Training Pre season training

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5 minutes of footy doesnt make a season. What did he do for the remainder of the game and how much of his workload did his team mates have to carry because he cant run out games. He runs like a draught horse in a game played by thoroughbreds.

Hell Billings had some of the best highlight reels getting about.

Just ask yourself WHAT top 8 midfield group would Clark get a game in? If you are genuine the answer is zero.
Maybe over the summer watch the last 8 games of the season when he Jones and Dow were match fit. His inside work getting it going forward from stoppage.

This is the gameplan and type of football Lyon is after. He wants the ball moving forward out of stoppages. He wants a physical, high paced game when fatigue sets in in the second half. He has trained the team like this all preseason. If there is a fitter team who are harder running than us, I would be surprised.
Noticed I didn't say more skilled than us because I think our most skilled players are still to develop.
While Jones, Clark and Dow aren't A grade mids, if we add Macrae and Steele who are, we have the whole which is greater than the sum.of it's parts.
A player in isolation can be judged however a midfield group complementing each other, Steele in and under. Macrae, big left foot inside mid, Clark, wins his own ball and dual sided, Jones, quick and has some mongrel in him, Dow is skilful and a good mover, then we have Phillipou, Carroll, Hall, Boxshall, and Garcia all with specific skills, then our midfield can work without all the superstars.
Every one of those players can run including Clark. So far Lyon is happy with what Clark brings.


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Would the club have gone out and got Macrae, Carroll and Boxshall if they thought Hunter had a reliable and bright future. Look at what the kids bring - Phillipou, Windhager, Garcia, Wilson even Travaglia and Boxshall they are all elite runners and thats what the current game requires.
Yes. They would’ve.
Macrae because we needed an immediate Crouch replacement.
And the other two for the future.
They’re 8 years younger than Hunter, they’re not replacing him now.
 

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Would the club have gone out and got Macrae, Carroll and Boxshall if they thought Hunter had a reliable and bright future.
How small a midfield group do you want?



IMO, we were already short of mids, even if Hunter becomes a star this season.

Crouch was good, but his knee was not. Ross was value without being a star, but it was time for him to go. Plus in the draft we were not low enough, or able to trade lower, to get one of the higly rated mids.

I am not sure why it is a struggle to understand that with, or without, Clark that we needed more mids. It is one reason why Jones was kept for another season, with the other being his solid any of season form.



As it stands right now, while we still lack gun mids, in 2025 we will most likely have our best group of mids for many a year.


Maybe Clark gets passed by others in 2025. Maybe he becomes a good mid for us. Either is possible for us, but we certainly needed more players capable of running through the midfield that we had. If Clark gets pushed out, then it should means that some one else has stepped up.


With now having some talent, and depth to our midfield group I would be hopeful that by the end of 2025, if not before that we will have a pretty capable midfield group if if it still needs and out and out midfield gun. Who knows maybe Pou may be that player, maybe not too.

Macrae should make a big difference, even if his number of years as quality mid may be limited.
 
5 minutes of footy doesnt make a season. What did he do for the remainder of the game and how much of his workload did his team mates have to carry because he cant run out games. He runs like a draught horse in a game played by thoroughbreds.

Hell Billings had some of the best highlight reels getting about.

Just ask yourself WHAT top 8 midfield group would Clark get a game in? If you are genuine the answer is zero.
Oh FFS give it a rest. Your posts are boring
 
Anyway, here is a Chrissy present from uncle Joffa.

Glory in this over the gloomy summer days until Jan 9th where we remorselessly march towards that last Saturday in September.

My favourite is the Italian looking Sheila desperately hitting her hand screaming touched touched :D :D :D :D :D



Plenty of Carlton despair. Just so so so so good!


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Plenty of Carlton despair. Just so so so so good!
How about the stunned silence from Saints fans knowing that picks 5 & 6 had just slipped out of our grasp.
 
Doubt that will be in the Top 10 phone wallpaper choices anytime soon, even within the Clark household!

Dude's best bet is to shave his head and go for the Ray Shoesmith vibe, those eyes could visit oppo players in their nightmares.
 
I just decided to look at the stats for average score involvements for 2024.
Not pretty for Saints.
Our best was Sinclair. 40th in the AFL.
then 70th Jack Higgins.
79th Jack Steele.
94th Mason Wood.
106th Hill.
112th Henry
118th King
141st Owens.
149th Clark
157th Marshall and Membrey

least score involvements on the list ,
650th Hastie with Paton and Collard challenging him.
 
We got Macrae, Carroll & Boxhall because we lost Ross & Crouch and our midfield lacked depth even with those players

100% Mike! We need 8 good mids to cover for niggles and injuries like all the top sides do. Crouch out last year really hurt us as he was our best mid the year before. You need a mix of complementary mids. When all were available he was clearly in and playing an important role. I would be picking him before Dow, Carrol, Jones and Garcia in a heartbeat, probably before Poo and Windhager too if I’m honest. To me out of the mids I would be taking in order McCrae, Steele, Clark, Poo then there’s the next group to pick from of Windhager, Dow, Carrol and Garcia. Wouldn’t be surprised if Boxsal doesn’t play at all this year unless mass injuries. Wilson may play a little bit in the middle but predominately HF/Wing and Travaglia wing.


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Hearing about the leadership qualities that Pou has displayed this preseason, it makes me think of Elijah Tsatas slumming it at the Hangar. One is looking like a standard setter, leader and potential star of this league, while the other is a chance of being delisted.
As much as you want this to be true, Tsatas was Essendons best on in their last two match sims to end the year.
He is no chance of being delisted.
 
Yes. They would’ve.
Yes 100%

Macrae because we needed an immediate Crouch replacement.
Yes, and is most likely an upgrade though Crouch was our best mid in 2023.

And the other two for the future.
They’re 8 years younger than Hunter, they’re not replacing him now.
Carroll is just 4 years younger. Boxhall just over 7.

Boxhall is for the future, but I can really see that Carroll will be a good chance to be pushing into our 22 this season.


For 2025, I think we have our best group of mids for a long time. Competition should be fierce amongst our mids to be in the 22 and that is a very good thing. Hopefully it means that Sincs can play in his best postion for most of each game, HBF. With only some mid rotations to mix it up, or if we need to mix things up a bit.

Plus if we have some injuries we should have coverage.
 

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Training Pre season training

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