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Ghostwriter, you truly are amazing. People like you, and you in particular, are so important to a club - volunteering for everything, chatting to and supporting the boys, endlessly positive - I tip my hat!

Ok, I went down to training and after writing a lengthy report for you on Monday was going to quietly avoid putting fingers to the laptop. But then, the shot that was heard around the world happened and I thought you'd enjoy knowing about it. Ok, what shot. Well here's a test guess which player I am talking about from this detail. The ball heads long to the wing and Roo looks set to mark but in comes this strong looking Dee with hunger and nudges Roo aside and takes a really strong mark. He then goes back to kick with his left foot and seeing Roo overcommit on the mark, beautifully baulks him and charges down field, get his balance and sees a player 65m away hoping for an over the back in the goal square. He balances after the baulk and then thumps his left footer over the top to his waiting teammate. It was by far the play of the morning and given I was standing on the far side of the ground, I had to check my glasses weren't fogging up. Could it be No.26. Surely not. I looked again as he made his way back and yep it was No.26 - Jed Adams. The same Jed Adams who only minutes earlier before match sim had completely fumbled and left the ball behind in a drill. The same Jed Adams who I, like many of you, had put down as one of Jason Taylor's handful of misses. The same Jed Adams who later on in the one-on-one forward drills looked confident enough to outpoint anyone. Yep, there are signs that in his third season since being taken with pick 38, that the 20yo is finally making headway. He's not about to push out Steven May or T-Mac for rd 1, but there's no doubt he's starting to show enough to get an AFL game at some stage if we get injuries. With Tommo gone, the queue for key backs isn't quite as long and even with Petty looking likely to play there, he's only two hammy twings or twangs from being named. While Adams had that 'moment', there were three clear stars on the track that you couldn't help but notice on a regular basis. The first was Clayton. Yep i know how frustrated we were with him the last two seasons, but right now he is back having fun and looking like a Brownlow Medal runner-up again. He kicked goals, he gave one off to tricky Ricky Mentha and he intercepted passes, made strong leads etc etc. He's probably 100-1 for the Brownlow right now, but given our draw, he might go close. The second was Kossie. He may not be playing until round 4, but watching him weave and turn his way out of trouble was mega exciting. On what we are seeing so far, he may end up playing quite a bit in the middle as he is mega fit. The third and most important of all is the positional switch that is going to make us exciting again. And I'm not talking Petty back to defence. In match sim, there's probably just 15 a side and so there are only five defenders. No prizes for guessing T-Mac and May with Petty, who may well be just there until Jake Lever is back over his knee soreness. Jed McVeigh and his precise kicking is also there again after a late (somewhat baffling) dabble in the midfield last season. And the other small down there is our No.6 Caleb Windsor. Those of you who are Robbie fans will recall that Barass even sent Tulip down to full-back so Goody's move is only somewhat revolutionary. Caleb waltzed off half-back like he was doing cone drills and at one point he flew across in front of Roo for a nice mark. Caleb has more height than Bowser and Salem and he has more pace and he's also a damn good kick like them. he also seemed happy to switch the ball - was it just me, but I reckon our defence switched way more often than last year - another positional adjustment for those of you looking for what we are doing differently. Well there were quite a few other things that happened and yes I saw some improvement from Luker Kentfield and I reckon Woey looks quite a bit faster than last year and Aidan Johnson looks strong and promising and Disco Turner is up there with Olly for passion to win the footy. And I could go on all day, but I walked away from training second guessing one thing and I had to go back and ask a fellow track watcher one thing. 'Did you see Jed Adams take that mark over Roo on the wing?' I said. 'Yep' said my colleague. 'That was No.26.'

