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I was there, but if there's a worse place to watch footy than Casey I haven't found it. There were 5 in the main rehab group, namely Gawn, Petracca, Fullarton, Woewodin and Lever. Laurie was running laps by himself, as was Jefferson. Chandler, as has been reported, had his arm in a sling. Lindsay did a bit of lap running later on. Some of the ''rehab 5'' participated in non contact drills and ball movement at the beginning of training, but when the more intense contest work started they retreated to the boundary and did short kicking to a player being hindered and bumped before they broke away for the short hitup. This was interspersed with lap running. The match sims mainly comprised of getting the ball out of D50 through either the wings, or a 45 kick through the middle. Generally the skills were pretty good, but no team would be training without the odd turnover. Once there was a turnover the forwards were spotted with passes or there were long kicks to advantage. Players swapped from white tops to red and back again. On multiple occasions. And with many wearing caps it's not easy to pick up every player all the time. The players I noticed the most were Viney, who stands out. But he was also very involved. Windsor is used a lot, moves fast and looks confident. He missed the odd target, but looks great and generally uses it well. I like Kynan Brown, but he did make a few poor decisions. But he does enough good stuff to not sweat a few errors. He's a second year player, after-all. And these errors were split seconds kicks in congestion, which was part of the drill. Billings got leather poisoning. He's good when he's dancing with his sister. Mentha surprised me. He looked better than I expected, but did cough it up under pressure. With small forwards it's AFL pressure that makes or breaks them. Too early to tell. Tom McDonald looks very good and dependable down back. Bowey got stacks of it and played in defence. May was the general and intercepted well. Rivers played midfield and looks assured. Oliver is definitely leaner and fitter. He still has his big physique, but it's much closer to normal. Was involved without being dominant. I love the look of Langford. He moves really nicely, marks well and just has that class most left footers possess. He and Rivers spent time on each other. He'll be fine competing against men from day one such is his strength and build. The only other player I wanted to mention was Salem. He was moving really nicely and looked like the 2021 version. He just looks fit and unhampered. Even when he played last year he didn't look right. May used him a lot as that first 20 metre outlet kick from deep defence along with Bowey. I didn't see Pickett and I didn't notice McVee, but he may have been there.63 points
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I went to the training yesterday and I'm sorry i can't give any better reports than whats already been posted as I struggled to actually identify who was who, especially if they didn't have a number on their back - I'm old and the eyesight is not what it used to be! The boys started a bit early than what was advertised, maybe because of the heat. I got there at 0915 and they were already out. It was a stifling hot day and they trained for a solid 2 1/2 hours. It didn't matter if a player was fully fit or in some sort of rehab, they trained for the entire time, whether it was on a bike or running laps, or the main groups. Of all the players there, I REALLY enjoyed watching Mentha. Yes, he made a couple of mistakes but he was silky smooth and ran hard ALL day, despite the heat. If we were to lose Kossi, he would slip straight in. At the autograph session I told him how much I enjoyed watching him train - he was stoked and shook my hand. A delightful young man who I hope gets his chance. After training the boys were knackered, as were most of us in the crowd from just watching them in the heat. It had been advertised on the MFC website that after training the boys would do a signing session. After training an announcement came over the PA for us to line up on the fence at the grounds main entrance, so we all did. EVERY player, despite being exhausted from training, were given pens and signed anything that was put in front of them. They took photos with fans and had a chat as well. I'm sure all they wanted to do was get in the shower or ice bath, but they took the time to look after the fans - they were simply awesome. VERY proud to be a long time member of the MFC.52 points
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I have been to a number of training sessions during the off season, and the one player who impresses me is Langford. Normally you cannot expect much of a first year player, they don’t have the body, are overwhelmed by where they are, and take a good amount of time to “learn the ropes”. Not with this kid He has the body, and is already mixing it with the mids. He knows what to do to get the ball, and most importantly knows what he is going to do with it, and where it is going, before he gets possession. He has similar vision to Oliver. He may not be given a shot early on, but it won’t be long until he is mixing it with the best.45 points
