Training in warm conditions at Tullamarine.
What is intuitive synchronicity? For any one who doesn‘t know it means the taking of diverse but incomplete data and putting it together to draw a conclusion. Plebs might describe it as a gut feeling reaction.
I raise this point of reporting methodology because I know that you want to know how I think things are going at training but be aware that my body of knowledge is incomplete and therefore my conclusions are subject to all sorts of criticisms. Never the less you can then take them and add them to your own store of information using them as part of your own intuitive synchronicity process.
The last training session of 2013 what conclusions can we draw?
The coach is concentrating on three main issues:
- fitness with a particular awareness that under the previous coach the side faded towards the end of each season.
- skills with an emphasis on faultless repetition under pressure of match conditions.
- Decision making under pressure to adhere to the game plan which is the strategy that he believes can deliver a premiership.
FITNESS
In my opinion we finish this year fitter than we were at the same time last year. I have decided not to report on injuries but suffice it to say the number of players carrying any sort of injury at this stage of the year is relatively low and I can see nothing of serious concern. So far nothing to rival pre seasons of yore under Quinn and the Weapon when soft tissue injuries abounded and poor old Gumby had plenty of company in the modified group.
A much bigger group went to Colorado this time so presumably there is a greater fitness gain than last year and of course the new training facility whose advantages have been well aired here has been a success so far.
SKILLS
This is a major emphasis of the coach – the talent is there and the fitness is there but we will not be a great side until the precise delivery of the ball by foot and hand improves. I think the team is improving but there were still players MISSING TARGETS and FUMBLING today causing turnovers and the players were kept out until well after midday with the coach telling one group “You‘ll stay out here until you get it right.â€
Training was a bit more physical today and an example of the importance of executing skills under pressure in the match play situation arose when Bomber told one player to stop thinking about how tired he was and do things properly (expletives deleted).
DECISION MAKING
Continual emphasis on working together and getting numbers to the ball to create two on one or three on two situations. One player who was slow to handball was told “Don‘t be ■■■■■■■ selfish just give it!â€
There is a continual emphasis on keeping the ball moving and not being a stationary target and there were drills involving blocking and fending off with two hands to the chest or blocking chest to chest.
One group was told that they were slow to transition bringing the ball out of defence but in the end got it right and were able to make a two on one contest.
Training on both ovals.
For much of the session players were divided into two groups using both the ovals and interchanging between ovals. Unless you were Schrodinger‘s cat you couldn‘t be in two places at once and cover both lots of training. I decided to watch the smaller oval towards the end of the session and I will describe one drill in some detail to give a more specific idea of what the coaches were trying to do.
The ground was narrowed a bit width wise with rows of cones and two teams of eight to ten players had to take the ball from a backline kick out type situation and try and move it to the other end without causing a turnover for a goal to be scored. There were constant commands to “guard the
mark†and “cut off the angles†of the kicker. The attacking side was to do everything possible to spread, break free and lead often working together in a mini pack situation to block for a teammate and of course the side without the ball had to mark their men and prevent an easy pass option.
In one of these drills a player got completely free out the back and was able to set up a shot at goal.
The coach said “We are so predictable the way want to play that no one gets out the back. You can see it only takes one mistake in defence.â€
The pressure hotted up and one player told another to “stop f…..ing whinging†when a free went against his side. You will be pleased to know that Tom and Joe both kicked very nice long goals today and Stants did an excellent snap.
Dyson Heppel‘s brother.
Was present at training today. The word is he is neither big nor quick but a real goer in a ruck rover type of role.
Dark horses:
Steinberg has matured and is likely to get a game this year and Fantasia is highly thought of.
I was talking to Ken Fletcher when he nudged me and pointed to an old fellow standing watching “I think that‘s Graeme Fellowes the umpire who gave four fifteen metre penalties against me when I was captain and we were playing Richmond!†He approached him and both of them remembered the incident. Merve Keane and Adrian Dodoro were nearby and they both chimed in and told the umpire he had been quite right and made an excellent decision. Ironically the resultant goal was kicked by Gary Parkes an ex-Essendon player. We all had a good laugh and I‘m happy to say they parted without acrimony – an incident forgiven but not forgotten.
That‘s it for 2013 – my intuitive synthesis tells me to be optimistic for 2014.
