outside dash and poise off a half back. Losing Hunt last year and Jetta the year before, I just feel we haven't exactly filled those type of players that being a lock down defender who can some serious speed off half back. Burgoyne may potentially fit that need.

It's really hard to judge who is ahead of who based on today's session. It was really just a flush run session just to get the legs moving, and balls zinging around. There was no contested game style one on one where players were going at full 100%. I watched Burgoyne closely in one of the stationary kicking drill and he didn't miss a target at all. He's certainly got that 'Burgoyne' poise and smoothness in the way he handles the footy below his knees. I also watched Turner after a bit and my immediate reaction was that he has an odd kicking style, but was pretty effective. He's also quiet tall and lean and moves athletically similar to Joel Smith. You're probably better off asking the regulars in @DeeSpencer @kev martin @Slartibartfast and @Demonland who get down a bit more often and have watched a lot of the match simulation drills.

Just a reminder that there is an advertised Open Session at Gosch's Paddock tomorrow. I will be in attendance to provide my observations. Date: Wednesday 8th February Time: 9:30am Location: Gosch's Paddock * Please note: There are no public undercover areas available at Gosch's Paddock so please come prepared for weather conditions. Training times and locations are subject to change at late notice.

Trivia facts (I used to work in Yea): 1. The golf course had a tournament rule 'balls taken by magpies may be replaced without penalty' I don't golf so maybe that's normal; has stuck in my brain for 50 years. 2. In the same week that I lodged a drought relief application, the town was flooded. Canoes in the main street etc. Thanks for the training reports, folks.

A key reason why they might wait, as bbp alludes to, is to ensure he doesn't miss any sessions in what is their critical preseason training block. Better for him to have surgery, if it's needed, right before the seaon starts than Oliver not being able to put down the fitness foundation.

Will try and give a bit of a summary when I'm home.

No bandage on Olivers hand. But i presume as its a light session there will be no contact today.

Has anyone ever been to Happy Valley in Hong Kong? They have a couple of rugby and soccer pitches in the middle, and the Hong Kong Rugby Club facilities inside. It’s more like a country club, with outdoor pool and bars. All that for a semi-professional sporting club. It’s sensational and is a big hit with the expats in HK. This proposal has huge potential

Doing the 2 and a half hour travel with my 3 year old to attend tomorrow's open training session at Yea. My turn to give back to the die hard regulars who have make the time to attend and give in depth reports for us folks who live in regional country area's. If you have any player of interest to keep an eye on let me know and I'll do my best to update. Quick question, are players accessible for photos and autographs afterwards? This is for my son who is excited to meet his hero's tomorrow.

No Langdon

Circut still going on. JVR is one big unit. It's ridiculous a bloke that's 19 is already that size. Onto the oval where you'll struggle to find a green blade of grass.

Amongst the team or amongst the spectators?

I read somewhere that he was in the rehab group as a precaution after a headknock - standard procedure.

At Siri's direction I drove through your part of God's Earth just the other day od. I was staggered by the developments. Only a few years ago it was about as inhabited as Mars.

Anyone who has or knows someone who has a thyroid condition would know how tricky it is to get the medication dosage right. It requires heaps of tweaks and monitoring to get perfect. And just because he's had it before doesn't mean the same dosage would work again. My assumption is that he's been on some form of medication since he got diagnosed years ago, because a thyroid doesn't just heal itself over time, and that medication dosage is no longer being effective. That means tweaking the dosage and doing repeated blood tests to check that the levels are correct. It can takes a long time to get right or you can get lucky and get it right straight away. But given he's an athlete who puts his body under major stress every day, I don't think they'll risk it. It can be really serious if poorly mismanaged, and impact his life well beyond footy.

You do realise that players who live on the Mornington Peninsula for example spend more time getting to AAMI park than Casey? Players live all over the city. For some Casey is more easily accessible and for others it is not. Not every player wants to drive in peak hour into the city. We are all keen to get a top notch facility for our club as close to the MCG as possible, but the reality is that most of our players don't live next door to Richmond so most don't care about the drive to Casey. All they want is top quality facilities like every other club.

Really great to get another opinion that validates what some of us have been seeing. Many thanks for the report and I'm very pleased for your youngster as well. Another diehard Dee supporter in the making. Did you see anything of Kye Turner? He is Burgoyne's direct competition for the list spot and I'm wondering who you would favour. Personally I see a lot of upside in Burgoyne but he and Turner are different types.

