Australia Day - Training

I will depart with the normal process today of describing every part of the training session and will focus on just some of the headlines.

I would be interested to hear what others thought as well.

McDougall - Was a little bit on the quiet side but he is amking a lot of progress. He is an impressive athlete and a far better contested mark than what I can recall when he played for the Eagles. If the injury gods smile upon him for the 2007 I think he can become a vital player for us. It would not surprise me at times to see him even have a crack at a key defensive spot.

Ray - At times he was brilliant today but some of his kicking was very poor. It is however, great to see him playing and training throughout the pre-season without injuries and I suspect he will be well placed to be a prime mover once the serious stuff starts. Last year it took him a few weeks before he really got into the tempo of games.

Tiller - He was going OK until he got injured and I hope he has a speedy recovery. I'd like to see him get through a few of these warm up games so that by the time the season starts we can really judge him as a player.

Higgins - Very poised and a good decision maker. In some of the one-on-one drills he really did acquit himself against some of the senior players.

Lynch - He is as skinny as anything but my god can this boy run. It's fair to say that he has Davey type speed and I he really can put on the jet when required.

Harbrow - A fair bit quieter than Monday's session but did some nice things.

Hughes - Once agin really did well. Kicked a long goal and is fairly quick. Liked what I saw.

Everitt - Very athletic and will he didn't do too much in the scratch match his general effort and skills during the on-on-one training drill highlighted his class.

Others that stood out
Johnson, Montgomery and Morris all moved very well.
Some good one-on-one drills between McMahon and Aker
Cross not missing a beat.

Happy to answer any questions and I'd like to hear from anyone else who was there.

Minson's 'don't argue' to Faulkner? was also a beauty.

How is Baird going? Any further info re Cooney?

Baird is actually travelling very well. He did some nice things today and is injury free so we are now starting to see that he could be a very viable option for us as a senior player.
I don't think he is big enough to hold down a KP for any length of time but with a bit of luck at the right time he might be able to make the most of any opportunity.

I think he is a fair way down the pecking order but could be a handy type.

Cooney worked in the gym but didn't really do anything on the track. He seems to have more physical definition than last year but he won't be ready to play much footy for a while.

It was a pretty good day.

Brad Johnson is huge. No really, as wide as he is tall.

Missy is just simply going to be a football beast.

Aker might not be setting the place on fire but you can see he wants to and wont give up until he does. Lovely to watch him.

Doogs was pretty good. Andresjss E was looking good too, however he has NOT had a haircut - looks like Chance Bateman but taller.

My Daughter got her cap autographed by Dale Morris, Missy, Griff, Murph, Matty Boyd and DFA. (see Ebay). Murph was only able to sign with one hand because he was holding a knee brace and a water bottle in the other. My daughter was horrified I took her photo while some of the autographs were happening. For some reason I become more embarrassing the older she gets. Will post photos later.

Coon Dogs son knocked over my Coca Cola Zero while I was getting change so my daughter could get chips. I pretended I didnt mind and then elbowed him later at the pub where we got lunch.

Had the $6 roast lamb and veg - highly recommend the Buckingham - appears to be Captain Sensibles home away from home. Not sure what he is called over here cant keep up. They have a dog called Monty with a lot more hair than Brett.

Lunch was with Onslaught, Cyber, Scooter600x, Cpt Sensible and Coon Dog as well as various children and Coon Dogs charming special friend.

Cpt sensible and Onslaught had the Minestrone everyone else had the lamb except Scooter who ate his sons chicken and chips.

Had to tell the kids not to poke the cockatoo with a stick.

Cpt Sensibles daughter put sauce on her chips like she was Dale Morris. All over.

We are all lovely.

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Originally Posted by firstdogonthemoon

Cpt Sensibles daughter put sauce on her chips like she was Dale Morris. All over.

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And then refused to eat most of them because, and I quote, "They have sauce all over them".

Overall I think the team is now starting to get the right balance of talls and smalls all firing.
A lot depends on Darcy's ability to stand up and be a productive forward but we have improved a fair bit on the training sessions I attended l12 months ago.

Thanks for the updates guys.
How did the talls look? Guys like Skipper and Wight?

Skipper went pretty well today and Wight was solid in defence. He linked up well and provided a bit of run as well.

Williams is looking better each outing although he isn't playing in the game and just works with the rehab group. Hargrave just about looks ready to rejoin the group and for what it is worth Hahn and Murphy look in great shape.

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Originally Posted by GVGjr

Overall I think the team is now starting to get the right balance of talls and smalls all firing.
A lot depends on Darcy's ability to stand up and be a productive forward but we have improved a fair bit on the training sessions I attended l12 months ago.

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I was musing today that our forwardline by season's end may comprise the AA captain, and "new" players Murphy, Darcy, Hahn, Aker and McDougall.

Impressive balance.

Backline NB CHB still could be problematic, IMO.

Thanks for the reports everyone, unfortunately I was unable to make it there today. So it's good to read up on what everyone witnessed out there at WO.

Just wondering, was Chris Grant out there today? If so, how did he go?

Thanks for the update, had planned to be there but got held up. Glad the training wasn't too taxing for the crew that they managed to enjoy the after match at the Buck.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by firstdogonthemoon

Coon Dogs son knocked over my Coca Cola Zero while I was getting change so my daughter could get chips. I pretended I didnt mind and then elbowed him later at the pub where we got lunch.

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Haha, that was very funny.

How did McMahon go against Aker? That would be a very enjoyable match up.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by alwaysadog

Thanks for the update, had planned to be there but got held up. Glad the training wasn't too taxing for the crew that they managed to enjoy the after match at the Buck.

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it was touch and go there for a while - it was quite hot sitting in the sun but moving into the shade helped - and then my drink got spilled - and it was quite glary watching everyone out on the field

but people need to understand that going the extra mile, the one percenters are what makes the difference - this is a tough competition and it needs tough supporters

the dogs are in good hands if yesterday was anything to go by