The boys will be up and about early this morning. They have a running session followed by a chat to sponsors followed by a snag in bread (if they’re game). It’s a player sponsors’ event In recognition of The Jim Stynes Foundation (Loveya Jimmy) so the snags are on the house meaning I won’t be till-b!ttch and instead will be on the grill. I sure hope the fellahs and their sponsors loves them a snag burnt beyond recognition coz that’s what’s on the menu. 😁

Early on, shy and a bit star struck. It effected his cleanliness with the ball. Ricky Mentha is starting to get into it now. Lovely feet movements sends him to the space in a flash, has that lateral step which is smooth, fast and transitionless to straighten up again. Hands are getting better, shape of ball needs a little work but gets that lovely spin on it, occasionally over hits it. You could see a difference with the other new boys. They had good coaches who drilled them within an AFL program and they fit in easily. Ricky will need some help in knowing the expectations and the finer aspects of AFL. He appears to be picking it up quickly as I see a marked improvement within the short period he has been with us. He is under Kossie's wing, who seems to be enjoying the leadership role.

Gee it was humid there this morning and it was exhausting just watching them run up that slope. A lot od the players mentioned as not training rocked up later. Some had been in the gym others in the pool. FWIW I had a chat with Kalani. He confirmed he is 200 cm and can high jump 2 metres. He signs his autographs with the number 34 K White maybe that gives a hint where his loyalties lie. Had a great chat with Trac, I can understand why he was so traumatised by his injury and the confronting environment of an ICU with extremely ill people. and had a lot to do with the trauma unit. He was happy to talk. He is MFC thru and thru and don't believe all the [censored] you have read about him. He wants the best for the club and the players with everyone treated equally and with respect. In his words this group with the new guys are tight and all in. Max was surrounded by fans, Salo looks fit and well and was describing the families new dining outlet, TMac was in sandles having gone for a swim and is awaiting the impending arrival of their latest. May held court until whisked away by the demon Army but was describing his baby feeding exploits in the wee hours of the morning. Last but not least was the chat with Choco, such an interesting character. He is such a great mentor to the young guys and was seeing how they responded to having so many fans up close. He is a beauty

I've been to all but one of the training sessions this year and I think there is a spot in the best 22 for Harry. He's been very impressive. He attacks the ball hard, he's got good clean hands and makes good decisions. He can run all day gets to the right spots and has been heavily involved in all the full field match sims. His disposal has been iffy at times but the same can be said for most. My view is that Chandler will take the ANB spot, Sharp will take the wing with Windsor playing off half back. That's the initial plan as far as I can see. Jed Adams was impressive today and certainly had a few cameos but he's still 5th banana for a spot down back and even perhaps 6th because Howes is tall, similar in height to Tmac and has been playing the Lever role pretty well. Howes reads the play well and is clean and disposes well. He's also been good in the contested possession drills I've seen and will fight hard to consolidate his spot in the team this year. He strikes me as someone who will mature late but mature well. He's a lot taller than when drafted and it's probably taking a while to adapt to the different role he'll play given his growth. The Kolt just reeks leadership and enthusiasm on field. He goes hard the whole time and he's a 1st round talent. There is a fair bit of competition for spots but he'll be a valuable player this year. He didn't participate in full field drills today and was running the boundary but didn't look impeded in any way. I'm different to many on AJ. He's got to show he's AFL standard before he gets in the team and he won't get in just to be Max's chop out. He hasn't shown me that he's up to that and he's only had half a season of VFL exposed form really. Turner and JvR will be two talls, whether we play a third or whether we look for a different structure I don't know but if Petty is going to play back AJ or Jeffo have to step up. Whilst there have been signs neither has grabbed the opportunity to date. Having said that the match sims don't really seem to give the talls much of a chance to show their stuff so there is a bit of water to go under the bridge. Missing today were Verrall and Bowser although I notice someone said they saw him. I didn't and if he'd been there I think I would have noticed as he's been a bit of a standout to date. As reported Kossie, Clarrie and Windsor were very good and I thought Knuckles played well. Chandler was very vocal today and played his role. I expect him to be part of the leadership group when it's decided. It was also good to see Fritta in all the drills as was Campbell. Lever and Spargo look to be the ones with issues with Lever behind Spargs. Makes me wonder if that explains the "Petty back" decision but that is total speculation.

Boys are on a run this morning at a sponsor/coterie member’s function.

Koltyn Tholstrup and Kalani White arrived a little later.

