How they're tracking this preseason - Richmond/ Shane Edwards Sizzles (afl site)

[one-eyed]

Shane Sizzles
By Adam McNicol
Wed 28 Dec, 2011

During the Christmas/New Year break, AFL.com.au looks at each club and how they're tracking for the 2011 pre-season

Introduction
Richmond became the latest club to embark on an overseas pre-season trip when the Tigers flew to the United States in late November. Damien Hardwick and his men spent a week using the facilities of Athletes Performance, a business that runs a world-class training complex in Phoenix, Arizona. While there, the players watched NHL ice hockey team the Phoenix Coyotes in action, then saw the Arizona Cardinals play the Dallas Cowboys in the NFL.
 
Medical room
Trent Cotchin only returned to full training in mid-December after hip surgery in September. Cotchin, who won the Tigers' 2011 best-and-fairest, was one of around 20 players, including star forward Jack Riewoldt, who were on restricted duties during the camp in Arizona. Cotchin told the Herald Sun that his injury was just "wear and tear". He added: "It wasn't really troubling me, but we just thought we'd get it done earlier rather than later and not let it become a problem next year."
 
Summer superstar
Midfielder Shane Edwards has emerged as the star performer in the early weeks of Richmond's pre-season. The 23-year-old, who has played 89 games in five seasons, has impressed his coaches and teammates by gaining strength and fitness. "[Putting weight on] was a focus for a lot of the guys, the skinnier guys," Tigers skipper Chris Newman said before the playing squad departed for the camp in the United States. "Shane Edwards has put a lot of time and effort into his bodyweight. I think he's come back about three or four kilos heavier."
 
Draftee watch
The three players selected by the Tigers in the NAB AFL Draft - Brandon Ellis, Todd Elton and Matthew Arnot - had little time to adjust to their new surroundings, as only four days after being selected, they were on the plane to the USA. Ellis, a strong midfielder who was taken with pick 15, has been particularly impressive at training to date, and club insiders say he should play a number of senior games in 2012.
 
Putting the feet up
The Tigers completed their pre-Christmas training block with a final session on December 22. They return to training on January 5.
 
NAB Cup schedule:
Round one (Friday, February 17): v Hawthorn and North Melbourne, Etihad Stadium
Round two (Sunday, March 4: v Fremantle, Patersons Stadium
Round three (Saturday, March 10): v Geelong, Simonds Stadium
 
What they say
"We're still a fair way off those top four to five sides - and that's an area where we want to improve. We'd love to beat one of those sides next year. It is one of our goals and we've fallen well short of that over the past two years. I reckon we were between 30 and 60 points off those sides. And when a side is starting to mature you want to knock off one of those guys and that's one thing we are looking to do next year." - Richmond coach Damien Hardwick, Herald Sun, December 4

http://www.afl.com.au/news/newsarticle/tabid/208/newsid/127616/default.aspx

[yellowandback]

I'm sure that WAT will be quivering in the freckle when reading about our summer superstar
In all seriousness, this kid had a significant disruption to pre season training last summer and it showed in his football.

Whether you think he can play (or not) - a fit and confident Shane Edwards playing at the top of his game, confident and largely bereft of the silly errors in his game would make us better.

[WA Tiger]

I'm sure that WAT will be quivering in the freckle when reading about our summer superstar
In all seriousness, this kid had a significant disruption to pre season training last summer and it showed in his football.

Whether you think he can play (or not) - a fit and confident Shane Edwards playing at the top of his game, confident and largely bereft of the silly errors in his game would make us better.

Yep good luck to him, lets hope he has a great year....I hope he does, quivering.....Not even mildly.

But lets not crap on about how good he is now, during the preseason. Doesn't mean poo.

FFS, I ride a mountain bike between 30-50k's every Saturday and go to the gym Mon-Fri, so people could talk me up too if they like. But put me in a race of 200 riders and I probably wouldn't finish in the top 100...so lets not get too carried away with him just yet.

When have we actually seen this...."playing at the top of his game???????????????

Because if we have it aint that good....

[Stripes]

The one element of this preseason I worry about is how late many of our squad began due to recovering from operations. 20 players seems an inordinate amount of the team to have to get over this hurdle first before even thinking of increasing their fitness levels. Surely a few of these will have hiccups in their basic recovery which will effect our chances next year. From all reports the operations were for 'clean-ups' but Jack having to have multiple operations rings alarm bells to me...

[Dubstep Dookie]

Oh dear. Talking up Edwards is a risky proposition.

[Penelope]

i wonder about about that too, stripes, particularly the number of hip problems.

Do other clubs have this issue?

Is it something we have to endure because our workload has suddenly increased in order to catch up with other teams or it it just the nature of beast due to the rigors of AFL pushing the human body beyond what it can handle and all clubs are in the same boat?

[WA Tiger]

The one element of this preseason I worry about is how late many of our squad began due to recovering from operations. 20 players seems an inordinate amount of the team to have to get over this hurdle first before even thinking of increasing their fitness levels. Surely a few of these will have hiccups in their basic recovery which will effect our chances next year. From all reports the operations were for 'clean-ups' but Jack having to have multiple operations rings alarm bells to me...

They should of pulled Jack and Cotchin out about round 18....in particular Jack, probably round 16 for him.

[Francois Jackson]

it has Richard "Training the house down" Tambling written all over it doesnt it.

[Smokey]

it has Richard "Training the house down" Tambling written all over it doesnt it.

 

Yep.

[The Big Richo]

They should of pulled Jack and Cotchin out about round 18....in particular Jack, probably round 16 for him.

Agreed.

Seems like poor management.

[WA Tiger]

it has Richard "Training the house down" Tambling written all over it doesnt it.

Who...

[YellowandBlackBlood]

When does the real season start? April?

I think that the guys who have had ops have plenty of time to reach full fitness. Maybe they won't be right for the preseason comp, but who cares about that anyway. That comp is to try out our new recruits and a few new tactics. In some way, it is better that Riewoldt and Cotchin do not have to endure a long long year starting in February as that may affect them later in the season proper. I trust our fitness staff and medicos more than opinions on this forum.

[Dubstep Dookie]

it has Richard "Training the house down" Tambling written all over it doesnt it.

 

Yep.

x3 

[WA Tiger]

When does the real season start? April?

I think that the guys who have had ops have plenty of time to reach full fitness. Maybe they won't be right for the preseason comp, but who cares about that anyway. That comp is to try out our new recruits and a few new tactics. In some way, it is better that Riewoldt and Cotchin do not have to endure a long long year starting in February as that may affect them later in the season proper. I trust our fitness staff and medicos more than opinions on this forum.

Yeah well if  you trust them that much they sure as hell didn't do much with Edwards last year after his supposed interupted preseason.....and not enduring a long year year didn't help him either...so where are you going with this????

[Mr Magic]

Great to see Edwards tearing it up this pre season.

Bring on 2012.