Opinion 2025: PRESEASON TRAINING, MATCH SIM & GAME NOTES (Non Discussion)

Under The Dome

Under The Dome

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#21
Elijah Hewett was prominent in the midfield and attended most centre bounces alongside club champion Tim Kelly and co-captain Liam Duggan.

Half-forward Jack Hutchinson was also used in wing and midfield roles for the stronger 'blue' team, with Jack Graham (personal reasons) and Jake Waterman among those missing from the session.

Ruckmen Bailey Williams and Matt Flynn, who are battling for the No.1 role at West Coast, were switched halfway through the session after Flynn started in blue.

Former forward Ryan Maric continued his shift into defence and was regularly involved as a rebounder and with kick-in duties, with draftee Bo Allan also playing in the stronger backline.

Small forward Tyler Brockman, defender Reuben Ginbey and fellow backman Brody Hough were others to impress, with draftee Tom Gross showing excellent progress as a midfielder with the yellow team.

https://www.afl.com.au/news/1265719...ley-williams-and-matt-flynn-for-no1-ruck-spot
 
Under The Dome

Under The Dome

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#22
RICHMOND spearhead Tom Lynch "can't take a trick", placed into concussion protocols after a collision in the Tigers' match simulation on Friday.

Dion Prestia completed one-third of the hitout before running laps, and is on a managed load this pre-season given his extensive history of soft tissue injuries. Nick Vlastuin and Kane McAuliffe also completed two-thirds of the scrimmage.

Mid-season recruit Jacob Blight left the field in considerable pain, holding his right shoulder, but Morris said it appeared he has escaped damage.

Noah Balta – who is in the midst of a four-match club ban after he pled guilty to an assault charge – only trained in the gym, providing Category B rookie Ollie Hayes-Brown plenty of time up forward, after Jacob Koschitzke was switched to defence.

Jacob Bauer played up forward in the As, at one stage booting a set-shot goal from 55-60m.

"He's tracking all right. We've asked him to really dig in into his training over the last little bit and what I've seen is a guy who's really committed to earning the trust of his teammates," Morris said.

"He's put everything out on the table over the last few weeks, doing extra sessions and he knows that he's got to get himself red-hot fit.

"He's a really important player to our team and our club and I think he's doing a really good job at the moment under the circumstances he's facing."

Rising half-forward Seth Campbell racked up plenty of midfield minutes in the "A" team, alongside Tim Taranto and Jacob Hopper, while Samson Ryan, Thomson Dow, Tom Brown, James Trezise and Tyler Sonsie were in the "B" side.

Sam Banks provided plenty of dash out of defence, while No.1 pick Sam Lalor appeared to be spending more time forward with occasional midfield stints in the "As", as did Rhyan Mansell.

https://www.afl.com.au/news/1265721/luckless-tom-lynch-concussed-during-richmond-tigers-match-sim
 
sethlad

sethlad

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#23
Credit to Ceasar from Punt Rd End who barely misses a session:
SC relevance for Lalor,Campbell,Tresize & Brown

Match Sim Itself: (**at the 8 minute mark of each term the game was stopped for a brief resest and discussion so it was nearly more like 6 x 8 minute plays)

Casualties: It will be old news as you get this but i saw it happen Lynch, (CONCUSSED) threw himself/diving for a ground ball and someone collected his head, stayed down, players calling for trainers, he attempted to get up by himself but was staggering quite noticeably and surely will now be in concussion protocols 🙁
Blight: Who was playing well and with the make-up of the teams today was seemingly firming as a preferred starter?, came off the ground holding his shoulder initially looked pretty bad but I did see him on the sidelines in testing raising it above his shoulder so not sure of the status but naturally took no further part.

Black Team
Black teams forward line closely represented what may be our starting forward line:

Lalor Lynch Bauer
Steely Cambell Mansel

Of Note: Samson was great again rucked 90% of the game, he was basically being tag teamed by Nank & OHB interchanging from the bench.

Clearances: Samson at least equaled both his opposing ruckmen on the day and he is easily a better kick than any of them, (tracking ok to maybe surprise?). Hopper free of any bandaging appears fit and was prominent, Jack Ross working well on the inside to outside again, Taranto mid and quite often moving forward and looking dangerous. Now I am not a Dow fan but first real hit out back into the fold and was getting his hands on the ball so had to mention.

Defenders: Whilst Vlaustin and Broady are back in terrific shape it was Tresize and Brown that I was most impressed with often working in tandem and providing overlap run and dash, (It was good to see Brown's ELITE repeat sprint work over the pre-season translate in his game today)

Forwards : Lynch good until injured, 2 goals, Steely was lively and kicked 2 or 3 goals Fawcett, 1 goal today, he was a presence and has a fantastic tank, covered a lot of acreage today and some really clean ground ball work which was better than his marking today which was i bit fumbly, if he ends up capable of being a strong mark we could have a player.

