..as one who writes a little for 'ology and who has been to a number of training sessions this year and in the past it is difficult to give DD36 and others something to "chew on"
A training session is just that. When we report about it, the items of interest are:
1. who is injured and who is recovering from injury and the progress of their recovery.
2. whether anyone during the session is playing a role different to normal
3. where the newer players, particularly the most recent recruits are "playing" in the exercises
4. the types of drills employed, and are these different from previous years
5. any obvious phsical changes
There is not a training report from any club about their players which isn't full of positives, because to use an old cliche, it is like dancing with your sister. It's not the real thing!
No pressure from opposition trying to bury you in the ground. No physical aggression, because players don't want to injure team mates ( and neither do the coaches). No opposition tactics.
So how do you report about a Hughes, Bode, Frawley, Petterd? They do the drills, they participate in all the exercises, they may look a bit bigger than last year ( but show me a kid who doesn't after 12 months at an AFL side ). And that's it!
It's the same as there is little mention of Green, Miller, Godfrey, Junior, Robbo, White, Neitz etc. They are just out there doing the drills, building the body, keeping fit.....just the same as everybody else.
We could write reports that X is training the house down, that Y is flying, that Z has lost weight and has build strength and muscle instead, that A has never had better times on the tan, that B is enjoying the new regime at his new club, but it is best left for the Punt Road End or the Lulie Street Dash.
Are these juniors any better than last year? We won't find out until the first inter club or NAB cup game, or even the first Sandy match.
Then you can form your own opinion.
But in the meantime, they are not injured, they look a little bigger than last year, they're playing where we expect, and they are completing the sessions.