AFL news: Latest intel from club land, who is catching the eye in early pre-season training sessions?
A pair of Carlton’s powerhouse midfield will be eased back into training as they both recover from serious back injuries and neither will be seen until the start of 2023.
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The countdown to round 1, 2023 is gathering steam four months out from the first bounce of the new AFL season.
Youngsters and premiership stars are hitting the training track and our reporters are there to keep a close eye on who’s tearing up the track, who has an injury niggle and who is training for a new role.
Back injuries hold Blues mids back to the new year
Two of Carlton’s best onballers face delayed starts to their preseason programs as superstar Sam Walsh and hard nut George Hewett recover from serious back injuries.
The injury-hit Blues have confirmed Walsh and Hewett won’t participate in main skills training until the new year when their loads will be carefully ramped up to be ready for Round 1 in March.
Walsh suffered a back injury late in the season and missed the crucial Round 23 loss to Collingwood which saw the Blues narrowly miss the finals in heartbreaking fashion.
Carlton said the brilliant playmaker has managed the back ailment in recent months and will remain on light duties until January, while Hewett is also on a similar timeline after undergoing back surgery.
While the back issue is unlikely to impede Walsh’s ability to step out against Richmond in the season-opener, the man who is fourth-favourite for the Brownlow Medal ($11 TAB) would have preferred to be unrestricted over summer in preparation for the new season.
But the Blues said they would be prepared to take a different approach with their training program in a bid to help keep their best players on the park throughout 2023.
Walsh, 22, is one of the top midfielders in the competition and will play a key role in helping Carlton make the finals for the first time in a decade next season.
Ruckman Marc Pittonet has also just resumed running following post season PCL surgery and is another important player who faces an interrupted preseason campaign as he works back to full fitness.
Onballer Matthew Kennedy has also undergone surgery on his Lisfranc injury in his foot and has already returned to full skills training.
Forward Corey Durdin is back with the main group following a shoulder reconstruction, while former Cat Lachie Fogarty is aiming to be back to a full load in January after post-season back surgery.
Carlton’s fitness program and injury management is a huge focus for the club as Michael Voss strives to avoid the nightmare problems which saw a string of players miss key games in the back half of last season.
In particular, Hewett and Kennedy’s absence hurt the Blues who also lost several key defenders including Jacob Weitering (shoulder) which forced the club to pickup Glenelg tall Sam Durdin in the mid-season draft to cover some holes.
Zac Williams (calf) and Mitch McGovern (hamstring) also went down for long layoffs.
Voss said he wanted the heartbreak of the Round 23 defeat to drive the club over summer and was hopeful the squad could “step up the intensity” in 2023.
“We stepped it up last year and we will step it up this year because we need to go to another rung,” Voss said.
“The continuity of the group (is a priority) and establishing a group that is out there week and after week.
“The second half of the season got a hold of us. There was huge demand on them this year but we are not going into another preseason doing exactly (the same thing).
“We need to step it up again. We have got to get ourselves prepared for that. We have to increase our capacity.”
Son of a gun wants to create own path
Brent and Cooper Harvey have played together once and it was memorable for one particular reason … the kid got suspended.
The pair were back together at Arden St on Wednesday to celebrate Cooper‘s drafting to the club where his father played an AFL record 432 games.
Last year the father-son combination ran out for North Heidelberg where ‘Boomer’ has played with his brother, former Essendon and North forward Shane, since his retirement from the AFL in 2016.
“There were some bigger bodies there and I felt like I was pretty comfortable out there,” Cooper said of the Northern Football League experience. ”Playing with my Dad and uncle was pretty amazing.”
Brent then added: “It’s a good record, he played one game and got one game suspension. He wasn’t taken aback (by it all) and I think he was a little hard done by with the suspension.”
The latest Harvey to wear the Roos jumper – and it won‘t be his father’s famous No. 29 – came about with North’s final selection, No. 56, in Tuesday’s national draft
“Will Phillips looks good in it (No. 29), he can keep it,” Cooper said. ”I can’t wait to play for the great club my old man played for, to carry on his legacy but also to carve a path for myself.
“Hearing my name called out … I’ve been dreaming of that moment since I was a little boy.”
The 18-year-old has a few centimetres in height on his old man but isn‘t as fast, according to Boomer.
“Like Dad, I’m a real competitor, I hate losing,” Cooper said. ”I broke my arm twice this year and bounced back pretty strong, so I feel like I’m pretty resilient too.”
Cooper played for the Northern Knights and then impressed in a couple of games with the Vic Metro team late in the season. Marking for his size was a standout which is not something his famous father can claim.
