Pre-Season Training has started
Most of the blokes who will make up the majority of our Dream Teams are on the track now… and we will get a good indication on who will be ready to rock and roll come Round 1. We saw very limited pre-seasons from blokes like Luke Hodge and Buddy Franklin last year, but many of us got sucked into jumping on them and righly burned in the first few weeks of the season. So beware of guys who might be coming back from injury and not making a start for a while.
Here are some tidbits I have found around the web that can help us out with the going ons at training. Feel free to add your own thoughts, insights, links, etc in the comments.
Note: this will be a work in progress. We will try to add to it as information comes to hand.
Adelaide
- Training to start on November 19.
- Nathan Bock missed the last few games of 2009, started running, on track to start training. [link]
- Nathan Van Berlo’s back isn’t 100%. [link]
Brisbane
- Training started on November 10.
- It seems as though ‘everyone is fit’ leading into 2010.
Carlton
- Matt Maguire is training with the Blues. Surely not on your DT radar.
Collingwood
- Will be off to Arizona shortly for their high altitiude training.
- Josh Fraser will start full training around Christmas. Darren Jolly is looking fit. Possible DT option there.
- Steele Sidebottom was impressive in his time trial. [link]
Essendon
- The Bombers started pre-season without Adam McPhee. Looks likely he will go now. Andrew Welsh is training though.
- David Hille hasn’t trained thus far. He may even struggle to be up for Round 1. He will be cheap, but maybe not ready to go. [link]
Fremantle
- Rhys Palmer is hoping to be right for NAB Cup. [link]
Geelong
- Quite a few of the older Cats won’t train until next year – Darren Milburn, Matthew Scarlett, Cameron Mooney and David Wojcinski. [link]
Hawthorn
- Buddy Franklin and Luke Hodge have started pre-season. Hopefully a good year for these locks in my team!
- Jesse Smith (from North) has been training with the Hawks.
Melbourne
- Ex-Hawk Mitch Thorp training with the Dees.
North Melbourne
- Jack Ziebell and Ben Warren light training after operations, but will be ready and raring to go come 2010.
Port Adelaide
- Daniel Motlop, Nathan Krakouer and Josh Carr on light duties.
- Chad Cornes looks set for a full pre-season.
Richmond
- We’re gutted that Matthew Richardson has retired. You will be missed, Richo!
- Ben Cousins‘ arms are looking MASSIVE!
St Kilda
- Pretty quiet by the looks of it!
Sydney
- Tadhg Kennelly is back from Ireland.
Western Bulldogs
- Barry Hall (ankle) to miss the start of training.
- Robert Murphy (knee) and Daniel Cross (both ankles) will train but in a limited capacity after operations.
- The Bulldogs are hopefull that all players will be available to play start-mid February.
West Coast
- Dean Cox has joined full training.
- Luke Shuey (hernia) and Eric Mackenzie (shoulder) will miss the start, but both be ready to train in December.
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I see you’ve started pre-season early too, Warnie! I’ll have to lift my game!
Not really, m0nty.
Just getting some things to spark some discussion! Looking forward to the draft… then the fun will begin!!
I haven’t even looked at a completed Plan Team yet!! Way too early for me!!
I have got down to Hawks Training a couple of times already and hope to most Wednesday morning. Much better looking bunch this year!
You can see some photos and videos I have taken of it here: http://hawkersblog.com!
Enjoy.
Molly
PS. Love what you have done with the site!
Thanks for the early updates.
Cousin’s arms could get as big as Hulk Hogan’s in his hay day but the size of his upper body doesn’t help his dodgy hamstrings.
Bit dissapointed that ROK was your Swans choice at the top of the page and not Captain Kirk!
Eagles will have started Kerr on a light training program and I heard he will train with the main group in December.