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I congratulated Goody on his recent tying of the knot. Told him his gorgeous bride Kris looked stunning, the scenery was beautiful and his shirt was hands down the ugliest wedding apparel I’ve ever seen. He was shocked to hear my thoughts on his shirt. He said he loves it, it’s his favourite piece of clothing. I said I’ll pray for you. He said folks were asking him if he had a 10-pin bowling game to attend after the match. He thought that was funny. I said I’ll pray reeeaaallll hard for you. 🙃35 points
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Probably not the right topic to put this on but there’s a great listen on RSN with Alan Richardson. Paraphrasing..Gawn & Trac are close to full fitness and importantly have missed only contact training which the club is ok with as they are so good at that. Oliver is very happy mentally and flying physically…club very excited. Also so happy to get Mentha and think he is tracking well. Hoping they finally have McAdams body right and if they can keep him fit and he is right now ..big bonus. Super impressed with Langford & Lindsay and they’ll be thereabouts round 1 sounded a bit more positive re Johnson playing Rnd 1. They feel that JVR is right to go ..it’s his time. Petty will be a valuable swing player for us. Rivers is wanted by both midfield and backline coaches so very happy with his progression & finally re Kozzie ..WA teams are keen to get him but as far as MFC is concerned Kozzie will be with us for a long time. He and his family are very happy here. Anyway I feel very excited after that listen ..26 points
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They were going hard at each other. The sims were in two 15 minute blocks. The second block finished a few minutes early, they gathered and had another 7 minutes at it. I think they were asked to compete, as they would play against an opposition. There was plenty of niggle, between some of them. At the end of the contest they supported each other with a of bump and slap. Some heavy collision occurred, biggest and worrisome was Clarry and May both aerial and front on, into each other. A minute on the deck and up. Heard some calls of, get up. May with a back niggle, Clarry back in. McAdam in a hit, and had a delayed reaction, as he went to ground. Talked with the trainer, did some stretches and got back into it. Tmac appeared to limp after a clash of legs in a tackle. Vines and Laurie also in hard hits. Rehab had, Woey in the light green cap (my guess would be concussion protocols), Fullarton running extensive laps, Tracc and Turner working together early on, Lever and Max. No Jefferson. There were two run-on players. Spargo still in runners and not with the main group. Good to see Melky in full training, did extra laps, the same with Salem. Fritsch in full training now, appears happy. Four wings during the sims had Billings and Langdon matched, and the other side had Sparrow and Sharp. Petty played forward. Adams had to look after the backline as the tall for a few plays and did really well. Johnson is looking good. Lindsay is in full training. He is something of a ball magnet, had plenty of involvement, moves well to space and has a lovely pass. He attempted a few long kicks which didn't come off, fell short. Langford was not as prominent today. McVee looking good, as is AMW, and so are Bowey and Rivers. Kossie had plenty of the ball, though got caught a few times. I think they have given him the licence to do whatever he wants. Mentha did the same thing though shrugged the tackle and delivered a long pass with precision, afterwards he was encouraged to handball when initially tackled. They separated into backs (looking low in numbers) and the forwards with the mids. Chaplin continues to enforce the structures he wants. Many of the forwards are talking and encouraging each other about positioning and what the intention is. Even when a play goes well but not to what Chaplin wants he voices his expectations. JVR was making good leads into small spaces. The smalls working hard to create mismatches and blocks. McAdam playing high forward and being used to deliver. Missed a few hit ups, got intercepted, or made the wrong decision. He is not having any trouble getting the ball.26 points
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I thought Lindsay was very impressive. Quick, clean, lovely kick, positioned himself well, was very involved. For someone that hasn’t done much full training for a while he was very good. Howes played well. Used his body well in marking contests and was strong one on one. Keeps his feet well in contests. He’s a slow burn but he can definitely play.24 points
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Don’t you just hate it when a hacker gets into your X account and all they do is upload a singular image of your hammer from your mobile phone.23 points
