DeeSpencer

There hasn't been enough full match sim to make any declarative statements and even then it's impossible to tell until the real stuff starts. That said, last year was a write off in terms of working out where the strengths and weaknesses lie, but if we go back to 2018 the biggest problem with our defending was midfield transition. Our forward pressure was ok and lifted in the run in to finals. Our backline had plenty of good moments, but it seemed they had to be super aggressive and go for the intercepts up the ground because if they sat back teams would coast through our mids. Tomlinson and Langdon are big inclusions to make sure the wings have proper two way run. Harmes to a half back flank I'd imagine is to get a player who can cut off a lot of transition attempts. Those 3 should be tasked with getting in the right positions to cut off the easy targets, which in turn hopefully forces long kicks to Lever patrolling half back or May at full back. The inside mids - as with all our players - are doing a heap of work on transition drills. Viney is clearly having a better preseason and can be really important in that part of the game. Oliver is fitter again and whilst he'll never be an endurance machine he has the burst and instincts to pressure. Brayshaw can't be as bad as last year. Petracca is the wildcard, in theory his aerial ability, reading of the play and burst should be as useful defending as attacking but he has to have the motor. Defensive personnel is a bit of a concern (2nd key defender, mid sized depth) as is finding the right mix between pressure and attacking players up forward, but the team is absolutely drilling two way work rate.

A basic google search to make sure someone doesn't have completely wild political views and isn't immensely disliked by a large section of society is all I'm asking. It might be 2 years old but it's also the last and only other time Sandgren was in the news. He's a journeyman who's had a couple of decent AO runs and will likely remain most known for his stupid tweets. So, the bad PR outweighs the positives of a couple of shots on TV and in the paper of a Melbourne jumper. I think I've already posted here or elsewhere that Tom McDonald going to listen to a nutter for self help advice was concerning - I care for all of our players and don't want their mind filled with junk, although that's a personal choice. Most likely a completely non factor, if not, hardly a surprise it didn't work for him. Hopefully he pats a few more cats this year and gets back in form.

Only the MFC Media department could attach their brand to a guy as troubled as Tennys the day before he invariably loses to Federer (in an MFC style fashion). Such a fail. Alt right Pizza-gate truther. Just not who we should be associated with. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-01-24/tennys-sandgren-purges-his-twitter-account/9355836

Nah. It’s worth asking if Dan Butler, Sam Gray or some other stop gap should’ve been added but Jeff was done. Either way, I firmly believe once he gets over his untimely broken wrist Chandler will be ready to play. And a poor tank alone isn’t a huge reason to doubt Kossie

Remedial kick time. Defenders kick to kick around the arc. Small forward snaps. Forwsrd entries for plenty. petty, Brown, Preuss, Tomlinson, Viney doing 2 v 1 make a decision and kick short or medium Langdon, Sparrow, Vanders picking up in the middle, giving a fend and trying to hit a lead up forward coming at them. Nice to see drills tailored for individual players Webber Training Report Dr. D Training Report Dee Zephyr Training Report

Viney on the right hits up Petty, handball over to J Wags who places it perfectly for Fritsch to take a nice mark holding the space under pressure from J Smith. In half game stoppage to forward entry simulations Webber Training Report Dr. D Training Report Dee Zephyr Training Report

Trying to watch Langdon v Tomlinson in the wing, as well as Preuss v Jacko DeeSpencer Training Report 03 (Stoppage to Forward Entry SIM) | DeeSpencer Training Report 04 (Tailored Positional Drills) | Webber Training Report Dr. D Training Report Dee Zephyr Training Report

Match sim under way. Viney’s work rate and T Sparrow finding space to take a couple of nice marks the highlights so far DeeSpencer Training Report 02 (Langdon vs Tomlinson) | DeeSpencer Training Report 03 (Stoppage to Forward Entry SIM) | DeeSpencer Training Report 04 (Tailored Positional Drills) | Webber Training Report Dr. D Training Report Dee Zephyr Training Report

Jeepers a training report thread turning in to a defence of Jeff Garlett's hardness. What's next? - 21 reasons why Simon Godfrey was actually a good kick - Brock McLean wasn't slow, just poorly used. - Mark Neeld - underrated. - 7 reasons why you should try the Bat soup in Wuhan

Mids will rotate through the forward line and ideally we’d have more players with versatility but forward pressure, up and back work rate, forward craft and cohesion is too important not to have 7 forwards in the side and to have at least 1 tasked with and suited to crumbing, pressure and some goal kicking ability. Jones should be in contention for a high half forward spot, and we could have a couple of players in that role, but whether it’s a specialist small like Pickett or Bedford or someone more versatile like Hunt or Hannan there has to be some speed and tackle pressure inside 50. A 32 year old who doesn’t have the agility in the legs and back he once had isn’t going to be laying tackles, darting through gaps and sprinting out the back.

No point giving up until the list lodgement date. Maybe the surgery wasn't the panacea but his calves could still be adapting to the recovery from surgery and different dynamics without the plantaris. Personally still sticking with my uneducated belief that his running action and posture aren't ideal.

He’s close to a zero defensively and he’s very soft at the contest, particularly in the air. He could be useful in April running to space but he’s not the kind of player you need in September. Essendon probably delisted him because they are sick of playing back half counter attacking footy and want to get serious about playing like a finals team.

