Training Pre-Season 2024

[GROTTO]

It was a choke.

We psyched ourself out.

Exactly how I saw 2017 as well. We choked and psyched ourselves out of the game before it even began.

Incredibly we led at QT and down by less than 2 goals at HT.

 

[Multiballz]

Exactly how I saw 2017 as well. We choked and psyched ourselves out of the game before it even began.

Incredibly we led at QT and down by less than 2 goals at HT.

The contrast in body language on display from the rooms pre-game said it all really.

We looked like frighten little children.

 

[Pugsley]

It's not your place to identify ANYBODY'S weight! For ANY reason. There's just no need for it.

I'm fat. I own it I tell people everything consumed was all honestly paid for.

 

[bigman]

Todays report for those can’t view the other thread:

Hard not to get excited about curtin today. No huge marks or big plays but more a combination of things.

Firstly his running, obviously hot as buggery but curtin (all the new lads in fact) did all the drills and all the running and never looked out of place

The majority of running was done at the end of the session, with players split up into two groups - talls and the rest. Each group ran from one end of the ground to the other going opposite ways with minimal rest between runs. Curtin was with the talls and came first almost every time, beating even guys like thilthorpe and worrell quite convincingly. And it didnt even look that hard for him whereas some of the other boys were pretty gassed by that point.

Then theres the skill drills where I thought he stepped up a gear today. Just looked at ease with his ball use and decision making and looked freshened up with the weekend off. one play in particular had him take a half volley from Oscar ryan beautifully, followed by not one but two glorious sidesteps and a lace out pass. Pretty sure I heard one of the players or coaches exclaim ‘wow!’ at the time

Anothe thing I like and I’ve pointed this out already but the kid is a serial high fiver, constantly getting around teammates during and after drills even when fatigued. Obviously early days but isn’t showing any negative energy whatsoever.

On a whole I was taken aback by todays session. Firstly by its length and difficulty - burgo isn’t holding anything back this time around and is making the boys work noticeably harder and longer than the past two years. The second was just how sharp things were. usually skill level is still a bit off this time of year but not the case today. Kicking was mostly sublime, ball take super clean and players just running on top of the ground. Was a pleasure to watch and particularly impressive given the heat

Only sour note was Taylor on the sidelines with that sore knee, didn’t look overly hampered however so hopefully can get a couple sessions in before xmas break. Also worth noting that dragon looks close to returning to the main group. Running has stepped up significantly as has his skill work.

Few other notes:

Crouch - was asked by a poster how hes travelling. Because there’s no real stoppage drills the likes of laird and crouch don’t stand out as much. That said hes the leanest I’ve ever seen him, so that late season cameo appears to have provided the necessary motivation.

Rachele - looked off today and struggled with the running, showed signs of someone who might be a bit ill? Wouldnt worry given he was doing great in the running last week

Edwards - chink in the armour is definitely his kicking, particularly the short stuff. Has a pokey action that looks unnatural and needs a lot of refinement going forward. To be fair cripps from carlton had an ordinary action early days so all hope isn’t lost. On the flip side he is a lovely distributor by hand in congestion and moves beautifully. Suspect he will be handball happy this season which isn’t necessarily a bad thing given his sheer size.

McHenry - credit to ned, he had an excellent session. Evasive, good by foot and was the best in the running alongside bond.

Bond - speaking of bond, looks nothing like the player we saw last year. Full of energy and zip and even did a lovely spin out of traffic that got plaudits from the observing coach. Hopefully can take this into the real thing and get more of the pill once match sim rolls around.

Toby Murray - trained again today and was quite impressive. Not the most aesthetically pleasing footballer but he covers the ground very well for a tall who hasnt done an afl pre season before. Skills looked decent too.

Sholl and pistol are others who are quietly having a good pre season. Pistol in particular has beefed up quite a bit and still performed really well in the running.

 

[cleanhands]

Todays report for those can’t view the other thread:

Hard not to get excited about curtin today. No huge marks or big plays but more a combination of things.

Firstly his running, obviously hot as buggery but curtin (all the new lads in fact) did all the drills and all the running and never looked out of place

The majority of running was done at the end of the session, with players split up into two groups - talls and the rest. Each group ran from one end of the ground to the other going opposite ways with minimal rest between runs. Curtin was with the talls and came first almost every time, beating even guys like thilthorpe and worrell quite convincingly. And it didnt even look that hard for him whereas some of the other boys were pretty gassed by that point.