“It‘s not hard, I wasn’t great overhead so he can have that title,” Brent said.
The best advice he has given, according to his son, was about forging his own path.
“He has been my coach a few times over the years and what he has done is obviously amazing but he‘s always told me to just be myself,” Cooper said. ”I’m my own player and to create something for myself.”
Cooper is the fourth father-son to be running around for new coach Alastair Clarkson joining Jackson Archer (son of Glenn), Bailey Scott (son of Robert) and Luke McDonald (son of Donald).
While ‘Boomer’ had joked to Roos officials about coming back as a mature-aged rookie in recent years, he says there will be no fairytale second game with his son.
Instead he will help Cooper and the other North draftees in his role as development coach with a decision yet to be made about whether he is again the Roos runner again next season.
“I have tried for five years (with footy manager Brady Rawlings) and he hasn‘t bitten yet so I think I have given it away,” Brent, 44, said. ”My rookie-list days are over, I’ve knocked on his door enough.
“It is time for me to settle down and I have got a role to play here, to help develop these young boys. Down the track it will be interesting to see if get to share the ground (as the runner) with him at some stage.”
TRACK WATCH
Captain Jack Ziebell and a number of his senior Kangaroos colleagues made sure they were on hand for another significant milestone in the Alastair Clarkson era.
Arden St was buzzing on Wednesday with three fresh draftees and a new chief executive, Jen Watt, getting introduced to the North Melbourne way.
Whether Ziebell keeps the captaincy is one of a number of questions which will be answered over the coming months but he was certainly getting in some credits with the new coach by coming back early to train with the first to four-year players.
Midfielder Hugh Greenwood and full-back Ben McKay were also having a run around with the three new recruits from this week‘s national draft, first-round picks George Wardlaw and Harry Sheezel. and the son of a club legend, Cooper Harvey.
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Weightman weighs into Bevo contract talks
Livewire Bulldogs forward Cody Weightman has urged his club to re-sign Luke Beveridge, declaring he spoke for all players and staff in his desire for the premiership coach’s reign to extend beyond 2023.
Weightman, who will wear the Dogs’ famed No. 3 jumper in 2023, told News Corp Beveridge had the loyal backing of his playing group.
“Personally, and on behalf of the team, the players and the staff at the club, everyone’s a huge fan of Bevo. Internally, he’s rated very highly as a coach and that’s clear with the buy-in that the players have towards him,” Weightman said.
“It’s awesome just to have the one coach and the stability of that throughout my career thus far, so I’m excited by the potential to continue on at the club with Bevo.”
Weightman believes the Dogs can return to their best form as quickly as they lost it, shutting down queries over the talented list’s commitment and motivation.
“At the end of the day we’re all playing AFL, so it’s hard not to be motivated. We’re all pretty lucky to do what we do,” he said.
“I don’t think it was a huge factor in the way that things just fell. It just didn’t really go our way a lot last year. And that’s the beauty of footy, we get another chance to do it every year.
“It's been an impressive start from the young fellas (first-to-fourth years) and everyone’s cracking the whip. So hopefully that gives us a good look when the big boys come back.”
Head of football Chris Grant said contract talks with Beveridge were “progressing well” and the club was aligned with the 2016 premiership coach’s vision for what the club could achieve over the next “one-to-three years”, indicating an extension was likely to be agreed upon soon.
“We have a real desire to see the team improve again this year and Luke’s a really important component of that, obviously. So as far as where the team’s going we’re really positive and bullish about that,” Grant said.
“We’re really keen to see him part of our long-term future We'd like to be able to do something (extend his contract) sooner rather than later.”
Ollie Henry’s ‘bold’ Magpies escape
Ollie Henry has described his controversial move to Geelong as “bold” but something he knew he‘d regret if he didn’t follow through with it.
In many ways it was a classic break-up of a romance with Henry saying to Collingwood it was more about me than you.
“All due respect to Collingwood I loved the time there as well, it‘s a bold move and it is something I wanted to do. If I didn’t do it I think I’d be kicking myself later down the track,” Henry said.
“This is just something I have always wanted to do and the more games I can play with a family member and all that, it just makes it so much more special.
“Ultimately it is just where I wanted to be. This club, we grew up loving the club, this is the place I have always wanted to play my footy and if I can have a career somewhere, I want it to be here.”
Henry denies the fact he was out of the Collingwood side throughout its finals campaign – he was dropped in favour of mature-age rookie Ash Johnson – and a so-so contract offer played a part in his decision to request a trade after two years and 25 game with the Magpies.