And the Eagles have Beau Waters to replace Cousins’ arms, he got RIPPED while he was out injured…
Before and After pics here – http://www.bigfooty.com/forum/showthread.php?t=649867 (About halfway down the 1st page)
waters looks fit, rl fit so does cousins, i think imstarting with cousins this yr as my point of difference. the prices on fanfooty look rl expensive jack grimes as a lock down back!!
mcphee will be good at freo , maybe a prospect
I know it’s early for draft talk, but surely Morabito is going to be the Rich-esque lock this year for rooks. 90kgs and (probably) coming into the Freo midfield? Talk is he probably would go pick 1 or 2 if he was from Victoria.
I would say Luke Tapscott would be more physically ready than any other draft hopefull this year
Morabito is certainly in my sights, especially if he goes to Freo
Cricket Australia DT is open
any chance of a DT TALK league?
DT TALK’s own, Liam Anthony will miss a couple of months of ballwork… after what looks like a drunken mishap. Hmmmm… “it was a lamp” – likely story!
http://www.foxsports.com.au/story/0,8659,26369332-5018851,00.html
Thought I’d throw up a post to try and get some chat going, I’m missing my DT, arghhhhhhh, still 125 days till round one starts and 84 days till the NAB Cup takes off. Luckily we have the draft next Thursday to keep us licking our lips. Anyway, some things for discussion that I’ve been thinking of the last few days:
1) Tadgh Kennelly? Anybody know if he had any injuries over in the Gaelic Season? Maybe a year out of full contact sport might have done his body some good. He’s only an outside chance for my team though, don’t think his price will be reduced with his year out, similar to the Cousins price this year.
2) This makes a very interesting read
http://www.afl.com.au/news/newsarticle/tabid/208/newsid/87265/default.aspx
Dean Putt or Wade Skipper possible 3rd/4th ruck options if Hawthorn picks one of them up. Both would be cheap as chips, include a healthy Warnock and cheap bench ruck stocks are looking very healthy this year, FINALLY!!! Plus, who knows what Port Adelaide are going to do for a back up to Brogan, Lobbe maybe?
3) Peoples thoughts on Cox this year? The must have player of the last couple of years, I’m not so certain this year, he’s burnt me at the business end of the season two straight years. With the option of picking up cheap good ruckman this year, Ottens, Hille, etc (if healthy) is it worth maybe spending that money else where?
4) And finally, Andrew Raines? Burnt me this year after showing good form in the Preseason, but I can’t help but be very tempted this year with his move to Brisbane and the delisting of J-Mac up there. Voss obviously wants to use him, but then again I used the same logic this year with Skipworth and Knighters kept him in the magoos two much in the second half of the year.
Anyway, some food for thought, interested to hear peoples comments. And only 6 days till the draft, can’t wait.
Oh, and good to hear that you are staying on Warnie, stupid fake Facebook updates
Oh and by similar to the Cousins price this year, I don’t mean similar price, I mean that Cousin’s price also didn’t have a reduction this year after a year out.
3) I’m finally jumping off the cox bandwagon after all these years. Injuries seem to be getting more frequent and more servere, and with West Coast not making the finals again next year, he will most likely hurt people again come DT finals time.
i wouldnt say west coast will definetley be bottom 8 next year. They have some quality youngsters and improved in the second half of the year. Nether the less though, i wont be getting cox either.
my question is about ruck stratagies.
normally i would have 1 premium ruckman (cox, sandilands) and 1 mid-priced on the ground with 2 rookie rucks on the bench.
there seems to be some value in the mid-priced region (hiile,ottens,seaby) so could it work having 2 mid-range and 2 rookies instead.
so for instance you could have ottens, seaby, warnock, lobbe. you would probably have to make some upgrades though. thoughts?
Ottens if fit is a season stayer, I can only dream that he is given Forward/Ruck status like a few years ago, but pretty much zero chance of that happening. I’m very excited to see Seaby’s TOG at Sydney as I think he could be a bargain pick up this year, just unfortunate that there are other bargain picks like Ottens and Hille, but I have grave doubts on Hille and the new Essendon run and gun style game.
