Gave this bloke a wack yesterday for continuing to push Trengove while he had fracture symptoms in his foot. And now he is paying the price for that insipid decision.

Anyway should we start asking questions? When he started with Neeld he said it would take 3 seasons to get us up to scratch. Yet when i look now we are still struggling to play a 4 qtr game.. We are not running hard and our effort to spread hard is deplorable.

Very surprised he hasn't come under heat.

I suspect that his 3 years comments were lip-service. Surely, he knew that there would be a significant turn over of the list over the coming three years. He is now faced with a largely inexperienced list that he then has to get up to speed again. If PJ and co deem Misson isn't doing his job, then fine, but until then we've bigger fish to fry.

I have always questioned this blokes "Gravitas" and methods!

Based on what? Lol, ridiculous comment. You wouldn't have a clue what his methods are.

It aint Misson

It's player attitude once the game starts

Dave has worked with Olympic Squads

GET SOME LEADERS on field

Its not the fitness people, it's not the doctors, it's not the coaches, it's not the boot studder, its not the physios, its not the property steward, its not the president, its not the CEO,

Its the SENIOR players, all of them. They all need to go at the end of this year if we want this club to start gaining some competitiveness and respect.

Our injuries haven't been too bad and we've ran out some games well, the fact is we don't run in to games so how can we tell if we run out of them!

I'm worried about the lack of muscle on some of our senior guys and the lack of strength of pretty much the whole team, but I still think it's mainly mental.

Not his best day today but I still think pound for pound Nathan Jones can serve it up to any AFL player with his combination of endurance, a good burst of speed and strength.

Tom McDonald needs a lot of work as a player and to improve his speed off the mark and agility, but he'll keep running as much as anyone in the league.

Our best are fit enough. Some of our young kids really gut run and keep providing effort (Hogan, Brayshaw, Stretch).

As with all things Melbourne I worry more about why we can't get more players following the standards and stepping up.

I've been concerned with the rise in hammy injuries this year though 'George'.

Misson is not our problem, and if he is, he's a long way down the list.

Not being able to run out games would suggest to me Misson and our fitness team more broadly are struggling.

However, every week we see us pick and choose which quarters we want to play.

The issue is much more likely to be an unwillingness to run, not an inability (that doesn't mean our fitness levels are good enough, I just suspect that what we're seeing is really a lack of effort rather than a lack of conditioning with players trying their hardest to run but not able to).

Caveat - I know nothing about sports science.

Still suss on this paleo/low carb diet.

Isn't that what Hollywood people do to stay thin?

Isn't that what midde aged men do to lose their spare tyre?

These are 20-something young men who do not have a weight problem.

They are playing in an endurance sport.

Give them the fuel to play out 120 minutes of hard running.

bit hard to hold him to the '3 seasons rule' when we turnover 50% of the list in 2 years!

If he had a fairly consistent squad I reckon he could get us up to speed

Harmes, Stretch, ANB, Brayshaw, Vanders, etc etc are the ones struggling and they have hardly had one season. If we were a decent team these guys would be builiding their tanks in the twos

He may be a problem, but how would you know? Their fitness didn't excuse that first half. Or the first half last week.

I know it's fun to look for The Cause, or one The Few Reasons, why we are like this but they don't seem to me to be so easy to point out.

Nathan Jones' form has been the patchiest it has been in 4 years. Who do I blame for that? I can think of one bloke...

Listening to Misson and the way he interacts with with Burgo during the weekly injury update makes me want to lose the will to live.

I trust it's not the same level of enthusiasm when he's dealing with the playing group.

Legitimate question: could Jonesy just be suffering from newborn-related sleep deprivation? Is that a common occurrence for players after having a kid?

Legitimate question: could Jonesy just be suffering from newborn-related sleep deprivation? Is that a common occurrence for players after having a kid?

His kid is almost 1 years old... I highly doubt it!

His kid is almost 1 years old... I highly doubt it!

There's every chance even at 2 yrs of age.

Both my kids were shockers and it puts enormous strain on your performance at work.

Mentioned this in another thread. Our players can not run hard both ways early in games let alone late. Time for him to go.

That ain't fitness. Its mental. Desire and intent.

Why don't we ask ourselves how clean is this sport that we love so much, and I am afraid of what sort of a possible answer might explain a lot of many peoples questions

It sure did at Essendon....

Not being able to run out games would suggest to me Misson and our fitness team more broadly are struggling.

However, every week we see us pick and choose which quarters we want to play.

The issue is much more likely to be an unwillingness to run, not an inability (that doesn't mean our fitness levels are good enough, I just suspect that what we're seeing is really a lack of effort rather than a lack of conditioning with players trying their hardest to run but not able to).

Caveat - I know nothing about sports science.

Its not running out games. Its starting them. We have been pole-axed by 135pts to 22pts in the last 3 first quarters.

Its not running out games. Its starting them. We have been pole-axed by 135pts to 22pts in the last 3 first quarters.

And that is 72.4% of our losing margin over that time in one quarter of footy! haha, good lord. Only lost the other 9 quarters by 43 points...

I can picture Misson reading this doing a 'Neil De Grasse Tyson in a theatre gif'. I can't upload it atm...

Its not running out games. Its starting them. We have been pole-axed by 135pts to 22pts in the last 3 first quarters.

I agree.

What I was trying to say was, if we were struggling to run out games every week, I'd say there's an issue with our fitness. That's not the problem though.

The biggest issue facing the club is, and has been for years, mental, not physical.

There's every chance even at 2 yrs of age.

Both my kids were shockers and it puts enormous strain on your performance at work.

He's paid enough that he can hire a nanny or make some other arrangements if that was the case. I think he's really just struggling with a hard tag as he often has when the rest of the midfield isn't functioning. Moving him forward was a smart idea, but he has to start around the ball each week.

He's paid enough that he can hire a nanny or make some other arrangements if that was the case. I think he's really just struggling with a hard tag as he often has when the rest of the midfield isn't functioning. Moving him forward was a smart idea, but he has to start around the ball each week.

Just on that, what the heck was that three man midfield yesterday at one centre bounce? Jones ended up coming in as the inside slider and then stayed at the next stoppage, but was that deliberate or poor communication from our mids?

Edited August 24, 201510 yr by AdamFarr

Why do our players always look to have smaller muscles, less endurance, acceleration and speed?

Surely this indicates that we are doing something wrong in this department.

Edited August 30, 201510 yr by Clint Bizkit

Why do our players always look to have smaller muscles, less endurance, acceleration and speed?

Surely this indicates that we are doing something wrong in this department.

Can you teach acceleration or speed?

I'm also not sure there's enough evidence to know we have worse endurance.

On the smaller muscles point though, I agree entirely. For years and years our players have looked smaller/skinnier/weaker than their opponents.

Can you teach acceleration or speed?

I'm also not sure there's enough evidence to know we have worse endurance.

You're right, our endurance probably isn't so bad in fact it could be why we are so slow off the mark as we have a team of marathon runners instead of sprinters.

Was mentioned on the radio the other day that we're heavily into an ex-AFL player turned sports scientist, but I can't remember who it was. One of Ricciuto's mates I think they said.