Pre-season 2020

[stevoswan]

These reports keep getting better and better. That account was really methodical and comprehensive SeanM. Thanks so much for your effort and sharing.

Yes.....perhaps even good enough for opposition coaches to work out our 2020 playing style.

Seriously though, great reading Sean M!

[bloodspirit]

Yes.....perhaps even good enough for opposition coaches to work out our 2020 playing style.

Seriously though, great reading Sean M!

Fortunately I don't think it's any secret that most teams are trying to emulate the Tigers' faster style of play.

[Nico]

Sorry about that this stupid phone is making things up. Missing letters and just simply terrible. I had to buy it in Thailand because my Huawei got stolen. It is a Thai phone. I actually live in Laos so hard to just take the phone back.

Sent from my U27 using Tapatalk

I bought an Huawei in Laos ( Luan Prabang) 2 years ago and have bought a phone in Thailand also. Both perfectly operable. Any chance it is owner having trouble, ha, ha. I am in Thailand right now Wolfy, and toured around for 5 days with Ludwig from Chiang Rai last week. Was In Nong Kai for 2 days. Drove from Chiang Rai to Nongkai via Chiang Khan and parted company in Udon Thani. You should look him up.

[Mountain Man]

I passed by training today. Arrived about 9.15, which was after it started, and was there to the end.

Most notable for me was the absence of Naismith. I was told he was training prior to my arrival, but all I saw was some 10 minutes of kick to kick outside the field, and then he disappeared. Blakey also was kitted out but not training.

I've joined the Warner fan club. No 1 jumper and threw himself around like a mad thing to fully justify that number.

[stevoswan]

I bought an Huawei in Laos ( Luan Prabang) 2 years ago and have bought a phone in Thailand also. Both perfectly operable. Any chance it is owner having trouble, ha, ha. I am in Thailand right now Wolfy, and toured around for 5 days with Ludwig from Chiang Rai last week. Was In Nong Kai for 2 days. Drove from Chiang Rai to Nongkai via Chiang Khan and parted company in Udon Thani. You should look him up.

Call me paranoic and tell me to mind my own business if you like Nico.....but I would not be buying anything that was made by any company that has anything to do with the Chinese Government. Who knows what is actually in a Huawei phone....that they work well and look good isn't enough. Sure, all smartphones are spying on us in someway but most do it opportunistically for profit....far less evil than China's long term intentions.

[Mel_C]

Most notable for me was the absence of Naismith. I was told he was training prior to my arrival, but all I saw was some 10 minutes of kick to kick outside the field, and then he disappeared. Blakey also was kitted out but not training.

There is a photo of Naismith in the training gallery on the swans site. It doesn't mean much but the caption says he is "fit again".

[MattW]

There is a photo of Naismith in the training gallery on the swans site. It doesn't mean much but the caption says he is "fit again".

The man himself seems unconcerned. https://www.instagram.com/p/B7nehv5B...d=21xq2afvwvdw

[Nico]

Call me paranoic and tell me to mind my own business if you like Nico.....but I would not be buying anything that was made by any company that has anything to do with the Chinese Government. Who knows what is actually in a Huawei phone....that they work well and look good isn't enough. Sure, all smartphones are spying on us in someway but most do it opportunistically for profit....far less evil than China's long term intentions.

Each to their own.

[Markwebbos]

Positive update from Jarrad McVeigh on Paps and he singled out Ollie, Stephens and Dawson for special praise.

Tom Papley "leading the way" at Swans training following failed Blues move

Retired Swans star turned assistant coach Jarrad McVeigh has been incredibly impressed with Tom Papley since the playing group returned to training...

“He’s been A-1. He’s been another one who has been leading the way with his training standards,” McVeigh told SEN Breakfast.

[lorakf]

The full audio is available at SEN Breakfast

McVeigh also praises others, including Brand. He also discusses how the back-line is continuing to change it's style of play.

[SeanM]

I had a day off work so went down on Friday morning (24th Jan) a bit after 830. Players were already on the oval warming up kicking the ball back and forth in pairs. They then split into the usual three groups to do agility drills (rubber band exercises, sprint type drills and lateral movement). There were also a group handballing to each other and one doing boxing.

Short Match

They then played a match of 3 quarters from about 9am to 9.50am. Players had numbered yellow or red singlets. There was quite a few academy players and coaches involved so was not too intense. It seemed to be 16 vs 16 (5 6 5). First team players were split between both teams. The only rucks playing were Fox(yellow) and Knoll(red).

I thought the yellow team had a nicer combination of players. They had Aliir, Mills Dawson in the backline. Parker, Rowbottom and Florent as inside mid. Stoddart and Mcinerney on the wing. Bell and Wicks up forward. Red usually had Melican, Brand, Gould in the backline. Kennedy, Cunningham and Stephens inside mid. Clarke and Taylor on the wing. Blakey, Ronke and Foot playing forward. Though Blakey played mid and Stephens half forward in the last quarter. (There were other players playing that I have not listed). I think coaches Laidler and S. Johnson were also playing. I think there were 11 goals kicked.

