Training 2025 Pre Season Thread

[Struggle]

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That looks like the most ready 2nd year player to ever attend day one of preseason in recent memory

 

[Libbaaaa]

Bramble was a train on last year wasn’t he?

 

[weltschmerz]

Bramble was a train on last year wasn’t he?

We signed him the first moment we could I think, like Freo with Narkle this year.

 

[bulldogs201616]

I know people have mentioned that about JOD, however I yearn to see Croft galloping off CHB like an enormous Nick Blakey

Id also like this but has Croft actually played in the defence? Did he go back this season in the VFL at all or are we just assuming he will be good down there because his old man.

 

[doggiesin08]

I've never understood the obsession with wanting to know the exact times for the 2km, in the first week back (some people on social media demanding the full times for every single player to be posted, probably so they can mock those at the bottom). All it really is, is to measure where everyone is fitness wise, and who needs more conditioning. So they can adjust and plan preseason programs accordingly. It's all irrelevant to almost 4 months time, where the results will be drastically different come then. As long as they are fit by the first game, that's all I care about.

But credit to Freijah for returning in the best shape out of everyone. Not often you see first or second year players take out the 2km trial. Likewise to Croft. If our younger players can set the standard like that, then it holds the club and themselves in good stead for the future.

I think its possibly to get a sense for whether Freijah has really improved or is it more that Croft has dropped back a bit which would be entirely reasonable given his injuries and if he's added weight (which I guess we can only guess at these days).

 

[doggiesin08]

Id also like this but has Croft actually played in the defence? Did he go back this season in the VFL at all or are we just assuming he will be good down there because his old man.

From our website when he nomintated for father-son:

"Son of former Bulldogs tall Matthew, Croft is a 200cm utility playing for the Calder Cannons that has the ability to play at either end of the ground."

I think he played all of his U18 football for the Cannons up forward but had played a lot of U16s in the backline. I don't think he played any football in the backline in the VFL but that may have been team balance as much as anything given we had no other tall forwards but often had Busslinger and Keath in the backline. Even Gardy was playing in the ruck and up forward late in the year for team balance.

 

[Dogsfan1]

From our website when he nomintated for father-son:

"Son of former Bulldogs tall Matthew, Croft is a 200cm utility playing for the Calder Cannons that has the ability to play at either end of the ground."

I think he played all of his U18 football for the Cannons up forward but had played a lot of U16s in the backline. I don't think he played any football in the backline in the VFL but that may have been team balance as much as anything given we had no other tall forwards but often had Busslinger and Keath in the backline. Even Gardy was playing in the ruck and up forward late in the year for team balance.

I think he played a bit in the backline at the start i think it was the casey demons game at the start of the year in the vfl .

 

[doggiesin08]

I think he played a bit in the backline at the start i think it was the casey demons game at the start of the year in the vfl .

I hope we can pick up some big lads to plonk up forward in the VFL to allow Croft to develop where we want him (if in fact that is in the backline), not where Footscray needs him, and also so the AFL and VFL team structures can resemble each other as much as possible.

 

[Mojorisin]

I think he played a bit in the backline at the start i think it was the casey demons game at the start of the year in the vfl .

He predominantly played up forward. More so to ease him into things considering it was his first season off limited preparation. Chances are he gets swung to defence this year.

 

[0utsider]

I hope we can pick up some big lads to plonk up forward in the VFL to allow Croft to develop where we want him (if in fact that is in the backline), not where Footscray needs him, and also so the AFL and VFL team structures can resemble each other as much as possible.

Can see the additions of Hynes and Davidson (who probably splits his time between AFL and VFL level next year) being of benefit in that regard.

Buss, Buku and Croft as our set and forget key defenders (unless called up to the top level) has a good balance and bodes well for the future.

 

[Foxman98]

Can see the additions of Hynes and Davidson (who probably splits his time between AFL and VFL level next year) being of benefit in that regard.

Buss, Buku and Khamis as our set and forget key defenders (unless called up to the top level) has a good balance and bodes well for the future.

Buku and Khamis?

 

[0utsider]

Buku and Khamis?

Here I am pumping up Croft and he can’t even get a game over Buku’s cousin who no one’s ever heard of.

 

[Bulldogs85]

 

[Westerndog11]

Joel Freijah settles off pace, rounds up everyone ahead of him and runs away. This kid is getting seriously scary.

Sounds like he could win a horse race too

 

[_Cerberus_]

Interesting. Any idea why we sent our youngsters on their own mini camp? Seems to be something different to what we usually do. Normally they join in normal training in week two, and head out with the whole team to a camp later on in the year, or early in the next. Which no doubt we will likely still do.

