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Thread: Pre-season 2020

  1. #325
    Quote Originally Posted by Markwebbos View Post
    Hun says it’s a positive development

    Category: | Herald Sun

    Essendon is happy with the full-forward’s progress in recent months but wants the star father-son to check back in with his specialist before stepping up his training workload.

    Essendon football manager Dan Richardson said the club was taking all steps to ensure Daniher was completely over his groin problems before he returns to playing.
    Thats some almighty spin there. You dont send a player all the way to the other side of the world if his progress has been great.
    If he's progressing well, any old sports doctor will do.

    Anyway, lets hope they get him right for 2021. Should the swans chip in for his airfares ?

  2. #326
    Veterans List wolftone57's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Auntie.Gerald View Post
    true
    Hodge at Brissy featured alot last year vs say Grundy, Smith, Jack or even McVeigh

    we do bring in some good middle aged experience in Grey and Squizzzzy plus Brand

    arguably very ready draft picks in Stephens and Gould plus I wouldnt be surprised if Taylor got a few games mid season onwards once his base can handle AFL Snr footy

    Taylor could do a James Rose or Ronke and win a game or two by kicking 4 goals plus in a debut game

    As a club it still appears we have taken a longer path to fight for a top4 vs some teams that have rebuilt on the run with a very different recruitment strategy.......There are some seriously good teams out there for 2020 in comparison

    I dont see that we have given ourselves the best opportunity to remain season to season top8 competitive vs some other clubs ie Geelong, Pies, Hawks

    no one on this forum seemed to rate the Dogs or Bombers. Some very critical comments re those teams yet they still featured 7th and 8th last year and made the finals..........we didnt.....we finished 15th

    I hope I am wrong and we are back fighting for a 6-8 position on the table in 2020
    OK. Firstly we are building for the future. For 10 years not the quick hit like Doggies and Cats. Saints and Eagles are trying the quick fix too. With the Eagles and Cats the quick fix is needed because their lists are so old they will be past it or retired soon. The Doggies are naturing a young list. Saints are a bit different. They had serious need of mature tip end talent to try to develop the young developing players. They needed a total attitude change at their club and now have it with Ex Swans leading the way.

    Our list strategy over the last 5 or do years has been to draft a young, developing team to take us into the future. I think for us this has been the sensible route. We have traded like Cats, Eagles etc in the past and have managed two premierships in two decades. I think we probably underachieved with the talent at our disposal. But it proved one thing, trading does not guarantee a premiership. Hawthorn did a lot of trading and still do but their list is now old. The other thing is if you are trading out all your good draft picks it gets to the stage you become Dad's Army. Not only that due to AFL rules you you cannot trade futures more than two years in a row. This means clubs that generally buy premierships by trading now have to go back to the draft.

    The club who recently have traded most, Cats, in an effort to get a premiership now have yet to win one. The last premiership was in Chris Scott's first year in 2011. Since then their finals record is pretty ordinary for such a talented outfit. But one thing might be a problem. With all the very old players they might be running out of legs. Eventually you have to bite the bullet and retire them but Cats don't seem to get that. They are the true Dad's Army of the AFL. Grandads and greenhorns with nothing much in between.

    We on the other hand are developing a list that will all mature together. That is really important.

    Sent from my U27 using Tapatalk

  3. #327
    Ego alta, ergo ictus Ruck'n'Roll's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Legs Akimbo View Post
    Haha. Damn keyboard. You know what I meant.
    I did indeed know what you meant, and I'm very glad you viewed my response as nothing more than an off season folly.

    I'm not sure Wolfy saw it in quite the same light. If not, sorry Puppy - I understand youre in Thailand and on a dodgy phone and all, but the number of typos coming through in your recent posts are making them harder to read - which is a bit of a pity given the cogitative efforts made in constructing them.

  4. #328
    Quote Originally Posted by wolftone57 View Post

    The club who recently have traded most, Cats, in an effort to get a premiership now have yet to win one. The last premiership was in Chris Scott's first year in 2011. Since then their finals record is pretty ordinary for such a talented outfit. But one thing might be a problem. With all the very old players they might be running out of legs. Eventually you have to bite the bullet and retire them but Cats don't seem to get that. They are the true Dad's Army of the AFL. Grandads and greenhorns with nothing much in between.

    We on the other hand are developing a list that will all mature together. That is really important.

    Sent from my U27 using Tapatalk
    Its fascinating when we break down what we expect of our club and what we disagree with re other club strategies. Neither wrong nor right....... just our own opinions until they are not working or working very well

    Geelong has retired or moved on a massive bunch of players last few years Enright, Bartel, Tom Lonergan, Andrew Mackie, Steven Motlop, Darcy Lang, Vardy, Caddy, Scott Selwood, Stevie J, Zac Smith, Menzel, Murdoch, Thurlow, Crameri etc etc

    for me i was absolutely amazed by Geelongs efforts in 2019....... to rejuvinate their list the last few years and to come no1, all on the run was outstanding.

