Melbourne 2016 pre-season

[Barra13]

LYNDEN DUNN â€" No.14

Date of birth: 14/5/1987 (28 years old)
Height: 192cm, Weight: 99kg
AFL debut: 2006
AFL games: 161 AFL goals: 96
Position: Key defender
Recruited: Moonee Valley (Vic)/Calder Cannons (Vic)
Drafted: 2004 NAB AFL Draft (No.15)
Honours: Melbourne vice-captain 2015                                         

“Dunny has come back in really good shape and he made a statement to the rest of the group when he arrived back at pre-season, having dropped some weight. He ran really well in our three-km time-trial and he’s been training very well.” â€" Paul Roos

SAM FROST â€" No.17

Date of birth: 28/8/1993 (22 years old)
Height: 194cm, Weight: 93kg
AFL debut: 2012, MFC debut: 2015
AFL games: 24 (GWS Giants 21, Melbourne 3), AFL goals: 2 (GWS Giants 2, Melbourne 0)
Position: Key defender/forward/ruckman
Recruited: Ormond (Vic)/Wesley College (Vic)/Sandringham Dragons (Vic)/GWS Giants
Drafted: 2012 NAB AFL Rookie Draft (No.1); 2012 NAB AFL Draft rookie elevation (No.83); 2014 NAB AFL Draft traded by GWS Giants for No.23 (Pat McKenna)

“Frosty has had a hiccup again with his foot, so with Sam it’s just about his training loads and trying to get that right. We’ve seen when he’s on the park, he has explosive pace for a player of his size. He can play forward/ruck and we also think he can play down back. So it’s just a matter of getting the balance right â€" getting his training right and getting him fit for the season.” â€" Paul Roos

JEFF GARLETT â€" No.36

Date of birth: 3/8/1989 (26 years old)
Height: 180cm, Weight: 75kg
AFL debut: 2007, MFC debut: 2015
AFL games: 129 (Carlton 107, Melbourne 22), AFL goals: 16 (Carlton 183, Melbourne 40)
Position: Small forward
Recruited: Burracoppin (WA)/South Fremantle (WA)/Carlton
Drafted: 2009 NAB AFL Rookie Draft (No.6); NAB AFL Rookie Draft elevation (No.85); 2014 NAB AFL Draft traded by Carlton and No.60 (Clem Smith) and No.71 (not utilised)
Honours: Carlton leading goalkicker 2013; NAB AFL Rising Star nominee 2010

“Jeff came back a little bit underdone and it was similar to last year. He normally does a lot of boxing, but with a finger problem, he wasn’t able to do any boxing. So we’re just getting him back up running and he’s one that we all believe can go to another level again in 2016, as we all saw what an impact player he was in 2015.” â€" Paul Roos

[Barra13]

COLIN GARLAND â€" No.20

Date of birth: 28/4/1988 (27 years old)
Height: 191cm, Weight: 92kg
AFL debut: 2007
AFL games: 135, AFL goals: 16
Position: Tall defender
Recruited: North Hobart (Tas)/Tassie Mariners (Tas)/Tasmania VFL (Tas)
Drafted: 2006 NAB AFL Draft (No.46)
Honours: Second Best and Fairest 2013

“Col has been a real standout. He came back off his own volition with the young guys and did about four or five sessions with them. He’s been running well and he’s been training well. Col’s been a real shining light in the pre-season and I think he’ll have another terrific season.” â€" Paul Roos

MAX GAWN â€" No.11

Date of birth: 30/12/1991 (24 years old)
Height: 208cm, Weight: 111kg
AFL debut: 2011
AFL games: 39, AFL goals: 18
Position: Ruckman
Recruited: Ormond (Vic)/Sandringham Dragons (Vic)
Drafted: 2009 NAB AFL Draft (No.34)

“Gawny has been really good. He’s been consistent and I think that’s what you want with your pre-season â€" not missing many sessions and doing everything. Greg Stafford’s been working really hard with him in the ruck â€" particularly his marking and playing forward. The ruck is going to be interesting now with the limited interchange rotations, four on the bench and no sub. But I can’t complain with Max â€" he’s been very good.” â€" Paul Roos

JACK GRIMES â€" No.31

Date of birth: 11/5/1989 (26 years old)
Height: 187cm, Weight: 84kg
AFL debut: 2008
AFL games: 98, AFL goals: 11
Position: Defender
Recruited: Hurstbridge (Vic)/Northern Knights (Vic)
Drafted: 2007 NAB AFL Draft (No.14)
Honours: Co-Captain 2012-14; Second Best and Fairest 2012; NAB AFL Rising Star nominee 2009

