DeeSpencer

A fantastic coaching performance. Credit to Pederson but also it seems like their OC and QB coach are all fantastic as well. I think it takes all those minds to come up and defeat the greatest coach and particularly the greatest defensive coach of all time with a back up QB. After watch the 2 Bill's last night the game reminds me of Parcells/Belichick Giant's team beating the heavily favoured Buffalo team in the 90's but in reverse. Belichick came up with the game plan to beat the Bills explosive offense. Today, the Eagles came up with the game plan to beat the Pats defense. Frank Reich was the back up QB for Buffalo back then and was the OC for the Eagles today. That Pats front 7 is pretty light on for talent but the Eagles had to throw and challenge a very good secondary. I really thought Philly's only chance was to run the ball and shorten the game and get sacks and take aways on defense. The missed FG is in many ways a take away and obviously they had the huge sack and fumble recovery, but you're right, the Pats win almost any time with the numbers they put up on offense.

Man of little faith Dappa. Always certainties to win the Division! Now if you told me they won an epic shootout with the Pats in the Superbowl I'd never have believed you! I still can't believe it happened.

Isn't the AFLW grand final during round 1 of the men's season proper? Might be an early celebration there!

Just as concerned by Tom going one hand and getting under the ball as I am with Oscar still being a pushover. Oh well, I did enjoy Nev's trip.

Back makes more sense than forward, but I still think he's got plenty of time left in the midfield, first by moving on to the wing and away from the crash and bash. A high half forward role wouldn't be unreasonable but in reality there's not much difference between that role and playing on a wing/rotating in to the guts.

Interesting. There's enough room for a facility. Assume it would need: A gym Rehab pools Male/female locker rooms Cafeteria Lecture theatre Footy department offices Club offices And ideally something for the fans - a club store and social facilities. Hard to see space for car parking and going underground would still be a nightmare for access in Punt Rd. All up there's going to be a huge investment there and my question is where would that get us? It would draw us equal with teams like Richmond, North, the Dogs but we won't catch Essendon or what Hawthorn plan to build (yet alone the interstate sides) nor we will have the size of Collingwood's set up down the road. Or for that matter the advantage Carlton has for women's footy in their own stadium. I'm still a little doubtful that we wouldn't be better off trying to leap frog the competition and get in on the multi oval complex set ups.

Not that I saw, but commonly they split the main group in to 2 or 3 teams and perform match simulation using only the width of the square and often shorten the field as well. Cutting back to 7 a side on a soccer sized field really won't be too different to how they often train.

As for the rest of the session. Turned up around 10:40 with the players soon to start some pretty decent going match simulation. White v Blue. Rehab boxing: Weideman, J Smith, T Smith Walking back to AAMI: Vanders Walking laps, possibly with a issue or unwell?: Dion Johnstone Running: Viney Match sim was fast paced and aggressive. Loud cheers as Lever timed his back pedal and spoil going with the flight to knock the ball away from Hannan who was loose inside 50. Equally loud cheers from the other side when Kent and Spargo amongst others forced a ball up inside forward 50. Spargo found the ball in space a few times but wasn't as clean with it as I'd have liked. Balic is similar and also has a real art at smothering the ball. After this it was some simple kicking and handballing cone to cone stuff that then resulted in a kick inside 50 to a 1 on 1 contest inside a box that was maybe 15 wide by 10 deep in the hot spot area. Keilty gave Hogan a good test. Hogan was encouraged by Macca to coach the guys who made poor decisions on where to kick, which was a lot of them. The forwards were starting behind (or I guess the defenders were starting in front) and so it takes the forwards and the kickers to be on the same page. Hannan and Jetta had a good battle, with Hannan using his body to keep his ground then mark over the back. Petracca had Frost turned around a lot, which concerns me with Frosty. Frost only takes a few steps to recover but sometimes you don't have it. Clarry at Oscar were similar but Oscar probably kept closer. Bugg, Fristch, Harmes and Tommy Mc then rotated in as did Wagner and Perry on the defensive side. Perry has good instincts and nice closing speed. After some tackling work the forwards and backs did a drill where it was 6 on 6 deep inside 50 and they were working on their zoning. I didn't really like this drill because it involved some big contests in the air with players backing back and other attacking the ball. ANB got a Hannan knee in the glute that had both players sore but able to continue. Wagner had a big spoil with some heavy contact. That said, the defenders worked well with each other and the forwards did a nice job too. The mids were doing boundary throw in work on the wing. Gawn beat King a little too easily for my liking. The drill often resulted in repeat ball ups but I guess that's not uncommon when it was one on one. I would've liked to have seen some cleaner chains of handballs but the counter to that might've been the other side was defending well. It was certainly willing stuff. Baker easily sidestepped Gawn and then did the same thing to Petracca in one series of play. Of the midfield group he's was behind Gawn and towards the middle at best in the running and he's not quite a pure kick of the ball but he looks a natural running with the ball. If we're looking for pace in the midfield group then keep an eye out for him.