    Im not about premierships as a supporter because to win a GF everything has to align perfectly just on one day re injuries etc etc......but for other supporters a GF is very important to them. I dont even like watching GFs that much to be honest. I love the week to week games.

    I have always marked teams in AFL, soccer or any team sport as first on the table re wins vs losses. For me this shows the spirit and execution of a team week in week out. it is an incredible effort to have the most wins after a whole season. For me it is less incredible to rise up and win one game vs a season of games

    For me as a supporter im all about remaining seriously competitive ie top8 competitive minimum and designing your list to maintain that standard as much as possible.

    Just like Tim Kelly made a tremendous difference to Geelong when they recruited him into their squad and created a tipping point in the midfield and they finished no1 on the table.......their development of Kelly and trading in return has set up 2020 yet still gave them a big bite in 2019 via no1 on the table

    I hope we too can capture that midfield dominance which we lost terribly in 2019 and came 15th...........we have gone down the path of recruiting not wanted players last two seasons ie 6 in total and lost Jones, Rohan, Hannes, Cameron

    Geelong in my opinion have been absolutely mighty in rebuilding via the draft in 2019 and 2020........they gave themselves the best chance for 2019 and have drafted 2019 and will draft as good as anyone 2020

    Geelong - The Cats now have THREE first round draft picks in 2020 after they also received West Coast's future first round pick in the trade for Tim Kelly. Amazing currency and their 2020 first rounder they got from the Suns for picks 27/64 was a gun effort.

    Cooper Stephens, 188cm.
    Pick 16, midfielder, Geelong Falcons.
    Sam De Koning, 200cm.
    Pick 19, key defender, Dandenong Stingrays.
    Francis Evans, 182 cm,
    Pick 41, Calder Cannons/VAFA.
    Cameron Taheny, 185cm.
    Pick 50, forward, Norwood.
    "be tough, only when it gets tough"


  5. #329
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    Auntie, I like your Cats analysis. It should be pointed out however that it's not the Suns first rounder they got, it's the Suns "after non finalists first rounder" which is currently pick 11.

    But the Cats will take that pick plus their own and West Coasts firsts to the draft. It's probably that given the large number of "attached" draftees in the draft that all of the Cats picks could drift out 3, 4, 5 places, a strong hand none the less.

  6. #330
    With some trepidation, I line up more with wolfie. While I think finishing top of the table last year was a great effort by Geelong, it is a compromised fixture and the Cats had the easiest of draws. I always thought they'd finish highly but doubted they'd do well in September. They have an amazing list with a few all-time greats on there list starting with Gary Ablett Jnr, Danger and Joel Selwood and they have not done as well with these players as we have with Buddy (at least we made the granny twice). Their finals record since 2011 is dismal. I think they have underachieved more than we have. Also, they are not as advanced with their regeneration as we are.

    All that said, they have drafted and traded brilliantly in recent times and that has gone a long way to shoring up their future. In particular they made out like bandits with their Tim Kelly recruitment. First they got an All Australian for a couple of seasons for a steal. Then they cashed in BIG TIME when they had to trade him to West Coast. And then they made off like bandits AGAIN trading 2019 pick 27 for 2020 pick 11! Hats off.

    I like to think that Chris Scott burns the bacon Stephen Wells saves him.

  7. #331
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    Gallery: Swans hit the track - Latest photos of Swans pre-season training. Photo #3 has Ling in action !

  8. #332
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    Quote Originally Posted by Aaron View Post
    Gallery: Swans hit the track - Latest photos of Swans pre-season training. Photo #3 has Ling in action !
    Looks fit and significantly stronger. Mind you, he has had a fair bit of time to hit the gym.

  9. #333
    It's hard to tell but Lewis Taylor looks in better shape in that photo.

  10. #334
    Veterans List wolftone57's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Blood Fever View Post
    Looks fit and significantly stronger. Mind you, he has had a fair bit of time to hit the gym.
    They all look super fit. I hope they are honing their disposal skills. They look to be doing that. Long looks good. Wonderful to see him out there

    Sent from my U27 using Tapatalk

  11. #335
    I managed to get down on Monday morning 20th Jan. It was pretty good weather. I got there around 8.30 and players were already warming up kicking the ball to each other in pairs. A lot of the players had red or yellow singlets with their numbers on it.

    - First up they split into groups for the agility drills. The drills seem quite similar each session and I guess the players pick one they prefer. The group near the eastern boundary put a rubber band around the ankles and do exercises. The group near the western boundary do sprint type of drills like high knees. The group behind the goals do lateral movement, steps, stops and jumps. There is a fourth group that seems to do lighter work like fast handballs or using medicine balls.