I’m not touching Cox this year, not because I’m heterosexual but just because of the injury concerns. I’m contemplating Sandilands and Ottens/Seaby on the ground with Warnock and Lobbe/Putt/Skipper on the bench (depending on who gets drafted to where and prices).
Mitch Clark had a huge season this year but with Leuenberger and Charman back next year, I don’t know how he is going to be used? I originally thought as a third tall with Bradshaw and Brown but now that Fevola is there and Brown, I don’t know if they are going to want to keep that forward 50 pretty open? The NAB cup should explain exactly what is happening with Mitch Clark but I can only imagine his numbers going down and not up.
Surely Mitch Clark is the new Dean Cox – he is definitely the must have ruckman for the next couple of years.
I too am toying with the Andrew Raines dilemma – I just think barring injury he has to be an integral part of the Brisbane backline this year, in which case he is a must have
Remember Mitch Clark had no ruck support, so got extra TOG leading to more points. WIth Charman and/or Leunburger coming back you’d expect him to not carry the load as much.
Tis’ a reason why Cox does so well, very little support.
Is nice to see so many decent ruck options out there this year. Was getting boring always coming up against Cox/HMAC combo last year!
how about Luke Ball if he gets drafted to the dees.
luke ball is a lock wherever he goes, he got no tog for the saints and he wanted alot more it wasnt his fitness. I think he will go to the dees and he racks up the tackles and because the dees never have the ball u do the maths
……devastated as a saint to loose ball though!!
Thought I’d try and spark some more conversation. I know there is a shit load of articles, etc on the potential draftees prior to Thursday’s draft but I found this one pretty good
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/afl/the-master-apprentices-of-the-afl/story-e6frf9jf-1225801664134
Secondly, thought I would throw some names up for discussion for 2010
1) Jack Ziebell
2) Taylor Walker
3) Trent Cotchin
4) Beau Waters
5) Mitch Farmer
6) Kane Tenace (assuming he has a team)
Thought I’d try and spark some more conversation. I know there is a shit load of articles, etc on the potential draftees prior to Thursday’s draft but I found this one pretty good
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/afl/the-master-apprentices-of-the-afl/story-e6frf9jf-1225801664134
Secondly, thought I would throw some names up for discussion for 2010
1) Jack Ziebell
2) Taylor Walker
3) Trent Cotchin
4) Beau Waters
5) Mitch Farmer
6) Kane Tenace (assuming he has a team)
Cheers for pointing that article out Morts, good read!
On Jack Ziebell, i rate him as a footballer and think he will probably captain the Roo’s in years to come but this year his fitness didn’t seem to be up to an AFL standard. He spent alot of time being rested but when he was on the ground he did some good things. If he gets over his injury and has a good pre season and gains more fitness i will consider him as a mid priced mid/fwd next year.
Taylor Walker frustrated me a bit this year because he oozes natural ability but looked like he was having trouble finding his feet at AFL level. I hope he has grown as a player and has the confidence to go out there and have a breakout year. I’ll be staying away from him in DT as there is too much competition for spots in Adelaide’s forward line, a couple of bad games and he could be out. I’d say 2011 will be his year to step up as a key forward.
Beau Waters could be a good cheap option but he’s prone to injury, could be a good cash cow early on.
1) Jack Ziebell – big wraps on this guy from the new coach and supposedly training very well. Like you said, he did warm the bench quite a bit last season but still managed to score reasonably well. Watching Roos games, he always seemed to be in and around the ball. He’s in my team as a forward (if his mid/fwd position stays) at this stage.
2) Taylor Walker – had him last season but once again I agree with you, he has some major competition in that forward line, Porps, Tippett, Knights, Hentschel, I feel its the best forward line the Crows have ever had. However, saying that, if he can stay in the team consistently, he is always going to get the 2nd or 3rd best defender which could mean good things for DT. He gets up the ground a bit too to win possessions and having a season under his belt can only help. Saying that, its unlikely I’ll have him in my team this year unless Craig does something new with the forward line in the NAB, unlikely. Craig does have big wraps on this kid though and for good reason. There were a lot of Victorian clubs sniiffing about during trade week so the future looks bright but maybe not 2010 for DT.
