2023 Preseason

[Dow]

I hope so too. For us to continue to grow and keep challenging we will need a lot of our players to develop their games further. Looking forward to see how the team handle the mental baggage from such a humiliating defeat.

[rickmat]

Back training today???

[rickmat]

Looks like first day back today was in the new Swans HQ Hall of Industry, wow what a set up

[SeanM]

Got there Monday morning around 945 and the players were already warming up. Most of the squad seemed to be there. I don't think I saw Amartey. Reid/Franklin were there at the start but then went somewhere else. There were also a small number of ex academy VFL players like Kirk.

- 2 km run
They broke up into 3 groups for the 2km run. 1st group was Stephens, Florent, Gulden, T.McCartin, Mitchell, Corey Warner, Rampe and Mcinerney. 2nd group was McCartin Lloyd Blakey Sheldrick Warner Vickery Hayward Konstanty Roberts Logan Campbell Wicks Magor and some other players. 3rd group was the rest of the players that were running. There were a few players that did not do the running but participated in everything else.
In the first group Stephens and Gulden were a bit ahead of the others. Then it was Corey Warner and Rampe who both hung back initially but then ran the last lap hard. In the second group, I think it was P.McCartin, then Lloyd, Kirk, Vickery, Campbell then Logan. But a lot of players finished close together.

- Skill drills
Picking up rolling ground balls and handballing it off.
Then 3 players in a line handballing to each other whilst running forward.
Then set up in a big square and then running and kicking to the opposite diagonal

- Handball drill (corridor)
Attacking players handballing their way through 3 defensive players in a narrow corridor. I heard one of the coaches tell the players to try a create shape and pull the defenders out of their shape.

- Handball drill (square)
Attacking players keep possession by handballing within a small square.

- Ball movement drill
Using half the width of the oval. 12 attacking players move the ball from a kick-in to the opposite goal against 8 defenders.

-12 vs 12 round robin
Split into 3 teams then playing round robin of 12 vs 12 on a smaller marked out oval. Each team tries to move the ball to their goal till they turn it over.

- Ball movement
8 attackers vs 6 defenders using the full oval moving the ball quickly from goal to goal. I could notice the ball movement becoming more fluid towards the end of the drill.

- More running
laps of the oval and straight line running. Not all players participated.

End of the session was around 12. And at the end players did their own thing. Like practicing marking or shots at goal. McAndrew/Owens were rucking against each other to a 1 vs 1 of Mills and Gulden. Last off was Rampe who practicing his marking with Buchanon. And Vickery who was practicing flat 20m kicks with one of the coaches.

(Although I find it hard to make judgement on players from watching training.) I thought Gulden looked ok. He won a lot of ball and could execute difficult attacking kicks under pressure. Papley seemed to do well. Sometimes it is hard to get involved as a small forward in match sim type drills. But he seemed to find space easily and get involved. And even when he was playing a defensive role, he was able pressure and win contests against bigger opponents. Of the young players, it would not surprise me if Warner debuts later in the season. He seemed quite composed with his disposal. And he has bulked up a bit and is one of the best distance runners at the club.

[AB Swannie]

No Robbie Fox is interesting. Thanks for your report Sean.

[SeanM]

No I think Robbie Fox was there. I don't think he did the running.

[AB Swannie]

No I think Robbie Fox was there. I don't think he did the running.

Thanks. According to his Strava account (A grade stalker here), he has been running during the break.

[Mark26]

Awesome report again Sean. Many thanks!

[bloodspirit]

Thanks SeanM. Good report!

[Aprilbr]

Its brilliant to see the players now able to use the new indoor training centre. Based on the club video it looks first class and worthy of an elite team.

[707]

Thanks SeanM, we all love training reports, especially such an observant and in depth report. Look forward to more this summer - cheers

[wolftone57]

Thank you Sean for your report. Nice to know how the players are going

Sent from my JAT-L29 using Tapatalk

[aardvark]

Not sure about all this training indoors with the AC on. Shouldn't they be out in the sun running up and down sand dunes? Getting a bit soft I reckon!

[Mel_C]

Not sure about all this training indoors with the AC on. Shouldn't they be out in the sun running up and down sand dunes? Getting a bit soft I reckon!

They are also training outdoors as per the post by SeanM. Although no sand dunes (yet) ????.

[SeanM]

Got there Wednesday around 945am. Training was already well underway. Amartey who I did not see on Monday was there. Hickey, Franklin and Reid were on the oval initially but then went somewhere else.

-Drill
At this time of the session they would usually be doing basic skill drills as a group. But today they had split up into positional groups for this drill.
* The mids in groups of 5 were practicing swarming to a loose ball as a pack and then chaining a few handballs together.
* Forwards were practicing kicking the ball in the attacking 50 to players that were making leads.
* Defenders were at the north end practicing working the ball out from a kick in and keeping possession using short kicks.

- Handball drill
They had set up a very narrow lane with cones. The attacking players had to handball their way through 3 opposing players up and back a few times.

-Simple ball movement drill
Just moving the ball upfield from the goal square mostly unopposed. Kicked from the goal square to back pocket, then diagonal ball inside to a player who handballs to a running player who kicks to a leading player upfield and so on.

-12 vs 12 round robin
Split into 3 teams of roughly 12 and played round robin against each other. Each team would try to move the ball till they turned it over. It is not a full match sim. But I could see it becoming more physical. Players made proper tackles and there were collisions when competing for the ball. There was a bit of intensity and you could hear constant talk from the players and the coaches. The team of the 3 that was not currently playing would have to run laps of the boundary to fatigue them.

- Running
Half the squad did 2 x timed 1km run of the oval, others did shuttle runs in the middle of the oval and others did not do the running.

- Positional split
* Forwards and defenders went to the far side together and did 3 vs 3 contests to a long high kick. And then later split up again to do their own thing.
* Mids were directly in front of me at the near boundary so got a good view. Initially practicing tackling and absorbing the tackle. Player would pick up a rolling ground ball, get immediately tackled and try to get a handball away. There was a lot of physicality and intensity. Players were getting knocks and the tackles were solid. Then later the mids split into two groups and did 3 vs 2 contests from a ruck tap. Alternating between a ball up and a boundary throw in.

- Of the younger players, from the near boundary I was able to see a bit of Mitchell. Obviously he is a raw prospect unlikely to debut this season but he looked promising. In the 12 vs 12 he was able to get involved a few times presenting as an option for a pass and then able to keep possession with another short kick. He was also unfazed by getting heavily tackled by Parker. At the ruck tap contests drills he seemed comfortable presumably due to playing inside midfield as a junior. He is tall, has long arms and a body frame that could probably bulk up easily.

I could also hear the talk from the boundary which gave an insight in how they function as a midfield unit. During the 12 vs 12 Rowbottom was talking to Mitchell telling him where to position defensively. And during a break in play Mills was explaining a verbal call and what that meant structurally. So Mitchell seems already quite integrated into that midfield group of players. And hopefully able to learn off those senior mids.

- Training finished a bit after 11am. Players kind of did their own stuff and have shots at goal. And it gave a chance for a few newer players to work with a coach in smaller numbers.