On the Track (training updates) 2024

[Take_a_Screamer]

Training match sims were great. Lots of superlative. Before I get too cosy...
How does this translate into any new players forcing their way into the 22 for Round 1?

[Quincy]

[LaurieHolden]

Pre-season training: January 24th c/- Jen @ BF

Absent players:
Crisp
Elliott
Mihocek

* Dean and Harrison were back.

Rehab group:
Maynard
JDaicos
WHE (not sure why, but he did the warm up and then went off to the boundary where the rehab guys were)


The session was more about working on delivery into the F50, and stoppages, which was worked on through 10 minutes of match play at the end of the session.
The tall did some fight aerial work at the far side of the goals at each end. Eyre tends to beat out those his own age bracket, but when it comes to Frampton, the latter uses his body strength to push him out of the way. But that will come with more time in the gym and experience.

There was a different sort of drill. They called it the "Handball game" and I assumed it would be done in groups around the ground, but this one was set in the middle of the ground, with little goal posts in the middle of the ground but same ends of the proper goals.
The aim is to work within your group to reach end to end by handballing.
Fin was very good at this, he broke a few tackles to bulldozer his way through Johnson and Shulz to reach the other side .

Then we got into match play:
White team defence:
Moore, Eyre, Murphy, Sofronidis, Noble
(a few limited numbers means they went with 5 instead of 6 I suppose)

Black Team forward
Reef, Teakle, Begg, Harrison, Beau

Black Team defence:
Harry, Markov, Frampton, Dean, IQ

White team Forward:
Hill, Richards, Howe (who played forward when Johnson had a foot/ankle issue briefly), Steene, Shultz

Match ups included:
Eyre v Teakle
Sof v Reef
Murphy v Begg
Noble v HH
Moore v Beau haha

Wing:
Nick v Bytel (initially)
Pendles v Lippa

Midfield:
Allan, Jordy, Hustwaite, Cox
v
Fin, Mitchell, Sullivan, DC

In the last centre bounce.

Sullivan went to the wing
Lippa in the middle

Harry v Hill
Richards v Markov
Johnson v Howe
Steene v Frampton

Beau
Jordy
Allan.
Midfield

Pendles wing.

Mitchell.
Nick
Lippa

with Fin moving to HB.

Player observations:

SSP:
Eyre competed strongly, and uses the ball by foot really well. Won a few battles in the 1v1
Sofronidis unsighted in match play. Struggled to get involved. Attempted to contest a ball at FB but it went off hands, but other than that, was invisible.
Bytel worked hard on the wing.
Hustwaite half back and mid, worked hard.
Sullivan looked good in congested areas, tough.
Teakle didn't have any impact.

Fin had the ball on a string around the ground, looks strong. Involved in a lot of chains.
Harry reads the play very well, and gets in good spots; uses the ball off half back really well. A nice kick as well.
DC is really sticking marks lately. Making his presence known
Steene taking some nice marks up forward. He's on the right path.
Richards is becoming more prominent in match play and gets on the end of some nice stoppage work. Knows how to rove a ball through the big sticks.

[warburton lad]

A few quick notes from training this morning:

* Jamie Elliott trained at half-back during match-sim and looked excellent
* Schultz, McCreery and Hill took care of the forward in Elliott's absence.
* De Goey and Nick Daicos are at a level higher than everyone else on the list (repeat efforts were incredible).
* Rolls Royce Pendles delivered in spades again.
* Charlie Dean and Frampton played back and looked good (and both are fit)
* Josh Daicos, Mihocek and Maynard working up to 100% fitness.
* Oleg Markov was extremely vocal and led the group strongly.
* Tom Mitchell lingered on the ground and worked on his goal kicking to take his elite array of talent to an even higher level.
* Ash Johnson was absent, but Reef McInnes continues to thrill with his growth.
* McStay was kicking from a stationary platform on either foot.
* Both Murphy and McCreery were at it in full effort which made for great viewing.
* The coach was not visible and Selwood appeared to be in charge of the session
* There was a very good number of spectators including Zander Maguire who was making copious notes.
* Former Doggies coach Brendan McCartney appears to be part of the coaching regime- I assume that Bolton will carry the can for Wrighty in 2024.
* Cameron was the dominant ruckman on the ground- Steene is looking ripped and Begg continues his development. In my view, Steene is the more likely of the two to forge a career in the AFL.
* Lipinski's efforts on repeat running was beyond elite- he is clearly the best on the list at present- little wonder that McRae speaks of him so highly and so often.