My point is: I’ll hold my pre-season excitement for Jeff until I hear he is taking pack/contested marks, working over key defenders and/or taking marks on a lead.

Flash Davey’s niece, Tatyana Perry is in the draft crop this year. Was into Dees because uncle Aaron was with us, tipped to go in the 25-40 range. In other drafts she’d probably be well in first rd contention, but this is an especially strong group. Speed and skill is Tatyana’s calling card, good by foot too: https://www.afl.com.au/news/1262682

We actually started frying the onions before folks arrived. The thing is, our marquee was set up in a silly position, the back was facing the gathering. Yes, people could smell the onions but I guess they need to see the actual inside of the marquee. All good though, I was tasked with periodically roaming the area trying to attract customers and was mildly successful. It’s amazing how threats can kickstart someone’s appetite 😁

I chatted to Langford briefly. When he fills out he will be a massive human. Nice kid. I had a good chat to another youngster and he mentioned that his parents get their gossip from Demonland…. All the players were pretty good and happy to take plenty of photos with kids etc. The running session didn’t reveal much of interest. All the players looked comfortable enough.

I went there last weekend, purely for one. Didn’t step foot inside the store.

kalani’s shoes ain’t made for running!

I too dips me lid !!! Great to see you back ... ❤️💙

15 years ago I was 29yo with no kids We all make mistakes

You probably forgot the onions. As a veteran of a number of school fetes etc manning the sizzle, you soon learnt that if you want a queue, fry the onions - the smell attracts the punters like....(insert own analogy here)

Then get ready to cop an eyeful… we had so many left over that me and my long-suffering teenager and our chooks will be eating nothing but sausages ‘til Xmas (again). Also brought eight loaves of bread home; seems sponsors don’t go crazy for a snag in bread like we expected. Most of the players also chose not to partake and those who did only had one which is pretty much like having none coz who the hell only has one, amirite?! edit: for the young boys this was their first taste of this type of event. They appeared to handle it well. Harvey looked a little out of his comfort zone at the beginning but soon looked relaxed talking to the sponsors. The sweetest thing though… Ricky literally didn’t leave Kozzie’s side. 🥹

My god when I see recruits these days they look so young. I used to think I could be there grand father. Today I am thinking great grand father.

Any chance of a summary? I refuse to support that maggot rag.

Bombers fans will be flat when pick 18 becomes pick 22 after academy bids

MCG Car Park. The short training session featured run throughs of about 150m up a steep hill.

Players not in attendance: Max, TMac, Melksham, Lever, May, Salem, Petty, Bowey, Tholstrup, McAdam, Hore, Lindsay.

From https://www.news.com.au/sport/afl/aflw-2024-lily-mithen-joins-gold-coast-tayla-harris-deal-in-limbo/news-story/17a3fedd881cc9d654c07c29dace9556 Melbourne list boss Todd Patterson said Mithen had been exploring a “lifestyle change” for some time, but only wanted to move if the Demons could secure a high draft pick. “Lily has been a terrific servant for our club over her journey, and as an inaugural player, her contribution cannot be underestimated,” Patterson said. “She has been an integral member of a program, and given an enormous amount to her teammates, her coaches and the broader club. To watch her grow from an 18-year-old, as both a player and a person, over the past nine seasons has been incredibly rewarding. “In recent weeks, Lily and her management team identified an opportunity and lifestyle change that could work for her. Testament to Lily’s character, she was only willing to explore an option that would put the club in a favourable position, such as a return like pick No.2. “We thank Lily for all she has given during her time in the red and blue. She will forever be part of the Melbourne family.” Nicely done. Farewell to Lily, always has my respect as an inaugural Demon and premiership player. Commitment at the footy could never be questioned. Super durable, playing 82 of a possible 87 games. I'll miss that inevitable hit-up kick to Kate that the opposition somehow always failed to predict! Wish her the best.

