Watching training on Tuesday wasn’t in my plans. With Monday’s opener done and dusted, the next field session was set for Wednesday. The team was only due to work on basic shapes around set starts on Tuesday. However, a bit of outdoor time before the heat set in seemed a reasonable activity in the morning, and as it turned out, fronting up to watch on Tuesday was a good decision.
But first – a disclaimer.
Last year the young players in the squad made an impact from day one of preseason as they took on the established NRL players in conditioning and physical contests. This year, though the staff are impressed with how the younger brigade have fronted up, the absence of NRL stars in week 1 removes any chance for me to make a comparison.
Indeed, the start of this preseason is akin to watching the 2018 preseason when players were involved in the 2017 World Cup.
That said, the early weeks of the 2018 pre-season introduced TCT followers to the efforts of one Reed Mahoney. The 2019 preseason foreshadowed the arrival of Dylan Brown. So, if someone starts to garner attention in these early weeks, note their name. If they continue to gather mentions, they might just be ready to make a splash.
Tuesday
There were a couple of extra bodies called up from the Flegg to make up the numbers needed for today’s work.
In the set start drills, the team transitioned from hit ups through the ruck, to shifts two and three passes wide. After about fifteen minutes, the work shifted to completing sets of six with a kick. Rhys Davies, Ray Stone and Kyle Schneider all spent time at dummy half during the skill component, but when the group worked into the set of six, Schneider was exclusively at 9.
Haze Dunster
I took particular interest in watching Ryan Carr taking a group of players for an in-goal skills session. This was my first chance to observe him communicating with the players. The players were required to make appropriate decisions about fielding the ball – be it getting into the field of play, taking it dead, or forcing the ball.
Murf then took the players through a similar drill in the field of play and with a chaser putting the pressure on. Haze Dunster was an absolute stand out, as I can’t recall a single error across both drills.
Wednesday
What I expected to be merciless conditioning, and then some, became two hours of conditioning and skills.
The conditioning component involved short sprints (with a focus on technique), the ever popular “Malcolms”, and 200 metre sets. Within this group I anticipated that Haze Dunster would lead the group in – and he did. But the player to surprise me was Harry Duggan. The young forward has a good motor and placed himself as a leader in each run.
The sprint is on!
The team also did plenty of running with the ball in hand. Shapes off the ruck, 4 on 3 grid work, and 7 on 7 two hand touch had the players gasping for breath whilst looking sharp passing the footy.
Interestingly, defensive techniques also featured today. It’s not that defence doesn’t feature in preseason. Indeed, specific contact sessions are scheduled every week, and the ferocity in the sand pit is a sight which would surprise some punters.
In pairs, the players worked on their first up contact and grip (hit and stick). The collision was surprisingly solid for day two of the pre-season. They also honed their work on the ground, especially the communication and movement involved in peeling off the tackled player and getting into defensive position. Most Parra supporters will recall that having defenders left on the ground was an issue in the first half of the 2019 season.
A Final Word
In addition to putting some younger players under the microscope, noting the differences between the pre-seasons and watching new staff such as Ryan Carr and Trent Elkin makes these early weeks interesting. At this point early emphasis on ball work and defensive technique during these field sessions has been an eye opener.
Report 2 done!
Eels forever!
Sixties
Thanks for this report sixties and gee even with only a few players there it certainly seems that there is a real intensity within the group.
Would love a report on the young players that are training with the main team such as the one you mention Harry Duggan, don’t think I have seen him mentioned anywhere at this point of time.
A side item is the email from Max today regarding meeting to be held on December 8 to vote on the constitution and we can vote on the net, or postal vote.
Great news and finally able to vote, notice with voting to be emailed out tomorrow
https://www.muswellbrookchronicle.com.au/story/3928559/bolt-from-the-blues/
Thanks Thruandthru; that is a good read and to me is a testament to country football up here on the coast and hunter. Bred tough in the Hunter; and I only hope the boy comes on well and stays fit.
That is a good article. Bit of a surprise. What is he 20 now? Good to see how he goes
Interesting reading Sixties – effort and determination I guess is the key in the earl weeks. You mentioned the defence which for me was not great at times but we got through. It show at times against some of the top teams mind you…and that is the key for me for 2020. We strengthen that and continue our composure with ball and we can cement top 8 or higher.