Backline: Hore, Oscar, Smith, Lockhart are our 7-10th best defenders and all around the mark, they’ll all have to play during the year but unsure if any completely lock up a spot. A bit early to tell for Rivers. Mids: The 2nd year trio of Dunkley, Sparrow and Jordon should push for games. Sparrow probably has the most ready made upside due to athleticism. Baker is still the hope for the second half of the year. Forwards: The most open group. Any of Mitch Brown, Petty, Weid or Jackson could grab hold of a tall spot. Plenty of small options. But my overall tip is that Kade Chandler is best 22. Unfortunately now his broken wrist might see him in VFL and needing to prove himself to start the season.

Every time I’ve seen Stafford doing ruck specific training Jackson has been with the rucks. But otherwise I’ve seen him with the forward group and with the mids (including rucks) about 50/50. And I’ve only seen him do match sim a couple of times, both times with the forwards. Gawn has gone head to head with Preuss as the rucks. If he gets a game early in the year I expect he’ll be the back up ruck for the 5 minutes a quarter that Gawn rests, and then will play forward for the rest of his allocated game time. If he’s good enough and physically up to playing then won’t he be our best relief ruckman option?

There’s a number of free or limited photo sharing platforms that could work for you. Unsure on the quality of storage, privacy or if they alter the image but could do the job well enough. https://www.techradar.com/au/best/best-image-hosting-websites

He doesn't have a particular athletic advantage - stamina, size, strength, speed are all average or below. But he's certainly moving more freely and looking more confident and involved on the training track. How was he meant to beat a man if everyone he played on had more strength and healthy hips? After this summer he should be on par for fitness and strength with his opponent and moving better. He has the kicking (goal kicking a bit up and down but generally good, field kicking can be very good) and handballing skills (one of the best in the side at using both hands) to be a talent. Plus on the days where he lays a tackle he can get on a roll there. But it's a matter of whether he'll consistently find the ball and consistently hold his marks. He flies bravely at the ball but sometimes I think he's doing more to make a contest than to hold the marks. Half a season more up forward to see if he finally can hold his marks and get involved more and if it fails then time to try him down back where his opponent will take him to contests.

I’d say yes and no. I think I’ve seen a greater desire to switch the ball. And move the ball around the forward arc. They also hit up the diagonal half forward switch in a drill the other week. Overall I’d expect better pressure and defensive efforts more than a complete change in ball movement. Yesterday I wasn’t overly happy with the decision making and skills. Even allowing for good pressure and tricky weather it was messy. For example in the side to side keepings off drill I thought Clarry was still messy and firing off suspect handballs when I’d like to see him using both hands and adding more stop and start. I don’t want us to be more like Hawthorn were, I want more like Richmond now which is high tempo but on the back of really great football smarts. They always keep their space and positioning and don’t overcommit to the contest. Not sure we’ve taken much of a stride there yet.

Just a suggestion but if you load multiple photos in to the one instagram post you can then move them all across far more easily. You can tag the individual players in each photo rather than the caption.

Match sim. Blues v Greens with 2 players in pink bibs going both ways (Sparrow and Hunt). Seems roughly probables v possibles Lever, Jetta, Harmes, Salem, Hore Gawn, Oliver, Viney, Langdon, Petracca, Gus T Mc, Weid, Fritsch, Jackson, Kossie Harmes from half back hits Viney in the corridor who snaps on his right to keep it moving to Petracca. Trac darts it up the corridor to Pickett who dishes off to Jackson running inside 50 for the open goal. First bit of this was messy but the blues are finding their rhythm. R

Blustering conditions and fatigue playing havoc with the keepings off handball mini games. One group trying to work the ball around the backline. The other half going wing to wing. Harmes, Langdon, Petracca excellent with work rate. But not many excelling with skills. Not sure there’s a player on the list who can tackle Kossie when he’s shake and baking. Maybe Nev. Or Vanders - who I hope is having his usual Wednesday off.

Forwards doing a drill that works the ball to the wing then in board 45 then a handball to a runner who hits a leading target. Simple stuff that really should be flawless even in the blustery conditions but I’m impressed by Weid, Nibbler, Hunt and Kossie being very sharp. Jones is still a cut above most as well

Melksham boxing May jogging Bennell kick to kick Spargo, Oscar, Baker, Tomlinson rehab. Petty and Smith were with the rehab guys but have gone back to the main stuff. Nathan Jones back in with the forwards

Yes, inactive list players can be replaced in the preseason supplemental period. Or in the midseason draft.

I listed Hannan in with Hunt and Jackson as X factors because after picking the right balance of talls and mid sized marking players as well as ground level guys I think that last spot will be for a guy who can make something happen. I certainly feel like we haven't seen the best of Hannan but yes what we have seen the last couple of years has been inconsistent and hampered by injuries. But most teams have one forward who is inconsistent but a dangerous match up and Hannan's pace and nose for a goal makes him that kind of player. Like all our forwards he has to work on his positioning and connection with the mids and I'd to see him stronger at the contest at times. And of course he has to improve defensively to lock down a spot - something which isn't easy when hampered by injuries. I think he's capable of having a good season and being in the best 22 if they get him fully fit and confident, but if not we might be better served with someone like Hunt who can rotate up on to a wing and be dangerous as the out the back forward. Or we might just blood Jackson who could be a tricky match up forward and then strengthen the ruck minutes without Gawn.

I sparked this debate last year and I think the great thing about Salem is he has such an economical kicking action and balance he can quickly and reliably gather the ball, change direction and get the ball to his boot and where he wants it to go. A number of posters found photos where he’s more exaggerated in his action but I’d expect they are where he’s winding up for a longer kick. I wish we had more players with balance and a fast release to their kicking actions.