Pressure King: I say Blah Blah Blah! to those people that say if Mansel is making the headlines you know Richmond are crap, outstanding today as he has been all pre-season, you don't have to be the star player to set the standards.

Seth: Didn't single him out because he was the star of the show, he was just involved in one of my favourite bits of play, the ball went to a contest on the far wing it was Seth who roved it accelerating away, dished a handball and in the same bit of play ended up being the player who marked it at half forward, (missed the goal unfortunately)

Lalor: Some brief signs of what's to come, one sublime weighted centred ball, a fly for a mark in the forward pocket followed immediately with a strong tackle. Spent more time starting at full forward than mid, but as i mentioned above he has been managed lately and was today, (he didn't do the 90 minutes of war-ups and drills that other players did and just played the two terms.

Bauer: Tried to kill himself with a couple of ridiculous mark of the year attempts, may have kicked 2, one ripper outside of 50 post high.

**Oh and at the end of the 3 hour session about a third of the list where given more running :)

There is heaps i would have missed but there seemed to be plenty of eyes and cameras there today so I am sure more reports will surface.

Cheers
 
Shannon

Shannon

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#26
WCE had an intra-club game on Friday. One of the better posters (Keys) on BF who attends training often did a detailed report :-

Warmups and skill drills were basically done by the time I arrived around 9.45 - they did the same ball movement drill in small groups across the ground that focused on a short pass then running past for a handball receive before splitting into teams for match sim

As stated previously they played 3x20 minute periods with the third period split into two 10 minute halves. Players were given only a 5 minute or so break between periods

The session culminated in some block running from goal line to goal line before McQualter addressed the players as a group after the session ended. A handful of players did an extra lap or two around the boundary as well. By 11.30 they were done and dusted for the day

Main focus, obviously, was the match sim.

All but 6 players (Waterman, Graham, Baker, Bazzo, Jamieson and Yeo) had game minutes so numbers were quite good all things considered. Graham has gone home for personal reasons but whilst he was at training no reason for Waterman’s non- participation has been given

In a sign of the pecking order for selection this was a clear best v the rest split with the blue team having a far stronger line up. The gold team included both train ons (Brock and Van Es) plus a number of WAFL team players who I didn’t recognise. A couple of assistant coaches also made up the numbers

The first period was surprisingly competitive, albeit a bit scrappy, with Blue scoring two goals to one. After that talent took over and Blue kicked ten unanswered goals over the final two stanzas with their superior ball movement taking over

It wasn’t always clean but there was a genuine desire to get the ball on, mainly by foot, and to take territory if no short option presented. There was very little going back to take a kick over the man on the mark.

Tackling wasn’t a big feature but a couple of strong tackles were laid. Pleasingly there wasn’t a lot of corralling

I was watching from around half forward at the northern end on the opposite side to where the interchange benches were - so couldn’t pick up players going on/off and eyesight was an issue when play was at the club rooms end.

Based on what I could see/pick up then :

Blue Team

Backs
• McGovern - commanded the backline without being a standout. Turned the ball over a couple of times by foot, including a turnover from a kickout that should’ve cost his team a goal but Reid missed the set shot from ~35m out 15m in from the boundary
• Edwards - started the game at fullback on Livingstone. Wasn’t required to do much and didn’t play the final period. Will be happy just to be back amongst it after missing a chunk of preseason with a foot issue
• Ginbey - played off half back and was in everything. Rebounded from D50 and pushed high up the ground to keep the ball inside blue’s front half. Even snuck forward to snap a goal in the final period. Laid one crunching tackle
• Cole - lock down defender mainly on Petruccelle. Didn’t get a huge amount of ball but wasn’t at his end a lot. Solid game
• Hough - had a really strong 2nd period where his run and carry out of D50 was really good
• Allan - probably got his start with the best due to Baker missing but took the opportunity. Backs himself in traffic and very willing to take the game on. Started a chain of possession from D50 in the final period and followed through to finish the passage with a goal on his left. Strong chance for an early debut
• Maric - started on the bench but was a strong performer when he did join in. Shared kick in duties with McGovern (there was only 4 or 5) and used the ball well for the most part. My question will be how he defends as a permanent back - not answered today due to the imbalance between the two teams

Rucks
• Flynn/BWilliams - Flynn started for blue in the ruck but they both switched between sides throughout the day. Neither had a big influence on the game but on balance I thought Flynn won their battle