“To be honest it was never about money, that wouldn‘t be who I am if I did something like that,” he said.
“It was something that I had in the back of my mind for a while. But while I was there I was still focused on playing goodfooty and enjoying my time with my friends over at Collingwood.
“I loved it and it was a great time but this sat in the back of my mind and then once everything settled after the season it was time to action it.”
That took longer than Henry wanted with the stress of the drawn-out trade period driving him around the twist.
As the deadline loomed on the final day the 20-year-old retreated to the family home, just a few blocks away from Kardinia Park, and the sanctuary of a video game.
“It‘s not like watching the national draft on TV, you just wait to get a message and it can happen at any time,” he recalled.
“I was actually legs up on the couch with Mum and Dad playing some Play Station taking my mind off it and I got the message midway through a FIFA game.
“It was about five minutes left (before the deadline). I turned the TV off straight and told them the news.”
His first phone call was to his older brother Jack who was overseas celebrating the Cats premiership.
“Jack was somewhere in Europe, I gave him a buzz and he was stoked. He was the first person I went to talk to and tell him.
“He never pushed for it (the return to Geelong). He always wanted me to focus on what I am doing at that time at the club I was at, to make sure I was enjoying it.
“He helped me through a lot of scenarios and it is pretty cool to now be able to have that conversation face-to-face if Iever need to instead of over the phone. I‘m just fortunate enough to have him here.”
Henry posted a thankyou message to Collingwood on Instagram and knows there will be plenty who won‘t understand his decision. He’s already got a taste of that, running into plenty of Pies fans on a recent holiday to Bali.
“It was something that I wanted people to know that I respected everyone there, this wasn‘t a choice out of spite it was a choice out of something I really wanted to do,” he said.
“I really loved the opportunity (at Collingwood) and I was grateful for it and that‘s the stuff I wanted to present to the people who might not have known the situation. I understand they probably might see it differently to me but that’s just something had to deal with in making this choice.”
Henry was at GMHBA Stadium for the Cats first day of pre-season on Monday alongside a familiar face, his former schoolmate Tanner Bruhn.
The pair went to St Joseph‘s College together before Bruhn moved to Geelong Grammar for the final two years of his secondary schooling.
During the trade period Bruhn also followed through on his desire to return home after two impressive seasons with the GWSGiants.
It‘s just another reason for Henry to be happy about biting the bullet to come back to the place he loves.
“Growing up I was so involved in the football club, I dreamed of it but I never thought it would become a reality to be playing for this team,” he said.
“To do it as well with my brother, who I spent many times kicking the footy across the road here, now that has become somewhat of a reality, I‘m still pinching myself.”
SIX TAKEAWAYS FROM COLLINGWOOD TRAINING
– Owen Leonard
NEW PIES COMPLEMENT VETERAN PRESENCE
Collingwood players and coaches welcomed their suite of trade acquisitions with applause at the start of session, with Tom Mitchell, Bobby Hill, Dan McStay and Billy Frampton all in for early training and proving vocal during drills.
Charlie Dean, too, is effectively a new addition after recovering from the pair of separate foot injuries that kept him sidelined in 2022.
The key defender was moving well and shapes as a possible best-22 inclusion with the Pies light on tall backs.
The new faces were joined by veteran club champions Scott Pendlebury and Steele Sidebottom, as well as other senior faces including Jeremy Howe and Josh Daicos.
Senior coach Craig McRae told players the early session was an opportunity to “remind ourselves of what we’re good at”.
Brownlow medallist Mitchell took Arlo Draper and Finlay Macrae under his wing post training, running a juggling handball drill with the young midfield pair for hand-eye coordination.
DAICOS CLAIMS TIME TRIAL TITLE
Nick Daicos just keeps on winning things, with Monday’s pre-training 2km time-trial his latest prize.
Daicos, fresh off winning the AFL Rising Star award, pulled away from challengers Finlay Macrae and Josh Carmichael, winning the trial comfortably in an ominous sign for opposition teams.
Tom Mitchell was hot on the heels of the breakaway group and led players in a repeat-sprint drill after training, when the group dashed up and down the centre square.
PIES EYE CORRIDOR BALL MOVEMENT
Early match simulation was frequently stopped for time-outs, with assistant coach Justin Leppitsch calling players in on numerous occasions to dissect each passage of play.
Players were up for early structural analysis in response, vocalising their thoughts on how they were setting up in an illustration of Collingwood’s much-admired player-coach culture under McRae.
The group then split up into multiple drills, practising ground balls and shape around stoppages.
