Pre-season begins

[mcs]

I loathe this time of year. I am not a huge cricket fan. Footy is the only game I really love. Have played, footy, basketball, cricket, softball, volleyball, badminton, tennis, squash, athletics. Umpired and played mixed Netball. But as a sport to watch nothing beats Aussie Rules.

Pre-season is even harder for me now that I am nearly 6,000 kilometres away. There is a certain amount of disconnect. Social media and the news sites only give a certain amount of info. I used to love to have a look at training. Watch the ressies live. But can no longer do that. I am at the moment looking at replays of our 2021 matches.

Sent from my JAT-L29 using Tapatalk

While the Swans social media presence has improved recently, the general 'insights' we get into pre-season are still sporadic at best. And general coverage so often is the generic 'X is raring to go after his 1,400th injury or Y is ripping up the training track, Z is going great - no different to any other club I suppose, but certainly nowhere near the level other clubs in some other codes go to in terms of fan engagement.

But it is a very slow part of the year in terms of the footy cycle. This year haven't even got a fixture out yet at least to do a bit of theoretical trip planning for away games either.

[RogueSwan]

While the Swans social media presence has improved recently, the general 'insights' we get into pre-season are still sporadic at best. And general coverage so often is the generic 'X is raring to go after his 1,400th injury or Y is ripping up the training track, Z is going great - no different to any other club I suppose, but certainly nowhere near the level other clubs in some other codes go to in terms of fan engagement.

But it is a very slow part of the year in terms of the footy cycle. This year haven't even got a fixture out yet at least to do a bit of theoretical trip planning for away games either.

Some big comebacks there:
Xavier Richards
Rudy Yonson and
Zac Foot

[liz]

I went down to Lakeside to watch the advertised open training session last week. There wasn't a huge crowd - maybe a few more than generally stop by at pre-season training sessions but not a throng.

The main group switched between ball movement drills, with a focus on short and medium kicking. Most of them looked pretty good, but there was very little pressure on the ball carrier. Every twenty minutes or so they'd stop and most would switch to a short burst of endurance exercise in the form of a couple of laps of the oval for the majority (though I think it was timed - the faster ones managed two laps but when the whistle went to signal the end, the slower ones broke from wherever they'd got to). A handful sat on the exercise bikes on the side-lines instead. Then they went back to their skills drills.

Of those not partaking in the main group:

Sinclair, Naismith and Fox did an extended stint on the exercise bikes at the start of the session and then disappeared. I have a feeling there was another in this group but my memory has faded somewhat and I can't remember who it was.

Buddy did a little kicking at the start with Blakely and another, then took himself to the far side of the oval and did some short solo runs along the fence.

Harry C did a series of short runs, paced by a trainer. He wasn't quite sprinting, but was running at a faster pace than those doing laps.

Melican, McLean and Amartey did a few short runs in the middle of the oval at the start then disappeared - again, faster than a jog, not quite a sprint.

Heeney and Papley were in the main group but were confined to bikes, rather running, during the endurance breaks. Campbell and Gulden completed the first run, and then took to the bikes for the subsequent breaks. Reid and Blakey were also doing the ball movement drills, but they seemed to be excused from any endurance drills.

I didn't spot any of Parker, Mills, Sheather, BOC, Gould or Ronke. I'm reasonably sure the first five were absent - Ronke's somewhat more physically anonymous so he could have been there but invisible to me.

In terms of the running, COR looked the stand-out to me. He was near the front of the group, maintained a constant pace and his body form was sensational. Stephens and Tom McCartin also looked great. (The best runner I've seen - in terms of form of body, grace etc - over my time watching occasional training sessions is, by a mile, Heeney. As per above, he wasn't running on Wednesday.)

Rankin looked quick, strong and relaxed at the start of each run, but somewhat more ragged by the end. I guess that shows he was giving it his all. Roberts, on the other hand, looked like he was finding it a bit tough out there, lagging towards the back each time. On one run, Rampe fell back and ran with Roberts - a nice captain's touch.

During the skills sessions, most looked good, as noted above, but with the qualification of the low pressure nature of the drills. Gulden stood out not just for his neat kicking but also for his workrate. He'd pass the ball, run hard into space to receive it back, and then when not used, keep running forward to present an option further up the ground still. You could hear the sizzle everytime the ball left Campbell's boot - and he wasn't trying to over kick it (as he did at times last season). Stevens looked busy, strong and slick, while Heeney executed everything with his trademark grace and ease.

