This is my considered response to saturday (after posting a de-posted post in the early hours of this morning:

We were seated near the MFC interchange bench on Saturday and I was quite amazed at the distressed state of players when they came off for a spell. This was not last quarter i am talking about, this was ten minutes into the first quarter.

Unless you are close up you don't appreciate just how much running and work players do, all in the name of 'structure'. i would put down our last half fade out to much of this pointless running to fit in with the utopia of the coaching bench. on the other hand, the guys who had the ball *(brisbane) weren't getting tired, they were just zipping the ball round with hand and foot. so my request is , just occasionally let the players 'play'. let them off the leash and create some unpredictability within the minds of the opposition. the current obsessions are robbing teams, notably ours of one of the greatest assets on the ground, the football brain, aka 'footy smarts'.

Funny I was sitting 13 rows back from the Geelong bench at Subi last night and most of their players came off puffing but nothing like you describe for our dees. Christ the previous regime must have handicapped us compared to the rest of the comp. Bloody Geelong and Freo were awesome, thought the cats were a spent force after conceding 5 goals to nil at the start of the game but they are battle-hardened warriors that team. Bartel and Selwood, oh how we could use players like them. I abused Scarlett when he came off for a spell at the end of the 3rd quarter. I think that was the only minute (and it was literally one minute on the bench) he rested all match. Oh well he's got a month's holiday starting this week, what a throttler!!

Just got to get fitter don't they. This list hasn't even started yet.

Just goes to show how unfit we are more than anything. If they get possession of the ball they can control it more instead of chasing tail all day. Have a look at the top teams, Geelong, Coll, Haw even Carl and the frenetic pace they play at for 4 quarters. That is where we have to be. I said it last year on a few occasions, our players are either the laziest or most unfit team in the competition.

The players are so busy trying to adhere to instructions they have no flair or composure. I am not making excuses as I am sick of the pathetic performances but I guess my only light at the end of the tunnel is:

Wst Coast won a spoon while they were developing a game plan.

The Hawks were atrocious until they learned the game plan.

Adelaide were terrible under Craig because they were too structured - they are now playing more freely.

I can only hope.....

  On 01/04/2012 at 12:36, why you little said:

Just got to get fitter don't they. This list hasn't even started yet.

Too many running for too few maybe?

Are they all pulling their weight.

  On 01/04/2012 at 12:36, Dr. Gonzo said:

Just goes to show how unfit we are more than anything. If they get possession of the ball they can control it more instead of chasing tail all day. Have a look at the top teams, Geelong, Coll, Haw even Carl and the frenetic pace they play at for 4 quarters. That is where we have to be. I said it last year on a few occasions, our players are either the laziest or most unfit team in the competition.

I'm going with laziest which leads to most unfit.

Neeld and Misson come from the Pies and the Saints who have been Premiers and Grand Finalists in recent years.

They know the fitness levels of the Pies and Saints players. They've made it pretty clear that the Dees players were well below the standards they had taken for granted at the Pies and Saints.

Its gonna take longer than 1 pre season to catch up. Getting to the fitness levels of the Pies and Saints is not an option it is a must if we are to ever be competitive.

I was also surprised by the evident lack of puff - from pretty early on in the game. Been to at least a dozen training sessions and I can't believe it's due to lack of preparation. I wonder if it's because they are running aimlessly around not knowing how to respond to the instructions. So, two points:

1/- It was Round 1 and it will take more than the NAB Cup experience to learn how to put a game plan into practice under 'real' conditions

2/- Neeld had to give the likes of Green, Davey & Moloney the opportunity to show if they could satisfy the doubters in a 'real' game. I would still argue that the jury's probably still out because, again, it's too early to start panicking. I think Moloney is under scrutiny now because when it comes time for leaders to set an example, he is always missing.

Finally,FCS, give Matty Bates at least three or four successive games to come to terms with the tempo of AFL. Like Jones, he never stops trying but will never be able to prove himself until he gets some game time and the chance to develop a playing relationship with the other mid-fielders. If he doesn't measure up, we know he's tradeable.

I do not think the season is over!

Surely it's harder work chasing other people who know what they are doing and where they should be running to. As the players start understanding the structures and what is expected of them comes to them, I have no doubt that our boys will not blow as hard. (Take that last comment whichever way you want to! )

Didn't Neeld say pre-season they wouldn't even be fit enough to execute his game plan entirely in 2012?