In one, assistant Brendon Bolton instructed players to draw in tacklers before releasing handballs into the corridor.
“Get it into their face real quick,” he told the bibbed tacklers.
“Draw, draw,” he instructed the ball carriers.
It was an early indication the Pies may look to kickstart more handball chains into the corridor from wing stoppages in an attacking game-plan development for 2023.
RISING FORWARDS ON LIGHT DUTIES
Tough forward Beau McCreery attended training but did not participate in drills, while the mercurial Jack Ginnivan was a notable absentee.
Neither player is expected to have their pre-season seriously interrupted with both to undertake individual build-ups to training, the club said on Monday afternoon.
ROUGHEAD’S NEW ROLE?
After retiring midway through 2022, Jordan Roughead was back at the Pies for day one of pre-season training.
Roughead joined the club’s coaching crew on Monday, spending the afternoon instructing his former teammates on the fringes of drills.
Collingwood is still finalising its coaching staff structure for 2023 but he appears a possible inclusion to a team featuring the likes of Justin Leppitsch, Brendon Bolton, Scott Selwood and Neville Jetta under Craig McRae.
MOUTHGUARDS IN?
It’s still November but Collingwood had no plans of easing into pre-season training, as key forward Ash Johnson discovered the hard way.
Midway through the session, Johnson was forced to leave the track with a split lip as claret dripped from his mouth following a knock.
The unearthed talent returned to training minutes later, but proved a symbol of Collingwood’s intent to make amends for 2022’s tantalising preliminary final exit.
FOUR TAKEAWAYS FROM MELBOURNE TRAINING
KOZZIE BEEFS UP FOR ON-BALL ROLE
Electrifying forward Kysaiah Pickett looked visibly bigger and assistant coach Alan Richardson confirmed he was being viewed as a possible midfield weapon for 2023.
Richardson said coaches had agreed the team needed to rotate players up the ground more to improve on last season’s semi-final exit.
“The plan is different for everyone, (and) for Kozzie it was to actually put on a bit more size,” Richardson told reporters by the boundary.
“(Pickett) is looking to potentially do a little bit more work through the midfield.
“We need, a little bit more, to rotate (players) through and because he’s one of those, he’s got some new weapons in there, we’re just seeing how he goes.”
Richardson also said the club was in a “good space” following the women’s AFLW premiership triumph on Sunday.
He said the fresh winning culture within the club posed as a perfect launching pad for the Demons’ bid to return to their dominant best.
PIES FANS IN TEARS AS GRUNDY HITS THE TRACK
Wearing Luke Jackson’s old No. 6, Demons recruit Brodie Grundy hit the track early in a bid to bounce back from an injury-ravaged 2021 which culminated in his departure from Collingwood.
While Grundy likely won’t be wearing Jackson’s old jumper – it was simply the size that fit on Monday – he will be replacing the young ruck’s role in what could become a destructive duo alongside Max Gawn.
His move, too, was still raw for a couple of young Collingwood fans who drifted over from the Holden Centre and caught sight of Grundy while he left the track.
The ruckman happily posed for a photo with Pies pair, but it left one of them – named Charlotte – in tears.
She remarked that she couldn’t bare the sight of her former hero in rival colours.
“This hurts way more than Treloar,” Charlotte said.
FORWARD LINE CLUES?
Grundy, Bayley Fritsch and Tom McDonald drifted down to the goalsquare while the rest of the squad was in match simulation, practising leading patterns and structural set up under the watch of assistant coaches.
Much intrigue will surround Grundy and Max Gawn’s forward-ruck split in 2023, and while the latter was not present for training on Monday – the captain is overseas – it appeared the former Pie was happy making leads and offering crumbs for Fritsch.
The trio jogged up and down the boundary line thereafter, suggesting they will spend some time pushing towards prime fitness before engaging in contested work.
Grundy sat out much of 2022 with a knee injury followed by a stress fracture in his ankle, while McDonald missed months with a Lisfranc issue.
Prolific goalkicker Fritsch played through the Dees’ finals series with knee soreness but looked relatively fresh practising his set shots towards the end of the session.
HOWES THAT
Youngster Blake Howes earned the plaudits of senior Demons by laying a crunching tackle on Christian Petracca after overpowering an attempted fend off during match simulation.
Howes, pick 39 in last year’s draft, wrapped the star midfielder up before dragging him down to the applause of his teammates.
Even Petracca was happy with the effort despite his misguided tackle-breaking attempt, rising to his feet to tap the Howes on the back and offer praise of his own.
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