Then theres the skill drills where I thought he stepped up a gear today. Just looked at ease with his ball use and decision making and looked freshened up with the weekend off. one play in particular had him take a half volley from Oscar ryan beautifully, followed by not one but two glorious sidesteps and a lace out pass. Pretty sure I heard one of the players or coaches exclaim ‘wow!’ at the time

Anothe thing I like and I’ve pointed this out already but the kid is a serial high fiver, constantly getting around teammates during and after drills even when fatigued. Obviously early days but isn’t showing any negative energy whatsoever.

On a whole I was taken aback by todays session. Firstly by its length and difficulty - burgo isn’t holding anything back this time around and is making the boys work noticeably harder and longer than the past two years. The second was just how sharp things were. usually skill level is still a bit off this time of year but not the case today. Kicking was mostly sublime, ball take super clean and players just running on top of the ground. Was a pleasure to watch and particularly impressive given the heat

Only sour note was Taylor on the sidelines with that sore knee, didn’t look overly hampered however so hopefully can get a couple sessions in before xmas break. Also worth noting that dragon looks close to returning to the main group. Running has stepped up significantly as has his skill work.

Few other notes:

Crouch - was asked by a poster how hes travelling. Because there’s no real stoppage drills the likes of laird and crouch don’t stand out as much. That said hes the leanest I’ve ever seen him, so that late season cameo appears to have provided the necessary motivation.

Rachele - looked off today and struggled with the running, showed signs of someone who might be a bit ill? Wouldnt worry given he was doing great in the running last week

Edwards - chink in the armour is definitely his kicking, particularly the short stuff. Has a pokey action that looks unnatural and needs a lot of refinement going forward. To be fair cripps from carlton had an ordinary action early days so all hope isn’t lost. On the flip side he is a lovely distributor by hand in congestion and moves beautifully. Suspect he will be handball happy this season which isn’t necessarily a bad thing given his sheer size.

McHenry - credit to ned, he had an excellent session. Evasive, good by foot and was the best in the running alongside bond.

Bond - speaking of bond, looks nothing like the player we saw last year. Full of energy and zip and even did a lovely spin out of traffic that got plaudits from the observing coach. Hopefully can take this into the real thing and get more of the pill once match sim rolls around.

Toby Murray - trained again today and was quite impressive. Not the most aesthetically pleasing footballer but he covers the ground very well for a tall who hasnt done an afl pre season before. Skills looked decent too.

Sholl and pistol are others who are quietly having a good pre season. Pistol in particular has beefed up quite a bit and still performed really well in the running.

It’s hard not to get excited by Curtin from that

 

[George Kramer]

It’s hard not to get excited by Curtin from that

You’re in the wrong thread, do you have me on ignore?

 

[cleanhands]

You’re in the wrong thread, do you have me on ignore?

Probably

 

[conVINCEd]

Teams like the giants and the suns have to though..

They need to 1) get as much s**t out there as they can to attract new supporters and 2) need to keep their current supporter bases (which are small) engaged and interested..

Teams like the crows, who have over 50k members and a supporter base of around 6-700k, dont have to do as much.

Crows also have a very solid supporter base that isnt fickle in anyway (unlike their “tarps are required every now and then” poor cousins down the road) so they dont teally jump off the team in big numbers when they are down.

This is a good and bad thing.

Its the one thing I admire about the Powa supporters. They dont take shite performances from their club.. they simply wont turn up.

Can you imagine how tarped up AO would be in recent years at Powa games if port hadve had the same last 5 years the crows have had..

Sure, but why can’t we be an established club with a large supporter base AND great on the socials.

We still haven’t seen the simple ‘Hamish introduces draftees to the players’ video yet.

 

[Dangerousfield]

I honestly think these are the most talented kids/young core we’ve had on our list ever!

Things are looking very bright.

Gotta wear shades!

 

[GrommoT]

Thanks for the heads up, may check that up.

I do like Empress Restaurant, classical Chinese cuisine.

You mean ... send the ooba guy?

 

[MrBarry]

Sounds like Curtin will be a lock for Round 1?

 

[conVINCEd]

Any snaps of Welsh at training?

 

[Gtowncrow]

Any snaps of Welsh at training?

If I was AFC, I'd be making Welsh as invisible as possible this year. We have the lad in house now so other than game day performance, we should control the narrative (or lack thereof).

