Demonland

Oliver takes big step – but Dees have other problems Don't miss out on the headlines from AFL News. Followed categories will be added to My News. Oliver, who had largely kept to the Demons rehab group since his return to training on February 1, took his work up a level amid hot conditions, joining in match simulation in the back half of the session. He played in the midfield through match sim, starting in a bib on the ‘B’ team but swapped to the ‘A’ side halfway through. The Demons haven’t ruled Oliver out of playing in the club’s season opener on March 7 in Sydney, but there were expectations he could take some time to be passed fully fit to play in a match. His chances of playing in opening round could be swayed by how much time he spends on the field on Sunday, when Melbourne hosts Richmond for seven periods of match simulation at Casey Fields. Defender Christian Salem starred in match simulation, finding the ball at will off half-back and hitting up teammates, after he was recently on limited training due to a hamstring tweak. Lachie Hunter (calf) puffed through a running session in long sleeves as the mercury slid past 30 degrees, while Tom McDonald (calf) was also running solo. Forward Ben Brown (knee) took in some light jumping and kicking as Shane McAdam left the track early. Recruit McAdam has been eased through pre-season and often pulled out of match play. Harry Petty watched training and didn’t partake in any running while on the track amid his slow build from a foot complaint. ATTACKING WOES Melbourne started match play with a centre-bounce drill, working on how it would deliver the ball and set up in the forward-50 after bounces. After coming unstuck in the finals series through fruitless long bombs into attack, the Dees set up with three deep forwards and attempted to find some space in a crowded 50, with only young forward Matthew Jefferson taking a mark. How Melbourne find a way to kick more easy goals has been one of the biggest questions this AFL pre-season. During three-quarter ground match sim, the ‘A’ team started with a forward line of Bayley Fritsch, Jacob van Rooyen and Christian Petracca deep, with Kysaiah Pickett, draftee Koltyn Tholstrup and Kade Chandler playing high. Again, there was little connection with the deep forwards and despite a standout display from Pickett, Melbourne looked scrappy trying to find its way forward. Petracca in particular struggled with his kicking, before a hospital handball stopped a certain goal. Tholstrup was one who managed to find teammates well, standing up strong in a tackle to hand off one goal to Pickett, as he continues to put his name in the mix for an opening round debut. Fellow top draftee Caleb Windsor started on the wing for the ‘A’ side, with Melbourne delighted by his start at the club. Forward Bailey Laurie also had plenty of midfield minutes with the ‘A’ team. Adam Tomlinson played in the ‘A’ defence when they fielded a full six backmen, while Josh Schache chipped in as a tall forward option.

Good to see Fullarton in footy boots chasing a footy.

MFC TRAINING PHOTO GALLERY

CHECK OUT THE LIVE PRESEASON TRAINING THREAD FROM TODAY WITH FURTHER COMMENTARY

Was McAdam training with the main group or in rehab?

