Resource 2025 Pre-season Training Reports

[A Bit Dusty]

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[bigman]

Cheers mate!

Do you think Draper will play round 1 or ease into it due to back issues?

KS I think that it’s more of a protection thing than his back issues actually flaring up again.

Aside from the first one or two sessions, he’s done almost all the work since Christmas, including last Friday’s match sim, and looks to be moving freely.

Now does he make the round one side? I think he likely does, particularly given the inevitability of injuries. Gut feel is he suits a sub role however to inject his speed into the game.

I think the only thing that’ll hold him back is he’s still getting used to the big fellas around him. I’ve noticed he’s often found it hard to break tackles at the moment, though long term I’m not concerned as he’s got the frame that will fill out.

So far he’s trained solely as a midfielder. I suspect he will need to play some half forward time as well though if he plays full games.

 

[bigman]

Main SC players of interest for me.

Dawson - do you think he's all over the place again this year, or a more settled role?
Peatling - playing in the main mid rotation?
Draper - does he play round 1?
Curtin - does he play round 1? And where?

Any other early debuts we should look for? Ryan maybe?

Dawson has trained solely as a midfielder but in Friday’s match sim was used quite a bit on a wing as well as a leading forward option. Obviously a bit of a concern that he could be chucked around a bit. That said I think he will score well regardless of where he plays, as long as he returns to his previous kicking efficiency which was strangely poor at times last year. FWIW his ball use has been super sharp this summer but real game pressure is a different beast.

Peatling is definitely going to play predominately as a midfielder, though I suspect he will play some forward time as well. Is he in the starting centre group? I’m not sure yet. Dawson and Soligo are ahead of him, while Rankine is trending towards even higher CBAs than last year. I think he may be in the first rotation swapping at HF or coming off the bench along with Crouch. He’s been great though, I’ve been really impressed with his kicking in particular. I expected him to be scrappier by foot.

Draper I discussed above.

Curtin is an interesting one. He draws your eyes at training with his sheer size as well as his athleticism. His running isn’t far off the top echelon of mids at the club. He’s still working on his acceleration at stoppage - he was a bit flat footed at times on Friday - but he’s a real competitor and very hard to strip the ball off when he gets it. I think he looks better as a CHF at this stage - he’s a natural at presenting at the ball carrier - but obviously we already have some tall timber up there. At present he’s training with both groups - the only times he pushes into defence is to provide support as a mid. I think he starts round one as long as he plays well in match sim/practice games. I suppose he could be another sub risk.

Don’t think there will be any other early debutants just yet. Ryan has been going quite well and is a fair unit these days, but he’s behind a few in the pecking order at half back and will likely need to bide his time. I rate him though - he’s got some dash and a lovely kick, but is a real competitor as well. Edwards has probably regressed this summer after a promising finish to last year, his running in particular has dropped off. Welsh won’t play this year.

 

[bigman]

Great insight Bigman .

Similar to Maybe Tomorrow, I think we’re all pretty keen to see how the new Crows midfield looks (no Laird), and more importantly the roles of Rankine and Peatling.

I think Rankine is really trending towards becoming a mid-forward rather than the other way around, particularly with the inclusion of Neal-Bullen around goals. Some of the stuff he did on Friday was a bit silly. He’s also trained exclusively as a midfielder this summer if that’s any indication. He will still play time forward obviously but the split may be even more midfield heavy than last year, particularly if our firepower stays injured (Thilthorpe and Tex spent a lot of time on the sidelines last year which meant less mid time for Rankine, Dawson and Rachele).

Some of you probably won’t be happy about it, but Crouch is almost a certainty to play round one. He’s still our best clearance player. That could change over the course of the season but for now I would be shocked if he’s not there against the Saints.

I wouldn’t be surprised if Soligo is right up there in terms of our CBA share, he ran out of gas a bit last year after an ankle injury in pre season (and subsequently developed some groin problems) but no issues so far this summer. He will likely spend some time close to goals but I think even less than last year.

Obviously Crouch will be up there despite his low TOG, he doesn’t have a secondary position. On the flip side, Dawson is too versatile for his own good. I wouldn’t jump at shadows just yet though re: Fridays match sim, I still think he’s a 60% plus CBA mid.