Shane’s on an individual training schedule, totally separate from the others and has been since preseason began. It’s fitness-based. He said this has always been an issue for him and this is the furthest he’s come in terms of achieving peak fitness (and with that comes the other benefits in the form of increased confidence and faith in himself). This is exactly where he’s at. Therefore the fact that he wasn’t in attendance from the start with the 1 - 4 year players is a non-issue. He’s on a tailored program, so it hasn’t been necessary for him to be training at the same time and place as the others. Selwyn and Tom (Couch) and assistants have got him in the great condition he’s in by catering for his needs, so to speak. I don’t know the specifics and I’d never ask, but what I do know is that whatever they’re doing… it’s working. He’s also in a great place mentally as well. He admits he’s been down on himself in the past. He’s turned a corner and it shows in everything he does. I don’t need to ask him how he’s going, he’s keen to share and does so more and more with every session. Bottom line: He has been working just as hard and for just as long as the others.

I’ve been down a fair bit over the last couple of years and my heart is almost always in my mouth with the way some of them attack it during training. For example in full ground drills or match-sim May tears out from full back ready to spoil and happily clean up whoever is in front of him, oncoming or otherwise. Constantly hear the clash of bodies and skin-on-skin slaps as tackles are made. It’s pretty brutal, particularly for the in tight on-ballers. But even all the tackling or evasive drills they all do, if you get caught you are brought to ground the same as will happen in a game. The only difference is that there probably isn’t the unbridled aggression that comes with a true opposition and a proper game. But at the same time these guys are all playing for their spots, particularly now that our squad has had a bit of a reset and looking rather healthy, only adds to the competitiveness.

A few observations. Coaches are micromanaging, here are a couple of examples. For delivery of ball to Turner, 'look for where he wants it kicked'. To Sestan, 'Ollie keep moving, get to the next contest, that is your strength'. Gawn and Cambell were rucking for the mids when they separated into their lines. I would assume Tom will be the back-up ruck if Max goes down. I doubt he will be the second ruck. Lever and McAdam were running with gusto as they did laps. Both started the session in boots. Charlie who is not in a training jersey, has to be closer to getting down with the squad. Goody and Whitford took the backs for drills. I think Basset had the session off. Each defender had a mannequin as an opponent, 8 of them. They moved around it and kicked with precision to the next player. Sinnemar was very clean. I sense the players appreciate that, a new young one that doesn't hold the drills up. The sims. Turnovers make it easy for the other to find space and go direct to for goal. Something I think we will need to work on. Kossie was looking for Mentha. They were keen for the contest, hard hits occurred and high marking attempts that hit through packs. JVR has his spark, he hit some packs, nearly marking it, bringing the ball to the front. Wings included, Sharp, Billings (who is looking good), Langers and Woey.

I'm not into nicknames and never use them, but that's very good. Probably shortened to Banger. That was Robert Harvey's sobriquet. Time for a refill?

Thank you OFan 💕 We actually really enjoy everything we do, even working bees which aren’t supposed to be fun but we make them fun. And tonight I get to enjoy the ‘fruits of my labour’ since I scored a free ticket to the Women’s B&F courtesy of a player sponsor who can’t attend. YAY! The W B&F is way more fun than the M. ❤️💙

Wallbanger!

I hope Billo can put it all together in 2025. Has his detractors but can be very useful if he cleans up his disposal and kicking for goal.

I wish Lily all the best for the rest of her footy career, she gave us all she had when playing. Moving clubs is a more natural thing in the women’s game it seems.

Jail Culley would be a fantastic get for Casey. Watching their games this year, the biggest whole we had on field was midfield depth. Not only was losing Jordon, Dunstan and Harmes a significant hit for Casey midfield depth, but I felt the loss of James Munro was a bigger one. We got Campbell Hustwaite as a replacement but he lasted 5 minutes until injury. Culley would add a bigger mature body in the midfield and take the load off our young players. I am hoping Riley Bonner also signs with Casey just to add some further experience.

What did they do to him?

What I’ve seen is a workhorse who is willing to play a role for the team which may at times be unrewarded. What I mean by this is he’s going to take a big defender and use his work ethic and power to create space JVR and Fritta. A willing tackler who can pinch hit in the ruck. Think Micocek at Collingwood and that’s the prototype.

