Intensity lifts as February approaches

Once again we are on the scene with all the latest from pre-season training

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With our first external contest set against the Western Bulldogs and scheduled for the 23rd of February, we have less than a month to go before we get to test our wares on different opposition.

And with plans for some different training to take place next week, things are really starting to intensify as time marches on.

It was a pretty big session yesterday and it drew quite a bit of external coverage - with the likes of David King attending to provide an insight on how we are tracking to the football world.

But here is how the Insiders (who know what to be looking for) saw it (😜):

Thursday 25 January

Training Notes

• Sam Mitchell was back on the track and was more engaged in the drills and other aspects of the session than he has been previously;

• Chad Wingard was wearing his GPS vest above his shirt, so it may be that his load management is being increased and aside from a brief visit by Josh Bennetts through the session, he was on his own;

• Ned Maginness and three Box Hill players were part of the session;

• Both Jack Ginnivan and Josh Ward were in the main group and showed no issues from earlier in the week.

Drills

• On rotation, three groups moved through various ball handling activities - each with a different focus including taking low kicks and taking the ball in a ground ball contest;

• They then broke into two groups with one group doing the defensive running drill that had been a feature pre-Christmas where four players look to intercept or disrupt the ball movement from half back to half forward.  The other group did some contested work in the forward pocket where the contest finished with a snapshot at goal;

• Through this session, Finn Maginness looked to have an issue and didn't return to any activities from there on, but wasn't limping or indicating a specific concern.

Match Sim

• AFL umpires were in attendance - it was interesting to see Sam chatting to them at the end of the session about hands in the back decisions.  

• Sam (and Brett Ratten) managed aspects of the match sim, particularly in the second half where they set up starting positions with ball ups and throw ins. The line coaches watched upstairs "behind the glass" - coming down at the breaks;

First Quarter

• What caught the eye first up were the match ups - particularly at one end of the ground:

  • Forwards: (Jumpers): Mitch Lewis, Blake Hardwick, Dylan Moore, Nick Watson, Mabior Chol, Jack Ginnivan.

  • Backs: (Tops): James Blanck, Jack Scrimshaw, Josh Weddle, James Sicily, Jarman Impey, KarlAmon.

  • Mids: (Jumpers): Jai Newcombe, Conor Nash, James Worpel, Lloyd Meek.

  • Mids: (Tops): Josh Ward, Cam Mackenzie, Henry Hustwaite, Ned Reeves.

  • Wings: (Jumpers): Connor Macdonald, Changkuoth Jiath.

  • Wings: (Tops): Massimo D'Ambrosio, Harry Morrison.

• Luke Breust sat out the first half running laps while Jack Gunston played forward at the other end;

• After a score, Moore and CMac swapped positions and after Newcombe went off having received a knock, Moore went into the centre square with Bailey Macdonald moving to the wing. 

• CJ was dynamic off his wing D'Ambrosio similarly caught the eye, however both made execution kicking errors.

Second Quarter

• Ward went off and Newcombe didn't come back on which must have been a management issue;

• D'Ambrosio went back, with Amon and Sam Butler on wings while CMac moved to an inside mid role.  Ginnivan had a burst in a centre square contest;

• Denver Grainger-Barras went forward at one stage and Reeves also went forward as Meek rucked the entire half on his own;

• There was a passage of play that showed nice ball movement starting from the back pocket with D'Ambrosio hitting up Scrimshaw at half back. He passed it to Amon running through the outer wing who hit Watson on the chest in the pocket from a 50m pass. Although Watson dropped the mark, you could see the pattern of play that we were working on;

• Chol laid a crunching tackle in the forward pocket on Mackenzie from a forward 50 ball up that was visibly appreciated from his teammates.

Third Quarter

• The line ups were changed significantly with the jumper team lining up with its forward and back halves as follows:

  • F: Breust, Gunston, Chol, Watson, Lewis, Moore 

  • B: Frost, Sicily, D'Ambrosio, Weddle, Blanck, Impey

• This meant Ginnivan and Hardwick were playing forward for the tops - Hardwick played forward for the entire match simulation;

• The Gunston of old was on display as he was able to get out on an uncontested lead, as the backs appeared to fail to do their handover - it was a mis-kick from a clearance that caught Sis out, which brought an expletive response from the captain heard across the ground and stands.

Fourth Quarter

• Breust and Ginnivan swapped sides;

• Ginnivan and Gunston were able to have a very clever interchange in general play to open up a scoring opportunity;

• Clay Tucker and Meek both took nice contested marks.

Some general observations:

• Watching Lewis and Chol in unison really for the first time - they both moved well up the ground from time to time rather than one specifically being the anchor in the square.  Both showed that they have good field kicking skills hitting up targets to shift the ball off the line;

• Both Mackenzie and CMac looked comfortable playing as inside mids. Moore and Ginnivan playing cameos gives us more midfield options;

• While we were only playing against ourselves, with CJ, D'Ambrosio and Watson joining Butler, Bailey Macdonald and Seamus Mitchell (he sat out the second half), there appears to be more foot speed through the group;

• In the second half when Lewis or Chol went up the ground, Jai Serong was opposed to them on the lead, with DGB remaining as the deep back;

• One instance of old habits dying hard where Hardwick spoiled a forward marking contest - he was quickly reminded as a forward he was supposed to mark the ball!

• Will McCabe was another one to catch the eye with his positioning, running and disposal.

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