There were five academy players participating in the first half of the session. Later they broke off and did some skills and then running on their own. I suspect they were all U18/U19s from this year - the only one I think I could put a name to was Pfrengle. McCartin Sr was also participating in everything, and there looked to be a couple of non-squad faces (apart from the Academy Five) padding out numbers. Maybe they were members of the VFL squad.

Did anyone else pop along and have anything to add or to contradict?

[Mark26]

I went down to Lakeside to watch the advertised open training session last week. There wasn't a huge crowd - maybe a few more than generally stop by at pre-season training sessions but not a throng.

The main group switched between ball movement drills, with a focus on short and medium kicking. Most of them looked pretty good, but there was very little pressure on the ball carrier. Every twenty minutes or so they'd stop and most would switch to a short burst of endurance exercise in the form of a couple of laps of the oval for the majority (though I think it was timed - the faster ones managed two laps but when the whistle went to signal the end, the slower ones broke from wherever they'd got to). A handful sat on the exercise bikes on the side-lines instead. Then they went back to their skills drills.

Of those not partaking in the main group:

Sinclair, Naismith and Fox did an extended stint on the exercise bikes at the start of the session and then disappeared. I have a feeling there was another in this group but my memory has faded somewhat and I can't remember who it was.

Buddy did a little kicking at the start with Blakely and another, then took himself to the far side of the oval and did some short solo runs along the fence.

Harry C did a series of short runs, paced by a trainer. He wasn't quite sprinting, but was running at a faster pace than those doing laps.

Melican, McLean and Amartey did a few short runs in the middle of the oval at the start then disappeared - again, faster than a jog, not quite a sprint.

Heeney and Papley were in the main group but were confined to bikes, rather running, during the endurance breaks. Campbell and Gulden completed the first run, and then took to the bikes for the subsequent breaks. Reid and Blakey were also doing the ball movement drills, but they seemed to be excused from any endurance drills.

I didn't spot any of Parker, Mills, Sheather, BOC, Gould or Ronke. I'm reasonably sure the first five were absent - Ronke's somewhat more physically anonymous so he could have been there but invisible to me.

In terms of the running, COR looked the stand-out to me. He was near the front of the group, maintained a constant pace and his body form was sensational. Stephens and Tom McCartin also looked great. (The best runner I've seen - in terms of form of body, grace etc - over my time watching occasional training sessions is, by a mile, Heeney. As per above, he wasn't running on Wednesday.)

Rankin looked quick, strong and relaxed at the start of each run, but somewhat more ragged by the end. I guess that shows he was giving it his all. Roberts, on the other hand, looked like he was finding it a bit tough out there, lagging towards the back each time. On one run, Rampe fell back and ran with Roberts - a nice captain's touch.

During the skills sessions, most looked good, as noted above, but with the qualification of the low pressure nature of the drills. Gulden stood out not just for his neat kicking but also for his workrate. He'd pass the ball, run hard into space to receive it back, and then when not used, keep running forward to present an option further up the ground still. You could hear the sizzle everytime the ball left Campbell's boot - and he wasn't trying to over kick it (as he did at times last season). Stevens looked busy, strong and slick, while Heeney executed everything with his trademark grace and ease.

There were five academy players participating in the first half of the session. Later they broke off and did some skills and then running on their own. I suspect they were all U18/U19s from this year - the only one I think I could put a name to was Pfrengle. McCartin Sr was also participating in everything, and there looked to be a couple of non-squad faces (apart from the Academy Five) padding out numbers. Maybe they were members of the VFL squad.

Did anyone else pop along and have anything to add or to contradict?

Thanks for the report Liz. It's neat to read where some players are tracking this time of year.

[dejavoodoo44]

Thanks for the observations, Liz. Good that Gulden and Campbell are thriving, as I'm especially keen to see how much they can step up this season. And since Stephens has returned in obviously good shape, I'm hoping he can take advantage of the absence of Hewett and the guy who went to Adelaide (Josh? Gordy? Something like that) and live up to the expectations, that come from being a number five pick.

In regards to VFL players: in the background of training footage, I've definitely noticed Bartholomaeus, probably Brewer and possibly Geddes.

[stevoswan]

Ep. 2 of the 'Inside Sydney' series.

Inside Sydney 2022 - Episode 2

[bloodspirit]

Thanks liz. Best indication we've had anywhere of who's on modified programs and who isn't.

[Auntie.Gerald]

Good talk by Horse to the guys in the video above when training

"Fellas the top 4 teams in contested ball were the top4 teams in the preliminary finals.....that's where we have to get to"

[Aprilbr]

Good talk by Horse to the guys in the video above when training

"Fellas the top 4 teams in contested ball were the top4 teams in the preliminary finals.....that's where we have to get to"

Good pick up there, AG. Its quite a while since we were considered one of the best contested possession teams. 2016 if not earlier!

