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Apparently Fejo & Tex aren’t training.
(And by apparently, I mean I’m making it all up.)
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so sounds like Furlough Thursday is in full swing
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Not good enough.
I won’t be satisfied till you revise that 2025 Prediction !
Caldwell mention has given me a semi
LID OFF
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Has Haynes pulled his finger out? What’s this I hear about Symonds goal kicking routine?
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Let’s go with Hurlsday.
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I want him to come good.
Well…first of all I want him to be okay for the rest of his life, but after that I want him to get back to seniors level.
Not for me, for him.
But if he did, I honestly don’t know what we’d do with him.
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Agree. I can’t think of a single way that he makes us better on field. He was really flagging as a player even before this shocking infection. You add that on top, and add a couple of years of age as you get slower and the game appears quicker and I just can’t see it.
He’s a legend of a bloke and of our club and I hope he recovers fully and lives a happy and healthy existence post footy.
But yeah.
I’m sure a common sense outcome for all will be achieved.
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Training today in very warm conditions (27*) with a breeze off the Melrose Drive side of the ground.
As stated above, I didn’t see many of our top players there today Stringer, Walla, McGrath, Parish, Merrett, Laverde, Perkins, Cutler & Langford were most notably absent. Two AFL umpires in attendance also who umpired the 40-45 mins match simulation which was fairly sharp.
There seemed to be a focus on forward line movement today with who I assume is Dale Tapping being very specific about how he wanted the forwards to move. Talls would push out from deep to separate areas and hook back towards the goal square corridor side. The smaller forwards were higher up the ground to allow space for the talls to move into but when the ball was kicked, they hit the front of the drop at pace to either crumb or pressure.
The defending team was to push up quickly to man the mark and force the attacker to quickly retreat and allow more numbers back. If the defenders were able to cut the leading lanes off, the ball would be kicked to a square approx 20m out on a 45* angle to goal, the objective to not allow defenders expecting the ball to the top of the goal square to get to that contest. There were many ground markings I found particularly interesting when they completes drills and in match sim.
A couple of notes on the match sim:
Bryan and Draper had a great duel. I’m really impressed with Bryan’s development. He got back to help the defence and was used as an outlet for the overlap run out. Draper too was a threat pushing forward.
Smith, Caldwell and Shiel look really sharp. They won plenty of ball and used it very well.
Voss is a competitive beast and very lively forward.
Ham was very impressive today. His work rate is very strong and used the ball exceptionally.
I’m not sold on Stewart as a defender. He tries and competes but he’s not a natural defender and it costs him at times when reading the ball or where the forward wants to go.
Jones was also impressive in match sim. Really like the way he’s coming on and he looks set for a big year.
Hobbs is a natural footballer and I won’t be surprised to see him in the side from the early rounds. Reads the ball off hands so well and seems to have time to dispose either by hand or foot, the sign of a class player IMO.
Modified group was small for the most part being mostly Hurley, Eyre & Cox but others such as Jones, Waterman, Guelfi, Phillips, Brand, Baldwin and Durham all rotating through there with Hind also doing some slow laps towards the end of the session before heading inside.
A few more notes:
Emphasis on using the number when running the ball out of defence. Looked like we wanted to carry the ball more rather than a relieving kick wide to a contest.
When forwards were hit with passes inside 50, many times the whistle was blown before a shot taken and a different scenario created, for eg Wright took a mark around 30 out on 45* angle, Rutten blew the whistle and demanded a defensive zone stoppage rather than Wright having the kick. This happened on quite a few occasions.
Seems there’s a focus on not bombing the ball forward. If there’s no option presented, the direction was to “be patient” and hit a lateral target.
Skills were mostly good for mid January. Lots of targets were hit and not many howlers. Kelly fluffed a couple of exits. Maybe it’s a case of keeping it simple for him by hitting a shorter lateral target?
I liked some of the set up drills around stoppages with one team trying to win and spread with the other trying to close the ring around the stoppage. Definitely a defensive focus IMO.
Very happy to see a forward line functioning the way it was. I felt too often last year that Hooker, Jones and Wright were in the same space drawing their opponents as well which didn’t provide an opportunity to mark. Today was much more structured and if a mark couldn’t be taken there was more ground support on the move.
What I didn’t like… kick ins. There weren’t that many so difficult to judge whether it was a focus but there’s no real plan there that I can see. Mostly it was a little chip sideways 20m to the pocket and then an outlet. This hasn’t worked well for us in how long? Again, not sure if it was a focus area but I’d like to see a plan for moving the ball in that scenario. Maybe it’ll come later or is something that has previously been worked on but not evident today. I’m not a regular watcher.
That’s about all I have. Apologies in advance for the inferior quality to the true professionals on Blitz @nackers @jackie_mihocek @MattPocock18 etc.
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No matter what happens, he’ll always be a champion of Essendon to me.
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Absolutely
Agree 100% with sentiment of your post.
I don’t think he’ll get back to AFL fitness.
If he rediscovered his old self, I think he has a role as 3rd tall forward.
We hope Francis or Baldwin grow into that position, but they haven’t secured it yet.
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Didn’t see Tex but I think Fejo was there
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My first Antonio Banderas GIF of 2022.
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DEPORTGATE VS BALDWIN
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Thank you @Mr_Sunbury_1 . Excellent report - plenty of detail & analysis. Right up there with the best.
Can’t remember feeling so excited about a season starting in a long time.
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what a man, bodybuilder by night training report writer by day.