The other one is Peatling who comes in likely at the expense of Berry and should play predominately midfield with some forward time.

Expect Rachele to pinch-hit in there but nothing more than a small handful. Rash has trained a fair bit with the mids and is super fit, but we need still need goal kickers particularly in Rankine plays more midfield time. Rash is trending towards having a good year though, he’s right up there with our sharpest trainers so far.

Curtin is the conundrum, I could see him playing more forward coming off the bench as another tall option along with a spattering of CBAs.

Essentially the main group running through there are Dawson, Soligo, Rankine, Crouch and Peatling. Worth noting Crouch almost always comes off the starting bench, so the opening bounce will likely be a mix of the others with the leftover starting forward and rotating in.

Also forgot to mention, Cumming returned to the main group today after his hamstring issue. The club has been very conservative with him. It’s a shame given he was training very well prior to the injury, but at the very least he looks fit as a fiddle. I’ve noticed he’s been listed at training predominantly as part of the mids, so expect quite a bit of wing time which can obviously cause erratic scoring. He would be ahead of Jones for that speedy wingman role. He may also swap with Hinge at half back but because of injury I haven’t seen it yet.

Sholl is basically a lock for the other wing ahead of Dowling.

 

[Floating Doughnut]

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I think Rankine is really trending towards becoming a mid-forward rather than the other way around, particularly with the inclusion of Neal-Bullen around goals. Some of the stuff he did on Friday was a bit silly. He’s also trained exclusively as a midfielder this summer if that’s any indication. He will still play time forward obviously but the split may be even more midfield heavy than last year, particularly if our firepower stays injured (Thilthorpe and Tex spent a lot of time on the sidelines last year which meant less mid time for Rankine, Dawson and Rachele).

Some of you probably won’t be happy about it, but Crouch is almost a certainty to play round one. He’s still our best clearance player. That could change over the course of the season but for now I would be shocked if he’s not there against the Saints.

I wouldn’t be surprised if Soligo is right up there in terms of our CBA share, he ran out of gas a bit last year after an ankle injury in pre season (developed some groin issues) but no issues so far this summer. He will likely spend some time close to goals but I think even less than last year.

Obviously Crouch will be up there despite his low TOG, he doesn’t have a secondary position. On the flip side, Dawson is too versatile for his own good. I wouldn’t jump at shadows just yet though re: Fridays match sim, I still think he’s a 60% plus CBA mid.

The other one is Peatling obviously who comes in likely at the expense of Berry and will likely play predominately midfield with some forward time.

Expect Rachele to pinch-hit in there but nothing more than a small handful. Rash has trained a fair bit with the mids and is super fit, but we need still need goal kickers particularly in Rankine plays more midfield time. Rash is trending towards having a good year though, he’s right up there with our sharpest trainers so far.

Essentially the main group running through there are Dawson, Soligo, Rankine, Crouch and Peatling. Worth noting Crouch almost always comes off the starting bench, so the opening bounce will likely be a mix of the others with the leftover starting forward and rotating in.

Also forgot to mention, Cumming returned to the main group today after his hamstring issue. The club has been very conservative with him. It’s a shame given he was training very well prior to the injury, but at the very least he looks fit as a fiddle. I’ve noticed he’s been listed at training predominantly as part of the mids, so expect quite a bit of wing time which can obviously cause erratic scoring. He would be ahead of Jones for that speedy wingman role. He may also swap with Hinge at half back but because of injury I haven’t seen it yet.

Sholl is basically a lock for the other wing ahead of Dowling.

Great report as usual, you won’t get the Crouch hate around here like the Adel board.
Rankine is locked in my side based on your earlier reports about the amount of mid time he has had this year .

Cheers mate.

 

[JDWCE]

Can any West Coast supporter confirm Maric being groomed as a distributor off HB this season .... JDWCE

Is training with the backs. We need to utilise his kicking coming out of there but I wonder how much ball there’ll be to go around as Baker + Ginbey are also down back who provide rebound. Certainly priced nicely. Definitely one to watch

 

[A Bit Dusty]

I'm not seeing the appeal with Rankine. There is a bit of groundhog day plenty of hype with him and it never happens. Last year only 5 tons from 15 games with injury & suspensions and even with more CBA's there is no saying he will score any better.
Happy to pass on him at the start of the season and see what happens with a starting price of $521k there are much better options in the midfield cheaper.