Mids
• Reid - started the first bounce in the middle but as reported left early with a leg complaint. I didn’t see him leave so not sure exactly how early but he had no impact so I’m guessing it was very early
• Kelly - started in the centre and was a driving force throughout. Very good signs from him
• Duggan - the third amigo in the opening CBD. Won plenty of ball although most kicks were seeking territory rather than pin point passes. Had a strong game nonetheless
• Hunt - started on the bench but played wing when he did come on. Wasn’t prolific. Kicked a nice goal in the second period
• Hutchinson- started on a wing but also attended a couple of CBDs. Really good outing. Ran to position well and ball use was good. Looks fit and strong. Has a firm grip on a R1 spot imo - was the best wingman on the ground
• Owies, Long and Cripps all rotated between wing and half forward with Long attending at least one CBD - Cripps was the best of them kicking two goals and one other poster from long range. Was one of the best performers overall and showed he won’t be giving up his spot easily. Owies was busy early and kicked the opening goal but faded thereafter. Long played well and pushed back into defence the most of this trio. Ball use was good and creative
• Hewett - started on the bench but had an impact when he came on. Strong performance that will encourage the coaching staff. Capped off his game with a goal late

Forwards
• Allen - presented well enough in a good tussle primarily with Brock. Kicked two goals and should’ve had a third but dropped a regulation chest mark in space after Brock had to leave him to get to a contest further afield. Moved well and showed no issues with his knee
• Reid - with Waterman absent, Reid was given a starting spot in the Blue team although he did alternate between Blue and Gold. Had his moments and even did some CBD ruck work at stages.
• JWilliams - quiet game from him up forward and did less ruck work than I thought he would. Did put a ball down Hewett’s throat from a ruck tap in the goal square that Hewett blasted into the post. (Previously credited Flynn with the tap but think it was JWilliams upon reflection)
• Ryan - one of the best players on the ground. Pushed up into midfield and his creativity showed through. Was very impactful in a good sign of what might lie ahead
• Brockman - was surprised to see him line up in the A team but showed why with a strong performance. Worked well in tandem with Ryan and was dangerous throughout

Gold Team

• Gross - BOG for Gold and close to best overall on the day. His hands are very good and he’s not afraid to put his head over the ball. Sat Ryan on his arse with a Harleyesque fend off and was quick to challenge an opponent who took him high in a tackle by pushing him in the chest once he got to his feet. Narrowly missed the long range shot at goal. Was awfully impressive
• Sheed - haven’t seen him named in any other training reports but I’m certain he started in the centre - that finger point is unmistakable. Didn’t have a big impact but like Edwards it’s just good to see him back out there
• Chesser - played wing on managed minutes across the first two periods before sitting out the last. Relatively quiet but again, the main thing is he’s back playing
• Petruccelle - struggled with a lack of supply and had little influence. Helped set up a goal scoring opportunity for Reid. Is a fair way back in the pecking order right now
• Johnston - played HB and was one of Gold’s better players especially in the second period with some good rebound work
• Hall - was fighting against the tide in the middle. Did win a couple of centre clearances and battled hard but weight of numbers worked against him
• Barnett - played on JWilliams as a KPD and acquitted himself well. Probably won their individual battle and took a couple of strong intercept marks. Shared kick ins with Grego
• Grego - genuine fighter and is very willing to have a crack. Narrowly missed a long range shot at goal. Encouraging signs but has work to do
• Shanahan - was often at the other end of the ground to where I was as he switched between teams. Predominantly played back and took one really good pack mark in defence when playing for the blue team
• Rawlinson- was vibrant early up forward but faded partly due to lack of supply
• Champion - had his moments but like his other Gold teammates up forward had minimal chances
• Davis - played wing and chased tail for much of the day
• Livingstone- Had Edwards for company and took some CBDs. Struggled to have an impact
• Dewar - played wing initially and kicked Gold’s only goal. Switched teams for the last period and was lively throughout
• Brock - stood Allen and acquitted himself quite well. Didn’t find much of the ball though in a mainly negating role
• Van Es - often found himself matched against Ryan in a bit of a mismatch for agility. Didn’t have much influence

Overall, you can see what they’re working towards but there’s still plenty to do before it becomes second nature. Not having Yeo, Waterman, Baker, Graham and, effectively, Reid out there I think detracted from what might have been and we’ll need that group back sooner rather than later to ensure competitiveness when the real thing starts.
 
Shannon

Shannon

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#27
Good news on a few rookie priced players - Allan & Hewett. Gross could be a real smokey for round 1, has been outstanding during preseason training - 113K mid.