I also think we need that good competition for spots and outside backs in particular who can also tackle…..its only November but I guess in a few wks it will be December……and then the Christmas hoo haa and then January which means we countdown to the first trial.
Do we think Sixties Utoik will be in top 30?
Milo, there’s a blog over on the other site titled Parra Forward rumoured to sign with Tigers. Some speculation has put some players names up but the latest one has Stefano as the player being targeted or going.
Hope that there’s nothing in that story.
Hi Col,
Yes I was alerted to this the other day and also from a mate; I sincerely hope we keep the juniors who we want to keep.
Milo, I did mention if there was any truth to the rumour there would be some others that would be preferable to let go, rather than Stefano. I have not seen him play that much although I watched him in the Wenty GF loss and thought he did well. Going to his season stats they are pretty good overall and still only 19 & not 20 until next year, I would have loved to have seen him given a run off the bench towards the end of the year for reasons I have said in the past, would have given him encouragement and show the club wanted him as an eel.
I sincerely hope that there is an effort made to keep him if its not too late.
The Tigers have been very active around Eels juniors. Stefano is highly regarded. We all hope he stays.
Agreed Col, Reading tele today they claim Mitchell is close to signing for v good $$$; no doubt we want to keep these type of players, and this is where $$$ comes into play.
A thought came to me when I was replying to John Eel elsewhere, maybe part of the oppositions thinking maybe not. I wonder if this move against an eels player in development is a consequence of the fallout from Matto wanting out of the tigs and signing with the eels?
Given that Stefano features well in the training photo’s on the eels webb site, the coach and others have the chance to talk with him regarding what’s going on, and confirm that he is wanted at the club. A bit of encouragement never hurts.
I am sure he is getting the encouragement Col and that he realises where his future can blossom. Brown and Moses as halves; Gutherson and co; and a strong pack. If there is any chatter with other clubs i think the possibility of being in top 17 could be a factor. He has to work at this with Parra with RCG, Paulo and Evans but i think he could force his way into the 17 with a v good off season.
I’d hope so Milo.
We are 4 months away from Rd 1, 119 days
Thank you TCT. You will get me through the summer season before my next footy fix.
Cheers 10 year.
Hi this got not to doing with the training this got to do a rumor i heard
I hope it not true
Nathan Brown going to the tigers with a swap deal for Matterson i hope not
It’s garbage!
Thanks for the report. It is going to be interesting to see how BA and the other coaches deal with an interrupted pre season. You want your players selected for representative teams but it does raise some problems. One of the things the players spoke about last season was the camp held at the start of pre season and the unity that created.
I hope we have learned from 2018 and spend the time to bring the team together when they all return. We saw in 2018 and 2019 the importance that genuine team connection can bring on the field.
There is much talk about some of our young forwards. We do them no benefit by putting them in first grade before they are ready.
It will be interesting to watch the young forwards that emerge and establish themselves in the coming seasons. With RCG and Matterson joining they will have to earn the right to play first grade. We have seen the benefit that comes with correct exposure to first grade with players like Marata over the last 2 seasons. He has developed wonderfully and hence he has been rewarded with a 3 year contract. I hope our other young players are well advised and are not convinced to follow the quick path that may give them more money or a starting spot in the short term but kill their development.
Very few young forwards are like Payne Hass. Most who are exposed to the demands of weekly first grade early get injuries ( like Hass did in 2018) and don’t develop. Some exposure and time to work on their game and develop the psychical capabilities to cope with first grade is what makes a prolonged career. Hopefully they have good agents who genuinely care and are not just after the quick dollars themselves.
Ultimately if the players are poorly advised, the club can not allow itself to be backed into a corner. I would rather lose 1-2 young players then end up with 3-4 in the top 30 who do not develop and we end up stuck with them for 3-4 years, hindering our ability to promote young players who are ready. We have been down that path before.
Earn the right… they have the right already.. Matterson has a grand final ring something that no one else in our squad has except 4 Fergo and Jennings. RCG was an Origin and Test representative. They’ll start straight away replacing the departed and missed Mau and possibly Evans (Good pre season battle between RCG and Evans coming up).