Considering he had to go back under the knife, it's not really surprising he has been in some discomfort. I think it's a good sign that he is not wearing any strapping/ support at the moment. When I saw him pre-christmas he was wearing strapping around the thumb /wrist area and that was after the 1st surgery. I'd imagine the Medicos are waiting for it to settle and trying not to aggravate it.

Make sure you call ahead

Did he used his bad hand to shake yours? TELL ME EVERYTHING!

Are you Tim Flannery?

Stiff arms too

He did just before Christmas. Trackwatchers have since noted post Christmas that he has often left the track wincing in pain and clutching his hand indicating a problem that may be new or relating to that pre-christmas issue.

That's good Dazzle. Yesterday at training I saw him come off (a normal rotation) and just feel for his hammy. He did the rest of the session but I did wonder. If he was moving well today that's good. How did Joel Smith train?

Our best chance of a new Facility being within the MCG Precinct, is to be part of the Great Southern Stand rebuild It is the only way it can happen, apart from Carpark E & F at Gosch’s… 30 days in the Cooler, not good for my back!!!!

Lever is moving and kicking well. Doesn't at all seem hindered.

Broken up into small groups with most of it compiled of stationary kicking. See today's sessions as more of a captains run. Disposal is clean, crisp and moving fluently. There's a group down the other end doing some keeping off.

My home ground had a Greyhound track around it.

No, I’m proposing we see the potential of an amazing facility that could be built at Caulfield, in the same style has what has been done in HK at HV, the result of which would be a happy ending for all

in a strong northerly, if you had an umbrella up, you could very soon be at King Island 🙄😮 KITP - I presume that you are not proposing a relocation to Hong Kong, but I guess rather a happy ending?

Sausage roll and pie report from the Yea bakery perhaps?

I arrived at 9.15am to find the match sims well underway and I imagine they started early to allow them time to get organized for the community camp at Yea. On the rugby oval adjacent to Gosch's a few are the boys were doing some gentle drills. Clarrie, Nibbler, AMW, Jefferson and Melk were doing a bit of keeping off, handball drills and some running. I only watched as I made my way to the main oval. J Smith and Verrell were doing running around the boundary and as far as I could tell the only no shows were Salo and Lingers. All the rest were involved in the match sims including Gawny and Jake Lever. Goody would throw the ball in on the wing and the white and blue team would contest from there. Brodie got a lesson from Max over the journey but Brodie was good around the ground and did some good ruck work on the odd occasion when he got the better of Max. JJ was playing inside mid in the absence of Clarrie and was doing very well. He was very clean and won a number of clearances. Kyah Farris-White was playing as a KPF with Brown and TMac and really didn't get into it but it's interesting that they see a bit of KPF in him. May was in everything and a real standout on the day and Max was marking very well around the ground. JvR continues to impress. On one occasion he was involved in a marking contest at FF with the ball bouncing away to another player who was 15 metres away but he then pressured and tackled the defender drawing applause from Goody and the players. He's very competitive when the ball hits the ground and I'd hate to be the match committee selecting the KPF if all the boys are fit. In another piece of play the ball was cleared from the centre wing throw in and was kicked forward. JvR took the bouncing ball at full pace and instantly handballed to Spargs who kicked beautifully to Fritta. It was a fantastic piece of play again drawing applause from Goody and the staff. After match sims they broke into three groups and did craft training. One was marking practice and on one occasion Kossie sat on his opponent's head and took a screamer. When he landed he jarred his knee and went to get some medical attention but returned and completed the running at the end of the session. The session finished at about 10.40 and the players all headed off together. I imagine it will be a pretty relaxed skills session at Yea tomorrow with a lot of meet and greet particularly if the advertised training session is on again at Gosch's on Wednesday.

Jinxed!! You don't tempt the footy gods like that, what on earth compelled you to do so? Have you learnt nothing in your years following the MFC???

I must say that thought crossed my mind too.

I'd love an update on Joel Smith Dazzle. I hold great hopes for him.😁

If I can get close to an a higher official such a Alan Richardson I'll definitely be asking the question.

Definitely what the go is with Oliver and how long it's expected this hand is going to take to heal properly.