Earl Hood

Looking at Seven news last night it looked they had a run on Monday morning so I am guessing they might be training tomorrow morning.

Hospitalised for something that sounds like a skin rash. Really? I don’t think so.

Sitting behind the goals yesterday and seeing how the ball was coming into our backline with stuff all pressure up field I am glad I wasn’t playing down back for us. Funny how your backman look like [censored] in modern footy when the team is being well and truly outplayed. OMac is no superstar but he is serviceable and needed assistance yesterday. We do need May in for Frost at this stage.

Outside run, can’t we work something out with what we have this year? Get everyone fit and we potentially have the following who could play spreading, wide receiving roles: AVB, Hunt, KK, Stretch, Fritsch, Joel Smith, Harmes, Baker, Melchum. But our game plan doesn’t put a lot on the emphasis on running wide receivers, but more on contested ball winners which is great as long as you win and control the ball consistently.

Bad day at the Office that is for sure. After watching multiple training sessions since January it was problematic to see our training ball movement go missing after the first quarter. I don’t remember one ball switch after the first quarter to the other side, to set up a play. Port did it relentlessly and caught us out every time. The point kick outs were so predictable and defensive, no new strategy at all. Kick deep to the flank where Max is lurking, don’t remember Max taking a mark off the kick ins. Our game plan last year depended primarily on winning the centre clearances and contested possessions around the ground. If we get done in possessions and contested ball it falls apart. Gawn, Clarrie, Viney, Jones all down on the day means we are going to get smashed.

I was there and saw that play too. I think you read far too much into that play. Oscar was committed to Ryder, not sure on Salem’s instructions, but it may include not manning up on 6’7” ruckman. Haven’t dissected it on replay but where was Frost? He should have been manning Westhoff.

I don’t remember Max ever saying that Dieter. Didn’t the German soldier guy say that on Laugh In? But you maybe right although with Pruess in we would have been even slower.

In answer to your first question - yes! The kid has talent, he has all the required tools but just can’t get an extended crack at it. Leaving him out there might not have changed the injury outcome but it is odd given that players are instructed to report the slightest niggle at training and they are usually off immediately to the rehab room but not in a JLT??

Fremantle can’t take a trick!

Yes I am missing my visits to preseason training, and yes my reports were sporadic at best I know. Currently living down on the Surf Coast while my Fitzroy place is being renovated. I was hoping to get up to training this week but now I am grounded, the Corvette has a radiator leak!

It’s a win just! No thanks to the umpire who pulled that rediculous in the back free to the Dogs at the end, could have changed the result.

Interesting game to watch but the skill level is horrendous!

I hope the coaches are thinking differently. There are issues that need addressing after 2 JLT hitouts. We thought 666 would favour our clearance dominance but we have been towelled up in the centre in both games. If we don’t win the clearances we usually don’t win the game. The foreword setup is struggling but that has much to do with delivery which has been horrendous. No forward 50 pressure, no forward crummers and a backline that has leaked 100 points plus twice but understandable given the 60 plus entries in each game. Yes no need to panic but there is a lot of work to be done. Positives - J Smith who managed 4 largely on one leg and according to some with no football IQ! Add Nev, Max. Thought May had some very clean possessions down back. Clarrie and Gus were good.

I watched the first three quarters on my phone. The first quarter was very impressive, we looked great and moved the ball how we train. The next two quarters, well we were totally outplayed and our play did not resemble how we train in any way. Very static ball movement, no system, reluctance to take chances. The delivery forward was deplorable and so it is not fair to critique TMac, JSmith or Weids to harshly. The setup did not provide much forward pressure either. I thought Preuss struggled in the centre bounces. Does not seem to know how to use his height and weight to his advantage at all. The tigers looked very slick in comparison. Once Dusty moved into the middle in the second quarter the game changed. He is a hard man to stop and in a JLT you are not going to tag him of course. In summary, no need to panic but plenty of potential weaknesses that need addressing. And we have 10 or so in the injury group that could help.

They moved dusty onto the ball that quarter and the whole game changed immediately.

We haven’t come up with anything smart for the new kickin rule, I note.

But they will be playing JLT’s on Heard Island in summer by then.

It’s the haircut, makes him look slimmer?!

Well training at Casey is about as closed door as you can get! I mean does anyone actually live out there?

I have been to 4 or 5 sessions this year I think and noted the high numbers in rehab but the rehab work has been pretty solid for the most part. Plenty of running of course and heaps of drills with the balls. The only players that have been limited in their preparation to the point it will impact on round 1 availability are Jones (laps, boxing only for many sessions) and Lever, laps and more laps and perhaps Baker (laps, more laps). As I mentioned in yesterday’s training thread, I spoke to Justin Plapp who was really unbeat about the rehab group and that players were now coming back to full training regimes from a solid base of work that they have all been doing.

Yes it was a very light session. I spoke briefly to Justin Plapp who said a number of players pulled up sore after Saturday’s training, guessed they were not used to wet weather footy. He was upbeat about the squad and how they are training, that the rehab group is getting smaller by the week and that Clarrie is back to full training. As KK ran past he commented that he is going to be very good for us this season.

They are probably made in China these days!

Could be a car, a nicE type of car too!

Not Panama disease there as well?

No recent banana stories from the usual suspects? Just to keep this thread from attrifying! If that is an actual word?