I had breakfast with the Storm's Cooper Cronk recently and he shared a view on Dee's youngsters work ethic.

He said he looked at them in the gym (that they share at AAMI) and couldn't believe how lazy they are. He said they work through their sets with no intensity or purpose. The younger blokes clown around and none of the older blokes pull them into line. He said the Storms weight session intensity compared to the dees was a million miles apart.

After Green's swipe at some of the younger players, Jimmy's books observations and now this - it's no wonder Neeld wants to turnover half the list.

So, when was it he "looked in"? How many times and for how long did he look in?

How do you know him by the way Canplay?

So, when was it he "looked in"? How many times and for how long did he look in?

How do you know him by the way Canplay?

Yeah-Canplay-is your source sure he didn't see Cale in there racking up 200lbs on the bench all day?

Yeah-Canplay-is your source sure he didn't see Cale in there racking up 200lbs on the bench all day?

Cale had ALL the weights on his dumbbells, hence why no one else could work out...

Cale had ALL the weights on his dumbbells, hence why no one else could work out...

Gys was spotting for him .

I had breakfast with the Storm's Cooper Cronk recently and he shared a view on Dee's youngsters work ethic.

He said he looked at them in the gym (that they share at AAMI) and couldn't believe how lazy they are. He said they work through their sets with no intensity or purpose. The younger blokes clown around and none of the older blokes pull them into line. He said the Storms weight session intensity compared to the dees was a million miles apart.

After Green's swipe at some of the younger players, Jimmy's books observations and now this - it's no wonder Neeld wants to turnover half the list.

Sounds like fair degree of frog s%$t to me!

Say what you like about the sport, but one look at a Rugby League player will tell you they sure know how to work a gym.

....And couldn't run out of sight on a dark night. NRL players are very heavily muscled with little aerobic capacity. AFL players may well make similar comments about their running capacity/training.

Can't fault those Storm boys.

They know how to get it done.

Then we got Collingwood across the paddock and we get told how unfit and easy our clubs had it.

Can't they see how hard the oppositions working ?

By the look of some of our side I'm surprised they know where the gym is .

Been that way for years.

Watching Dee TV I've had similar misgivings as those above.

For where we sit on the ladder, theres a hell of alot of doing buck all but [censored] fartin' around in the common room by the looks.

I doubt Neeld will let this fly imo. He ill know how hard they are all working, he doesnt settle for second best or at least claims as much on a regular basis. And i agree i bet MOST weights sessions or sessions of any variety will have a number of coaches, and fitness staff aka Misson available. Misson has gotten 2 clubs very fit in Sydney and teh saints i dont doubt Misson personally

League players are built like tanks. There is a greater emphasis on weights training because of this. I wonder if Cronk considered this when he made those remarks?

I am not trying to excuse the young players' (alleged) laziness. Actually I don't know what to think of it.

The storm used to train at Princes park sharing with Cartton, & there training maentor taught the Storm & Judd some jiujitsu moves and holds & chokes & wrestling moves.

Cronk would know how AFL players need to workout for endurance & power. It would be similar to Billy Slaters workouts. He runs a fair bit & is very fit.

so when he says he noticed how we go about it, since we are now nearly a year into sharing AAMI stadium & facilities with them. He would have noticed.

Honesty isn't our enemy, slackness is.

I know. I quite enjoy the Dee TV stuff, but I find myself wondering if Hawthorn or Collingwood players also find the time to arse about as much as ours seem to...

Watch their websites tv and they are the same. All clubs' players stuff around in the players lounge when they're not doing sessions.

Morton, Watts, Gysberts, Cook, all players that come to mind as too Skinny.

They should be bigger, no doubt at all.

Jeremy Cameron has been in the system a year and is bigger than them all,

yet started the year smaller!

Watch their websites tv and they are the same. All clubs' players stuff around in the players lounge when they're not doing sessions.

That must be then...

But hey, why are we so far behind AFL elite fitness?

Oh, and by the way, why is it we are so small compared to the AFL's bigger bodied teams?

Just skinny bones for sure. They're drinking skinny milk.

A couple more seasons of the current FD regime and they'll grow - or be gone

Morton, Watts, Gysberts, Cook, all players that come to mind as too Skinny.

They should be bigger, no doubt at all.

Jeremy Cameron has been in the system a year and is bigger than them all,

yet started the year smaller!

wrong Cameron was a listed 17yo wasnt he, wasnt nation drafted las tyear so has had an equal amount of time as Cook in the system and one less than Gys

....And couldn't run out of sight on a dark night. NRL players are very heavily muscled with little aerobic capacity. AFL players may well make similar comments about their running capacity/training.