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Huge thanks to WayneWussell, Ghostwriter, Ditcha, Harvey Wallbanger, Startibartfast, Inandunder and Kev Martin and all posters that was a most enjoyable training report and special comments today.😁😁😁21 points
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Further thoughts on today's match sim. Petty is aggressive in contests, even against teammates. AMW spoilt his marking attempts a few times, but when the opportunity arrived, Petty slammed AMW into the turf. He was an effective and physical forward today. A smother while standing on the mark resulted in much applause and verbal support from teammates. Rivers was a standout in all activities. He takes the game on at pace and is strong enough to push opponents away. Ollie did what Ollie does best... accumulates... distributes... runs all day. Langdon is also doing what he has done for years! Tholstrup gives 100% but there is still room for improvement in ball handling and delivery. He puts himself in the right places and demands the ball. Tom McDonald continues to train at the highest levels. Injury free and reminding everyone that he is a topliner in defence. Don't need to look any further than Marty Hore to cover for Rick. AJ continues to do impressive things in match sim. It won't be for want of trying if he misses out on early selection. Fritsch, also looking to have put injury concerns behind him, is having more involvement further from goal . Tom Sparrow is another who gives 100%. I feel he is sometimes underrated here. Roy was here and he kept close to Kossie. Didn't stand out in match sim. I didn't notice Kentfield or Spargs, and there were up to three others who took part in match sim that I didn't recognize.20 points
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I literally just drove by Ikon Park and yelled out ‘put your knobs away’ - but it wasn’t me, my cars been hacked. I immediately disabled my vehicle, and engaged legal counsel.19 points
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Clarry looks to have trimmed down over the break and looks AFL fit! Thought the break could have went either way, but looks committed to elite footy.17 points
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Fantastic…. Stories about other clubs issues are fine by me, can we just fly under the radar for a bit please!16 points
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That's a pity, I was going to offer you $1000 to expand on your thoughts ...16 points
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My friend attended training yesterday and this is what she texted me … “Went to training today and wow just wow- I have never seen them like this! It was full-on. Serious training no holding back. Only me and 2 other spectators. The rehab group were on the back oval- but all were running, moving and kicking really well as far as I could see. The boys are so fit! I can’t wait to see them actually out on the ground.”15 points
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Nup. Never do. As I have noted many times i decided to stop getting caught up and wound up by players leaving or rumoured to be leaving after being devastated and furious when Gerard Healy defected to the swans. That decision has saved me much angst over the years - not least in the last six months with all the tracc, clarry and koz want out, where there's smoke there's fire nonsense. If he goes, he goes. Just as I said about tracc we hold the whip hand in any negotiations so we'll do fine.15 points
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Kozzie hasn’t seen that revolting imaginary back page but he laughed when I told him about it and said it’s bs and to pay no attention to it. He and Ardu and Bellanie ain’t goin’ nowhere!15 points
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I have a good level of confidence about our ’25 season. I believe we will show great improvement over last season if we can avoid critical injuries during the season and continue to have a solid, relatively injury free pre-season. Having said that, I think our list is in much better shape depthwise than it was in ’24. If I can carve out the time, I will take a look at the different areas of our team and give my views on how we are set up. These are, of course, my opinions and I doubt that we all hold the same views. It is all open to discussion. I will start with our defence which has been one of our building blocks for success. I think we will have a transition season in defence with a couple of the senior players starting to get towards the end of their careers. May and McDonald are 33 and 32 respectively and while both have plenty of experience both have had injuries in the past season or two. After long careers, they will need time to recover for any niggles and are likely to lose half a pace off the mark as time goes on. A lot of people see Petty completing with McDonald for second ‘big’ defender, but I see it developing into a race of three as the season develops depending on May’s fitness. Injuries and player form will determine who plays where and when for those three. As backup in the ‘big defender’ department we have had Adams developing over the last few seasons and, from reports he has