djr

Why do you think Bailey had nothing to do with his departure? Where did you get that from? Apologies re Green but the point is still valid.

That's what Bailey thought when he dumped James McDonald and Brad Green.

You contradict yourself twice. I would expect the whole group to be doing this level of training over the Christmas break but would not have expected the new draftees to be involved to that extent. As for not being robots.......that's exactly what professional footballers are. They are told what to do and they do it.

As much as I admire Angus' dedication and commitment in running 100 100's I'm not sure why he is singled out as being someone special when I would expect the whole list not in rehab to be putting in the same work. What I am impressed with now is that it appears that we have players that are far more focused on being the best that they can possibly be. This is a big change from the Bailey years. I give a small thanks to Mark Neeld in starting to change that mind shift.

Yeah, didn't he abuse Blease for not working hard enough in his only game with Casey this year.

Vastly different personnel now to what Neeld had to work with. Looking back that list was no where near fit nor skilled enough to do these drills to the elite level required.

The drill would be rather stupid without footballs. Imagine Lumumba kicking this imaginary ball to Toumpas who marks this imaginary ball then handballs this imaginary ball to Bail then takes off to......think before you write

Yes he is further back in the running drills but he is competing in all the drills. I don't think he has done that for a number of pre-seasons. He is getting fitter and fitter like they all are. He's just not a standout. The Russian, Dunny, Garlett and a few others are back there too.

Backs

There is a definite strategy in implementing the running drills in between the ball handling drills. As soon as they finish a multiple 300m interval drill they would be off all over the ground kicking and handballing to position. Not sure about the Neeld thing. Maybe last year they weren't fit enough to even consider this.

I agree BB. I think he is a little short to be a permanent HB

His speed is OK over 20m but he has really improved his endurance.

Jimmy Toumpas trained very well again this morning. His running is a real feature. He would receive a pass deep in the backline, kick it at full speed to a target, then run and run and receive it back at half forward. Not many players were so conspicuous. Obviously time will tell whether he can replicate this in a match. But if he is that fit he must be able to do it. Roos once again exhausted them with hard running followed by match simulated drills. Obviously with the intention of maintaining their disposal skills at the same efficiency when they are fatigued. Understandably the foot skills did drop off on some players, notably Nat Jones and Dunny. Garlett shanked a couple as well. That said, the standard was still high. Far different from this time last year. Lamumba moves beautifully. He was another standout in the end to end ball carry drill. He even addressed the whole group at one stage for a brief minute in between drills. The player I have been watching closely over the past week is Mitch White. Boy he has a raking left foot that can regularly cover distance over 60m. He doesn't miss a target at 30m. They have him working with the backline group where they are teaching him how to spoil. There was a big session on this today. Grimes was a standout. If White makes it he will be a dangerous customer if he can fire 50m passes to our half forward. It still a big IF.

If you want to stupidly broaden the topic, I wonder what the guy in Iraq or Afghanistan with a jack hammer, digging ditches 8 hours a day, having mortars fly up their arse would think of his counterpart in Australia. A little bit precious? A bit of perspective. Then I might listen

Why do you question whether he is serious? To me its quite obvious.

AFL footballers are highly skilled practitioners that happen to work at a profession that we call a sport. To them its a business. Its no different from a law, medical or building practitioner that gets paid well for their skills that they have developed. But there is a big difference in the lifespan of these professions. An AFL footballer's employment is, on average, only 6 years. Most other careers can span over half a century. An AFL footballer works extremely hard but unlike most other professions they know that they have a very short time to achieve their goals. I saw it first hand last Monday at how hard they train. Its tough. Very tough. And its tough for almost 12 months a year. They need to be paid well to make it worthwhile. If they weren't the AFL would not be the AFL of today but would be like any other suburban league. Athletes would be attracted to other sports that may be less physically demanding and have a longer career span. Public interest and membership levels would be dramatically lower and more than likely we would be doing something else than writing on a football forum. The physical demands of our game are so high that the majority of players retire early or get delisted because their bodies / mind can't take it anymore or are just not physically / mentally up to it. In most cases the extreme running, constant physical contact and emotional demands take a lasting toll on their bodies / mind for the rest of their lives. Just ask Gary Lyon. He can hardly walk. The life expectancy of a NFL player in the US is just 55. As mentioned in the article, many players find it difficult to re-adjust to life beyond football. Who knows what path Rohan Bail's health will take after he retires. I certainly do not have a problem with how much AFL players are paid and how much they are looked after. Each week I marvel at their skill and often wish that I could have been that good but know that I did not have the drive, discipline and skill to even get on a list let alone excel at it.

He didn't look out of place on the training track yesterday.

Toumpas not only shirtfronted Nev but threw him to the ground slightly hurting Nev's shoulder. Jetta went off for about 20mins for treatment. It was pretty serious stuff out there today. Dunn's "tackle" on Viney was a bit crude and would have come under notice from the MRP if it happened in a game. What I liked about this particular incident was that Viney did not retaliate but just pushed Dunny away and continued on with the drill. With regard to Toumpas, he is doing everything right and is leaving nothing on the park to achieve the level of fitness required to be an above average AFL footballer. There seems to be a heavy focus on improving his defensive skills which was one of his weaknesses last season. His two-way running has been quite noticeable. He's been my best performer this pre-season.

I take it that you are not a motivational speaker. Not sure that I would like to have you next to me in the trenches.

He won't show. He would be crazy if he did. Then again.....

Went and had a look for about an hour and half until i froze to death. Agree with what you said PB except that Watts was there but just did handballing drills with Jordie and Riley. Don't know why Jesse was missing. My observations: Huge number of players at training. Would have been over 30 in the main group. Cam Pederson doesn't appear to be on the high fat / low carb diet. Looks a bit overweight compared to his peers. Garlett doesn't appear to be a great trainer. Was well back on all the running drills. The body shapes new draftees, Brayshaw, Stretch and Neal-Bullen look solid and not out of place with the rest of the group. Oscar looks a little thin. A bit like what his brother looked like when he was drafted. Which brings me to Petracca. Already he looks like he is the biggest mid the MFC has / had on their list. He is a big boy with massive thighs....maybe a little too big. I think the diet will really help him. Good to see Harmes back at training.

Thanks

What is actually meant by "Closed Session"? Training was out in the open!

Is there an open training session on Monday? If not, when next week?

Just heard Brett Anderson on SEN say that Petracca is no longer a certainty to go at No.1. A few weeks ago he was, but now 50-50. I assume McCartin still looms large with St.Kilda. If McCartin does go at 1, I would not automatically assume we would go for both Petracca and Brayshaw. Lever would still be in the picture.