Training Report - 1/5/08

By You Shall Be Smoten

Training started at 10am in the rain which continued throughout the session. The rain was a great opportunity for the players to train in adverse conditions and for me to see how they would handle the slippery ball. I’ve got to say I was pleasently surprised. I expected to see a lot of dropped ball but there were really only a few. a lot fo the time the players were taking the ball fairly cleanly.

Modified Group: Fletcher, Lucas, McVeigh, Hocking, Lonergan

The players in the modified group made only a brief appearance and handballed to each other. They then went inside, presumably to ride the stationary bikes. Lonergan would be the closest to return as he also stayed out for a bit for some kicking practice. He is on track to be available for the Sydney game.

I also noticed that the modified group hasn’t done laps of the ground at either training session. I don’t know if this is unusual but perhaps the club has modified the recovery regime to avoid the Windy Hill surface as much as possible. It would make sense given the recent news on Dempsey.

Absent: Davey, Dempsey, Dick, Lee, McPhee, Peverill, Winderlich

The absent players may have been inside riding the bikes. Someone was wearing Winderlich’s number in the main group, and I didn’t see his car in the parking lot so make of this what you will. I also don’t remember seeing McPhee in hindsight. It doesn’t mean he wasn’t there though. (edit: since logging on I hear Winderlich’s injury has been semi-confirmed. He’s also the player that wasn’t kicking during Monday’s session)

Main Group: Everyone else, notably Gumbleton, Hislop, Jetta, Pears, Neagle, Ramanauskas, Reimers

Neagle, Hislop and Pears returned to the main group after being in the modified group on Monday and trained strongly. Ramanauskas and Reimers were missing on Monday and also trained fully today, so when we were told that they had the flu on Monday it looks like the truth. Both trained well and I see no reason for them to be unavailable for selection.

After some warm-ups the team began with some short kicking in pairs around the ground and then performed a series of drills based around quick ball movement along the wings of the ground. Players lead from set positions to a ball carrier to recieve the pass then dished off to someone running past who would deliver to the forward line. The ball would make it’s way all the way around the ground in a counter-clockwise direction.

Another drill involved splitting the playing group into four and rotating between stations where different skills would be practiced. At the nearest station to me, the players would practice crumbing a spilled ball that was kicked into the forward line. Jetta was noticably good at reading the fall of the ball on one occasion. My memory is sketchy on the other stations. I think one was for working on clearances from a ruck tap. The other two were a long way away and I was looking at the nearer stations.

Later, Knights took Daniher, Neagle and Myers aside for some individual practice. The Bullish one was kicking to them as they lead unopposed out of the goals to take marks on the lead. Most of the time, they were taking chest marks. Was he checking on them prior to team selection? perhaps. If he was, he would have seen Darcy take a great diving mark and give 100%, Myers look like he has all the time in the world and Neagle look fast off the mark and show strong hands overhead.

Meanwhile, the rest of the team were playing a tackling game in teams where they handballed to a free man and would score a point by handballing the ball in between small posts at either end of the mini field they had marked out. Again, Jetta managed to find some space and looks like the perfect replacement for Davey. I’ve chenged my mind since Monday and would include him this week.

The only other drill I remember involved a stoppage on the wing and the players clearing the ball into the forward line by running and handballing until a man kicked to the goal square. Paddy Ryder spent some time leading out of the goal square and looked really good. This may be a part of his general skills development, or it might signal a shift to the forward line for periods of the game.

Player Notes:

Myers: Is really tall. Maybe he has grown. I compared him to Jobe on Monday and I’m reminded of that again. Early in Jobe’s career many thought he might end up being a third tallish forward but has ended up being a clearence man. I think Myers is physically advanced on “early Jobe”, and could easily be a third tall but should progress to being a full-time midfielder.

Jetta: On Monday he fluffed a couple of kicks. Today he was good and is a natural replacement for Davey

Daniher: Just looks like a footballer. I watched him a bit today and he looks like he’ll give everything. I hope he debuts this weekend.

Jobe: One magnificent handball to a player in space. Sure, we all know he can do it, but that doesn’t make it any less impressive.

Ramanauskas and Reimers: Didn’t appear injured at all. Completed the entire session.

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Posted 1 May 08 in News Training Report