built a bit of muscle over the off-season and might be about time to present himself as an alternative. Will Turner swing back there if required? I think he is a last resort alternative as I like the way he is developing in the forwards. Personally I would have looked to keep Tomlinson around as ‘big’ cover rather than Hore as I think this might be a need that comes into play as the season develops. Out of the box thought…. Could Kentfield or Fullaton be given some time as a defender at Casey to see what might develop? Lever at 28yo has a lot of footy left in him and as long as he can avoid injury, will carry on his role as an intercepting tallish player and senior defensive director during the games. Back up to him is Hore, who is also 28 and Howes 21yo. Howes got some games under his belt last season, and I think he is going to step up another couple of rungs this year. Salem is the other senior member of the defenders club at 29yo. He has been a top quality player for us over the journey but, to my eyes, he had a patchy season in ’24. Not as clean as he has been with the ball and a bit slower with his decision making. I want to see him back to instinctive best and hitting targets. We have a good group of medium/small defenders who are all young and developing well. Rivers at 23yo is in transition from defender to midfield and I think this will continue with him working into a greater role in the midfield during this season. However, I also see him being critical in the defensive 50 at times while he can play the defensive role very well, he is difficult for an opponent to play on. He almost requires the opposition to play and defensive forward on him. He has pace and confidence with the ball in hand. Bowey and McVee at 22 and 21 are pretty damn special in my eyes. Both stepped into the team and looked confident and at home from their first touch. Windsor is being talked about as being in the mix as a defender after a debut season on the wing. He is another that stepped into the team and has looked all class. I can see the value in giving him time in defence to develop and I can see his running and quality delivery as a good asset out of the defensive 50. Maybe Sharp is looked at as the quality replacement on the wing to cover the move of Windsor. Depth cover at the moment looks to be Woewodin and Moniz-Wakefield. Both look to have a lot of qualities to develop. Having a mix of Rivers, McVee, Windsor and Bowey, ball in hand streaming out of defence and delivering forward is a vision I like to entertain. I do recall in ’21 one of the images that has stuck with me was the likes of Hunt and Salem linking with Langdon and Brayshaw positioned on the wings with layered running from defence and then pushing up field to provide options. It would have been an interesting listen when the footy department was reviewing the game plan development from last season. In my opinion, in defence we were too conservative and predictable with ball movement once we had won the ball. From training reports we look to be addressing this with faster decision making and ball movement and looking at opportunities in the corridor. I like this but it does require player skill and confidence. Mistakes are going to happen during a game, and I can accept that if it was the correct decision at the time. What I want to see is the confidence of the players and coaches to try and make the same or similar play again. This is a critical thing when coming out of defence to launch an attack. In summary, in my opinion we still have a quality defence and good structures and coaching. Add to that good depth and a good mix of experienced and developing players and I am confident that our defence will once again be a solid building block of our gameplan. I can see us taking a bit more risk coming out of defence this season. One other thing that is coming through from the training reports is that we look to be much fitter and stronger than we were at this time last season. Two of our critical building blocks of our ’21 premiership team were traded into the defence from other teams over consecutive years and I could see a similar scenario in the not too distant future if we do not find the development required within the list. I have looked at about 15 players above with the ability to play in defence, a third of the list that will allow for versatility and flexibility during the season, within that group of players there are a number that can play in other areas of the ground with Petty and Turner able to swing forward and McVee, Rivers and Windsor developing alternative roles. Early selection will be interesting as all except lever have had strong, injury free pre-seasons to date. ‘Big Defenders’: May, McDonald, Petty…Adams, Turner? (Kentfield/Fullaton?) Medium/Intercept Defenders Lever, Hore, Howes, Rivers Medium/small defenders McVee, Bowey, Moniz-Wakefield, Windsor, Woewodin14 points
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Huge black clouds rolling in right now. Thank goodness I forgot my umbrella 🙄 They’ll still train while it’s raining but I’ve seen a couple of lightning strikes. Postscript- the rains are here Marge.14 points
