Whispering_Jack

Well, well, well Elwood. Your dream of luring Mitch Szybkowski over to Casey might still come to fruition. At one stage early last year, Szybkowski was considered a contender for a top 20 spot in the 2022 AFL National Draft but in the ruthless world of AFL football, he was overlooked in the end and couldn’t even win a rookie position at the Rookie Draft. Word was that while he was built like a bull, he lacked pace and the X factor to progress at AFL level. As mentioned by BangBnagBang, both he and Oakleigh ruckman O’Keefe were released today by Essendon from their SSP train on places. Being a local from the Stingrays, Mitch might find it an aid to his future development to join Casey where he might rub shoulders with some of the game’s best midfield beasts in the organization.

Eye on the future: 10 draft prospects to watch in 2023

Absolutely have no idea but Graham Molloy was no winger.

Sounds a bit more strenuous than the Demons putting challenge that the boys were put through on Wednesday.

Family, fun and clinic for the Casey Demons VFLW side:

The story of the two Academy players who are training with Melbourne (although more of it is about Zane Duursma) ~ Top AFL Draft prospect Zane Duursma impresses with Demons pre-season cameo

Today’s Herald Sun features some stories from yesterday’s preseason training sessions including one from Rebecca Williams on Melbourne training on Page 63 (no online link but here’s part of it covering an update on the skipper who trained early and beat most of the track watchers): The article goes on to cover some other aspects which I summarize below: FORWARD FOCUS JvR has impressed track watchers with his preseason form over summer. He “provided a strong and mobile marking target for the Demons during match play on Wednesday”, with some impressive overhead marking. With TMac in full training after the foot injury which curtailed him in the second half of last year, this augurs well for the club’s forward stocks. WELCOME BACK TMac’s teammates didn’t go easy on him during match play. Trent Rivers applying a heavy spoil on him while going for a mark and gave away a free kick but TMac decided to play on and had a free paid against him when Rivers launched a fierce tackle that brought him to the ground. INJURY LIST Melbourne GM of football performance Alan Richardson is on the injury list. He had his right foot in a moon boot yesterday at Goschs Paddock. LIGHT WORK Jake Lever (bruised foot), Jake Melksham (minor calf issue), Charlie Spargo and Joel Smith (ankle surgery) were among those on modified training loads. The Demons expect all of the players to integrate back into full training over the next 1-2 weeks.

My theory after seeing The Fabelmans which is based on the early life of Steven Spielberg is that the markings are designed as a message to the aliens who are trying to find E.T. and get him back home. This is based on the fact that the movie E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial was released in 1982 and his planet is reputed to be a shade over 20 light years away. Of course, Chocco Williams might have a different explanation.

My guess was pretty ordinary.

I’m guessing that the remaining training sessions this week (Wednesday and Friday) will take place at Casey Fields to avoid the tennis crowds. That practice match in March vs Richmond should also be at Casey.

Happy with a preseason practice match against the Tigers. We last took them on in a preseason game in 2021 (albeit that it was an unofficial game at Casey Fields) when they were the reigning premiers and we won narrowly to set the scene for our premiership. Encore!

KC - the news is much appreciated but there’s one thing that seems to be missing. The three players you’ve mentioned are all from the Dandenong Stingrays but the Casey Demons also draw players from the Gippsland Power and I would have expected some good players who were overlooked in the draft to also be training at Casey from that club as well. Jonti Shuback (mentioned above) is the obvious one that comes to mind but there must be a few others.

It would seem that David King is impressed with Melbourne’s pre-season intensity ~ The AFL club that is “panels in front” of others with pre-season intensity

Given the issues that affected Max’s fitness in the latter half of 2022, any problem with his hamstrings needs to be managed properly. I’m sure our coaching, medical and fitness people will be right on top of this and they’ll do what’s necessary in his interests.

It would be nice if the club could confirm next week’s training times and venues. With schools returning in the following week, the next week could be the final opportunity to get the kids to a preseason session and if they are taking place at Casey which involves special arrangements for most of us because of the distances involved, plenty of advance notice would be helpful.