My osteoporosis knee was troubling me and, given the Cafe was closed because of the Australian Open, I regrettably could not stay longer than the two and a half hour session went.

Interestingly, Mark Keane was a keen observer, perhaps regretting his choice to go to the City of Churches- I surmise that he may be looking at a shock return to the Black and White in 2025- In a humorous aside Jordan De Goey told Keane "Get back to Adelaide..."

I met a man who called himself 'Marty Monster' who looked like he had not left the precinct since the Grand Final- a finer Collingwood man, I have not met.

[LaurieHolden]

Laddy, great timing, I was literally about to send you a PM to see how you're getting on and if you'd been able to get yourself down to training.
Appreciate the update from one of our own.

Who's your pick to replace Adams in the leadership group? Or did Marty Monster impress you enough?

[warburton lad]

Marty Monster was incredibly impressive, LH, but I would not have him in the leadership group at the Pies. In former days, he was man of the cloth and these days shuns any public role.

For my money, Crisp would be great in the leadership group, as would;d Josh Daicos or Tommy Mitchell. In my book, it could even be a forward like Checkers... Whoever it is they will be filling big boots...

[LaurieHolden]

^ I've been liking what Fin Macrae has presented in the training montages to date.
As John Kennedy Snr echoed - he liked players that were "good movers in heavy traffic". His grandson was one of those.
JDG has it, but in a bullocking style, where Fin appears to have that trait but nimbler in a football sense. Thankfully we still have one of the competitions best in Pendlegoat.

[warburton lad]

Yes Laurie- Macrae was once again very impressive today- given the vacancy in the midfield with Adams' departure, he looks like grabbing it with both hands.

I should have noted that Carmichael is another who has come back in great shape after Christmas and looks on the verge of a breakout year.

The playing group really look to be enjoying the rigorous training schedule- no apparent sign of 'Premiership Hangover'.

I really like the way that players are being challenged in a variety of roles (Elliott back, Howe forward, etcetera)- as seasoned AFL players, it looks to be a tactic designed to keep them fresh.

[lazzadesilva]

Marty Monster was incredibly impressive, LH, but I would not have him in the leadership group at the Pies. In former days, he was man of the cloth and these days shuns any public role.

For my money, Crisp would be great in the leadership group, as would;d Josh Daicos or Tommy Mitchell. In my book, it could even be a forward like Checkers... Whoever it is they will be filling big boots...

I will predict from a left field standpoint that Oleg Markov is a chance to captain Collingwood in future years. He has “leadership qualities” written all over him. You heard it first here

[RudeBoy]

Thanks Laurie and Laddy - your assessments and insights are much appreciated.

[LaurieHolden]

Pre-season training: January 26th c/- Jen @ BF

In a cool, overcast morning, fans started to crowd the oval. The boys started to come out around 9:30am. Most of the squad was there except for (apart from the obvious, Mcstay) Johnson. I wonder if he might have pulled up sore after a bit of a leg/foot issue on wednesday.

Crisp, Elliott, Mihocek and Kreuger were all back.

Rehab:
Ryan & Jaicos ran laps for a awhile, which was nice to see their rehab progressing for both of them
And while the boys did match sim late in the session, Maynard and Checkers did some running as they start to get involved more and more coming off individual injuries.

Before match sim begins, they did a range of drills that more focused on moving the ball in transition, whether thats done in line groups, or as a whole. Quick ball movement, and using it by hand was a big aspect.

Match sim :
White defence:
Murphy, Eyre, Moore, Noble, IQ, TJ

Black forward:

Cameron, Beau, Teakle, Richards, Carmy, Nick

White forward:
Kreuger, Mitchell, Reef, Hill, Harrison, Shultz

Black defence:
Pendles, Markov, Elliott, Frampton, Howe, Sofronidis

Wing:
WHE v Bytel
Crisp v Sidey

Midfield:
De Goey v Harry
Sullivan v Lippa
Allan v Fin
Steene v Begg

Naicos moved in the middle in the next centre bounce.
Lippa moved around from centre to forward.
Jamie was played off 100% half back.
Mitchell went into the middle after starting forward.
cameron and Cox played majority forward. Cox came on from the bench as he didn't initially start on the ground, DC was up forward with the two kids playing first rucks.
Pendles played 100% half back
Harry played mostly midfield and he did pretty well

Sullivan got the first clearance from the middle.
Fin gets the 3 votes, his running capacity was insane, and was involved in a lot of chains through the middle and moving the ball up forward.
Frampton was pretty pumped when he slotted a goal after the umpires paid a 50 metre penalty, someone ran through the mark.
Noble was really good, with his run off half back, and his work on the in and under to get the ball out of congestion and dish it out to the receivers.