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This is what Goodwin had to say about Langford a couple of weeks ago (apologies for the shoutie font size). I am a bit surprised for two reasons One he directly compares Harvey’s power and contest work to when Oliver and Petracca came in. Can you think of any higher praise for a new midfielder? Two. When have you ever heard Goodwin talk so highly of a recruit? Normally it’s is “yes he is meeting his markers but we are taking things slowly”. “We think he will have a bright future if he blah, blah, blah”. None of that here, just genuine excitement. Assuming he remains injury free I think you can mark him down for a round one debut “Harvey's come in and hasn't missed a beat,” coach Simon Goodwin said. “Some of the things he's done at training so far, you just go wow. “He reminds you of some of the power and contest areas that when Clayton first started and Christian, when they first came in14 points
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Imagine adding Kalani White and Toby Sinnema to Langford, Lindsay, Windsor and Tholstrup the last 2 years.... Love that the wider AFL are sleeping on the fact we have elite young talent on every line. Under 24s who could already be best 22: JVR, Turner, Bowey, McVee, Langford, Tholstrup, Windsor, Lindsay, Pickett & Rivers14 points
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I attended some of the training session this morning. Match sim was full on with May, Clarry, and McAdam going down to the ground after heavy collisions. All got up, and were OK. Choco arranged for young girls with Max Gawn face masks to have Max sign the face masks. Choco was speaking to everyone that attended training.14 points
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Happy New Year everyone. A slight cool wind but after the last days heat a welcome relief. GhostWriter putting in a solid performance at the sausage sizzle. Dominated at the till. Players out on the track at 9.30. Didnt see Sparrow, Kozzie and Kenterfield. Kynan doing rehab then joined in with the main group. Chin has a troublesome right arm/shoulder but can still run Spargo, TMc, McVee, Kolt in rehab doing handball drills. After, Kolt ran with Chin. Max aint getting any quicker. Jeffo trained like he thought he belonged. Confidence is up. To me some players at training seem to be invisible but today I give a nod to Adams, Sesso and Howes. May has an incredible physical presence. Intimidating. Mentha and George looked good, quick to turn the other way. Fritta trained in a yellow vest. Kids love Tracca and lots of them were there. Obviously we are looking for quick ball movement with one of the drills being to move the ball on in 3 seconds. If the vibe of the group is anything to go by then some of last years issues have dissipated. Steven Smith in attendance. I ate 2 sausages.13 points
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I think it is one of the most pathetic suspensions I have ever seen. One second before impact there would have been contact with Moore's stomach, as they both ran in for a loose ball. Then inexplicably Moore drops to his knees. The Collingwood supporting Tribunal Chairman struck again.13 points
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Agree George. And the other thing he seems to have is an elite focus and mindset - attributes that will help ensure he does everything in his power to achieve his potential. No coincidence XL seems to have the same ulra professional mindset as Taylor puts a premium on it. I'd be very surprised if Langford, barring injury, isn't in our round one team - he's the very definition of a plug and play, AFL ready draftee. The exciting thing is unlike some such players (eg wines, Horne- Francis and even Harley Reid) he's still got plenty of scope for improvement, in large part because he'll continue to fill out and get taller over the next 2-3 years.13 points
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There is no doubt that Kozzie would like to play his footy in WA and that Freo are aware of this. A trade request was close this year so I’d said it’s likely next year. Kozzie is super close with Roy George. They’re essentially related so it will be interesting to see if his presence at the club helps.13 points
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Trouble aplenty right at the top at Ikon Park with Michael Warner getting his teeth into this sordid story that will clearly impact on the culture of the Blues. Carlton boss Luke Sayers’ d*** pic scandal under AFL investigation Blues, AFL probe president after lewd social media post There are already rumblings at the club about the coach after the team fell apart in the last two months of the 2024 season and went from premiership contenders to falling out of the finals with an insipid first half against the Lions in the elimination final at the Gabba. On top of that, players are falling over like flies. Runner up best and fairest Nic Newman ruptured a patella tendon at training today and will miss the season. Season over for important Blue after serious knee injury This comes on top of a bad hamstring injury to midfielder Sam Walsh at training on Monday which will keep him on the sidelines for at least the next month. Charlie Curnow is also on a modified training program after undergoing ankle and knee operations in the off-season. It’s a familiar scenario for us Demon fans, a reminder of what we went through last year. Wishing Carlton fans the best of health in the months to come.12 points
