Pre-season is a time of hope. Whatever transpired last year is forgotten – Richmond fans are an exception - as we get into the business of analysing football’s new horizon.
A monumental part of that is clinging to miniscule snippets of information surrounding young players fans believe can catapult themselves, and teams, into the limelight.
Already we’ve heard how Aaron Francis is tearing it up at Essendon. Paddy McCartin was said to be “scary” by teammate Tim Membrey, while Docker Tom Sheridan has come back ready tear the competition apart after winning a time-trial. Down the highway young Cat Brandan Parfitt has his head down and bum up as he looks to overcome any semblance of second-year Blues.
Over at Collinwood whispers of Brayden Maynard and James Aish setting the group alight circulate like socks in a dryer. Forgotten Hawk Jono O’Rourke ran like a frightened farmer in the Hawks’ time-trial that fans would have been slightly disappointed to learn was won by evergreen veteran Isaac Smith.
Gun recruits – including Jake Stringer, Devon Smith and Gary Ablett - have returned to training early in an attempt to get the jump on pre-season.
If history has taught us anything about pre-season it’s buyer beware when assessing the merits of player reports.
First of all, any player who returns to training early is simply working through a program under the eyes of coaches that others are doing in their own time. No player is doing nothing.
More importantly, reports of players who are excelling at training will generally involve third or fourth-year players beating up on first and second-year products given clubs will stagger the commencement of pre-season.
Pre-seasons initial two weeks, and sometimes longer, will be devoid of the club’s senior nucleus.
Essendon’s pre-season report surrounding former top draft pick Aaron Francis was compiled on the back of a 20-minute training session whereby Francis stood out against a bunch of kids. He’s a kid himself, but a big kid at that.
“A sight to elate Bomber fans,” was used to describe Francis’s form post a 12-minute drill.
Kyle Langford and Jayden Laverde did likewise. All three have either a huge size or experience advantage over the club’s babies.
Rest assured they’ll get put back in place Monday when the likes of Dyson Heppell, Michael Hurley, Cale Hooker, Joe Daniher and David Myers return to training.
One industry insider at the coalface of a big Melbourne club said it was laughable to be talking up players in the opening weeks of training.
“You’ve got to laugh at some of the stuff that’s written,” he said.
“People always ask ‘whose flying’ and I wouldn’t have clue. The pre-season is so long that players can actually find form, lose it again and then get it back just before the season starts.
“What I do know is that some of the early stuff involving first to four year players is so misleading its almost worth taking no notice of. In fact it’s better to take no notice of it.
“It might sell a few papers but coaches aren’t buying it.
“If a young player is still beating up on teammates late February then its fair to say he’ll be on the radar.”
It’s worth considering the first game still 118 days away.
It’s also worth taking into account recent prognostications.
In the lead up to 2016 the hype surrounding the likes of Brisbane’s Sam Mayes, Collingwood’s Brent Macaffer, Docker duo Jack Hannath and Sam Collins, Geelong’s George Horlin-Smith, former Hawk Billy Hartung and axed Demon Dean Terlich was palpable as media outlets spruiked the group as primed to take the next step.
Less than two years on five of the seven are currently not on club lists.
This time around will be no different.
So take what you want from reports from your club.
A young player ‘flying’ now is a good bet to be grounded by the start of the season. Of course others will surprise.
How many, and who that might be, is what creates the buzz. Just don’t buy too much of it.