Training Resumes Mon 4 Jan

[Go_Dogs]

Training really well.

Cheers, great to hear. I'm quite excited about his prospects this year.

Please, knock on some wood right now

I am sitting at a wooden table, working away, so the obligatory knocks on wood have been coming thick and fast - no need to worry

[alwaysadog]

The club ran some optional training over the break to which Josh attended all the sessions instead of heading back to the west. The stern words that Josh received from the playing group before the break looks to have kicked him into gear which is great considering how much talent he has.

Agree whole heartedly with both points.

[alwaysadog]

He was a little disappointing in the TT yesterday (maybe 20sec behind where he should have been), but the players did some pretty heavy hill work this morning and he performed very well.

So where is he tracking at this point in time or is it too early to tell, apart from the fact that he is mow prepared to do the hard stuff?

[alwaysadog]

Funny you should ask about Grant, first minute of the end to end stuff he lead out hard and took a mark about 35 out from goal. Got far too close to the man on the mark and had to lift kick higher than preferred and totally shanked it and failed to get the distance, his kicking for a key forward needs plenty of work.

Could be that he is trying too hard and has little self confidence. Could be that he isn't up to it. Sounds more like the former, what's you're insight on this matter?

[Mantis]

So where is he tracking at this point in time or is it too early to tell, apart from the fact that he is mow prepared to do the hard stuff?

In terms of expectations for the year?

If I am on the ball it would be hoped that Jarrad could improve his fitness and strength over the coming months of pre-season such that his body is in much better shape to cope with the rigours of a full year of senior footy, clearly last year it wasn't.

He will get opportunities thru the pre-season and then the rest is up to him. The hope is that he plays well enough such that we can get 8 to 12 AFL games into him this year as a foil for Hall. He will also be given more opportunities to play as a 'deep' forward at VFL level which is probably where he is most suited.

All that probably sounds like the spin we received this time last year, but it was clear when Jarrad was given an AFL game that he couldn't run the game out and as the season went on he lost confidence in his game ( probably not helped by being played up the ground).

[GVGjr]

All that probably sounds like the spin we received this time last year, but it was clear when Jarrad was given an AFL game that he couldn't run the game out and as the season went on he lost confidence in his game ( probably not helped by being played up the ground).

I think it was clear before Grant played his senior game that he couldn't run out a senior game so his promotion was always going to be a short term thing.
I heard that he has vastly improved his fitness from 12 months ago but he is still a fair way off where he should be. Staying injury free is probably the key for him.

[alwaysadog]

In terms of expectations for the year?

If I am on the ball it would be hoped that Jarrad could improve his fitness and strength over the coming months of pre-season such that his body is in much better shape to cope with the rigours of a full year of senior footy, clearly last year it wasn't.

He will get opportunities thru the pre-season and then the rest is up to him. The hope is that he plays well enough such that we can get 8 to 12 AFL games into him this year as a foil for Hall. He will also be given more opportunities to play as a 'deep' forward at VFL level which is probably where he is most suited.

All that probably sounds like the spin we received this time last year, but it was clear when Jarrad was given an AFL game that he couldn't run the game out and as the season went on he lost confidence in his game ( probably not helped by being played up the ground).

Thanks Mantis, even if it has a familiar ring it's the up to date strategy. Clearly he hasn't advanced much or as much as hoped in his time at the club. Though to be fair he looked better in the NAB preseason cup game than he did in the subsequent game.

The clock must be ticking and to compound his problems he hasn't turned out to be very flexible ie can't play up the ground to any great extent. I wonder what real chances he's got when opponents will know they can so easily get him into a position he doesn't cope too well with.

[alwaysadog]

I think it was clear before Grant played his senior game that he couldn't run out a senior game so his promotion was always going to be a short term thing.
I heard that he has vastly improved his fitness from 12 months ago but he is still a fair way off where he should be. Staying injury free is probably the key for him.

He will surely have to make considerable improvement to still be with us this time next year given how slow his progress has been and with the younger mob breathing down his neck.

[Sedat]

He will surely have to make considerable improvement to still be with us this time next year given how slow his progress has been and with the younger mob breathing down his neck.

From memory he signed a 2 year contract late in season 2009, so that would give him until 2011 to establish himself at AFL level.

[Mofra]

I think it was clear before Grant played his senior game that he couldn't run out a senior game so his promotion was always going to be a short term thing.
I heard that he has vastly improved his fitness from 12 months ago but he is still a fair way off where he should be. Staying injury free is probably the key for him.

May have been a Hill or Stack type promotion, showing them they are actually a little further away from senior footy than they thought.

[The Pie Man]

The club ran some optional training over the break to which Josh attended all the sessions instead of heading back to the west. The stern words that Josh received from the playing group before the break looks to have kicked him into gear which is great considering how much talent he has.

Summer school!

Agreed, it's good news - should hopefully earn him back any respect lost from the playing group as well over his condition/effort

[alwaysadog]

From memory he signed a 2 year contract late in season 2009, so that would give him until 2011 to establish himself at AFL level.

Thanks Sedat, the facts do sometimes get in the way of an apparently good line of reasonning.

That would indicate that not only does he have more time than I anticipated but that late last season they thought he was worth persevering with.

[Go_Dogs]

That would indicate that not only does he have more time than I anticipated but that late last season they thought he was worth persevering with.

He's a very interesting player isn't he? From all accounts he has some great attributes including his speed and agility, along with a pretty sticky set of hands. His chase down tackle in the NAB Cup game last year was also a big positive for me, shows that killer instinct.

He's obviously struggled a bit to come to terms with the work load required, and I think that's fine - not every 17 year old who gets drafted is an elite athlete, and some require probably a bit more time. It's not the easiest thing to do to push yourself to absolute breaking point every session, and for some who have a lot of natural ability they've probably been able to coast a bit as juniors.

Everitt is a good example of this, as apparently he is really busting his gut a lot harder this pre-season compared to his pevious ones. Really pushing through the pain barrier and extending himself. Hopefully Grant, being a good friend of Everitt's can be spurred by this and really work his own butt off to compete with Everitt.

[Cyberdoggie]

He's a very interesting player isn't he? From all accounts he has some great attributes including his speed and agility, along with a pretty sticky set of hands. His chase down tackle in the NAB Cup game last year was also a big positive for me, shows that killer instinct.

He's obviously struggled a bit to come to terms with the work load required, and I think that's fine - not every 17 year old who gets drafted is an elite athlete, and some require probably a bit more time. It's not the easiest thing to do to push yourself to absolute breaking point every session, and for some who have a lot of natural ability they've probably been able to coast a bit as juniors.

Everitt is a good example of this, as apparently he is really busting his gut a lot harder this pre-season compared to his pevious ones. Really pushing through the pain barrier and extending himself. Hopefully Grant, being a good friend of Everitt's can be spurred by this and really work his own butt off to compete with Everitt.

Perhaps a temporary shift to the backline might get him more focussed on his workrate and fitness early in the football season, it would also allow him to concentrate on his game rather than worry about his form and how many goals he kicks.
For a young player i'm sure this stat and the pressure that goes along with being a high draft forward can be a heavy burden. If Jarrad is given a simple task of playing in a defensive chb type role then it may help him for a while.

[Mofra]

He's obviously struggled a bit to come to terms with the work load required, and I think that's fine - not every 17 year old who gets drafted is an elite athlete, and some require probably a bit more time.

Grant seems like a classic example of a player needing more time than normal. He spent a chunk of his draft year on the sidelines, then his first year at the Dogs was ruined by OP, so he is at least two years behind his classmates in development. Add a naturally skinny frame and you have someone who will take a fair while to establish themself.