The fourth week of Collingwood’s official pre-season training has concluded, and with the AFL’s pre-Season and Rookie Drafts on the horizon, the final place on the team list is up for grabs.

The club began the week still on a weekend camp, though returning for action at the later than usual time of 10.00am, and beginning with the obligatory kick to kick and stretching circuit.

After some short running drills, a wider one began incorporating kicking, with players looking to move the ball into the centre corridor before finding their leading forward target.

Soon, the team was split into two separate groups, one on the boundary working on efficiently moving he ball from a stoppage, the other looking to kick to their leading forward targets.

Friday’s session was far longer, going for a good two and a half hours. After warming up by foot, a full ground kicking drill was put to use, players transferring the ball from one end of the field to the other.

At this stage, young draftees Jaxson Barham, John McCarthy and Toby Thoolan all split from the group and worked with assistant Alan Richardson, before rejoining the main group.

The main group’s full-ground drill now became a massive, large scale version of circle work, with the players running, effectively, lap after lap while collecting the ball on an ad hoc basis.

In one passage of play, Shannon Cox booted an excellent goal in what one would hope to be a sign of things to come, Cox taking the ball midfield, a quick glance over the shoulder telling him that the equally as quick Chris Egan was hot on his hammer. Not deterred, Cox tucked the ball under his wing and took three bounces while under pressure, before driving the ball home from 50 metres out.

While Josh Fraser and Chris Bryan honed their rucking skills with Darren Flannigan, the rest of the main group moved into their own separate sections, some players running, others on stoppages, and the rest playing a game of keepings off in a confined area.

The week concluded with another challenging circuit, requiring both agility and strength. At different stages, the players were forced to hopscotch their way over a rope ladder, before darting through a series of poles, strategically placed, acting as if they were opposition players in heavy traffic. On other occasions, players worked with Swiss balls, or barged through the series of tackle bags which flew in their direction.

The Collingwood VFL team, to be coached by Gavin Brown, has also been hard at work this week, training at Gosch’s Paddock. Players such as Ryan Colbert and James Wall, who tried out for the senior side prior to the National Draft, are both in harness, while former Casey Scorpion Nigel Carmody is the side’s biggest signing so far. With Brown, Paul Licuria helping run the show, and plenty of healthy competition for places in the side, the VFL team appears to be well placed to provide the senior side with the best possible environment in which to nurture youngsters, as well as win games themselves.

The club has one final place on their rookie list to fill, and will do so with selection 13 at the AFL’s Rookie Draft on Tuesday morning, with Irishman Kevin Dyas already nominated as the club’s International Rookie.


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