Get this in the right thread: Petracca left knee soreness, looked like he jarred it. Given a good look over by the physios then limped back to AAMI (by himself). Hopefully not major but I think he’d be on light duties for the training camp. Nice early victim of the media buzz after the training the house down article was written yesterday

I think pretty much the whole list of healthy players will play some part in the AFLX, but I hope it's mainly the fringe and young players. Maybe one or two games of the round robin for the best 10 or so players. Pick the best side of healthy players for the first practice match but pull the best 6 at half time. Pick as close to a full strength squad for the final practice match. Use the VFL practice games to give a lot of guys a run there.

Petracca left knee soreness, looked like he jarred it. Given a good look over by the physios then limped back to AAMI (by himself). Hopefully not major but I think he’d be on light duties for the training camp. Nice early victim of the media buzz after the training the house down article was written yesterday

Absolutely no need for a player to sign with another team before the end of the year. Free agency has been given to the players as a right but they have to earn it, which means finishing your current contract. Hopefully in time the rules change so the entire process is smother and occurs after the year. There's plenty of open space on the sporting calendar in October and November to get it right. Players signing with other clubs before the end of the season is unnecessary and a really bad situation for clubs and fans. The idea that it is 'mature' because it happens in the NRL is stupidity.

Thanks Saty, that's good news. Kent and Jones out of the rehab group now right? Tim Smith? Weeds? Was it another hamstring for Paddy McKenna? Nice to see him outside.

I don't really want to prolong this debate but I will anyway and say that I don't fully agree with you. Oscar frustrates me but I think he's a good young player who hopefully transitions to a good play full stop this year. That said, I still think there's not a lot of competition for key defensive spots. Lever looks and plays like a 3rd tall defender which should help improve the two lock down talls but doesn't replace them. Tommy Mc has gone forward and should stay there. There's no indication of something funky like Pedersen or Hogan to CHB and Joel Smith has been in the rehab group for a while so it's not wise to predict huge improvement from him early in the year. At the moment Oscar is really only competing with Frost, Keilty and an 18 year old in Petty for 2 spots. I think Keilty can improve and make those other 2 earn their spots, in which case Oscar is probably performing more weeks than not, but until that happens it's a little bit wait and see.

Unfortunately it's was a lot of do as I say not as I do. Maybe the slower pace of the half back line will suit him. Adding Lever and Lewis to Hibberd and Hunt means our half backline is potentially very attacking and open. How they maintain structures and pick the right moments to leave their opponents will go a long way to determining our success.

I don't think they really do mark them down all that much. Plenty have been drafted very high after injuries, including Aiden Bonar this year who went at pick 11 after 2 ACL's. Stringer was pick 5 after a really nasty broken leg - the Nathan Brown injury. Lever was a tall defender who missed his final year and therefore miss those big state games against the other best kids with a target on his back. Lots of young talls play well as underages but don't kick on when there's more pressure - see Sam Hayes this year. It's rare to take a key defender in the top 10 anyway, so pick 14 isn't a huge slide. Burton had a really nasty injury. It's the kind of injury you don't take a chance on in the top 10. He looks a beautiful player but might not be a midfielder or KPP either so the reward isn't as good for the risk. Selwood clearly was worth the risk but his knee was called degenerative at the time. If trusted doctors use degenerative with 18 year old it's a bad combination. I doubt Spargo ever would've gone top 10. The midfielders who went top 10 were big, strong, athletic and productive juniors. Bailey at 15, Higgins at 17, L Fogarty at 22 look similar kinds of players with similar production. I don't think Spargo really slid due to injury, I think he was drafted at the right spot, but could've gone higher had he player more games and put up the big numbers. Of the teams in and around the range to draft Spargo: Richmond took Jack Higgins, a similar player. Geelong took Fogarty who's a similar forward/inside mid smaller player and then took Kelly as an outside runner. West Coast drafted some highly rated talls then took the risk on Liam Ryan who could be anything. GWS overlooked their former academy prospect for a different small in Daniels but he probably suits their needs better as more of a goal kicker. And North overlooked the (non-eligible) father son to go with a speedy and athletic risk-reward pick after getting a plug and play midfielder in the top 5.

I agree but I also think the game is changing and moving away from stoppages and tempo and back to fast paced and open footy. The Tigers were tall and strong in the air down back - Rance, Astbury, Grimes, Vlaustin, Broad all 187cm+ and capable in the air - but very quick and exceptional with the ball on the ground from the midfield to the forward line. They shared the ball by hand and kicked in to space, with long kicks only coming when Riewoldt or the ruckman was in position. Kennedy didn't have the foot skills or endurance for AFL midfield/high half forward. I would've played him more as a forward but others were preferred. Jay Kennedy-Harris actually has the endurance and kicking to make it, but lacks the physicality, the pressure of AFL footy gets to him, he just isn't quick enough to get out of trouble or to be a defensive presence. Anyway, I agree Spargo will have to be better than a guy who's 185cm to make it but the game plan will play a role as well. Keep the ball moving quickly and skillfully and set ups correct and you won't be having a small involved in contested marking contests.

