Andrew Lovett joined in today’s first skills training session after nearing being traded by the club and coach Matthew Knights said it was business as usual.
“The blunt fact is that we endeavored to do a trade with Andrew and it didn’t eventuate,” he said.
“I had breakfast with him a couple of days afterwards and we sat down and looked at the way we would attack things. He’s been integrated beautifully back into the group and they players are very pleased that he is back and training well.
“Three days after the trade period he was back in the gym at Windy Hill pushing weights and getting himself ready for the season so it’s all about actions for Andrew rather that words. He is going to have to let his training performance and footy do the speaking.”
Knights said that Lovett came into the AFL systems “pretty late” as a rookie and is still maturing as a person and a player.
“I would hope the experience he went through with the draft would see him focus on the positive elements rather than the negatives and the way he is doing things at the moment suggests that,” he said.
“He’s not holding any grudges, we’re not holding any grudges – we’re moving on. We have many different personalities in the playing group and Andrew is just one of those.”
Among a range of topics discussed today, Knights confirmed that Tom Hislop – delisted by the club last month – would continue to train with the Bombers ahead of the November 29 draft and that he expected the 19-year-old to be drafted by another club.
He said the decision to delist Hislop was made for a number of reasons including that “he had let himself down with his off-field behavior”.
Knights expects improvement from the young list in 2009 as they get better at executing his game style and said that there are currently about 22 players in the main training group and 14 players on rehabilitation programs.
“The guys on full training are fine, their attitude is first class and they have come back with a spring in their step,” he said.
“The guys on rehab just need to take it slow and be cautious but we are quite pleased with how the group as a whole has come back.
“The rehab guys will be integrated back into the main group in the next four-six weeks and I would assume, by the end of November, we will have most players up and running.”
The coach said he was encouraged by the sight of injured new recruit Brent Prismall doing warm-ups with the squad.
“He enjoyed doing the warm-up with the players,” Knights said.
“We have had to temper his ambition, he was looking at a Round 1 return but we need to make sure he is right for the next 10-12 years rather than the early part of the season.
“It’s great to have recruited someone with such a professional attitude about his football and the feedback we get from Geelong is that he was one of the young players that really attacked his footy with a great deal of professionalism and we are proud to have him here.”
Knights said there was no rush to make any decisions about leadership saying that he felt the 2008 leadership group, and captain Matthew Lloyd, were good during the season especially during the tough times.