Either way, its a good time for them to bond, and enjoy the experience whilst being put through some tough work outs. I like that the club is taking new approaches this season from the early looks of things.

 

[JohnnySteel]

If Smith can develop a tank, I think he could be developed as a FB. Moves well, solid mark and has a lot of mongrel.
Only way he’ll see senior football whilst we have English on the list.

 

[Pugz89]

Interesting. Any idea why we sent our youngsters on their own mini camp? Seems to be something different to what we usually do. Normally they join in normal training in week two, and head out with the whole team to a camp later on in the year, or early in the next. Which no doubt we will likely still do.

Either way, its a good time for them to bond, and enjoy the experience whilst being put through some tough work outs. I like that the club is taking new approaches this season from the early looks of things.

I'd imagine this is the largest group of draftees we've brought in for a while. Could be that this group is large enough to warrant a camp. I don't mind it though - bring them in day 1, meet the others etc then take them away for a couple days and help them bond, ease them into it etc.

 

[Mofra]

Flea and Scott need to be delisted for rocking up in those pants.



Welcome to the 2025 Pre Season

I hope Flea & Scott neatly parked their flying carpets prior to arrival

 

[Mofra]

Not sure he’s got that level of overall athleticism, he’s 9 cm taller than Weddle at 201cm so it’s a big ask to expect him to be able to move that well.

Personally I’d prefer him to be a solid classic key defender anyway, it’s what we’ve struggled with the most in the last 10 years.

He was just a back-up ruck during his teens but with his running capacity and aerial presence if he can have the occasional ruck battle he might be another who becomes a long term solution for us in a position he wasn't drafted for.

He was in the top handful for the 2km time trial at his combine too. Amazing tank for a big guy

 

[The Slitherin' Snake]

I've never understood the obsession with wanting to know the exact times for the 2km, in the first week back (some people on social media demanding the full times for every single player to be posted, probably so they can mock those at the bottom). All it really is, is to measure where everyone is fitness wise, and who needs more conditioning. So they can adjust and plan preseason programs accordingly. It's all irrelevant to almost 4 months time, where the results will be drastically different come then. As long as they are fit by the first game, that's all I care about.

But credit to Freijah for returning in the best shape out of everyone. Not often you see first or second year players take out the 2km trial. Likewise to Croft. If our younger players can set the standard like that, then it holds the club and themselves in good stead for the future.

Perosnally, I'm just interested in how far off the times i am

 

[Dogs_R_Us]

Interesting. Any idea why we sent our youngsters on their own mini camp? Seems to be something different to what we usually do. Normally they join in normal training in week two, and head out with the whole team to a camp later on in the year, or early in the next. Which no doubt we will likely still do.

Either way, its a good time for them to bond, and enjoy the experience whilst being put through some tough work outs. I like that the club is taking new approaches this season from the early looks of things.

Don’t they usually do a few days of orientation first? There is a lot to be covered - financial arrangements, all sorts of procedures, learning who all the staff are, how to deal with media and social media, and heaps of other things. The boys would also have many questions.

 

[_Cerberus_]

Don’t they usually do a few days of orientation first? There is a lot to be covered - financial arrangements, all sorts of procedures, learning who all the staff are, how to deal with media and social media, and heaps of other things. The boys would also have many questions.

That is what my question was about. No doubt they did probably a lot of that yesterday, and perhaps some more on the camp. Normally they join the main group in their second week. But apparently they did the 2km run yesterday according to another poster, and they off to camp on just their second day. So obviously the club is taking a different route this year.

I wonder if this is the idea of whoever took over from Maddocks as head of development? Can anyone confirm who now leads that department now?

 

[Mofra]

If Smith can develop a tank, I think he could be developed as a FB. Moves well, solid mark and has a lot of mongrel.
Only way he’ll see senior football whilst we have English on the list.

Busslinger looks like such an old-school FB at VFL level to me.
Never flustered and kicks the ball a mile.

 

[Mofra]

Don’t they usually do a few days of orientation first? There is a lot to be covered - financial arrangements, all sorts of procedures, learning who all the staff are, how to deal with media and social media, and heaps of other things. The boys would also have many questions.

There's also a set of standard AFL-wide training all draftees must complete. Respect, drug and alcohol awareness, OH&S stuff etc.

 

[bobs head soup]

The fact that all our draftees were Vic this year probably meant the whole orientation and welcoming processes could have been accelerated.

It would obviously take the interstaters a day or 2 to pack, travel etc and the whole accommodation and getting settled in would take a bit more organising.

What I found a little odd, according to club communications, is that the first day/2k run was for years 1-4, then 1 day later the year 1-3 players head off for a camp?

Were the year 4 players required for 1 day?