Clayton Oliver was integrated back into the main training group today for the first time in 2024 after completing a 2km time trial. FriendlyFellow, a new Demonland Trackwatcher hit Gosch's Paddock on a hot and windy morning to bring you his observations of the session. Disclaimer: Saw on the socials they were down at Gosch’s Paddock so headed down for a quick look. Little to no presence of other track watchers and no current live thread, so as a first time contributor, giving what the people need! It won’t be as expansive and comprehensive as what we’re used to… but it’s something. Conditions: Hot and windy (no explanation needed). Training Format: Tailored match sim; line grouping skills; running.. and lots of it. Observations: Tailored Match Sim: Offense orientated simulation. Focus on transitioning the from defensive wing to forward 50. A team forwards appeared to play on the A backs, with Midfielders having cross representation of personnel. General observations – We still bias to target kicking into the pockets. Attempted to lower the eyes on several occasions to get into the corridor, but the defensive group were strong at intercepting and pushing the rebound. Goal kicking was accurate in windy conditions. Clayton Oliver – completed his 2km Time Trial pre-session and was fully integrated with the main group for match-sims (so yes, first session back with the group). Previously was on a modified running session program separate to the others. Had plenty of the ball in match sims. Was great to see close to the start of the season. Josh Schache - appeared to be the A forwards, along with Bayley Fritsch and Jacob van Rooyen. Assume he’s in the starting line up whilst Harry Petty is out. Was a key target on the long kicks into the F50. Kozzy Pickett – so active and such a livewire in the FWD line. Was the most dominant and damaging player. Jack Billings – genuinely looks to add class synergy in D50 and F50 connection. Jacob van Rooyen – not quite as big as May (direct opponent), but is the closest thing we have to a big bustling forward. His development this year will be so important. Adam Tomlinson – looked very settled in the A defense team. Played a lock down defensive role on Josh Schache. Jack Viney and Trac looked very silky in the midfield, as did Tom Sparrow. Other observations on the mids were challenging… I’m bamboozled by the detail you guys can provide on the mids at training. They all look the same to the untrained eye. Line grouping skills: Only observation was that Caleb Windsor and Ed Langdon were with the defenders. Perhaps Caleb Windsor is the emerging winger for Prac Games if Lachie Hunter remains out? Running: Various running drills, split into running groups that have been well documented on previous threads. To my surprise, Kolt was in the second group, albeit on a modified program - clearly has some speed and tank to build on in coming pre-seasons. Started to feel nauseated watching the efforts in the conditions so decided to call it a day there. Anticipated and frequently asked questions: Harry Petty was not partaking in training – stuck to the side with a ball in hand. Christian Salem was on the track and fully training in at least the match sims and line grouping skills. Lachie Hunter & Tom Fullarton were on a modified running programs sticking to the boundary line. Fullarton was doing some larger kms so looks to be recovering well. Don’t have a comprehensive list of non-trainers, so would only be guessing - which I want to avoid! That is all I have. Enjoy! CHECK OUT THE LIVE PRESEASON TRAINING THREAD FROM TODAY WITH FURTHER COMMENTARY

Ben King off the shopping list

I'll see myself out

Where is the Community Camp?

That must have been updated after I posted.

Match SIM Gallery

Nothing yet on the Training Times page

Mini Match Report on Today's Match Simulation

NSFW @binman

SEED 4 – LACHIE HUNTER (MELBOURNE) A bit of a left-field call, slotting him at number four, especially when many believe that his counterpart at Melbourne is a better overall player. However, Hunter has a knack for finding the footy and loves to get forward with it. In his first season at the Dees, he was +2.88 on his previous numbers for the Dogs (although he was way more prolific in pre-covid times. Still, jumping to a new club and slotting in immediately is a tough ask, and I reckon Hunter will be better for the run. How that looks for Ed Langdon, however, remains to be seen. SEED 8 – ED LANGDON (MELBOURNE) I mentioned him, above. His numbers took a hit in 2023 and I reckon the Demons’ wingmen were not quite in sync. Langdon will run all day, but I found that he was often stuck on the dead side of the ground, whilst Lachie Hunter occupied the busier side. Whether this was tactical, or just bad luck, Langdon is far too good a player to be deferring to Hunter all the time. Was it a battle of wills? Was it Hunter just wanting the footy more? Or was it a pair of elite wingmen not working together to ensure the Dees got the best of both worlds from both? Langdon was -1.79 disposals on his 2022 numbers, and was down over 50 metres per game in terms of distance covered with the footy. It was his lowest output since 2017 at Freo. Those numbers don’t fill me with confidence.

It was listed as an Open Sessions on the MFC Website's Training Times page. Friday 9 Feb | Casey | 9.30am - 11.45am approx. @picket fence ?

I can't wait to see the Casey (or Caulfield) Demons play at Caulfield Racecourse in a few years time.

I think the Kansas City Chiefs have cornered the market on that one.

Smithy’s VFL Round 1 Friday 22 March Sandringham vs. Collingwood, RSEA Park, 4:05PM * Frankston vs. Williamstown, Kinetic Stadium, 7:35PM Saturday 23 March Gold Coast SUNS vs. Richmond, Heritage Bank Stadium, 11:05AM Southport Sharks vs. Port Melbourne, Fankhauser Reserve, 12:05PM Essendon vs. Brisbane Lions, NEC Hangar, 1:05 PM * Geelong Cats vs. Werribee, GMHBA Stadium, 2:05PM * North Melbourne vs. Northern Bullants, Arden Street Oval, 3:05PM Sunday 24 March Sydney Swans vs. Coburg, Tramway Oval, 12:05PM Footscray Bulldogs vs. GWS GIANTS, Whitten Oval, 12:05PM Casey Demons vs. Box Hill Hawks, Casey Fields, 2:00PM (Ch7) Bye: Carlton