 

[A Bit Dusty]

I think Rankine is really trending towards becoming a mid-forward rather than the other way around, particularly with the inclusion of Neal-Bullen around goals. Some of the stuff he did on Friday was a bit silly. He’s also trained exclusively as a midfielder this summer if that’s any indication. He will still play time forward obviously but the split may be even more midfield heavy than last year, particularly if our firepower stays injured (Thilthorpe and Tex spent a lot of time on the sidelines last year which meant less mid time for Rankine, Dawson and Rachele).

Some of you probably won’t be happy about it, but Crouch is almost a certainty to play round one. He’s still our best clearance player. That could change over the course of the season but for now I would be shocked if he’s not there against the Saints.

I wouldn’t be surprised if Soligo is right up there in terms of our CBA share, he ran out of gas a bit last year after an ankle injury in pre season (and subsequently developed some groin problems) but no issues so far this summer. He will likely spend some time close to goals but I think even less than last year.

Obviously Crouch will be up there despite his low TOG, he doesn’t have a secondary position. On the flip side, Dawson is too versatile for his own good. I wouldn’t jump at shadows just yet though re: Fridays match sim, I still think he’s a 60% plus CBA mid.

The other one is Peatling who comes in likely at the expense of Berry and should play predominately midfield with some forward time.

Expect Rachele to pinch-hit in there but nothing more than a small handful. Rash has trained a fair bit with the mids and is super fit, but we need still need goal kickers particularly in Rankine plays more midfield time. Rash is trending towards having a good year though, he’s right up there with our sharpest trainers so far.

Curtin is the conundrum, I could see him playing more forward coming off the bench as another tall option along with a spattering of CBAs.

Essentially the main group running through there are Dawson, Soligo, Rankine, Crouch and Peatling. Worth noting Crouch almost always comes off the starting bench, so the opening bounce will likely be a mix of the others with the leftover starting forward and rotating in.

Also forgot to mention, Cumming returned to the main group today after his hamstring issue. The club has been very conservative with him. It’s a shame given he was training very well prior to the injury, but at the very least he looks fit as a fiddle. I’ve noticed he’s been listed at training predominantly as part of the mids, so expect quite a bit of wing time which can obviously cause erratic scoring. He would be ahead of Jones for that speedy wingman role. He may also swap with Hinge at half back but because of injury I haven’t seen it yet.

Sholl is basically a lock for the other wing ahead of Dowling.

Interesting that you haven't mentioned ANB at all. Surely he will run through the midfield and could possibly have tagging roles along the way.

 

[stevebbb]

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He was smashing it in the VFL in the back end of the season. I was very surprised he didn't debut.

 

[Floating Doughnut]

I'm not seeing the appeal with Rankine. There is a bit of groundhog day plenty of hype with him and it never happens. Last year only 5 tons from 15 games with injury & suspensions and even with more CBA's there is no saying he will score any better.
Happy to pass on him at the start of the season and see what happens with a starting price of $521k there are much better options in the midfield cheaper.

Understand the scepticism on him but has all to do with his mid time afaiac.
When he got above 40% cba mid time last year he went @ 110 which will do me for a fwd .
Think he gets that time and dpp , Crows have a good draw and last bye so happy to run with
him depending on ps games.

edit: my bias level may be a little high on this one just in case of a crazy season took $34 top 3 Charlie
Gamble responsibly.

 

[King_Steele]

He was smashing it in the VFL in the back end of the season. I was very surprised he didn't debut.

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I think he will play round 1 with Henry struggling with the knee injury sustained against Sydney I think

 

[bigman]

Interesting that you haven't mentioned ANB at all. Surely he will run through the midfield and could possibly have tagging roles along the way.

Dusty he’s trained practically exclusively as a forward all pre season thus far.

Think you’ll find he’s set to take Murphy’s role as a pressure forward who can push up the ground.

Could get some CBA’s but no evidence of that yet. We are also historically rarely a tagging side under Nicks.

