How much can skills be improved

[Ted Lasso 19,549]

Alot of the midfielders seem to have lost pace and as a result they are rushed alot of the time, possible the hard pre season program is just going to take it's toll for a year or two until we get up to scratch?

[Little Richard 6,265]

Alot of the midfielders seem to have lost pace and as a result they are rushed alot of the time, possible the hard pre season program is just going to take it's toll for a year or two until we get up to scratch?

Here's hoping and this is what Misson and Neeld said last year but people seem to have forgotten about that.

[The heart beats true 18,145]

Here is my opinion of how a lot of the system works, and how it's detrimental to the players involved.

I played junior footy with and against a lot of good players in the TAC cup. I had a very ordinary left foot and my kicking in general was not as good as it should have been.

I never once has a junior coach work with me on my kicking action or skills, even though it was acknowledged as my weakness by everyone. The goal of the system is to create good players but to be honest a lot of the coaching staff are driven to make the step to the next level and so winning becomes much more important than development. So what often happened was the best players where the players that worked the hardest and had something special (speed, size). It's shocking when I look back on it because it makes me realize that a lot of young guys are coming into the AFL system that have relied on their size or desire much more than their skills.

I think skills can be improved dramatically, but I find it such a shame that some of these kids are learning things as 19-22 year olds that they should be learning when they are 14. With the emphasis on fitness so important in the modern game some players are starting a long way back if their skills aren't what they should be and they have to take the time to focus on skills too. I bet that most development coaches at AFL level would tell you the same thing.