thirty-one

In the stuff we are allowed to see, what we see at Gosch's, there are activities that are aimed at the forwards creating space and leading, giving the player with the ball a target. There's also a lot of emphasis on keeping possession of the ball until there are good targets closer to or in the forward line. Lots of finding or making space all across the ground and pinpoint kicking (Steele, yes!). I've also noticed that at the same time as we are streaming forward, one or two players are dropping back well behind the play. This doesn't always happen but if one side loses possession, it allows the other side to move the ball back to their forward line and have someone to receive it. Roo is showing a lot of improvement on the running to space or finding space. Fritta is good at that too. AJ is doing pretty well at that too I think. (The forward has two backmen on him and one inside 50 side of the oval to work in. ) They are being coached on this and I'm hoping it will be a thing of beauty this year and years to come. So maybe we'll be better? Fewer long, unconsidered bombs into the forward line. While I think of it, someone was asking about Heath. A lot of the exercises, even match sim, don't use rucks. The ball is thrown up and whoever grabs it gets it. Or sometimes the centre square crew handpass the pill to each other and at some point the whistle blows and someone wins pass the parcel and off they go. It's hard to say how well a ruckman is going if you don't see him rucking. Yes he has to take marks, which Heath does rather like Big Ben Brown did, arms reaching over everyone, and work below his knees (haven't noticed this but the match sims can be very fast moving and I've not been looking to see how Heath is doing). Okay, this has taken half an hour to type on the phone, hope there's not too many autocarrots. Cheers!

Bali, I believe. They are spewing, missing training three times in a row.

Max did a bit of match sim. By the last quarter of it, a few of the players were gassed. They were yelling for Roo to take some centre work but he was off field, cooling off a bit. He did some running and was back out there after a break. After all, not many players do the whole two hours of the game. Same with a few other players, particularly the young blokes. The match sim often doesn't use the rucks - the "umpire" throws the ball in a random direction and whoever is closest gets possession and starts the sim. Also they played some of it without full forward/pockets/full back at one end. I think it was a bit of a lighter session. The players would disagree I think. Also if I heard correctly, there's no training on Friday. The players are on a four day break after today's session.

Reporting on training for Demonland is harder than it looks, especially with a phone that is determined to use the wrong words and change a player's name. Anyway, it wound up at 12:15 with a lot of gassed players. Happy birthday to Disco Turner!

Seem to be subbing players on and off in the match sim. A couple of them are feeling a bit off, nothing serious. Max is back in the sim.

Tom Campbell is here, still in neck brace and with kiddo.

Jeffo back in the match sim.

Pretty sure AMW is here, as is Bowey. Bowser is on the bike right now. Sharp running the boundary now too.

Jeffo is in runners. Running the boundary.

Pretty sure that Roo just brought Culley down in a great tackle. Looks like keepings off for that group, two defenders on one forward on this side. Finding space and leading is the name of that game.

So far, the only players who aren't joining the main group are Salem, Melksham, McAdam, Viney, Bowey and Henderson. Mihochek has joined the main group. I don't remember seeing him in it before.

Three groups. Finding space, up and down between the arcs, closer more congested work, forwards contested marking.

@Demonland it's only Wednesday...

Matthews has joined the main training group. Lots of warm ups. Kick to kick, springs, quick off the mark exercises. Kick, handpass kick.

Salo is doing buttsercises and stretches. Melksham and McAdams are in rehab along with Matthews, AMW. Viney has just shown up, in runners. Henderson and Bowey are walking and not in training guernseys.

It's on!

I was thinking about why I like going to training, and it really comes down to being able to see the players as people. I've been overseas or interstate for most of 20 years. I've not seen a game in person since either 2010 (maybe) or 2007 (definitely). The players became somehow abstract, figures I saw on the tv. Now at training I see them stuffing up or doing something well and always busting a gut, trying to be/do better. They are just people. Well paid men, men with elite fitness and skills but still people.

Something I noticed today during the match sim was Reg (Xavier Lindsay) being coached on where to stand against his man and when/how to move to defend, and Kalani being encouraged to chase, at which point he chased a bit late and ran halfway across the ground chasing one player after another. Both are still only kids as far as AFL goes and are still developing. Reg looks somewhat closer than Kalani. Maysie was leading Tom Couch (who has definitely not missed leg day) on the first of the sprints around the oval but after a bit was lagging. He's doing heaps of running and doing some of the drills.

Look who is here and having a little kick to kick! Bowser

He seems to be integrating well. He's hard to spot because he's in the thick of things and he isn't flashy.

Zero Hanger says that he's contracted with Casey for this year.

I keep seeing Kentfield brought up as an example of someone who hasn't lived up to the hype (because this is what Cranky's post suggests). He's only been with us since the mid-season (rookie) draft of 24, so about 18 months. There's no way he would've been at AFL levels of fitness and strength at that point. Six months later (a year ago) he was starting to recover from a bout of pneumonia that put him in hospital. This is his first proper pre-season. We'll see how he goes this year. AMW would have played AFL last year without that ACL injury. Kolt and Jeffo do have to level up at this point.

quoted from Zero Hanger. Heard lots of questions about who the train on players were. The blonde lad has a good jump on him.

Yeah, he had a cap on. It was obvious at the end when we could get close up but before that I took a photo that shows it's a cap.

If you were there, you'd know Lever was out there. It seemed like he never shut up!