Last year was different, we were coming in from a flogging of a season where we finished last, you want a hard arse military style pre season which is what we saw last year to get your players fit which we clearly weren’t in our spoon year. That’s exactly what the Dragons and Titans squads can look forward too. On a side note have fun Corey Norman no pills and hookers for you this pre season you’ll be flogged on sand dunes all summer cause your team are a bunch of bums.
This year is different, you now spend the pre season like the Storm and the Roosters on skills training. I expect to see this pre season have more focus on actual Rugby League skills and less focus on fitness because our blokes were 10 times fitter this year than they were last year.
So it makes sense to me to get a few new trainers in freshen up the approach.
We shouldn’t expect our boys to all in on day 1, you want the up and comers there to show there committed but you need to give our actual starting players some rest.
Interesting take Rocky,
I for one think our squad will do both in terms of fitness and skills.
I also think Shelley has a god point and this is a tough balance to make. I just hope guys like Kaufusi and Utoik add pressure for a top 17 start.
I’m pretty sure Rocky that Shelley meant the young blokes will have to earn the right. No argument about Origin level players though. I’m really keen to see the improvement in ruck control that this forward roster can bring. I reckon BA won’t want to wait til the season starts to get a feel for that, all aspects of defence will be drilled in the pre-season. Don’t you hate those games where gaps open, second effort falters and we get tries put on us like training runs. Last season the Roosters got creamed only once(by Newcastle)when their Origin players were rested. It’s a good feeling to know your team doesn’t fold easily, or just doesn’t fold.
Shelley good post and interesting areas indeed.
Like some others here and elsewhere, I was hoping to have seen Stefano and Oregan given time on the bench this year, more so for the reason two of the bench players I considered were not achieving, and played short minutes really, one was leaving the eels and it showed in the time on the field and added nothing to the side, yet we had Kafusi who had already tasted NRL game level and could have done just as well if not better than one of the bench players, Stefano had played a good number of games with Wenty and with the years stats made for very encouraging reading, and I would say he too would not have let the team down.
While I agree with you regarding injuries to young bodies, and yes they can be badly impacted, but with quality coaching and conditioners, along with mentoring the gradual introduction into the higher level gives the young players a confidence boost, along with yearning to keep hitting the upper target that’s needed. Gradual increases in the higher levels can only benefit them. Something we have seen in Mahoney and DBrown, Dylan hopefully will get his back right and will lift to a higher level as a result.
While its early days yet, and with a new season with some new players coming in, a look forward to end of 2020 shows we have 15 players off contract, not unlike this year, which means another big sweep may happen, more especially in certain areas with older players, most likely to be let go, sure we will go outside the club for some replacements but we also need to have the younger players motivated enough by having encouragement from all levels to press their claims.
I do believe that having the Canterbury cup team playing in eels colours and being part of the eels structures can further enhance the young players also build relationships with the more seasoned players going forward, Bonding is certainly a big part of the preseason when the whole playing squad has a week or two in camp that includes community work also.
To me I look forward to next year and beyond, and what I really want to see is the young players putting the pressure on those above them. I am unsure if Tim Mannah still has the job promised him and that can help the young ones, likewise having someone like David Gower also playing should be a great mentor and sounding board for the reserves.
You caught me out Sixties. I was not expecting episode 2 so soon.
Where do you see Haze Dunster playing. Is he purely a winger or does he have more strings to his bow. Does he play any centre or FB.
I always thought that he was more versatile.
John, what I saw of Dunster last year in the trials told me he was a winger, he has a wingers effort in the way he scored some of those mid air tries, also his speed seems good, he’s young and a bit light ATM, who would he put out though, he played on the right wing, which is Fergo’s side, and can’t see Fergo relinquishing that spot for a couple of years though. Who knows what will happen though, MJ is yet to put pen to paper and announcements to be made, so means Parry is in the same position as Dunster for next season, they need to learn how to play cards, start with yuka and work on patience.
Maybe Fergos replacement when his contract is up? Could save us a lot of money.
Personally I believe Haze is a winger.