I can't think of any reason to put him in the spotlight this year.

 

[Sanders]

Modra, Ablett and Lockett were nearly 30 years ago. Way to contradict your own post.

Take the L and move on

 

[Sanders]

It was a choke.

Richmond were far the better side, we just don’t watch other teams all that much and failed to notice how good they’d become. As subsequent seasons showed

 

[GROTTO]

Sounds like Curtin will be a lock for Round 1?

Time to open up the Curtin's.

 

[johnnypanther]

Teams like the giants and the suns have to though..

They need to 1) get as much s**t out there as they can to attract new supporters and 2) need to keep their current supporter bases (which are small) engaged and interested..

Teams like the crows, who have over 50k members and a supporter base of around 6-700k, dont have to do as much.

Crows also have a very solid supporter base that isnt fickle in anyway (unlike their “tarps are required every now and then” poor cousins down the road) so they dont teally jump off the team in big numbers when they are down.

This is a good and bad thing.

Its the one thing I admire about the Powa supporters. They dont take shite performances from their club.. they simply wont turn up.

Can you imagine how tarped up AO would be in recent years at Powa games if port hadve had the same last 5 years the crows have had..

I take a contrary interpretation re such Powa supporters - they are simply front-runner supporters..... nothing to be admired about

 

[Bearded Clam]

I take a contrary interpretation re such Powa supporters - they are simply front-runner supporters..... nothing to be admired about

I did say “good and bad things”..

Standing back looking from the outside its hard not to get a feeling that Port Adelaide (the club) walks a tightrope with their supporter base.. constantly trying to keep them satisfied, engaged and willing to turn up.. often turning to gimmicks and false narratives (bars, constant woe is us “us against the rest” narrative and NTUA) to do so..
terrified that poor performance will see instant demands for heads to roll, empty stadiums and merch shops and tarps being dusted off..

Whereas the crows (the club) can underperform for years on end and the crowds still turn up, the management never seems to be under pressure and they never seem to cop any meaningful abuse or backlash for their incompetence.

Which situation, out of the two, do you reckon is more likely to have an effect that sees the club desperate for sucess on the field?

We’ve supported a club who, for the last 25 years atleast, seems to believe just making it to the finals is good enough and if they go all the way to a GF thats just a handy bonus..

A near enough is good enough attitude.

Nothings ever seemed desperate. No hard edge. No “win at all fxxkn costs” attitude.

Sure.. this is just a perception of course.. I could be wrong..

But in any facet of life, when people or companies have lower expectations on them and fewer repercussions when they perform poorly.. what happens?

 

[Big Dub]

I did say “good and bad things”..

Standing back looking from the outside its hard not to get a feeling that Port Adelaide (the club) walks a tightrope with their supporter base.. constantly trying to keep them satisfied, engaged and willing to turn up.. often turning to gimmicks and false narratives (bars, constant woe is us “us against the rest” narrative and NTUA) to do so..
terrified that poor performance will see instant demands for heads to roll, empty stadiums and merch shops and tarps being dusted off..

Whereas the crows (the club) can underperform for years on end and the crowds still turn up, the management never seems to be under pressure and they never seem to cop any meaningful abuse or backlash for their incompetence.

Which situation, out of the two, do you reckon is more likely to have an effect that sees the club desperate for sucess on the field?

We’ve supported a club who, for the last 25 years atleast, seems to believe just making it to the finals is good enough and if they go all the way to a GF thats just a handy bonus..

A near enough is good enough attitude.

Nothings ever seemed desperate. No hard edge. No “win at all fxxkn costs” attitude.

Sure.. this is just a perception of course.. I could be wrong..

But in any facet of life, when people or companies have lower expectations on them and fewer repercussions when they perform poorly.. what happens?

Fear of failure and hunger for success are very different things and create environments with very different outcomes.

Fear of failure (or the punishment that comes with failure) creates a risk averse culture where avoiding mistakes is the key motivator. Failure is often avoided, but so is success, because noone is willing to risk failure (and its punishment) to achieve success. This COULD produce finals every year but no flag (sound familiar?). We don't want to be here.

A hunger for success creates an environment where stakeholders are willing to risk failures to achieve ultimate success. Mistakes will be made and there will be bumps but, properly executed, can lead to a flag.

The problem is, it can be hard to distinguish the latter from mediocrity until the ultimate success is achieved.

We're in one of those last two environments (since the review). I hope it's the hunger for success one . . .