[Bangalore Swans]

I went down to Lakeside to watch the advertised open training session last week. There wasn't a huge crowd - maybe a few more than generally stop by at pre-season training sessions but not a throng.

The main group switched between ball movement drills, with a focus on short and medium kicking. Most of them looked pretty good, but there was very little pressure on the ball carrier. Every twenty minutes or so they'd stop and most would switch to a short burst of endurance exercise in the form of a couple of laps of the oval for the majority (though I think it was timed - the faster ones managed two laps but when the whistle went to signal the end, the slower ones broke from wherever they'd got to). A handful sat on the exercise bikes on the side-lines instead. Then they went back to their skills drills.

Of those not partaking in the main group:

Sinclair, Naismith and Fox did an extended stint on the exercise bikes at the start of the session and then disappeared. I have a feeling there was another in this group but my memory has faded somewhat and I can't remember who it was.

Buddy did a little kicking at the start with Blakely and another, then took himself to the far side of the oval and did some short solo runs along the fence.

Harry C did a series of short runs, paced by a trainer. He wasn't quite sprinting, but was running at a faster pace than those doing laps.

Melican, McLean and Amartey did a few short runs in the middle of the oval at the start then disappeared - again, faster than a jog, not quite a sprint.

Heeney and Papley were in the main group but were confined to bikes, rather running, during the endurance breaks. Campbell and Gulden completed the first run, and then took to the bikes for the subsequent breaks. Reid and Blakey were also doing the ball movement drills, but they seemed to be excused from any endurance drills.

I didn't spot any of Parker, Mills, Sheather, BOC, Gould or Ronke. I'm reasonably sure the first five were absent - Ronke's somewhat more physically anonymous so he could have been there but invisible to me.

In terms of the running, COR looked the stand-out to me. He was near the front of the group, maintained a constant pace and his body form was sensational. Stephens and Tom McCartin also looked great. (The best runner I've seen - in terms of form of body, grace etc - over my time watching occasional training sessions is, by a mile, Heeney. As per above, he wasn't running on Wednesday.)

Rankin looked quick, strong and relaxed at the start of each run, but somewhat more ragged by the end. I guess that shows he was giving it his all. Roberts, on the other hand, looked like he was finding it a bit tough out there, lagging towards the back each time. On one run, Rampe fell back and ran with Roberts - a nice captain's touch.

During the skills sessions, most looked good, as noted above, but with the qualification of the low pressure nature of the drills. Gulden stood out not just for his neat kicking but also for his workrate. He'd pass the ball, run hard into space to receive it back, and then when not used, keep running forward to present an option further up the ground still. You could hear the sizzle everytime the ball left Campbell's boot - and he wasn't trying to over kick it (as he did at times last season). Stevens looked busy, strong and slick, while Heeney executed everything with his trademark grace and ease.

There were five academy players participating in the first half of the session. Later they broke off and did some skills and then running on their own. I suspect they were all U18/U19s from this year - the only one I think I could put a name to was Pfrengle. McCartin Sr was also participating in everything, and there looked to be a couple of non-squad faces (apart from the Academy Five) padding out numbers. Maybe they were members of the VFL squad.

Did anyone else pop along and have anything to add or to contradict?

Great Pre-Season insight.

Interesting insight on Heeney’s running. I’ve always thought of Heeney as a medium pacer who is not particularly sharpe over short distances. Is my observation correct, or does his graceful running technique make him appear slower than what he actually is?

Interesting that Sheather was not training, TheBloods has Sheather in the 2022 round one team. He must be falling behind schedule for that round one debut.

Are there any young guys training the house down like Chad in 2021, where you can predict a surprise round one debut?

[chuckie]

When are they due back at training and is it any time in January we can select a new player or is there a period of days of which they can select a player.

[liz]

I believe they are due back on the 6th, though presumably they'll be training away from the immediate vicinity of the SCG until early next week.

[Aprilbr]

I wonder whether the huge Covid outbreak in Sydney at present will impact on pre-season training approach and location? The players from WA in particular may be reluctant to arrive in Sydney this week?

[Auntie.Gerald]

I think that this week will be better than in 3 weeks time to arrive in Sydney and get in a covid19 bubble

All trend lines are for more people to experience covid19 around the world

It will be a very strange season this year with omicron being so transferable

[chuckie]

The biggest worry I think will be the fact the younger interstate boys might feel like they will need the safety of there families if this latest strain completely takes over like it is threatening to do.