* Ball was kicked across goal and was rolling past the behind post towards the boundary. Blakey picked the ball up, turned, ran across goal and snapped from 10m out.
* Bell made a run from midfield into open space. He took an uncontested mark 30m out central and kicked the goal from the set shot.
* Similarly Mcinerney got free and took a mark 30m central and kicked the goal from the set shot.
* Laidler took a mark and kicked a goal from a set shot.
* ? I was not looking so missed this goal.
* Quick break, academy player picked up a loose ball and snapped from 20m in front.
* Stoddart centered the ball to Fox who kicked a goal from a set shot.
* Rowbottom centered the ball to Mcinerney who kicked a goal from a set shot.
* Knoll got a free kick from a ruck infringement at the throw in. Kicked a set shot in front 10m out.
* Mcinerney fouled 25m out and kicked the set shot.
* A snapped goal 25m out from a crowd of players. Not sure who kicked it.

It is hard for me to list best players. But I thought Mills and Dawson looked composed off half back and used the ball well. Rowbottom was busy in midfield. Stoddart did some good things on the wing, a few times he looked inside and delivered some nice passes inside 50. Mcinerney kicked 3 goals but I think it was more that he got into good positions.

Drills

- Individual skills drills. Four groups rotating around four stations. One was a kicking drill with the players arranged in a circle just kicking the ball to each other. One was a kicking drill where there was a man on the mark. One was players picking up a rolling ground ball and then handballing back to the coach. One was running onto a 10m pass with a spoiling player running behind them.

- A kicking drill. Players positioned on the four points of a square. Player with the ball kicks to the player diagonally across from him. Who runs onto the ball and handpasses to the player running across him. Who then kicks the ball to the player diagonally across from him etc, Heavy rain during this drill that cleared up after it ended.

- A drill I have seen them do before where they move the ball up the field using diagonal passes. Ball is kicked from goal square to back pocket. Who kicks the ball inside and then it gets kicked out to wing etc.

- Seemed like a 10 vs 10 sim drill. Attacking team would try to move the ball from their goal square upfield. The coach would blow a whistle and they would reset.

- A 5 vs 4 sim drill played on a quarter of the oval. A coach would throw the ball to the attacking team and they would use their outnumber to work the ball forward. This was a nice drill to watch because it was in the quadrant of the oval close to the boundary so you could get a good look at it. Also it was small numbers with a bit of space so players could be creative. Some players would take it patiently and chip it around the back. Others might just dummy and go for a run down the boundary and then have a blazing shot at goal.

Those two sim drills were good as well. Because most of the squad were participating. Even the players who were not playing the match earlier. So you could get a little glimpse of players you might not usually see. Eg in the 10 vs 10, Ling was on the defensive side. There was a loose ball and he just picked it up side stepped a player, bounced and started to make a run through the middle before the coach blew the whistle. Another time in the 10 vs 10, he was on the attacking side. The coach rolled the ball to him near the goal square to start the drill. He fumbled it but stayed composed knocked it backwards then picked it up and kicked it to an open player on the boundary. So there was some nice glimpses of his running and kicking.

- Wrapping up a bit after 11am. Some were kicking it around. Mids were having a bit of a talk in the middle of the ground.

[111431]

fantastic insights - thks for that

[bloodspirit]

Thanks again, SeanM. If you go next week, please advise which days they will be training. I'm presuming they won't train Monday? In which Tues/Thurs or Wed/Fri?

[SeanM]

I don't think I will be there next week.

I don't get a chance to go regularly. I have just been a bit lucky with days off at the start of this year.

[Ludwig]

Call me paranoic and tell me to mind my own business if you like Nico.....but I would not be buying anything that was made by any company that has anything to do with the Chinese Government. Who knows what is actually in a Huawei phone....that they work well and look good isn't enough. Sure, all smartphones are spying on us in someway but most do it opportunistically for profit....far less evil than China's long term intentions.

Lets not forget that most of the phones NOT branded Huawei are also made in China.

I too have a Huawei phone and my every movement has been tracked by the Chinese government. I've heard that 3 of their agents have died of boredom and no one wants to be assigned to my case anymore.

If I substitute the words "United States" for "Chinese" in your post, Stevo, would it make me feel any better? I don't think so.

I know things are not going to improve when China takes over from the U.S. as the world's preeminent power, but it's not like the current Empire has been doing the world all that much good.

It was nice travelling with Nico from Chaing Rai to Nong Khai. It was my fourth trip there in 35 years, but 1st in 13 years, when I did it on bicycle. So this is was my first trip to Nong Khai by car. The route goes through some of the least touristed areas in Thailand and hasn't changed too much over the years. I was surprised by how few tourists there were in Nong Khai. I cycled past the 2 main tourist attractions in Chiang Rai this morning and noted that the number of tourists seemed down at least 50% from previous years. There's definitely a big drop in tourism in Thailand this year.

Conditions in the north of Thailand have been similar to Australia, dry and fire prone. We are expecting a very bad season for air pollution, following the record breaking pollution of last year. I'm off to Phuket next week for a few months just to have clean air to breathe and will likely be forced to moved south as extensive fires and smoke become the norm for this part of the world. I'm not happy about being a climate refugee. I really loved North Thailand. It was once a beautiful, friendly and relaxing place to live or vacation.

I'm very excited about our list and looking for big things from the Swans, if not this year, then next. I hope we can surprise a few and finish well into the top 8.