Tackles, tackle percentage, 1 percenters like smothers and spoils, contested ball and now the all important pressure acts that attempts to grade how much pressure a player applies to an opponent. Combine that with GPS numbers and I think it probably does spit out a decent evaluation of which players are doing what in the old days would be called 'running hard and having a crack'. If there's a glaring weakness in using stats to evaluate footy games it's that they can't say which players are running to and disposing to the right spots according to a coaches game plan. In fact I doubt think Champion Data have even worked out what they would rank as the best game plan. They should focus their stats on the ones that matter and on which players matter. They might well do that and keep it in house for the clubs because the stuff they release to the media is just a statistical version of fan forum rankings.

Pretty sure this article about the Storm is the exact camp the Demons players went on. Worked out pretty well for them. https://www.foxsports.com.au/nrl/nrl-premiership/teams/storm/nrl-2016-inside-craig-bellamys-brutal-bootcamp-acid-test-for-melbourne-storm-recruits/news-story/23c41e6ab12c3d164b35cff253a44307 So the best NRL team does bootcamps and the best AFL team sends all young players up Kokoda. Otherwise it isn't really fair to compare to overseas leagues and sports. NFL teams only get access to their players in minimal preseason time so they pretty much have to spend it all learning the play book. Soccer have huge seasons packed with games and it's a skill and athleticism based sport. I'm not trying to start code wars and say soccer players are soft but the game itself has far less physical contact. You can't send a team out to physically intimidate the opposition either, you'll end up with 8 men on the field. The AFL is the pinnacle sporting league for physical and mental demands in that it requires endurance, strength and speed combined with skills all performed under the threat of physical danger and as a team. Whether it's bootcamp methods or otherwise I think part of preseason surely has to involve stressing the team as close to breaking point and having them work through it together. How can a team excel on match day under severe stress if they've never trained for it?

Goodwin spoke at the AGM the night the so called 'scandal' broke. Without going right in to the details I think he did a good job of calming the situation. I doubt he's been sitting on it for weeks now. The announcement of the leadership group in the next few weeks might shed some light on this or it might be the close of it.

Jones looks perfectly fine, jumping, sprinting, turning and kicking well. Weid's looked like the wind and being a bit underdone was playing with his kicking. But he looks strong and fit, just more like a guy who's missed some time and is still getting back.

Unsighted: 4 new draftees (presume it's AFL induction time). Vanders, McKenna Rehab: As PB outlined. Joel Smith did a bit of footy work and plenty of running with Viney. The other 4 did a lot of footy work and you'd think wouldn't be far off joining in the main stuff. Jones looked ready to go. Weid's kicking was a bit off in the swirly breeze. Balic joined the rehab group after his long run. Lots of different group drills really mixing it up but the focus was definitely on sharp kicking and clearing congestion. Most interesting drill might've been working the ball cone to cone in the middle of the ground then getting it in to a forward v defender one on one with Garlett and DJ both swooping on any loose balls from 30m or so in front of the contest. And I was also impressed with Dion. Not under any pressure but he was timing his run, gathering and snapping nicely. The full corridor 9 on 9 or whatever it was had mixed results but Lever was composed with the ball and Clarry took it on and kicked long to targets nicely.

I think it means we put the ball on the ground a lot. Mainly going inside 50. Not sure if I can even look it up but I'd suggest the half forwards like ANB and Melksham would've racked up good numbers of loose ball gets that spill from contests going forward. Hard to know where pace reflects on the stat sheet. In attack I'd like some more pace in the midfield so Clarry has someone to handball to who then breaks a line. When defending I would've liked another speedy forward to pair with Jeffy and a bit more speed in the midfield transition. A fitter Oliver, Petracca and healthy Viney might help that midfield transition speed anyway. Although I still want quick guys on the wing simply for when you come up against a speedy wingman you want someone who can go with them.

I think and hope Maynard will improve but I'm still struggling to see how he gets significant opportunity to play games and particularly midfield minutes. If he is to play regularly he's going to need to improve as a forward. Salem, Jones, Brayshaw and Tyson can all play more of an outside role, Petracca obviously spends a lot of time forward and I'd like to see Oliver develop as a forward as well, but he's still down the pecking order. Similarly there's nominal forwards like ANB, Hogan, Melksham and Hannan who can rotate in to the midfield mix. I guess I want to see more that shows he's not just an good prospect as a stoppage player but can run and link around the ground as well.

The only time he's played decent midfield minutes was the backend of 2016 after 12 weeks of no AFL and his disposals were: 23, 20, 22, 16, 18, 18, 26 and even then that was rotating midfield and forward. I've got no doubt he'd easily average good numbers with a good balance of contested and uncontested ball if used more in the midfield, but there's a lot of competition for spots and he can play well forward or back. Pre Christmas from what I saw of Brayshaw he was looking fitter and stronger and was bobbing up in match simulation style drills very frequently, both in space and in tight. My concern was at times he's just a bit sloppy still in that he'll get the ball where it needs to go but it won't be clinical. He trains like a good player and I'd ride him to train like a great player. That said, it's never me out there sweating in the heat in long training sessions.