Casey Fields this morning STINGA'S PRESEASON TRAINING REPORT

A Herald-Sun article by Chris Cavanagh “DID YOUR NUMBERS COME UP?” (pages 76 & 77 yesterday) examined which club has the strongest draft hand going into the 2023 National Draft. Of course, it’s a long way off till November and the draft picks are dependent upon how each individual team fares in the coming season but the verdict has Melbourne ahead of the pack. Here are the picks each club holds – and why. ADELAIDE Rd 1: Own Rd 2: 1 x linked to North Melbourne, 1 x linked to Gold Coast Rd 3: None Rd 4: None BRISBANE Rd 1: None Rd 2: 1 x linked to Geelong Rd 3: Own, 1 x linked to Geelong Rd 4: 1 x linked to Fremantle CARLTON Rd 1: Own Rd 2: None Rd 3: None Rd 4: Own, 1 x linked to Essendon COLLINGWOOD Rd 1: Own Rd 2: 1 x linked to Carlton Rd 3: None Rd 4: Own ESSENDON R 1: Own Rd 2: Own Rd 3: Own Rd 4: Linked to Sydney FREMANTLE Rd 1: None Rd 2: 1 x linked to North Melbourne Rd 3: 1 x linked to North Melbourne, 1 x linked to Carlton Rd 4: 1 x linked to North Melbourne GEELONG Rd 1: Own Rd 2: None Rd 3: None Rd 4: None GOLD COAST Rd 1: Own Rd 2: 1 x linked to GWS, 1 x linked to Adelaide Rd 3: 1 x linked to Adelaide, 1 x linked to Collingwood Rd 4: Own, 1 x linked to Adelaide, 1 x linked to St Kilda GREATER WESTERN SYDNEY Rd 1: Own, 1 x linked to Richmond Rd 2: None Rd 3: Own Rd 4: Own, 1 x linked to Brisbane HAWTHORN Rd 1: Own Rd 2: 1 x linked to Western Bulldogs Rd 3: 1 x linked to Western Bulldogs Rd 4: None MELBOURNE Rd 1: Own, 1 x linked to Fremantle Rd 2: Own, 1 x linked to Fremantle Rd 3: None Rd 4: None “The Demons hold the best draft hand of any club with four picks in the first two rounds. Not only do they still have their own selections for those rounds, but they also have Fremantle’s as part of the trade that sent young ruckman Luke Jackson to the Dockers. Melbourne’s third-rounder went to the Western Bulldogs in exchange for Lachie Hunter, while their fourth-rounder also found its way to Whitten Oval in a swap for utility Josh Schache.” NORTH MELBOURNE Rd 1: Own, 1 x linked to Port Adelaide Rd 2: None Rd 3: Own, 1 x linked to Melbourne Rd 4: 1 x linked to Hawthorn PORT ADELAIDE NNRd 1: None NNRd 2: 1 x linked 
to Collingwood NNRd 3: 1 x linked 
to Fremantle NNRd 4: Own RICHMOND Rd 1: None Rd 2: Own Rd 3: Own Rd 4: Own ST KILDA Rd 1: Own Rd 2: Own Rd 3: Own Rd 4: None SYDNEY SWANS Rd 1: Own Rd 2: Own, 1 x linked to Hawthorn Rd 3: Own, 1 x linked to Hawthorn Rd 4: None WEST COAST EAGLES Rd 1: Own Rd 2: Own, 1 x linked to Port Adelaide Rd 3: Own, 1 x linked to Port Adelaide Rd 4: Own WESTERN BULLDOGS Rd 1: Own, 1 x linked to Brisbane Rd 2: 1 x linked to Brisbane Rd 3: None Rd 4: Own, 1 x linked to Melbourne, 1 x linked to Geelong

What about the enjoyment on the faces of the fans at attending a winning Melbourne match in Geelong at a time when the chances of us bringing home the 4 points was negligible and the prospect of that long drive home in the cold at the end of most games wasn’t exactly tantalizing.

Watch this to the end.

Just watching the Gridiron and it appears Pickett might have changed codes and gone to Pittsburgh 😀

Today’s Herald Sun has a report on the train-on players in anticipation of possible selection to fill vacancies through the AFL’s supplemental selection period, which ends on 15 February. Melbourne has one list vacancy and this is the comment on our two candidates:- “MELBOURNE TRENT BURGOYNE (Port Adelaide SANFL) Mid-Fwd, 21, 177cm, 70kg The son of Power great Peter and brother of 2021 draftee Jase, Burgoyne was delisted at the end of the 2021 season without playing a game for the club. Burgoyne’s two years at AFL level were cruelled by hamstring injuries, playing just four SANFL matches during this period. He remained with Port Adelaide’s SANFL side last year and impressed with his agility and reading of the play in defence, highlighted by 24 disposals and seven tackles against Norwood. KYE TURNER (Old Haileybury/ Frankston VFL) Defender, 20, 193cm, 78kg Turner gets his chance to trial at the Demons after playing just two VFL games for Frankston late in the year. The defender showed promising signs for the Dolphins, averaging 12 disposals and three intercepts while going at 79 per cent kicking efficiency. He also starred in VAFA B-Grade competition for premiership winners Old Haileybury, with Turner named at full back in the team of the year. The Demons already picked up unknown VAFA prospect Oliver Sestan in November’s rookie draft. Could it be a similar story?” I’m not sure where they got the idea that Oliver Sestan was from the VAFA - he actually played in the Goulburn Valley Under 18s and at school with Xavier College but not with their Old Collegians in the Ammos.

Demons Facebook announcing arrivals for 2023 Preseason Training. Good to see that Josh Schache is keen and hungry …

And (belatedly) the Herald Sun has confirmed in an on line thread entitled “AFL off-season: What your club’s players are up to over Christmas break” “THE BRAYSHAWS “As they usually do, Angus and Andrew Brayshaw did their 100 100m runs on Christmas Day. “The Melbourne and Fremantle stars gruelling session at Christmas have now been replicated by other players keen to get an edge on the rest of the competition”.

I don’t think he was ever “pinched” from us. Gold Coast was entitled to nominate him under the rules set down by the AFL and they validly did so. End of story.