Important news about Harvey Langford… He hasn’t been given a nickname yet. He’s always been Langers but knows he won’t be Langers now because Ed gets called Langers. He’d be happy with Harves. Told y’all it was important news. You’re welcome 😁

Delisted Eagles player Jai Culley (number 1 pick in the 2022 mid season draft) will train with us over summer (like Roy George) after signing with Casey for 2025.

Have to head off now. I look for other’s more detailed observations to come.

I don’t really understand this mind set; ‘the faith’ was to pick him and not take our 3 firsts offer (Windsor, Tholstrup, and Langford). Maybe they should have taken that offer? If he is destined to leave early. These kids have no one to repay; whether they are with ND1 or with the last pick of the first round of the rookie draft (Judd McVee). It’s up to the clubs to create an environment that they want to stay, develop and play in.

"Push in the back" free kicks in general play are an extinct species, they are never paid and players know they can drive forward in the tackle with impunity. This change was partly brought on by the playing community diving forward at the slightest pressure from behind to simulate "in the back" and umpires' reaction to ignore that. The pendulum has now swung too far in that direction now and blatant "in the back" frees go unpaid.

Cant believe that nobody on this site has spoken out about this over the past 1 to 2 years. Moore is indeed a sniping Dog who plays knee-first, whereas "Bruzzy" plays shoulder first. We have a player on our list who is very highly rated, but chose to console the meathead who put his best mate into retirement. It's a glaring example of why we never win flags. Yes bloke, I'm speaking about you. You and your media followers know who you are. Far too many supporters on this site who want to play kumbaya while being laughed at by the power cubs.

Interesting Article in the hun today on Aiden and his journey. “And after shedding 13kg, Johnson starred in the VFL as an aggressive and mobile forward despite rupturing his bicep mid-season.”

The completed 2025 AFL death riding chart Crazy to see how much death riding goes on these days! Another 5-10 years and no club will have their own pick

Yeah, there are 3 different articles on afl.com that say 3 different things. One says GC got 46, which was our pick. The draft pick tracker says we still have 46. And the trade tracker says we gave up a 3rd rounder, which is currently 38 (which was never our pick). I'm sure you're right, but these mistakes would never happen with the men's comp

Vfl last year: McAdam: 11d, 4 tackles, 4 marks, 2 goals Roy: 10d, 1 tackle, 2 marks, 1 goal I understand we are all frustrated with Shane’s first year but he’s contracted for 2 more and at least deserves the benefit of the doubt for this year to go out and play his best. Similarly Roy has talent but he didn’t even lock himself in to the Casey team last year. Assuming he’s even worthy of a lost spot is a stretch at this stage.

