Enter Sandman-2021

The summer training is moving more towards match sim -albeit with a lot of pauses for coaching and reiterating messages to the players. Latrelle was a highlight in the first proper match sim, kicking 3 goals by my count. He seems like a natural crumbing forward who takes his opportunities when they come his way. There was no clear A and B team today and a lot of positions are still up for grabs. It's unclear as yet who will be the starting midfield - Kossie, Langford, Rivers, Culley, Windsor, Steele, Sparrow, Kolt, Lindsay and Onley all ran through there today and Viney was watching from the sidelines. Most likely we will have more rotation through there in previous years and it is handy that several of those players can also play forward, back or wing as needed. Gawn was mostly working on running. I really like watching Steele's well rounded game - he has toughness, skills and endurance. He holds himself to a high standard and I think he will quickly become one of our most consistent contributors. It was good to see Checkers in the first match sim though he took the bike during the second one. I noticed him coaching Kalani at one stage which was good to see. May still strikes me as an important on-field leader and a great kick out of the backline even if his athleticism is starting to wane. I think this iteration of the team looks best when we are slicing and dicing across the field with pace from Kossie, Windsor, Rivers, Langdon plus guys like CJ and Taylor out of the backline, leading to mismatches and out the back goals in the forward line. With no Petracca, Oliver and Viney injured at the moment its unlikely we will be dominating the inside game each week but that's part of our team's evolution. We are still a work in progress and it will be interesting to see how Steven King reshapes our team - there will certainly be some exciting times this year but also perhaps times where we come up against our limitations.

Seeing the boys train today was a lot of fun and there was a good turn out amongst the fans. It was great to see Latrelle and Xavier Taylor live for the first time. The energy is very different from this time last year - a previous poster mentioned the ego levels are lower and I think that’s true - the young players are going to be pushing the older players for their spots and prior reputation means less with the new coach. Also perhaps we no longer feel like world beaters after a few lowly years and are starting to feel like we have to go and chase it again. Windsor and Kossie’s speed through the middle is great to watch. Last year we trained a lot of moving the ball from one end to the other with uncontested marks, utilising precise kicking. This year is more about getting the ball moving and using speed and tackle breaking ability. Culley seems like he will get his chance as an inside mid - and I think Jack Steele might quietly get a spot in the midfield if Viney is missing round 1. Langford did some special things as always. Lever took some great marks. Once main training had finished Kossie, Latrelle and Ricky were kicking long distance bananas from the boundary - kind of challenging each other playfully. Their skills and connection was a beautiful thing to watch. There was also a play in the match sim where Kossie ran through the centre, handballed it to Latrelle and then Latrelle hit up a free forward in the goal square. It’s going to be so fun watching these two play together.

Can you ask him who has been the toughest opposition player to play against so far this year and are there any match ups that daunt him?

The Jefferson vs Jed Adams contest was very interesting to watch. The coach was just kicking it high into the air and they had to grapple and use their strength to win it. It did seem like Adams won maybe 6 and Jeffo won 2 - but it was clear that the kind of grappling and wrestling isn't really Jeffersons natural mode at all. I don't think he's ever going to be a gorilla type full or centre half forward that can push opponents around. Based on his under 18s and VFL highlights his skill is more at reading the play and getting into the right spots where he can take either an uncontested mark or be in front of his opponent and use his long levers to reach up and grab it. He also seems quite good at getting front and centres, ground balls, linking up with handballs and doing some more small or medium type forward actions. I wouldn't say his intensity was an issue. You could tell he was trying hard and was frustrated that Jed kept beating him. He also contributed a bit in the match simulations. It will be interesting to see how he goes this year! Fingers crossed he gets a taste of AFL footy and can offer something to the forward line

I don’t usually go to training but I went today and I was quite impressed. There are players you don’t realise are so big until you see them in person. Daniel Turner was running laps and he is a huge athlete and was racing around the boundary at a fast clip. I can see why he would be difficult to match up on and I think he is fast becoming another great bargain pick by Jason Taylor. I felt the usual suspects - Petracca, Oliver and Viney - were the most dominant in the drills and match sim - but I was impressed by the second layer of midfield talent coming through - at one time you had Windsor, Langdon, Kolt, Kossie, Langford, Rivers, Mcvee all going for it head to head in a midfielders drill and they were all speedy, classy and tough. With Lindsay coming through as well I think we will be alright with midfield depth and that will be an area of strength for us in 2025. Sharp had some good moments and could be a chance to start on a wing in round one. Langford is a really good size and you get the feeling he has the body size to really dominate at AFL level - but yes I think he is still adapting to the pace of midfield work. Kolt and Windsor look really ready to have great 2025s - I like Windsor off the back flank and hopefully he will average a few more possessions per game next year as he is so silky and damaging. Good day at Gosches :)