SSP:
+ Bytel played on the wing and a bit on the inside and I thought he used the ball really well, and got involved in a lot of chains around the ground. Probably the most prominent I've seen in a couple weeks. But he was good.
+ Sofronidis I thought had a couple good moments. One that started when he kept the ball in and managed to take the game on and move the ball forward.
+ Sullivan I liked his work on the inside. He was used a little on the wing, but I thought he is a mitchell type. An extractor in the guts.
+ Eyre had some good moments too, one where he cleanly handled a ball coming into a pack contest, and moved it swiftly out of D50, kicking it to Cox up on the wing.

Didn't think Teakle did too much, at least from what was noticable. Hustwaite was quiet too. Think he played a bit of HB and inside the square. He applied some good pressure and got the ball out around stoppage.

Cameron again had strong hands up forward and used his bigger body to outbody his opponent. But sticky hands.

For a brief time, Moore went forward at the end, and Fin to HB.

In the final seconds before the game finished, you can tell they were slowing the ball down. Uncontested park after uncontested mark, then Nick points he is kicking it forward, but then he kicks it backward. The siren goes.

Ends.

ps'
For those wanting to view the entire training session, a new YouTuber under the handle Ultimate Greatness provides full coverage ~
https://youtu.be/zO3KxB3UI1E?si=lNguvanAQa536CtG

You have to skip past the few minutes as he records the drive in, but apart from that it's all training footage without any commentary.
It's the equivalent of slow TV format with the quality of the footage pretty good for someone recording from the boundary. What it will do is allow you to keep track of your favourite players, or indeed find parts where specific players are mentioned in these training updates.
When available I'll attach these to the end of the reports I post.

Cheers, LH

[warburton lad]

Cheers for posting LH.

I concur with Jen around Noble and Fin Macrae.

Noble truly impressed with his gut running, speed and movement in traffic.

Ditto, Fin Macrae.

At 188cms and 80 kgs, Macrae is a ball of muscle who seems to back his belief that he can be a player at AFL level- certainly more prominent this preseason than the past few. Kudos to the player and the Development staff of Collingwood.

I chatted with an old work mate who was a very productive forward at several clubs just below the elite level- he was very impressed by the work of Josh Eyre as a defender- an good mark and an elite kick.

I asked for his opinion on the possible SSP elevations to the senior list. He nominated Eyre (back up key defender with scope to swing forward) and Bytel (midfield depth as the inside mid we crave).

I agree with Jen that Bytel was good with disposal at Friday's session; this is interesting because the knock from St Kilda fans was around his disposal by foot- certainly was not an issue today.

Whilst I was taking notes at training, a young fellow approached me and asked me if I thought Jordan De Goey was the best player in the AFL because he was his favourite. I told him that De Goey could be, if it were not for the presence of Nick Daicos.

The Pies are blessed to have so much talent on the list at the same time.

Unlike Melbourne, I am confident that we will look back on more than one flag to show for our efforts between 2022- 2029.

Floreat Pica.

[simon tonna]

So much positivity for this time of year, lol.
I’m finding myself going back to the thought of how do we fit in the young and inexperienced players we have that have been on our roster for a while now. We have been very patient with few and I realise that last year our senior core stayed fit through out and the younger players had interrupted seasons due to injuries and form but what happens when the list is flying, like now and we aren’t giving them a decent shot at the level we need them to be at
Players like Carmichael, Harrison, Begg, Noble, Stenne, Ryan, McInnes, Johnson, Frampton and Dean are all on limited time contractually and the last thing we want to see is an exiting of essential talent because of a lack of opportunity. It’s such a good problem to have but a difficult one to solve imo.

[think better]

^

Great to hear a report from you WL.

I am pretty excited to see what Fin McRae can do this year - looks ike he is cherry ripe to break into the big time.

There was a lot of chat on Big Footy about practice reports and many people mentioned you - not sure of you get across to look at these posts or not.

Interesting that Jen is a gem as well in her thoughts on the practice but for some reason was coping stick from some posters on Big Footy.

[Ronnie McKeowns boots]

It sounds like they remain very hungry; I'm feeling bullish and looking forward to the GWS game.