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According to melbournefc.com.au, there are two open training sessions at Goschs Paddock this coming week:- Wednesday 12 March - 9:30am and Friday 14 March - 9:30am and all other training sessions are closed sessions. Let's hope that some extra tall timber are in evidence and that one or two can play for Casey at the weekend on the way to a berth in round one. Is that too much to ask?

No excuses tomorrow for no reports - plenty of notice and it looks like being a good day for training.

Just went past Goschs Paddock on my way to town and there seems to be some sort of training session going on. Checked the club site and it confirms there is a session today and on Wednesday at 9.30am.

Who's going to kick us off?

Hawthorn, Geelong and Richmond finished first, second and fifth on the AFL ladder after the 22 home and away rounds. In three week's time Melbourne embarks on the three game NAB Challenge/Pre Season Practice Match series against these teams and whilst their outcomes won't be earth-shattering, we look forward to signs of improvement to build up the team's confidence as we build up to the real thing. It's getting closer and, over the coming weeks, we'll see training stepped up and, since we have a new team of coaches this year, it's going to be interesting to see what unfolds.

Weather bureau says there's a chance of an early shower but nothing in sight ATM. Should be pleasant for training. I suppose the theme of the preseason so far is the tall KPP's as this article suggests - Melbourne sweats on fitness of key forwards Mitch Clark, Chris Dawes and Jesse Hogan. I thought Mitch Clark's problem now was a hamstring and how the recovery from that injury affects his need for fitness but I'm not sure on a reading of the above. Looking forward to reports from those lucky enough to have the day off and the ability to attend.

Another week of summer training beckons but this time it's back to the big city action and close to the epicentre of world sport around Melbourne Park and more specifically for us, Goschs Paddock. Still, it won't be easy topping the past week; foggy conditions greeting the players at Cranbourne on at the start of a week of scorching heat, a refrigerated truck at a training session on a day when nobody was quite sure where or when it was taking place, a couple of minor injuries at training, a missing coach (reports put him anywhere between Africa and Hawaii) and a bit of hype about a #1 draft pick whose ascendency to the top has been a long time coming and about who there is renewed hope - Demons' Jack Watts ready to take on elite And ... as the playing group builds up to full fitness with those NAB matches around the corner, one of our main concerns is always the health and well-being of the playing list so I've compiled this list of players who reports have indicated were missing from training since the new year return or had injuries during training (some appear to be minor). Those players have asterisks next to their names and the injury if known is in brackets:- 1. Jesse Hogan * (jarred knee) 2. Nathan Jones 3. Christian Salem * (ill) 4. Jack Watts 5. Jimmy Toumpas 6. Chris Dawes * (recovering from knee surgery) 7. Jack Viney * (hip - but trained 20.1.14 & apparently concussed) 8. James Frawley 9. Jack Trengove 10. Shannon Byrnes 11. Mitch Clark * (foot/hamstring) 12. Dom Tyson 13. Jordie McKenzie 14. Lynden Dunn 15. Mitch Clisby * (?) 16. Dean Kent * (patellar tendinitis) 17. Sam Blease 18. Daniel Cross * (nose) 19. James Strauss 20. Colin Garland 21. Cameron Pedersen 22. Viv Michie 23. Bernie Vince * (? but trained 20.1.14) 24. Jay Kennedy-Harris 25. Tom McDonald 26. Daniel Nicholson 27. Aidan Riley * (fractured right fibula) 28. 29. Jayden Hunt 30. 31. Jack Grimes 32. Michael Evans * (bumped into #7 at training 20.1.14) 33. Dom Barry 34. 35. Luke Tapscott 36. 37. Max Gawn * (hamstring) 38. Jeremy Howe 39. 40. Mark Jamar * (hamstring) 41. Alex Georgiou 42. Jake Spencer 43. James Harmes 44. Rohan Bail 45. Matt Jones * (calf) 46. Dean Terlich 47. Max King 48. Jack Fitzpatrick * (?) 49. 50. Maia Westrupp [if anyone can help clarify the nature of the unknown injuries please let me know and I'll update the list] If anyone's thinking "why us" let's not forget that while it's not ideal for players to have restricted pre seasons, none of those injuries appear likely to derail anyone's season at this stage, some players are on specially formulated modified programmes that should have them back at their peak at the start of the season and every club has them anyway. In the past week, we've learned of fairly serious injuries to Nathan van Berlo, Zac Clarke, Tom Bellchambers, Steven Motlop and now Lewis Jetta.

I was riding my bike along the Yarra this morning and happened to notice the Dees training on Goschs Paddock. I stopped for a short while. A few observations: I have never, and I mean never, seen an MFC group train with such intensity. When I was there, they were basically doing circuits, but at full pace, and intense practice kicking accurate 50m passes to fast leading. This also included amongst the kicking and leading, individual players sprinting from one end of the field to another while the kicking and leading was going on around them. The intensity was hugely impressive; - there were others running the boundary, but at full pace for a change. Honestly, they looked like Olympic athletes such was the intensity. These groups included McKenzie (a very impressive runner - something I hadn't seen from him before), Strauss (likewise), Jamar (impressive commitment), Tyson (a lot less tentative compared to last week), Garland (as impressive as ever). Notable absentees were sadly Gawn and Bleese. Hopefully they will be back soon.