Melbourne Discussion

[Purple 77]

I shudder when I see your name Ric and a link in your post... I've seen too much bad news from such posts haha  :P

!!!

[Ricochet]

I shudder when I see your name Ric and a link in your post... I've seen too much bad news from such posts haha  :P

!!!

haha sorry mate!

[Big Mac]

Hogan tweaked his back today  :(

[Purple 77]

Hogan tweaked his back today  :(

Seems to be minor at least  :(

[The_Captain]

Hogan tweaked his back today  :(

ferkkk

[Barra13]

I'm going to start copying in some training session reports from bystanders that are at the ground. So Just remember that these aren't written by me and are all copied from posters at Demonland.com. I thought it would be a good idea for us Demon fanatics that don't visit there to see how the team is progressing and for the others looking at the new Melbourne recruits to see if they will make the cut for their fantasy teams. :)

Here goes; From todays training session.

    Hogan only doing running apparently - not in the match simulation that is taking place. (assuming this is due to the issues from Monday)
    Watts' arms finally looking bigger, still doing rehab
    Jones is umpiring the practice match
    Very hot and windy, probably about 50 watching
    Match sim - starts from wing stoppage, idea is kick to the far wing and spread
    Skills down due to wind (hopefully)
    No Roos to be seen
    HL looking the goods at bursting through packs
    Hogan receiving the ball at FF at the end of the sim
-----------------------------
Injured leaders took all of training this morning. Jones, Trengrove etc ...
Maybe due to "empowerment" and self-driven philosophies, or more likely due to the collective bargaining agreement that can't stop players training if senior coaching staff aren't there.
30 plus degrees for whole session I'd say. Almost 3 hours. As usual, Viney, Cross, and Tyson last to leave the track. As usual, Tom Mc lead them in the 700m 'sprint'.
A lot of wind to the freeway end, which as someone else said, may account for the skill errors. JKH and to a lesser extent Gus, aren't clean often enough.
Like the sessions pre-Xmas, a lot of focus on switching play, and offensive running. 10 minute full ground scratch match also included.
Gus Brayshaw is raw, and I reckon will struggle to get a game for the first half of 2015. His kicking ain't A-grade, and they are also trying to get him used to more contact.
Petracca is on modified with a knee I think, is a massive unit, and will play forward with some rotation through the midfield when the heat is off I'd say.
Bernie might have tweaked his hammy. Watts did laps basically. Hardly saw Hogan.
Nothing much else to say, other than the effort was pretty good on a stinker of a morning.
-----------------------------
Jones and Trengove took training this morning, it was planned, the coaching group turned up about 20 minutes from the end, Roosy told me he forgot to set his alarm (I also asked him at the end if he could get the 3k run on Friday advertised, so supporters can watch if they want to).
Only Vandenberg wasn't there, neither was Dave Misson so couldn't check why.
McKenzie was back and did whole session.
Jones gashed his heel with the fin of his board, drove back so Club Doctor could stitch it up.
Asked Jack Trengove where his scooter was, he was on crutches, told me he got rid of it as he will be back on his feet soon.
Hogan is fine, I asked him, think he is getting sick of it being an issue, said he is just following his program, light day today.
Watts is close to full training, said a week or so.
Petracca just had a bit of an issue with his knee, strapping there as a precaution, did the session without a problem, said he is glad he is handling the running a lot better, got absolutely smashed over that initial vision by his so called friends and family, laughs about it now.
Alex Neal-Bullen is running with no pain in the knee he dislocated.
Other chats from the questions that appear here.
Jayden Hunt hoping to play half back, gives him time and space to use speed and kicking.
Angus Brayshaw reckons his skills were sloppy today, but feels he is improving something each session, did the right thing by praising Daniel Cross for leading the way, he was sitting next to him when I was talking to him, note because there was no extra running today most players rated it either a 6 and a half or 7, Cross said 5.
Spoke to both Matt Jones and Cam Pedersen, both just happy to be getting through the sessions, Matt Jones prefers to be under the radar, Pedo has missed only 1 session and Matt Jones not at all, both said they are both feeling the benefits of the diet.
Spoke to everybody's favourite Fitzy, same hasn't missed a session, the diet is working really well,, feeling the best he has been.
-------------------------------
-you can really see that there are a lot more mids out there with the full ground drills. There just seems to be more guys running and demanding the ball and then delivering. It was good to watch Salem, toumpas, Tyson, viney running and demanding, even harmes and hunt.
-garlett moved smoothly and is a very good kick, especially to someone leading straight at him.
-Lumumba is in everything and seems to get the ball multiple times in every drill. Has great agility and speed off the mark. Also has very fast hands which I haven't really noticed before.
-some easy marks were dropped when some players were on their own. Dawes dropped a chest mark under pressure which should have been hands out. i find this very frustrating. to his credit he used his hands for the rest of the session.
-The kicking was actually quite good with a few errors. The Brayshaw errors were on his left foot. A couple in a row. They were also when he seemed to be changing direction and with no momentum. His kicking on the right was pretty good.
-I have never seen more players doing extra things when training was finished. It was about half the list. It would be interesting to know whether cross is a direct influence on this.
-gawn looks awesome. Was leading out of the goal square in some of the drills and he is completing a lot of running.
-I also thought watts looked a bit bigger.
-I said before last preseason that I thought [Pedersen] needed to lose 4 or 5 kgs and he could then contribute. He looks to be fitter again.
-For his size frost is very quick.
-Tmac is a running machine and looks to have put on a couple on the upper body. He and frost could become pretty good pillars at the back.

ENJOY!

[GM]

First Class right up Barra , thanks.

[Big Mac]

Thanks Barra - I usually read the reports on demonland but hadn't got around to it yet, so thanks for making it easy haha :P

I think there's also a Barra on demonland - Wouldn't happen to be you would it?

[Barra13]

Yeah that's me mate :)

[Barra13]

The new quadzilla?

[Purple 77]

Nice stuff Barra, funnily enough I read them just before you posted it  :P

Thanks Barra - I usually read the reports on demonland but hadn't got around to it yet, so thanks for making it easy haha :P

I think there's also a Barra on demonland - Wouldn't happen to be you would it?

Yeah I wondered the same thing haha.

I often think about making an account there, but then again, I don't want every syllable I say to be criticised and torn to shreds  ::)  :P



Think I read today Viney ran the 3 km time trial in 10 min and 7 sec, which is good to hear!

[Bill Manspeaker]

that's one helluva post Barra!

[kilbluff1985]

hmmm got me thinking about picking Lamumba

[Big Mac]

hmmm got me thinking about picking Lamumba

Has been doing a lot of stoppage work apparently so who knows what Roos will do with him

[Barra13]

Yeah Lumumba is sitting in my team from all of the reports. Every match sim play they have they say him, Jones and Tyson are having alot of posessions.