 

[flashcrow]

Time to open up the Curtin's.

This one?

 

[dogs105]

Todays report for those can’t view the other thread:

Hard not to get excited about curtin today. No huge marks or big plays but more a combination of things.

Firstly his running, obviously hot as buggery but curtin (all the new lads in fact) did all the drills and all the running and never looked out of place

The majority of running was done at the end of the session, with players split up into two groups - talls and the rest. Each group ran from one end of the ground to the other going opposite ways with minimal rest between runs. Curtin was with the talls and came first almost every time, beating even guys like thilthorpe and worrell quite convincingly. And it didnt even look that hard for him whereas some of the other boys were pretty gassed by that point.

Then theres the skill drills where I thought he stepped up a gear today. Just looked at ease with his ball use and decision making and looked freshened up with the weekend off. one play in particular had him take a half volley from Oscar ryan beautifully, followed by not one but two glorious sidesteps and a lace out pass. Pretty sure I heard one of the players or coaches exclaim ‘wow!’ at the time

Anothe thing I like and I’ve pointed this out already but the kid is a serial high fiver, constantly getting around teammates during and after drills even when fatigued. Obviously early days but isn’t showing any negative energy whatsoever.

On a whole I was taken aback by todays session. Firstly by its length and difficulty - burgo isn’t holding anything back this time around and is making the boys work noticeably harder and longer than the past two years. The second was just how sharp things were. usually skill level is still a bit off this time of year but not the case today. Kicking was mostly sublime, ball take super clean and players just running on top of the ground. Was a pleasure to watch and particularly impressive given the heat

Only sour note was Taylor on the sidelines with that sore knee, didn’t look overly hampered however so hopefully can get a couple sessions in before xmas break. Also worth noting that dragon looks close to returning to the main group. Running has stepped up significantly as has his skill work.

Few other notes:

Crouch - was asked by a poster how hes travelling. Because there’s no real stoppage drills the likes of laird and crouch don’t stand out as much. That said hes the leanest I’ve ever seen him, so that late season cameo appears to have provided the necessary motivation.

Rachele - looked off today and struggled with the running, showed signs of someone who might be a bit ill? Wouldnt worry given he was doing great in the running last week

Edwards - chink in the armour is definitely his kicking, particularly the short stuff. Has a pokey action that looks unnatural and needs a lot of refinement going forward. To be fair cripps from carlton had an ordinary action early days so all hope isn’t lost. On the flip side he is a lovely distributor by hand in congestion and moves beautifully. Suspect he will be handball happy this season which isn’t necessarily a bad thing given his sheer size.

McHenry - credit to ned, he had an excellent session. Evasive, good by foot and was the best in the running alongside bond.

Bond - speaking of bond, looks nothing like the player we saw last year. Full of energy and zip and even did a lovely spin out of traffic that got plaudits from the observing coach. Hopefully can take this into the real thing and get more of the pill once match sim rolls around.

Toby Murray - trained again today and was quite impressive. Not the most aesthetically pleasing footballer but he covers the ground very well for a tall who hasnt done an afl pre season before. Skills looked decent too.

Sholl and pistol are others who are quietly having a good pre season. Pistol in particular has beefed up quite a bit and still performed really well in the running.

What other thread?

 

[Rory Walkerfield]

What other thread?

https://www.bigfooty.com/forum/threads/bigman’s-training-reports.1375180/

 

[jenny61_99]

I'm fat. I own it I tell people everything consumed was all honestly paid for.

Good for you. But there's lots of others who wear it as armour for protection. The last thing they need is someone who has NEVER experienced a food disorder, passing judgement OUT LOUD about their situation. Fact is, none of us know what others are going through and it frankly costs nothing to just be a bit kind.

 

[Pugsley]

Good for you. But there's lots of others who wear it as armour for protection. The last thing they need is someone who has NEVER experienced a food disorder, passing judgement OUT LOUD about their situation. Fact is, none of us know what others are going through and it frankly costs nothing to just be a bit kind.

I am kind to people having experienced bullying as a young child.
It comes back to upbringing but we will save that for a different board

 

[kick it to me_]

Who is training at your club?
Adelaide: Sid Draper, Tyler Welsh

Sid Draper, who was South Australia's MVP at last year's under-18 championships and won All-Australian selection as a bottom-ager, will train with Adelaide.

Get to have a good look at Sid Draper early is great news.

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