Some veteran Demonland Trackwatchers ventured down to Gosch's Paddock to bring you the following observations from another Preseason Training Session. WAYNE WUSSELL'S PRESEASON TRAINING OBSERVATIONS Rehab: Lever, Spargo, McAdam, Lindsay, Brown Sinnema is excellent by foot and has a decent vertical leap. Windsor is training with the Defenders. Windsor's run won't be lost playing off half back. In 19 games in 2024 he kicked 8 goals as a winger. I see him getting shots at goal from HB by being involved in a chain. Houston kicked 7 goals in 2024, Zorko kicked 9. I don't think we lose much in goals by playing Windsor off HB. Just had a short chat with Browny, who is running 200 at a fair clip. He said his break from main group was “awareness”. Main group now in competitive 3/4 ground match sim (of sorts). Tracc hemmed in and tackled in forward pocket, quick handball to Clayton, snapped goal! McAdam now in various runs around boundary. He looks fit and is running freely. Sharp skirting in front as Riv is spoilt from marking. Sharp passes wide to Woey who slots a nice goal from 45. Fritsch just kicked a Fritsch goal in traffic/snap from 15. Tracc turns it over with a scrubber low pass which is intercepted. Very good chain through the middle, Bill long low pass to Max, handball to Kossie, kick to Mentha, finds a deep forward. Ball movement is quick, non-stop, disposal is mostly sharp with limited pressure on ball carrier. Fritta just chased Ed and Howes from behind wing to inside 50. "Bill" Laurie continues to nail long passes to leading players in corridor. Bad kick by AMW from back pocket lands with Kossie intercept, who sends it back in to a leading Fritsch. AMW meets him head on and brings him to ground earning a coaches free kick. Whole group now doing sprints from 50 to 50 arcs. Only a couple, then sprint to drinks. McAdam still running. Brown still running! Players broken into several groups now for contested work. The competitive, 1 on 1 marking with the talls was great to watch. Disco out pointed Maysie with his regulation sticky fingers. McDonald got the better of Max. Jeffo also competed well. Jefferson now looks at home among the big boys. He is stronger and able to jostle for position without being shoved aside. He is enjoying the work and has good goal sense, with crafty snaps and some length when required. I get the feeling he now knows he belongs. Lever is certainly doing a power of running through and over obstacles, building up leg/foot strength and flexibility. It's reassuring to have McDonald and Petty in peak fitness at this stage. Have to head off now. I look forward to other’s more detailed observations to come. DANNYZ'S PRESEASON TRAINING OBSERVATIONS Woey's physique is seriously impressive. As big an off-season change as I can remember seeing. Not that he was in poor shape to begin with, however, impressive gains! A lot more hand balling and lateral movement through the middle. Less kick in hope and reliance on territory only. Windsor with the backs. Adds class to our ball transition. Radford involvement has increased. Seems to have a lot of say in game plan/tactics. Kentfield & Fullerton focus areas are their one touch with marking. Jonesy brings the group in between 25-33 closer together. I believe there is a spot for Sharp on the wing. He will be fighting with Bowey, XL & Woey for that role. Jed Adams for mine probably isn't quite at the level and I was surprised the club re-contracted him so early. Happy to be proven wrong. Tholstrup would be an on-field starter in the 18. Everything he does is with intent. His defensive efforts in the front 50 are infectious. Second ruck will be Aidan Johnson. DEESPICABLE'S PRESEASON TRAINING OBSERVATIONS Ok, I went down to training and after writing a lengthy report for you on Monday was going to quietly avoid putting fingers to the laptop. But then, the shot that was heard around the world happened and I thought you'd enjoy knowing about it. Ok, what shot. Well here's a test guess which player I am talking about from this detail. The ball heads long to the wing and Roo looks set to mark but in comes this strong looking Dee with hunger and nudges Roo aside and takes a really strong mark. He then goes back to kick with his left foot and seeing Roo overcommit on the mark, beautifully baulks him and charges down field, get his balance and sees a player 65m away hoping for an over the back in the goal square. He balances after the baulk and then thumps his left footer over the top to his waiting teammate. It was by far the play of the morning and given I was standing on the far side of the ground, I had to check my glasses weren't fogging up. Could it be No.26. Surely not. I looked again as he made his way back and yep it was No.26 - Jed Adams. The same Jed Adams who only minutes earlier before match sim had completely fumbled and left the ball behind in a drill. The same Jed Adams who I, like many of you, had put down as one of Jason Taylor's handful of misses. The same Jed Adams who later on in the one-on-one forward drills looked confident enough to outpoint anyone. Yep, there are signs that in his third season since being taken with pick 38, that the 20yo is finally making headway. He's not about to push out Steven May or T-Mac for rd 1, but there's no doubt he's starting to show enough to get an AFL game at some stage if we get injuries. With Tommo gone, the queue for key backs isn't quite as long and even with Petty looking likely to play there, he's only two hammy twings or twangs from being named. While Adams had that 'moment', there were three clear stars on the track that you couldn't help but notice on a regular basis. The first was Clayton. Yep i know how frustrated we were with him the last two seasons, but right now he is back having fun and looking like a Brownlow Medal runner-up again. He kicked goals, he gave one off to tricky Ricky Mentha and he intercepted passes, made strong leads etc etc. He's probably 100-1 for the Brownlow right now, but given our draw, he might go close. The second was Kossie. He may not be playing until round 4, but watching him weave and turn his way out of trouble was mega exciting. On what we are seeing so far, he may end up playing quite a bit in the middle as he is mega fit. The third and most important of all is the positional switch that is going to make us exciting again. And I'm not talking Petty back to defence. In match sim, there's probably just 15 a side and so there are only five defenders. No prizes for guessing T-Mac and May with Petty, who may well be just there until Jake Lever is back over his knee soreness. Judd McVee and his precise kicking is also there again after a late (somewhat baffling) dabble in the midfield last season. And the other small down there is our No.6 Caleb Windsor. Those of you who are Robbie fans will recall that Barass even sent Tulip down to full-back so Goody's move is only somewhat revolutionary. Caleb waltzed off half-back like he was doing cone drills and at one point he flew across in front of Roo for a nice mark. Caleb has more height than Bowser and Salem and he has more pace and he's also a damn good kick like them. he also seemed happy to switch the ball - was it just me, but I reckon our defence switched way more often than last year - another positional adjustment for those of you looking for what we are doing differently. Well there were quite a few other things that happened and yes I saw some improvement from Luker Kentfield and I reckon Woey looks quite a bit faster than last year and Aidan Johnson looks strong and promising and Disco Turner is up there with Olly for passion to win the footy. And I could go on all day, but I walked away from training second guessing one thing and I had to go back and ask a fellow track watcher one thing. 'Did you see Jed Adams take that mark over Roo on the wing?' I said. 'Yep' said my colleague. 'That was No.26.' KEV MARTIN’S PRESEASON TRAINING OBSERVATIONS Coaches are micromanaging, here are a couple of examples. For delivery of ball to Turner, 'look for where he wants it kicked'. To Sestan, 'Ollie keep moving, get to the next contest, that is your strength'. Gawn and Cambell were rucking for the mids when they separated into their lines. I would assume Tom will be the back-up ruck if Max goes down. I doubt he will be the second ruck. Lever and McAdam were running with gusto as they did laps. Both started the session in boots. Charlie who is not in a training jersey, has to be closer to getting down with the squad. Goody and Whitford took the backs for drills. I think Basset had the session off. Each defender had a mannequin as an opponent, 8 of them. They moved around it and kicked with precision to the next player. Sinnemar was very clean. I sense the players appreciate that, a new young one that doesn't hold the drills up. The sims. Turnovers make it easy for the other to find space and go direct to for goal. Something I think we will need to work on. Kossie was looking for Mentha. They were keen for the contest, hard hits occurred and high marking attempts that hit through packs. JVR has his spark, he hit some packs, nearly marking it, bringing the ball to the front. Wings included, Sharp, Billings (who is looking good), Langers and Woey.

