Whatever the reason, we need Francis to come good and soon. l’m backing him in to have a big year.
JM - welcome back. l agree that having others do / add to training reports is a good move. The more eyes on the team, the more reports we get and l count that as a good thing.
Jay Neagle Mark II??
How is Hurley looking at training?
which forwards has he been matching up on?
Question on Francis…
I’ll start this by saying: Francis has grown a fair bit from when we drafted him. He is upwards of 194-195cm now, a true KPP player size.
If we soley look at Francis as a KPP player, and not a utility/HBF/HFF type do we not give him a tad more leeway to find his feet as all young KPP get?
I struggle to tihnk of a KPP that has taken the competition by storm in their first 2 years…
How the fk is Francis still terribly unfit?He must of been cooked when he got to the club
Francis has trained really hard over the preseason including extra work over the long break. His body shape has improved.
I suspect as part of managing players the programme will be varied to include extra running at times.
I have no information as to how he measured up after the short Christmas break and whether this is related to not participating in the match practice today but I wouldn’t be unduly harsh on him without further information.
I feel he falls into the pat on the back category rather than anything negative, he seems as keen as mustard.
Hey Jackie, any progress on Redman?
He took a bit of a knock today but recovered okay. I thought he trained well.
Hi JackieDid the Club publish the results of the 2 km time trial ?
I don’t think so. They were split into midfielders, forwards and backs and that’s about as much as I know.
hey jackie, great as always, any news on begley and langford? cheers
Langford has built up and is having an impressive preseason.
Begley has lost weight and kicked a goal in the practice today. Like many players he is being given intensive skill training and today he was being tutored on how to use his body in one on one marking contests.
How the fk is Francis still terribly unfit?He must of been cooked when he got to the club
Francis has trained really hard over the preseason including extra work over the long break. His body shape has improved.
I suspect as part of managing players the programme will be varied to include extra running at times.
I have no information as to how he measured up after the short Christmas break and whether this is related to not participating in the match practice today but I wouldn’t be unduly harsh on him without further information.
I feel he falls into the pat on the back category rather than anything negative, he seems as keen as mustard.
Appreciate the clarification (not that your initial ‘worked on the small oval’ should be cause for Chicken Littles but you know Blitz*).
Francis is going to be a friggin’ beast, and looks like a mid nineties Pantera album to me.
*Early Black Sabbath song. No, the other one.
Any insight on James Kelly's preseason so far? Last year he played decent minutes in the midfield along with a half back role. Is he strictly a defender this year? Lock down or rebounding? I still think his experience and footy smarts are crucial.
Any insight on James Kelly's preseason so far? Last year he played decent minutes in the midfield along with a half back role. Is he strictly a defender this year? Lock down or rebounding? I still think his experience and footy smarts are crucial.I would like to know this too please, @“jackie mihocek”
Kelly has had many preseasons and appears to be going along quite nicely and stands out for his ability to make decisions under pressure.
I would say he is more of a rebounding defender than a lock down but really the distinction is not terribly useful.
There is no reason why he shouldn’t have a run through the midfield at times but I think he will mainly be a general in defence.
Francis is his own biggest critic, watch any interview where they ask about where hes at and where he wants to play, always says he knows he’s a ways off fitness wise. The fact that he has, and is willing to do so much over the pre-season to rectify it doesn’t have me worried. Like the team as a whole 2018 will be the year.
How is Hurley looking at training?which forwards has he been matching up on?
He looked like a viking today before he tied up his hair.
Hurley has thrown himself into training and said a naughty word a couple of times when his opponent beat him.
Today he spent some time on Stewart which is one of the reasons why I was impressed with Stewart’s two goals.
Hurley looks awesome and will be the key to the backline.
Hi JackieAs I recall the time trial was on the Tuesday when the draftees were still at the afalpa seminar. So I think there will be another time trial with all players running.Did the Club publish the results of the 2 km time trial ?
Woosha stopped play today when someone kicked the ball sideways and pointed out strongly that he wanted forward movement.
What is this black magic???
Thanks Jackie- love training reports from everyone! Love reading the various observations that each makes. So glad to hear that Hurley is looking like the beast we all knew. Counting down the days!
So it begins..." Woos ha stopped play today when someone kicked the ball sideways and pointed out strongly that he wanted forward movement."
I’ve been pointing out strongly from Aisle 33 Row C at Etihad that I wanted forward movement for a number of years now. Usually with expletives thrown in for good measure. Hopefully Woosha’s approach will be more effective.
Great to have you back Jackie. Last week we muddled through with a range of standins but you are the doyen. I don't think any Essendon player has ever bounced the ball 8 times in a game, but in a pre season scratch session? Who knows. Longy's run in the 93 GF had a few, Dalgleish had a moment of glory at the MCG in a preseason game where he ran from half back and kicked a goal from about 40 out. Not sure how many bounces. But really, Heath Shaw could beat 8 in a 30 or 40 metre run. He bounces it every 2 or 3 strides. I reckon he has a bet on winning the most running bounces in the comp.
Another instance of people using the collective “We” when what they really mean is “I”.
Of course Jackie does a great job, but “I” really enjoyed all of the training reports from others, some were superb.
Great to have you back Jackie. Last week we muddled through with a range of standins but you are the doyen. I don't think any Essendon player has ever bounced the ball 8 times in a game, but in a pre season scratch session? Who knows. Longy's run in the 93 GF had a few, Dalgleish had a moment of glory at the MCG in a preseason game where he ran from half back and kicked a goal from about 40 out. Not sure how many bounces. But really, Heath Shaw could beat 8 in a 30 or 40 metre run. He bounces it every 2 or 3 strides. I reckon he has a bet on winning the most running bounces in the comp.Another instance of people using the collective “We” when what they really mean is “I”.
Of course Jackie does a great job, but “I” really enjoyed all of the training reports from others, some were superb.
With that in mind, possibly you mean “Another example of a person using …”
Thanks Jackie. Outstanding.
Great to have you back Jackie. Last week we muddled through with a range of standins but you are the doyen. I don't think any Essendon player has ever bounced the ball 8 times in a game, but in a pre season scratch session? Who knows. Longy's run in the 93 GF had a few, Dalgleish had a moment of glory at the MCG in a preseason game where he ran from half back and kicked a goal from about 40 out. Not sure how many bounces. But really, Heath Shaw could beat 8 in a 30 or 40 metre run. He bounces it every 2 or 3 strides. I reckon he has a bet on winning the most running bounces in the comp.Another instance of people using the collective “We” when what they really mean is “I”.
Of course Jackie does a great job, but “I” really enjoyed all of the training reports from others, some were superb.
Agree- I quite enjoyed the different people’s views. Not sure the negative comments were required…