The ability to increase cardiovascular fitness and muscle mass are not mutually exclusive. You could run 10k, then turn around and bust out a full upper body weights routine back to back if you wanted to. The muscles used for each are totally different.

And the best part is, once you're done, you get to eat food and lounge around playing table tennis if you want. It's a win/win/win.

You cant have a crack at dee tv because its for the supporters and its filmed in the players free time. Seriously you cant expect them to be working out for 12 hours a day.

Our players do look very small though with the exception of a few but with Neeld Mission and Craig I think we will stamp out the slackers (eg Moloney Petterd Morton). Hopefully the tide will slowly turn and we will see a proffessional MFC take the park round 1 next year. One that we have all been crying out for.

I heard very similar over the past couple of years from someone who works with the Storm and the Demons - was hoping to hear things had changed ...

Something can easily be done about the gym sesssions... Someone 'mentors' them

This isnt rocket science

i doubt the coaches would just say "ok boys off to the gym" without anyone watching them and helping them train of course they would stuff around if no ones there

Point is, as I have said in the Bailey thread, these guys are highly paid full time professionals, but some are not behaving that way.

They should drive emselves and if they dont then they need to make way for some who will.

I must say I find this in some ways incredible, but certainly it would explain the train wreck of the Bailey years.

And Brad, if you saw this, ESPECIALLY WHILST YOU WERE CAPTAIN, and did nothing to rectify it, YOU ARE DOUBLY CUPLABLE!

Point is, as I have said in the Bailey thread, these guys are highly paid full time professionals, but some are not behaving that way.

They should drive emselves and if they dont then they need to make way for some who will.

I must say I find this in some ways incredible, but certainly it would explain the train wreck of the Bailey years.

And Brad, if you saw this, ESPECIALLY WHILST YOU WERE CAPTAIN, and did nothing to rectify it, YOU ARE DOUBLY CUPLABLE!

This is completely and totally unsubstantiated, I haven't seen the topic starter come back on and 'justify' some of his/her comments, as another poster said, the topic raiser seems down on everything Melbourne, and it did open the door for some of his/her fellow naysayers on this board to join in.......unless you are there everyday what would 'we' know....they don't pump weights every single day.......and last time I looked Cronk is a Storm player not Demons, so how would he know what sort of daily program each player has.......this is rubbish perpetuated by the usual suspects

Its all purely coincendental I suppose , that we have had too many younger bodies out there undersized over the recent years ?

Its been the oft comparison of similarly drafted players at others clubs that sparked much of this debate in the first place.

Yep...nothing here

I heard very similar over the past couple of years from someone who works with the Storm and the Demons - was hoping to hear things had changed ...

They may have, stuie is right - I take certain posters at face value, but not canplay as yet.

I understand that last year (and in previous years) MFC did not have enough support staff to properly supervise the weights sessions.

However apparently one of the benefits of an increase in support staff is the ability to keep a watchful eye on the various training sessions.

Neeld, Craig and Misson are not fools and I'm sure they are accutely aware of what's going on in and around the club: who's pulling his weight and who isn't!

We shall all have a very good idea of who's a slacker and who isn't by the end of November!

Morton, Watts, Gysberts, Cook, all players that come to mind as too Skinny.

They should be bigger, no doubt at all.

Jeremy Cameron has been in the system a year and is bigger than them all,

yet started the year smaller!

Sorry,I take exception with your no doubt at all. I cannot comment at all about the effort those skinny boys put in in the gym but you are aware that no two peoples are the same and you are aware that there are body types that just cannot bulk up ? I saw Matty Lappin at a social function about two years ago and he said he was the curse of the Carlton weight room. No matter what they tried he could not bulk up.He pumped more weights than anyone but as soon as he went on the track to keep his fitness level up the 100gms of muscle fell off.

A couple more seasons of the current FD regime and they'll grow - or be gone

I think this has been a flow on culture issue from the past culture that grew from the late 90's, with that footy dept, our spoilt core players, & a keep on the track at all costs so don't tackle or chase attitude.

It's seems it's been adopted by the younger players on easy money. IMO the tail has been wagging the dog, & the Tail is still trying to hang on to power.

This is why we need to clear out the old passive guard of our club and bring in some vets with intensity & a strong desire for doing the hard yards & implementing the successful attitudes.

I know the Coaches will be trying to shift the culture but you also need some players to come in & command respect,,, & to instill the winning ways into a soft group.

The fact that Magner and Sellar were recruited was, in part, because both demonstrated the opposite of this culture, as in hunger, humility and a commitment to do the work required to prepare for the AFL.