AFL players return to training as preparations ramp up for season restart
AFL players have returned to their clubs as preparations for the footy restart ramp up, but one coach has issued a warning about the three-week pre-season and Heath Shaw flags the return of playing coaches.
AFL
Don't miss out on the headlines from AFL. Followed categories will be added to My News.
Premiership coach John Longmire says players won’t be totally ready to resume the season on June 11.
As AFL players returned to training around the country on Monday, Longmire warned a three-week mini pre-season wasn’t enough to have players at “full tilt”, but said fans should cut the AFL some slack given the extraordinary circumstances surrounding the interrupted season.
“I think there will be an understanding and acceptance that you are not going to get them back into full tilt in that amount of time, based upon what we know,” the Swans coach said.
“Our program is all about is trying to make them robust to be able to withstand the challenges of training and the challenges of a game in three weeks.
“You can’t teach a lot of game plan stuff or get them much fitter, it’s essentially about conditioning them so that they don’t get injured, or prevent that as much as we can.”
Players will train in groups of eight for one week of non-contact training before being able to resume full training next week as preparations ramp up for the resumption of games.
Collingwood was one of the first clubs to hit the track this morning, with star Jordan De Goey in the first training group.
Relive classic AFL matches from the 60s to today on KAYO SPORTS. New to Kayo? Get your 14-day free trial & start streaming instantly >
Reigning premier Richmond is also back training at Punt Rd, with Dustin Martin one of the first to begin.
Martin joined premiership skipper Trent Cotchin, Dion Prestia and Josh Caddy in the sunbathed training session on Monday morning. Star goalkicker Jack Riewoldt said the Tigers had been given a detailed schedule of all their activities at the club this week.
While some clubs might choose to separate their star players in training groups to avoid a wipe-out should one player become infected with COVID-19, Tigers coach Damien Hardwick said there had been little method in splitting the groups, saying team synergy outweighed the risks.
“We’ve just backed in our system,” he said.
“At the end of the day, you worry about what we can control. Our backs are all together, our mids are all together. We’ve got an understanding of what that looks like, but the connection of how we play is vitally important.
“For us, it was about let’s get the connection of our team up and going straight away. We’ve got great faith in our players with regard to the hygiene … social distancing. They’ve been very well educated with that, so we’re very confident they’ll be OK.
“Our biggest No.1 priority is getting our side playing together as quickly as we can in this three-week period.”
Sydney players, including superstar Lance Franklin have also already started training.
“He’s been able to train throughout this whole period and kept himself in pretty good nick, so conditioning-wise he’s fine,” Longmire said.
“It’s just a matter of what the next build-up looks like.”
North Melbourne players have also arrived at Arden St, with players having their temperatures checked by staff as they enter.
Bulldogs players have also returned to Whitten Oval, with temperature checks being completed outside.
GWS players also resumed training, with veteran Heath Shaw suggesting he could take on some coaching responsibilities this year as clubs manage savage football department cuts.
“We’re probably going to have to help a little bit more in terms of that leadership and it might even mean coaching as well,” Shaw said. “We understand that and we’re willing to do anything to get us into a position to win a premiership.
“If that means putting in a bit of extra time … everyone is embracing that.”
Stay tuned here as we bring you the latest news and photos as training resumes.
Temperature checks upon arrival.#MightyWest pic.twitter.com/eyZsW1wT4q
— Western B_lldogs (@westernbulldogs) May 17, 2020
Temperature testing underway, as the boys arrive back at Arden Street.
— North Melbourne (@NMFCOfficial) May 17, 2020
Keep an eye out for more updates from our first training session in almost two months. pic.twitter.com/HkRwPzMsKg
MORE NEWS:
Richmond enters restart with no injuries hungry to win third flag in four years
Police piece together details of Jack Steven stabbing incident
Originally published as AFL players return to training as preparations ramp up for season restart
‘Oh my god’: Monster deal stuns Buckley
Injury-prone St Kilda key forward Max King has been handed a monster new deal that has left AFL greats in disbelief.
Inside AFL’s draft combine: See the standouts, surprise packet
Draft hopefuls for both the AFL and AFLW were put to the test at this year’s combine, with one Victorian key forward producing a stunning 20m sprint. See the results and more here.