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Sharp will be a lock on the wing for the first game. His endurance and workrate are exactly what we need on the other wing if Windsor is going to half back. On another note, went to watch Essendon train yesterday and out sessions had way more running, match sim and full contact within. We train much harder than them but it may have been a 1/2 loading session in their defence.12 points
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Re Lindsay yes - but then finished with moderate run-throughs. Not unusual for the first year's, controlling the loads and considering he had that PCL pre-Christmas. In match sims he seemed to line up on the wing and in the mids' contested stuff was positioned "outside". Building nicely, but Langford probably ahead of him as he has been able to do the full program so far. Let's hope they have years together in the engine room.12 points
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We were very interested in small forward Joe Berry from last year's draft who went to Port Adelaide. Jason Taylor and his team made several trips up the border here to Wangaratta to interview over the course of the year. Maybe worth keeping an eye on over the next few years.11 points
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When Maynard gets nothing for ending a career and Kozzie gets 3 for an unlucky bump, the system is stuffed. The BS technicalities applied to get big club’s players off like Cripps, who ended a Lions’ season, are symptomatic of a money above all else based sport.11 points
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Personally I am not fretting over anything that I cannot control, I’m going to enjoy going to the footy with my family members and surrounding supporters and barrack for the boys like my life depends on it I will enjoy the Demon Army over to my right and hopefully enjoy my 4n20 pie, get a seat in the Rydder Room at 1/2 time and hopefully see us win a final or three in ‘25. I will love Kozzie whilst he is in the Red n Blue and not so much if he’s not.11 points
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Luker was there (training with the main group) but his hair has grown and so has he. I almost didn’t recognise him. Charles was there. He said his achilles is almost 100% Toby Sinnema is likely one of the boys you didn’t recognise. Today was the first time he’s met many of the players. He said he’s stoked about how much they welcomed him.11 points
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if they are smart they’ll delay training by an hour Gawn a cert to attract the lightning.11 points
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We had some good conversations with him but he’s told us that he’s happy in Perth and will be re-signing with Freo.11 points
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Just back from training, I left before they'd finished. I didn't take much out of today other than Pup did the whole session after an initial fitness test. Chin did a mountain of running but didn't move his right arm and then did some gentle ball work not using his right arm. Tmac was there initially but didn't do any of the training that I saw but didn't look to have any injury. Sparrow and Kossie were no shows. I didn't see Knuckles either. Kolt didn't participate in any of the training drills that I saw but did a lot of running and showed no discomfort. The full ground drills were 14 v 14 and there was lots of open space. As in other training sessions Clarrie and Duke impressed, Howes was involved and made very few mistakes and the usual suspects did well. AJ also hasn't put a foot out of place this preseason and will be an interesting watch. Trac, Gawny, Fullarton, Woey, Lever and Jeffo ran laps. Langford, Mentha and Lindsay didn't participate in full ground drills but did a far bit of boundary sprinting while the drills were on. I reckon there was a lot of management of players going on today after a big session on Monday in high heat. The only players who look a way off are Spargs who just ran and did agility exercises and Chin. Lever still hasn't been involved in much and given that he is a player who needs games to find form could also be a question mark for the start of the season if all the other talls are fit. As already stated Disco copped a big hit in a marking contest but nobody went to him as he recovered on the boundary line and there didn't appear to be any long term damage.10 points
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Should have been school holiday assignments handed out to the kids to write a training report10 points
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