“Grimesy hasn’t missed a beat. He’s a true professional and came back in really good shape. He’s training well and his decision-making has been really good. The things we told him to work on at the end of last season â€" he’s really working hard on them. He continually works hard to try and improve as a footballer.” â€" Paul Roos

[Barra13]

JAMES HARMES â€" No.43

Date of birth: 5/10/1995 (20 years old)
Height: 185cm, Weight: 80kg
AFL debut: 2015
AFL games: 8, AFL goals: 3
Position: Midfielder/forward
Recruited: Devon Meadows (Vic)/Dandenong Stingrays (Vic)
Drafted: 2013/14 Rookie Draft (No.2); 2015 NAB AFL Draft rookie elevation

“Harmesy probably started a little bit slowly and a little bit behind where we hoped he’d be, which then puts pressure on every session, as you can’t afford to miss them. But pre-Christmas he really picked it up and his last two or three weeks before Christmas were really good. Hopefully, he’ll improve on last season, because he finished off the year really well.” â€" Paul Roos

JESSE HOGAN â€" No.1

Date of birth: 12/2/1995 (20 years old)
Height: 195cm, Weight: 101kg
AFL debut: 2015
AFL games: 20, AFL goals: 44
Position: Key forward
Recruited: Claremont (WA)
Drafted: 2012 GWS Giants Trade Incentive Rule Selection, 17-year-old access (No.2)
Honours: NAB AFL Rising Star 2015

“Jesse came back and was a little underdone, but he doesn’t take long to get into shape. His is all about balance â€" getting the balance right between running, football and off-field. He’s had a bad back in the past, but he’s really working well and he’ll be in really good nick heading into our pre-season camp in mid-January.” â€" Paul Roos

LIAM HULETT â€" No.27

Date of birth: 17/3/1997 (18 years old)
Height: 193cm, Weight: 94kg
AFL debut: yet to debut
AFL games: 0, AFL goals: 0
Position: Key defender/forward
Recruited: Bonbeach (Vic)/Dandenong Stingrays (Vic)
Drafted: 2015 NAB AFL Draft (No.46)

“Liam is like the other first year players â€" it’s all about getting used to the schedule and getting up early and doing all the things you have to do to be an AFL footballer. He’s got an AFL body â€" he’s a big, strong lad. But he’s just been getting used to training since arriving at the club,” â€" Paul Roos

[Barra13]

Just got back home from training.

While overall standard was up, there was an increase in size to our rehab group with Dawes and Frost now joining the other pre-Xmas regulars - but given what they were doing with running, I suspect they are not major issues.

The big disappointment was no CP5 - although someone did say they saw him on the bike.

Brayshaw, Trengove and Dom Tyson looked like they must be getting close to rejoining the main group, while Spencil, Dawes and Jetta did plenty of running so not major concerns I think and Vince has to wait a couple more weeks for finger to heal properly. Only Frosty looked to be given a very limited program, so he's one that now appears unlikely for first pre-season game, although we still have almost two months.

A fair bit of running was done and not that much hard tackling work - overall it was more of a fitness session, so it was hard for players to stand out - Watts still wins the short sprints though, while T-Mac had trouble containing Grimes, Jones, Melksham and a few others in the 150m repetitions. Salem was in the best group with T-Mac, which is a good sign.

The highlight for me was watching Gawny smash the remedial runners group across the other side of the ground. That group included Dunny, Jeffy, Kent, so big Maxy is looking the part.

[Purple 77]

At this early stage, to me it sounds like Salem is sounding the most likely for a big year...

Cheers as always for the relays barra  8)

[Big Mac]

At this early stage, to me it sounds like Salem is sounding the most likely for a big year...

Cheers as always for the relays barra  8)

Can't decide whether i'm more excited about Petracca or Salem  :D

[Barra13]

JAYDEN HUNT â€" No.29

Date of birth: 3/4/1995 (20 years old)
Height: 187cm, Weight: 79kg
AFL debut: yet to debut
AFL games: 0, AFL goals: 0
Position: Half-back/wing
Recruited: East Sandringham (Vic)/Brighton Grammar (Vic)
Drafted: 2013 NAB AFL Draft (No.57)

“Hunty’s really grown â€" literally. He now has an AFL body and he’s got elite speed, which we’re starting to see at training. He’s come out of his shell a bit with his personality. It’s been hard for him, when you’re not playing and you’ve been out injured for most of the time. Now, he’s back in training and really enjoying it and doing well, so he’s starting to have an impact, which is good.” â€" Paul Roos

