Our pre-season training priorities, areas that need improving?

[one-eyed]

Preseason training starts in around 2 weeks for most of our list (except the older blokes like Richo).

What should be our preseason priorities and what areas of improvement should we focus on?

[cub]

How to hit hard but fair.

When better teams target some of our players they struggle, work on breaking a tag, as an individual and as a team.

[Chuck17]

How to shut down the little poo who kicks a bag of goals on us

[Ball!]

Weights and putting size on players

Developing one of our midfielders into an accoutable small defender, Jackson imo. He has the size, strength, speed, but gets's lost too much in traffic. Therefore he would work better as a small foward imo (I still think Raines also has hope in the role).

Foward structure - Getting Morton, Jack and Cleve to work with each other rather then against each other.

Blocking and sheparding for teammates - The side needs to work on it's team tactic more. Sides like Sydney, Geelong and Adelaide are always laying shepards and blocking opponents to help their premium on ballers out.

Players who need to change position imo:
- Shane Edwards - From Small foward (at AFL level) to the midfield. He has shown at Coburg that he can get alot of the ball and run the lines well. In the little time he did spend on the ball at AFL level he looked better for it. He isn't a foward or HFF'er.

- Daniel Jackson - From midfielder/tagger to rebounding defender. Jackson has all the tools to make it as an AFL player. He has hieght, altheticsm, speed, a nice kick, however he lacks awarness and gets caught in two minds when he is playing in the centre square. To be honest he is an average tagger, however I think he can be better used in the back line as a defensive stopper. At 187cm and 90kg he has the size to go with guys like O'Keefe and the speed to go with guys like Milne. He is also a nice long kick which is handy out of defence

- Jake King - From small backman to tagger. This guy got slaughtered when opposition coaches realised how poor he was overhead and they used it their dvantage by sticking him in the goal square. As a tagger, his hieght won't be such an issue in the midfield and he has the pace and tennacity to go with most of the A-Class mids.

- Kane Johnson - From tagger/midfielder to half back/foward flanker. He originally started his career of the HBF at the crows and was a great talent. However as he has lost a fair bit of pace and his kicking has become less certain, I think it would be a smart idea to throw him up foward. During parts of the season he play on the HFF and led well. He is an execellent size and pretty good overhead. He could also rotate through the midfield and backlines as required

- Jordan McMohan - From Small backman to wing. Lets face it, the guy is soft and unaccountable. However he does offer great run and (when on song) a great kick. On the wing it allows him more space to run the lines without having to be so concerned about a Rioli or Milne getting free and kicking bags.

Players who still need to find a position: Schulz, Pattison, Polo, Hughes 

 

[Chuck17]

Good post Ball agree with a fair chunk of that.

I think Hughes has to be our forward hit up target, IMO opinion he doesn't really have any other options than this.  I believe he has been asked before to explore other options other than in the forward line but he knocked it back.  If he can't make it as the hit up target up forward then I think he will struggle to stay on the list, 2009 will be the determining year for Cleve IMO.

With Schulz I am happy for him to be a big man utility able to play CHF or CHB at need.  Modern football requires an element of versatility and with Polak up in the air Schulz is important to us.

With the forward structure the three you mentioned played a fair bit together at Coburg and I think do work well as a team.  Morton tends to be what some may call "selfish" but with the ability he has to kick goals and some of them freakish I believe he has every right to back himself when he chooses.  Jack Riewoldt does some great 1%'s in the forward line and looks to be as unselfish as they come and very enthusiastic.

In regards to blocking, sheparding I will add tackling as these are areas we can definitely improve on.  There were some good improvement signs in 2008 but we still have a fair way to go in this area especially to match it with the good sides in this area that you have mentioned.

In regards to Jackson I want him to be persisted with in the middle.  I think he had some great games in the middle at the end of this year and with his weight and size he could be a good foil for the class of Lids and Cotch.

Don't know about Jordy I think in 2009 he will play back flanker. He was recruited for that very role by Wallace and by his placing in the Jack Dyer which is based on performing the role given he looks to have been given the green light for the year. To my mind the jury is still out on him.

[mightytiges]

Weights and putting size on players

Blocking and sheparding for teammates - The side needs to work on it's team tactic more. Sides like Sydney, Geelong and Adelaide are always laying shepards and blocking opponents to help their premium on ballers out.

Nice post Ball. These two points stand out the most for me. We definitely need to improve our team skills and off the ball skills like sheparding and blocking if we want to make finals. I think by our drafting last year we've finally learnt it's easier to put weight on guys that have size to begin with at the draft table.

Another one for mine is practising over and over again our 25m kicks. You can tolerate some errors under pressure but not hitting an open and leading teammate on the chest by foot 25m away is unforgivable at AFL level. Each and every Tiger should be expected to do the basics well especially footskills.

[WilliamPowell]

Weights and putting size on players


Blocking and sheparding for teammates - The side needs to work on it's team tactic more. Sides like Sydney, Geelong and Adelaide are always laying shepards and blocking opponents to help their premium on ballers out.

BINGO!