 

[stevebbb]

Rankine is trending to be a superstar. Like Dusty level good. You don't hold that back for Matt Crouch, Soligo, etc. Absolute weapon around stoppages and then rest forward kicking goals instead of on the bench. Another preseason, a year older and more mature, I'm not missing out on that. Nasty hammy injuries in both of the last 2 seasons is a concern, although iirc, it was different legs. One of those players who could be averaging 130-140 after the first few rounds. I'll take him over JHF if I had to, but I'm taking both. You're gonna need them both, may as well start with them when they're cheap, fit and raring to go, not hustling to bring them in later.

 

[FAILTOSUCCEED]

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Anything wrong with Smillie or just holding him back a bit?

 

[Deliverance]

Rankine is trending to be a superstar. Like Dusty level good. You don't hold that back for Matt Crouch, Soligo, etc. Absolute weapon around stoppages and then rest forward kicking goals instead of on the bench. Another preseason, a year older and more mature, I'm not missing out on that. Nasty hammy injuries in both of the last 2 seasons is a concern, although iirc, it was different legs. One of those players who could be averaging 130-140 after the first few rounds. I'll take him over JHF if I had to, but I'm taking both. You're gonna need them both, may as well start with them when they're cheap, fit and raring to go, not hustling to bring them in later.

I'm holding you to your promises of all these 130-140 averaging players in the first few weeks

 

[Maybe Tomorrow]

Understand the scepticism on him but has all to do with his mid time afaiac.
When he got above 40% cba mid time last year he went @ 110 which will do me for a fwd .
Think he gets that time and dpp , Crows have a good draw and last bye so happy to run with
him depending on ps games.

edit: my bias level may be a little high on this one just in case of a crazy season took $34 top 3 Charlie
Gamble responsibly.

Nah you're on the right track FD, if he stays fit he'll give F1 a good shake. And he's fun to have in your team. Which matters when we have to watch Helmet running around in circles and JHF being a FIGJAM.

 

[stevebbb]

I'm holding you to your promises of all these 130-140 averaging players in the first few weeks

Haha. I reckon with the extra trades you gotta take the high scoring players even if durability is a risk. I guarantee Rankine and TDK won't play every game, but if they explode and you don't have them, you're absolutely screwed. They're the sort of players that explode early, then you move mountains to get them, then they get injured/suspended/rested nd drop off. Starting them is a success, but the trade-in is a fail.

 

[MacStradbroke]

Nah you're on the right track FD, if he stays fit he'll give F1 a good shake. And he's fun to have in your team. Which matters when we have to watch Helmet running around in circles and JHF being a FIGJAM.

Haha Daniel so does that! Need Benny Hill music playing when he’s got the pill sometimes (probably need to fast forward though).

 

[King_Steele]

Haha. I reckon with the extra trades you gotta take the high scoring players even if durability is a risk. I guarantee Rankine and TDK won't play every game, but if they explode and you don't have them, you're absolutely screwed. They're the sort of players that explode early, then you move mountains to get them, then they get injured/suspended/rested nd drop off. Starting them is a success, but the trade-in is a fail.

Agree 100% mate

It’s why I want to start Naicos/Flanders etc

 

[Nelso]

I'm not seeing the appeal with Rankine. There is a bit of groundhog day plenty of hype with him and it never happens. Last year only 5 tons from 15 games with injury & suspensions and even with more CBA's there is no saying he will score any better.
Happy to pass on him at the start of the season and see what happens with a starting price of $521k there are much better options in the midfield cheaper.

Rankine is a lock from round one and I will take him ahead of JHF.

He will go to another level this season and I can see him playing a 70/30 split between the midfield/forwards. He is one of those players who gets value for touches.

Nicks is coaching for his survival this season and he will use Rankine in the mids at every opportunity.

 

[Floating Doughnut]

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Haha. I reckon with the extra trades you gotta take the high scoring players even if durability is a risk. I guarantee Rankine and TDK won't play every game, but if they explode and you don't have them, you're absolutely screwed. They're the sort of players that explode early, then you move mountains to get them, then they get injured/suspended/rested nd drop off. Starting them is a success, but the trade-in is a fail.

Don’t reckon I could have put that better.
If the forward line does work out basically set/ forget bar a bit of shuffling, those that use their trades
and ride the trends will score incredibly well this year imo. I currently have Doc @ flex on what may be @
make or break if he goes back, or may blow my season that’s why this game is so much fun.