NEVILLE JETTA â€" No.39

Date of birth: 12/2/1990 (25 years old)
Height: 180cm, Weight: 82kg
AFL debut: 2009
AFL games: 73, AFL goals: 21
Position: Small defender
Recruited: Carey Park (WA)/Swan Districts (WA)
Drafted: 2008 NAB AFL Draft (No.51); 2013/14 NAB AFL Rookie Draft (No.50); 2014 NAB AFL Draft rookie elevation

“Nev came back in terrific shape. He realises he’s got to go to another level again, having gone from the senior list to rookie list and back to the senior list. He’s become a really important player for us and he knows he’s got to work on his fitness and he’s done that really well. I’m really excited about what Nev can do for the club.” â€" Paul Roos

MATT JONES â€" No.45

Date of birth: 18/10/1987 (28 years old)
Height: 188cm, Weight: 81kg
AFL debut: 2013
AFL games: 51, AFL goals: 10
Position: Midfielder
Recruited: South Croydon (Vic)/Labrador (Qld)/Box Hill Hawks (Vic)
Drafted: 2012 NAB AFL Draft (No.52)

“Matty had a frustrating 2015 season â€" being in and out of the team. But we gave him some real clear instructions in the off-season and his pre-Christmas has been exceptional. He would’ve been in our top five or six trainers prior to Christmas, so it’s a real credit to him.” â€" Paul Roos

[Holz]

like every preseaon everyone seems to be flying and dees should be a lock for the flag.

[Barra13]

Petracca and Trengove might have an extra week off due to doing more training before the break. Lumumba and Newton presumably training inside.

Frost, Dawes, Jetta, Spencer in one rehab group.

Half our midfield - Vanders, Tyson, Brayshaw, Vince in another. I reckon Tyson must be close to getting back in full training, he's powering along.

The runs at the end of training are interesting. 4 different groups doing 200m's based on ability then after a few of them they go in to sprints. What I found interesting is that some of the better endurance runners aren't in the top couple of sprint groups and vice versa. For instance Jayden Hunt kills them in the sprints but is in the bottom endurace group, same with Garland who's low down in the endurance but in a higher group for the sprints.

Positives from today:

- Jesse looking fit and happier

- Jack Watts' running and voice

- Nath Jones heavily involved

- Weideman's hands

- Jack Viney effortlessly tackling people in clearance drills just by being near them

- Overall skill level by foot

Still think there's room for improvement with the voice and energy and I think getting out of trouble/working through traffic has a way to go as well.

[Barra13]

I watched training for 1.5 hours this arvo.
-Trenners and Petracca were inside on the bikes. No Heritier or Newton and Pedo came out mid-session and walked laps.

-Bernie, Tyson, Gus, AVB, Neville, Spencil, Dawes and Frost made up the re-hab group who did a showere load of running. They did mostly repeat 80 meter sprints on the opposite oval and then timed efforts around where the players trained. Dawes looked super fit and outran Neville and Spencer. Frost did a lot less than the rest but didn't look too resticted. AVB was the standout in this group.

-Most drills focused on how the coaches want the team to play. E.g. where to stand at stoppages, how to defend when the opposition have the ball inside our 50, ball movement. Drills were stopped if coaches were unhappy with how they went or players were unsure about how to set up. The kids like Liam H and Weideman seemed to be the main infringes here, which makes sense.

-Intensity was very good. Everything was done at 100%.

-Dean Kent was the stand out in the session with his hard running, tackling and his voice the features.

[RaisyDaisy]

MELBOURNE’S Christian Petracca will miss a portion of the pre-season after injuring his toe during the Christmas break.

Christian sustained the injury whilst playing basketball during the Christmas break period. He reported this soreness during screening on the first day back of pre-season training on Monday, with scans confirming a small crack to the fifth toe of his right foot.

Christian will spend the next four weeks off legs and will then progress his rehab to get him back to participating in full training. Christian will still be able to continue the strengthening component of his knee rehabilitation program while recovering from this injury.

Melbourne Coach Paul Roos said “Christian’s rehab up until this point has been going really well, but when you’re an AFL player, you need to understand that everything you do impacts your ability to prepare and contribute to the team and this incident is clearly an interruption.  We have been very clear as a club  about not putting expectations on our first year players, so its important to keep some perspective about this - It’s a harsh lesson for Christian,  but one we are sure he is going to learn from as he develops as an AFL player.”

[Big Mac]

Well flower

[Purple 77]

Ah, great.

