Toby runs through the training reports of teams Port to West Coast. Whos killing it on the track?

Port Adelaide

There’s not been too much news coming from the Power this past week – or many clubs in fact – as they ready for their NAB Cup campaign. They did have their intra-club though, which I covered in my previous article.

Port did however finalise their leadership group this week, adding in Robbie Gray, despite coming into the season on the back of a knee reconstruction. Hinkley has said though that Gray won’t partake in any NAB Cup games, despite having returned to full training this past week. It’s also unlikely we will see him in round one, with no return date currently set for the forward.

Assistant Coach Alan Richardson has singled out Jarrad Redden as a likely breakout contender in 2013, likening him to cross-town rival Sam Jacobs. His pre-season has been largely incident free and at 200cm and 100kg, looks set for a lot more games this year. He also singled out Jasper Pittard and Andrew Moore as players he expected to see a lot more from in 2013.

 

Richmond

The Tigers had their intra-club yesterday in a game of possibles vs probables. By all reports, Cotchin was the best on ground, although who wouldn’t have expected that? Ivan Maric and Brett Deledio were two of the other highlights from the senior group.

Ricky Petterd played well in the ‘probables’ group, being utilised as a running half-back. He played very well and used the ball well – this was actually his position as a junior, so he does know how to play it. He’s priced very cheap in both DT and SC, so could be a tempting option, depending on how he plays in the NAB Cup.

In another positional change, Chris Newman mainly played across half-forward and was impressive. Although, he was quoted earlier in the week suggesting he would be a permanent midfielder this year. Either way, this new role could see an increase in DT scoring from Newman.

In other news Nathan Foley is still recovering from his Achilles injury and is likely to miss at least the first couple of rounds of the season. Jake King and Dylan Grimes are also under clouds for round one.

 

St.Kilda

Hardly any news from the Saints this week after their intra-club game last weekend. There have been no open training sessions since. They play their first NAB Cup game this Sunday against the Crows and Port with a largely inexperienced lineup heading across to Adelaide. Seb Ross missed last week’s hitout with the flu, but he will be playing on Sunday and will be one to watch. Arryn Siposs, Jack Newnes, Cam Shenton, Brodie Murdoch and Josh Saunders will be the main kids to keep an eye on.

 

Sydney

The Swans were another club to have their intra-club on Friday, with the coach singling out Tippett, Jetta and Everitt as the standouts. Tippett managed to boot three goals whilst being stood by a combination of Richards and Grundy, which is no easy feat.

Jetta continued where he left off last year, winning his ball on the wing and streaking across the ground at high speed. Everitt was playing half-forward, being manned by first-year player Dean Towers. He took some good marks and delivered the ball well inside the 50, although I’d not even bother considering him in DT or SC considering his history of letting everyone down over the past few years.

O’Keefe also played well through the midfield, going head to head with Luke Parker – O’Keefe managed to take the honours, despite Parker’s tackling pressure every time Keefer went near the ball.

 

Western Bulldogs

The Doggies were one of the teams to get a run in the NAB Cup last night. Whilst this game will be properly covered in our NAB Cup wrap on Monday, some of the fantasy standouts were Nick Lower, Matthew Boyd, Brett Goodes and Clay Smith.

 

West Coast Eagles

West Coast play their first NAB Cup game today, with a relatively experienced lineup taking to the field, including returning player Mark Lecras. It will be great to see where the Frenchman lines up in 2013 – if he can play a high half-forward role I think he would be worth considering in DT & SC, but if we see him playing a lot closer to goal, then I think he may prove to be a bit too expensive. Josh Kennedy and Andrew Embley are two other mid-priced options to keep an eye on.

Other than that, not a heap of other info to come from the club this past week