    During this time I took the chance to try and write down the singlet colours of the players doing the main agility drills. This gives a rough idea of the teams for the short match:
    Yellow - Lloyd, Mellican, Gould, Mills, Hayward, Wicks, Stephens, Florent, Hewett, Parker, Clarke, Bell, Knoll.
    Red - Dawson, Aliir, Stoddart, Fox, Brand, Papley, Foot, Mcinerney, Lewis Taylor, Cunningham, Kennedy, Rowbottom.

    Short Match
    - Next after a short warmup, some of the players played a short match. It might have been roughly two 15 minute halves (the game was finished by 9.30). It seemed to be 15 vs 15 (5 5 5). There were a few academy players used to make up the numbers. Fox and Knoll were the ruckman. (I saw Sinclair and Naismith participating in drills but maybe they were not match ready). I think there were seven goals kicked.

    Best goal was Blakey's which I got a good view of from the Eastern boundary. There was a group of players at the contest near the boundary about 60m from goal. Someone was able to handball forward out of the contest. Blakey accelerated onto the ball out the back into space, sprinting away from his marker and ran 50m into an open goal. Blakey kicked another goal where he intercepted a kick out of defence and kicked from 30m in front.

    Papley kicked two goals. First one from a set shot in front about 35m in front. Second one he was by himself near goal, ball got to him and he kicked it from short range. Stephens kicked a goal from about 35m in front. He was free and someone handballed the ball out of a pack to him. Lloyd kicked a goal from a set shot. One of the academy players (Key position build) kicked a goal. Someone made a break at half forward and then cenetred the ball to him for a set shot central from 25m.

    Gould and Stephens were the only draftees that played. I did not watch them that closely so can't comment on how they did. Though I saw Stephens get a few uncontested possessions. It is hard to comment on players because it is a short match and you have a limited view of it. But obviously Blakey looked dangerous with his energy and pace. Papley looked sharp. Rowbottom seemed to be matched up to Florent in midfield for the whole match and that was interesting to see.

    Skill Drills

    - Next they were doing individual skill drills. Four drills with four groups rotating through each station. Group closest to me were doing marking practice where they marked a high ball leaping against a bump bag held by a coach (There is a few photos of this on the swans site). There was a ground ball drill. A coach would roll a ball on the ground. Two attacking players would pick it up and try to evade two defensive players. There was a simple kicking drill where pairs of players were just kicking back and forth to each other. And another more complex kicking drill on the far side of the field which I did not get a good look at.

    Team Drills

    - Next drill seemed to be about quickly moving the ball upfield. Player would start with the ball near the goal square. A player 50m out would grapple against an opponent then make a lead towards the boundary to receive the kick. He then spins around quickly and kicks to a leading player on the wing. Who kicks inside to a open player who then kicks into the attacking 50m. There seemed to be a focus on communication. Eg yelling out "roll, roll, roll" to get the player on the boundary to turn and kick quickly. Or "open, open, open" for the winger to look inside for the open player.

    - Next was a handball drill with 4 attackers against 3 defenders. The attacking team had to move the ball 20m forward through a narrow corridor. It was a good drill. Because even with an extra player it is still hard under pressure to see where the spare player is and move into space. As well as receive a handball under pressure and be decisive whether to make the handball or not. You could see some players were more comfortable than others.

    - Next they split into defenders/forwards and mids/rucks. Defenders/Forwards seem to do a exercise that involved kicking, spoiling, crumbing and kicking for goal. Mids were doing stoppage work in two groups alternating between a throw in and ball up. One group was Florent, Rowbottom, Parker vs Cunningham, Hewett, Kennedy. The other group was Clarke, Warner, Mcinerney vs Taylor, Bell and Foot(possibly).

    - Next was a sim drill where the attacking team had to work the ball from their goal square upfield. It might have been 10 vs 9. The attacking team would pick up a loose ball near their goal square and try and work it upfield. At a certain point a coach would blow a whistle and then they would have to reset and sprint back to starting positions. And then go again.

    - Next drill a pack of players would play for a few minutes, a coach would blow a whistle, they would then as a pack sprint 100m to a new position. Then start playing again. Then as a pack sprint 100m to a new position etc.

    - Next the defenders were doing marking practice. A few mids were doing 1 vs 1 with a ruckman tapping the ball down. Seemed to be Kennedy, Parker, Hewett, Bell, Rowbottom and Clarke. Though Warner and Stephens were on the boundary posing for pictures with some kids. One of the coaches encouraged them to go over and soak it up and observe the drill.

    - Also a lot of individual coaching done throughout the session. O'Connor was doing a lot of individual work with a coach. Last off the field were Clarke and Hewett who were practicing picking up balls rolled to them by the coach and handballing back.

    - As usual players were in diffferent stages of preseason. So some were only doing some of the drills. Guys that were in earlier stages doing a lot of running around the boundary.
    Last edited by SeanM; 21st January 2020 at 05:04 AM.

  12. #336
    Veterans List dejavoodoo44's Avatar
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    Thanks for the good info, Sean. My guess, as to the identity of the key position academy player, is Hamish Ellem?

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