Oh well, can still play Round 1 still!

[Barra13]

NATHAN JONES â€" No.2

Date of birth: 20/01/1988 (27 years old)
Height: 180cm, Weight: 88kg
AFL debut: 2006
AFL games: 201, AFL goals: 95
Position: Midfielder
Recruited: Mt Eliza (Vic)/Dandenong Stingrays (Vic)
Drafted: 2005 NAB AFL Draft (No.12)
Honours: Co-captain 2014, Captain 2015-16; Best and fairest 2012, 2013, 2014; Second Best and Fairest 2007; NAB AFL Rising Star Nominee 2006, 2007

“Nathan probably worried a bit about himself and how he’d go with not training, due to his neck injury, but by his own admission, it was probably the best thing that happened to him. He has really worked on his running â€" not that it is a weakness, but he knows he’s got to work on it. He got back into training pre-Christmas and has been jumping out of his skin since. His captaincy has gone to another level again, which is terrific.” â€" Paul Roos

BEN KENNEDY â€" No.35

Date of birth: 3/3/1994 (21 years old)
Height: 175cm, Weight: 76kg
AFL debut: 2013, MFC debut: yet to debut
AFL games: 25 (Collingwood 25, Melbourne 0), AFL goals: 15 (Collingwood 15, Melbourne 0)
Position: Midfielder
Recruited: Brighton District (SA)/Glenelg (SA)/Collingwood
Drafted: 2012 NAB AFL Draft (No.19)/2015 NAB AFL Draft traded by Collingwood for Jeremy Howe and Jimmy Toumpas

“Coming from another club, Ben knows what footy is all about. He knows what he has to do and he has an AFL body. He’s a really determined kid and he leaves no stone unturned. He’s exploring a lot of things and he’s embracing everything about the footy club and we just love having him around.” â€" Paul Roos

JAY KENNEDY-HARRIS â€" No.24

Date of birth: 21/3/1995 (20 years old)
Height: 173cm, Weight: 74kg
AFL debut: 2014
AFL games: 22 AFL goals: 11
Position: Small forward/midfielder
Recruited: Kew Comets (Vic)/Oakleigh Chargers (Vic)
Drafted: 2013 NAB AFL Draft (No.40)

“Jay has been good. He came back pretty fit and he hasn’t missed many sessions. He’s really worked hard on his game plan and the weaknesses that he has. He’s really started to become a student of the game, which is only going to help him.” â€" Paul Roos

[Barra13]

DEAN KENT â€" No.16

Date of birth: 24/2/1994 (21 years old)
Height: 179cm, Weight: 73kg
AFL debut: 2013
AFL games: 32, AFL goals: 24
Position: Small forward
Recruited: Federals (WA)/Perth (WA)
Drafted: 2012 NAB AFL Draft (No.48)

“Kenty has been very, very good. The game demands so much and he’s not a natural aerobic runner, but he’s worked really hard on that area. Some of his pre-Christmas running sessions have been fantastic. He’s probably really surprised his teammates and coaches. Hopefully he has an injury-free run-up to the season, because I think he’s going to have a good 2016.” â€" Paul Roos

MAX KING â€" No.47 (rookie â€" category A)

Date of birth: 24/9/1995 (20 years old)
Height: 200cm, Weight: 95kg
AFL debut: yet to debut
AFL games: 0, AFL goals: 0
Position: Key forward/ruckman
Recruited: Wagga Tigers (NSW)/Murray Bushrangers (Vic)
Drafted: 2013/14 NAB AFL Rookie Draft (No.19)

“Max is still a young kid who is trying to develop into his body by becoming bigger and stronger â€" and he’s doing that. His training habits are much better now and his consistency with his training and how he trains is also much better. He’s still got to work on the aerobic area of his game, but he’s working really hard on his game and he’s certainly giving himself a chance.” â€" Paul Roos

MITCH KING â€" No.34

Date of birth: 1/1/1997 (19 years old)
Height: 199cm, Weight: 91kg
AFL debut: yet to debut
AFL games: 0, AFL goals: 0
Position: Ruckman
Recruited: Wodonga (Vic)/Murray Bushrangers (Vic)
Drafted: 2015 NAB AFL Draft (No.42)

“Mitch is just a young kid who has come down from the bush. He’s got a skinny 18-year-old’s body and he just needs to build it up. He’s a super young kid and a good listener. You can tell already that he’s a good student of the game and he really wants to get better every session. But he’s just got to get used to what it’s like being an AFL footballer and what he does.” â€" Paul Roos