waynewussell

Got down there for 90mins. Clarrie was looking good and giving off good vibes. He said hello, I told him it was good to see him. He did some photos with a young bloke near me, who was stoked. He had affectionate interactions with BBB and Billings, then soft tackled AMW to the ground and held him down (in good humour). I'm reporting a future injury... whoever tackled Viney, tore his shorts half off and gave him a corky! Many impressions from the session have already been posted, so I only have a few observations to share. Fritta looks very fit and is in everything, more physical in the contest than I remember. Tom McDonald is very strong in the clinches and I now have him on a par with Tomlinson, with Disco very close behind them. Adams looks good on the burst, but doesn't yet have the strength of the other three. Adam's kicking is also a bit iffy target-wise. I watched Stafford's ruck group closely. Max is dominant, as you would expect, but he provides elite competition for the up-and-comers. On todays form, Schache is the closest to providing Max with any competition, followed by Verall, who seems quite a bit shorter (even though listed as 199) and Farris-White, who is clearly improving. I need to report a few well known negatives from today's end-to-end stuff. Lever still stuffs up the occasional short pass and Trac still murders a few passes and gets very grumpy with himself. Petty was on the sidelines for this activity, but he and Tomlinson were yelling a lot of advice to the youngsters about positioning. They were particularly vocal toward Kynan Brown, who seemed only moderately interested in what they were calling out. It's true, Caleb Winston is a talent. Quick, evasive and sure by foot. Glides around like a famous wingman who owned the members' wing!

Got down there for 90 minutes. Others have covered key moments very well, so I will put in a few observations that haven't already been reported. The full ground activity is non-stop running, a real stamina test. Players are called to play on if they pause for longer than three seconds. The intensity is sky high. The physicality is brutal at times. McAdam came off second 'beast' when trying to block a rampaging Rivers. He had to take time out for a short period with a saw jaw. Rivers was exceptional with strength on the burst, and ball carrying finesse. Fritsch slung Bowey roughly to the carpet (immediately apologised) but Bowey had bounced up like a rubber ball and tore through the middle with perfect delivery. Bowey's speed on the run from defence was sensational, time and time again. Howes and Windsor are putting tremendous pressure on the selectors at this early stage. Howes took an excellent high mark in defence, then ran back with the flight for a magnificent spoil in the very next rebound. He is taller than I thought. McDonald is fitter than he has been since 2021. He is match ready, wherever he plays. Spargo was another standout in the end-to-end match sim, making excellent position and displaying outstanding short kicking skills (nothing new there, but he is another that looks very fit). Was impressed with Fullarton again. We have a live one there! He is athletically gifted and shows the 'clevers' with ball in hand. Max was taking big clean marks down the line and dispersing with excellent foot skills. After each period of 'play' the teams (Blue and Grey) huddle together for evaluation and tactical discussion. I was near the Blue huddle and May, Petracca and Brayshaw did the (straight) talking. Other senior input I noticed... Lever tutoring Jefferson on marking technique and Melksham advising McAdam on positioning. I left feeling that we will play a very fast, very effective game style in 2024, with very good list depth and several emerging young guns on the rise!

I'm just wondering what an effective ANB game looks like. In the first 7 rounds of 2023, ANB averaged 15 possessions and kicked a goal in every one of those games. In the first 6 rounds of 2022 (he missed R7), ANB averaged 18 possessions.

Benny started pre-season looking like the competitive tall forward he always was. I note he was not doing the match sim in most recent training runs. Fullarton will definitely feature in forward / ruck plans, and he is very fit and willing. Will Verall is the big improver and may have an impact by mid-year.

Those critical of ANB are four years behind the times! What are you watching? ANB is one of the biggest improvers in the comp! He is very close to top 5 on our list. Enjoy what he brings instead of staring into your outdated rear-vision mirror.

I dropped in just in time to witness the 'seriously' injured Lachy Hunter (post amputation) zigging, zagging, passing, running, and smiling his way through some rehab with Matt Jefferson and a trainer before tackling some 150 metre boundary runs... no major problem there, HS! Everything WCW said about the weather was understated! I was inappropriately attired (I need a Mum!) and only lasted 45 minutes before trudging back to the car and speeding home to a change of clothes and the Test Cricket. While I was there I was impressed with the application and energy of the whole squad (minus 13) in appalling conditions. The ball handling was excellent, considering, and the ball movement was speedy. I was once again impressed with the development of Will Verrall in the use of body in the 1 on 1 aerial contests. Having said this, May and Lever were a class above. Fullarton displayed excellent ball handling in the wet and good pace when bursting free. Petty looked good in these physical contests, I would say he is on... WICKET!!! ... excuse me, where was I? ...Petty is on track for the season opening in my opinion. Fritsch also looked to be back to full involvement in the ball movement activity. Interesting to see Angus train without headgear. He also looks cherry ripe! Salem looks sharp and fit. I didn't recognise number 49, and I can't recall seeing BBB.