Yes I understand that but if he’s going to go, they would cash in for the 2025 draft as opposed to a compromised draft

WC website: Taken with the first pick in the Mid-Season Rookie Draft in June 2022, Culley arrived in the west from Dandenong with a mature, AFL-ready body and made an impact in the second half of the year. After four games in the WAFL, Culley was called up to debut for the round 18 clash with Hawthorn at the MCG and laid 11 tackles. He tallied four games in his first half-season in the AFL and returned to pre-season trimmed down and extremely fit ahead of his first full campaign in blue and gold. Culley found his place in the Eagles’ forward line early in 2023, earning himself a Rising Star Nomination for his career-high four goals in round six. Unfortunately, Culley suffered a season-ending ACL injury in round eight and was moved to the inactive list. He was re-signed on a one-year deal for the 2024 season. At a Glance: Junior Club: Langwarrin (VIC)/Elizabeth Murdoch College (VIC). Debut: Round 18, 2022. Recruited from: Gippsland U18 (VIC). Brownlow Votes: 0. 194cm. Forward or mid in other bios.

Got tired of being censored and banned. Exciting draft for us this year hey? Langford excites me more than any draftee over the past decade. Those hands! Foot skills and footy I.Q from XL. Adds something that's been missing from our midfield. And our footy department recognizes that we have too many bruise free players in our forward line. I'm hoping that Aidan Johnson plays round 1. We've needed a head-cracker for a long time.