3) Trent Cotchin – if only this guy could stay on the park. From what I understand though its mostly through him wanting to play and over training. Hopefully Richmond make sure he doesn’t over do the training this preseason and he is fit and firing for Round 1. Massive chance to be in my team. This guy will be a DT gun and dare I say it a future Brownlow medal fancy and possible captain of the Richmond football club.
4) Beau Waters – very injury prone but that is outweighed by the cheap cheap price he will be this year. Running off that half back line he can be a reasonable DT player. Lets just hope his elbows hold up this preaseason and we see some good form in the NAB. He’s on my radar and probably 90% of DTers.
5) Mitch Farmer – Richmond picked up this kid from Port Adelaide this year, he didn’t play in 2009 but debuted for 3 games in ‘08. Richmond must have seen something they like in him and considering the lack of depth at Richmond and would assume he would be given opportunities to play, hopefully early in the season and can be used as a cash cow as he will be cheap as shit. His lack of games in 2009 wasn’t because of any injury as far as I know, unless someone else can clarify that?
6) Kane Tenace (assuming he has a team) – played one game this year for a total of 59, career average of 52 in a star studded Geelong outfit where he struggled for opportunities. Isn’t on the latest “permission to train list” (link to below) but is only 24 this year so should be coming into his prime as a footballer. Depending on who (if anyone) picks him up on Thursday, I’m certainly looking at him for 2010. He could slot straight into a lot of the bottom 8 sides midfields.
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/afl/afl-permission-to-train-list/story-e6frf9jf-1225794779903
And for anyone who hasn’t seen the list of delisted players who have nominated for Thursdays national draft, it can be found here
http://www.afl.com.au/news/newsarticle/tabid/208/newsid/87261/default.aspx
Yep i reckon Tenace could be a good cheap option depending on who picks him up or not, but i probably haven’t seen enough of him over his short career to take a punt on him. If he does get picked up and looks like playing a role suited to DT then he is a possibility to slot in maybe?
Not sure about Farmer, will have to wait and see his NAB Cup form i guess.
From what i’ve been reading around the place, Cotchin has been talked about a little bit and i think he will find his way into alot of teams next year if he has a good pre season. I’d say he will be a full time midfielder at the Tigers next year barring injury.
So, with so much talk about Luke Ball and where he is going to end up this year and his DT chances for 2010, thought I’d do a bit of research on him as I hadn’t really had him in my sights up to this stage.
Career DT Average – 85.8
Career Games – 142 (in 7 seasons)
Last 4 seasons
2006 – 91.1 (21 games)
2007 – 83 (18)
2008 – 91.8 (18)
2009 – 81.9 (20)
Thursdays Draft Talk
His preferred side for next season is Collingwood, which is no suprise as he obviously thinks that they are close to a premiership. Unfotunately, their first pick in the draft is at 30 which probably won’t be high enough to pick him, there is no use trying to put a high price on his head either, as it won’t work with so many cashed up teams ahead of them in the draft looking for Ball’s services. Brisbane, Essendon and Melbourne have all shown interest in Ball and have picks ahead of Collingwood in the draft, the most likely destination for Ball seems to be Melbourne with either their pick 11 or 18 which are both before either Essendon or Brisbane have their first picks.
From a DT point of view, Ball looks like he is going to be the cheapest he has ever been since 2004, after his rookie season average of 66.3. However, I think there are a few things to note. This first being that we don’t know how a new team will use him and how he will fit into their game plan. My thoughts (which could be completely wrong and feel free dispute or totally disregard) are as follows, Collingwoods high rotation policy may result in not much upside for Ball as his TOG might be reduced from St Kilda. Essendons new run and gun style game which Matthew Knights has brought to Bomberland doesn’t seem to fit Ball’s game style, sure he will get the ball but I can’t see too much upside DT wise if he goes there. Melbourne, with a shortage of experienced players, would look to use Ball through the centre and it is at the Demons that he could probably end up with a nice DT upside, however, would he end up getting tagged more often? Brisbane I’m not sure about as I can’t quite see how exactly he would fit into their structure as they love to play off the half back line and kick long through Drummond and Adcock to a lesser extent which sometimes means that the midfield ends up negated. Plus who knows how the game style will change with Fevola up there.