Crystal Balling Judd McVee, February 2023 DistrACTION Jackson Posted February 14, 2023 I think there's a very low chance that Jefferson debuts this year. If van Rooyen didn't last year, I can't see the selectors backflipping on this philosophy and picking him this year given his slim size. My thoughts on the 5 most likely to debut this year: 1. Jacob van Rooyen 2. Blake Howes 3. Judd McVee 4. Bailey Laurie 5. Taj Woewodin Lord Travis Posted February 14, 2023 JVR, Howes, Woey. JVR a lock to play barring a serious injury before round 1. Could become best 22 if he handles senior level well. No others likely to become best 22, but could see Howes, Woey, Laurie all getting a run at some point if they perform well at VFL level. Howes in particular has been close to selection already and shown flashes this preseason in match simulations. Jefferson needs time to build his body and learn at Casey. He sits behind BB, Tmac, JVR, Schache in the pecking order for tall forwards at this stage. Mcvee doesn't look likely and probably be delisted end of year tbh. Deakyn Smith could potentially surprise as a small defender, but is an outside chance. Would be great if he could take over the Hibberd smaller defender lockdown role. waynewussell Posted February 14, 2023 McVee is progressing well. Those who have attended pre-season would be aware that he is highly regarded and is doing well as a defender in match sim... more likely to get an extension than be delisted. Whispering_Jack Posted February 17, 2023 I recall reading at the time when Melbourne drafted Judd McVee as a rookie at the end of 2021, that the recruiters were relying in part on the initial impression he made when he was part of WA’s midfield mix two years earlier in the state's Under 16 National Championships campaign in 2019. It was back then that McVee’s class came to the fore. He was regarded as a clean ball handler, an efficient disposer of the football who had a cool head. His stocks fell during the Covid19 years and he barely held on to his state spot but managed to take a place across half back for WA in what were regarded as the U19 Nationals of 2021. It’s still a way to go but hopefully, the long memory and/or faith paid in him by a Demon recruiter plus his own hard work and development will pay off in spades.

Merry Christmas all!

I'd be coming from the northeastern suburbs. It would take me 15 minutes longer to drive to Caulfield Racecourse than it does to get to Gosch's Paddock. Distance wise it is less than 5k further! Let's go with the plan!

I don't agree with underestimating Hunter's worth! Here's a quick comparison with other prominent wingman types. Hunter: games 197, av disposals 23 Ed Langdon: 157, 20 Bailey Smith: 103, 22 Isaac Smith: 280, 21 Josh Daicos: 103, 20

I'll be a smart A... Let me get this right, Sparrow is better than Sparrow!

...and you are, of course, staking your reputation on this prediction, Adonski

He does look stronger, with some growth in upper body. He seems to be enjoying his work, in sharp contrast to his body language in VFL final! He is taking some very good clean marks against very good opposition. He still double grabs at times, and doesn't go like a raging JVR to every contest... a bit of picking and choosing. Having said that, he is clever with his positioning and will be worthy of a game with the AFL team during 2024.

Spoken like one who rarely attends training and is unaware of the high-level physical competitiveness of the marking exercise that I witnessed from close range. Doesn't it strike you as remarkable that at least three independent observers have referred to the mobility and physicality displayed by BBB? It wasn't just those attributes... BBB was taking marks against all comers.

Clayton already looks to have trimmed a little belly fat. He will be driven to recapture peak fitness, of that I am sure!

Wandered in for a gander right on time for time trial. Tomlinson and Spargo ran as though they were here to protect their round 1 spot! Other impressive runs by Fullarton, Tholstrup and Adams (special mention to Jack Viney, who only knows one way!) I was amazed at how vigorous Melksham was in his rehab exercises. Also good to see Fritsch and Oliver progressing well. When they began full oval work in several groups, I walked around to watch the young talls on the Punt Road wing. I was impressed with how much effort coach Stafford put in with his instruction to this group. They were primarily engaged in one-on-one marking contests with a small running past to mop up after the contast. Most impressive in the air was Verall, who consistently got the better of Farris-White, Jefferson (who took a couple of good grabs) and Schache. When Benny Brown joined for a short stint, he was excellent at putting his opponent off balance and clunking the ball. I haven't seen Ben looking this strong for some time. In general, noticed how smooth Billings was in run and disposal. Fullarton and NcAdam did not stand out for me in these full ground exercises. Tholstrup looks the closest to senior selection of the newbies.

Thanks, Werridee, Legend!

Thanks to all those reporting... great to have you back!

Collingwood will train away from Olympic Park across the first block of the pre-season due to resurfacing works, with the group set to start on Gosch's Paddock before spending most of the next month training at Victoria Park.

I'd love Casey to sign delisted Gold Coast forward, Brodie McLaughlin. Still has something to offer an AFL list, in my opinion.

If she repeats what she did in the final qtr of the Geelong game, she will be playing in the ruck!

This is the factor that has been overlooked in the whole Grundy/MFC story. He did not live up to expectations. He was competitive at the centre bounce and occasional marks around the ground. He was almost non-existent as a deep forward target and only provided the occasional spurt with his ground level possessions. I think he is clearly beyond his prime and I expect some disappointment is in store for Sydney.

To put it another way, this team finally put it together when they had nothing to lose! The weight of being the reigning Premier proved too much to bear. It's a fixable state of mind. A few of the team may carry the scars into the future. A few of the team are passed their prime. I hope all three Irish women front up again; they are tough and will continue to improve. Otherwise, some astute recruiting is needed.