Maric sharing kick in duties is very interesting, makes him even more appealing. Personally would prefer him to take most of the kick ins over Gov/ rate Maric's kicking ability much higher.

The ruck battle between Flynn & B Williams is one to monitor, glad Flynn probably won the day on Friday - hopefully he can dominate Williams more as preseason goes on.
 
Under The Dome

Under The Dome

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#29
ESSENDON midfield pair Darcy Parish and Sam Durham are expected to miss the Bombers' first practice game against the Western Bulldogs next week as they manage injury complaints.

Parish has been working through a back issue since December that has restricted him from participating in the club's main match simulations so far this year.

Durham sat out the Bombers' match simulation last weekend with rib soreness after a recent training collision. The Bombers are being extra careful with the emerging midfield star and in season he would not be missing any games.

https://www.afl.com.au/news/1266506...rcy-parish-sam-durham-out-of-match-sim-hitout

Unfortunately Tsatas could have an expanded role for the practice game.
 
Professor

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#36
https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1887430170254209189
View: https://twitter.com/BailsDT/status/1887430170254209189

Brisbane - Levi Ashcroft ($328k MID), who is coming off off-season shoulder surgery, should play during the preseason games. - Keidean Coleman ($521k DEF), who has suffered a couple of setbacks, should be available by Gather Round in Round 5.
@MichaelWhiting
Carlton - Sam Walsh ($1.09m MID) is ramping up his training, but Carlton are yet to decide if he will play in the preseason games.
@RileyBev
Fremantle - Sean Darcy ($798k RUC) will have minor ankle surgery to clear up an infection, and will miss the start of the season.
@Mitch_Woodcock

@FootyRhino
Geelong - Toby Conway ($656k RUC), who had foot surgery in July last year, was not spotted training at all last week. Could mean added opportunities in the ruck for Sam De Koning ($564k RUC).
@NathanSchmook
Gold Coast - Dan Rioli ($857k DEF), who is still wearing a non-contact hat, has been training in team drills and expected to play in their preseason games. - Leonardo Lombard ($316k MID) has shown an ability to win the footy against opponents during the preseason.
@MichaelWhiting

@Nerds4lifeSC
GWS - Kieran Briggs ($938k RUC) had an operation on his knee during the break, but is back to mostly full training. - Stephen Coniglio ($789k MID) had shoulder surgery in the off season and will return to full training soon. Club unsure if he will play in the preseason games.
@RileyBev
North Melbourne - Luke Parker ($839k MID/FWD) will look to be one of the players to fill the void of George Wardlaw, attending equal most CBA’s of the midfielders in match sim. - Caleb Daniel ($514k MID/FWD) played off half back once again in match sim, with teammates always looking use him. - Colby McKercher ($845k DEF) played off half back during match, while also spending some time at half forward. Zac Fisher didn’t participate due to a hamstring injury. - Harry Sheezel ($1.15m DEF) and Jy Simpkin ($781k MID/FWD) didn’t attend many CBA’s, with Sheezel spending most of his time playing deep forward, while Simpkin rolled up to a lot of stoppages. - Finn O’Sullivan ($237k MID) was the only first year player to line up in the stronger ‘blue’ team, playing on a wing. Got plenty of the ball and pushed back to help the defence. Round 1 debut looks very likely.
@NMFCOfficial

@chriscavanagh1

@kangamerchant
Port Adelaide - Josh Sinn ($452k DEF) is enjoying his first full preseason at Port, and is one of the players looking to fill the void left by Dan Houston. - Kane Farrell ($804k DEF) has fully recovered from a hamstring injury and participated in match sim this week.
@mattturner1986

@MichaelWhiting
Richmond - Josh Smillie ($322k MID) who injured his hamstring in match sim, is an ‘outside chance’ to play in the preseason games.
@_sjblack
West Coast - Jack Hutchinson ($385k FWD) and Tom Gross ($230k MID) are quickly emerging as midfield options after impressive preseason, with Hutchinson featuring in the stronger team.
@NathanSchmook
Western Bulldogs - Brayden Crossley (likely $230k RUC) has been invited to train with the Western Bulldogs for the remainder of the SSP, and will in match sim vs Essendon on Feb 15.
@JoshGabelich
 
Professor

Professor

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#37
Under The Dome said:
Looks like a Code reporter put up that mostly half forward for Sheezel. He got tagged in that tweet
Click to expand...
Heraldsun.com.au also said forward.

Harry Sheezel spent most of his time as a deep forward, a role he played late last season after previously being used as a rebounding defender.

https://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/...n/news-story/09228a60b8749e29cef1b688e97f6979

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1887340597780095393
View: https://twitter.com/superfooty/status/1887340597780095393
 
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