From my point of view if Melbourne pick up Ball I’ll be a lot more excited DT wise than if he is picked up by any of the other sides vying for his signature, so lets hope they use their 3rd or 4th pick on him.
The only other query I have on Ball is that he hasn’t played a full season of AFL since 2005, regularly missing games at the business end of the season (yes this year was form related), I hate getting burnt at the end of the season when trades are at a premium.
Anyway, feel free to comment, this is just my opinion and look forward to hearing other peoples thoughts.
Nice post Morts (we should get you blogging for us!!)…
I agree with upside for Ball at Melbourne. Priced at an average of 81, he is a bargain… but the way DT is going and the increased scoring of mids, you would really want an average of well over 90 if he is to be a ‘keeper’ in the midfield. I am not sure if he is definitely going to do that (wherever he is), and also if he is worth that trade to an ultra mega premium. Would be a very safe bet, maybe not enough to win the comp… but who knows?
Again, wherever he goes… there will be upside. Essendon, would be one of the better bets. Collingwood or Brisbane won’t give the same DT upside as the Bombers or Demons.
Oh I can’t wait for Thursday!!
Just read in the paper that Port Adelaide and Sydney are both apparently looking into drafting Ball with their first round pick aswell. Gonna be very interesting on Thursday.
In The Advertiser the Power said they have ruled out drafting luke ball but they may have a change of heart if he’s still available when their 3rd pick #16 overall comes into play.
warnie are you gooing to have a draft day topic?
Yeah, I reckon we will! Will probably get something happening asap.
Gonna be exciting to see which recycled players get picked up and I’m really interested to see which ruckman Hawthorn grab, the talk is Cloke or Pattinson, however, Cloke is also linked to Port Adelaide.
Interesting Read
http://www.afl.com.au/news/newsarticle/tabid/208/newsid/87451/default.aspx
Gives a good insight into the draft picks and their abilities.
Says Ball will go to Collingwood at 30, Hawthorn will grab the younger Grimes brother, Jetta will go to Adelaide (I personally don’t think so) Melbourne will reunite Liam Jurrah with his cousin, Collingwood will take Buckley, Hawthorn to take Pattison over Cloke and Brisbane will take Jesse Smith and Sam Power (that last one is interesting).
Probably none of it will happen like that.
This is a good read too, sounds like a draft piick who will see regular minutes in 2010, especially if at Port Adelaide
http://www.foxsports.com.au/story/0,8659,26398670-5018851,00.html
Nice link Morts. If Ball does go to the Pies then the it makes a mockery of the draft and they might as well introduce free-agency. Melbourne and the Bombers are both in a position to take him with earlier picks and room in their salary caps. If he goes at pick 30 it will be because he has threatened to walk if selected by either of those clubs , directly or implicitly. The AFL should take a stand, ban Ball for two years, make him play two years at Freo after that and penalise Collingwood any odd-numbered draft-picks in even-numbered years and vice versa. Well, might have got a bit carried away, but it would still be blatant manipulation if he goes at 30.
I agree
wont happen
Beau Waters yet another set back. Gunna miss 6 weeks of pre-season. I thought he ws gunna be a cheap keeper too.
http://www.afl.com.au/news/newsarticle/tabid/208/newsid/87924/default.aspx
damn was considering him in my team. Wont be touching him now, aiming for players who have had a full preseason to be in my team.
if hes back in 6 weeks he still might be ready to play round 1 but you would think without that full pre-season hes not worth the risk.