31 minutes ago, I'va Worn Smith said:

DC, please read my originating post

and i'm saying wait much longer than that

Quote

Is David King right?  Should we tank.... sorry..."manage" our core group now, or wait a bit longer?  I want to beat Carltank more than anything this week.

After that, let's see.  Your thoughts?

 

I'm assuming there's still a bye round(s) at some point this year?

Edited May 10, 20213 yr by Seraph

19 minutes ago, I'va Worn Smith said:

At no stage, in my originating post, did I even remotely suggest players should be rested now.  I raised an issue ,which was discussed on radio this morning, about when might be an appropriate time to rest players.  That is all.  Once the timing may be decided, then the mix of players being rested wil become the key.

So in terms of the when I think there would need to be certain boxes ticked. Firstly obviously finals mathematically sewn up, I would say round 14-15 at the earliest for that. Secondly we would have to have really strong form from the players coming through to take their spot, great example is that if TMac was developing an issue somewhere I feel we won't lose a lot by bringing Weid in. Thirdly it has to be against a lowly opponent that is hopefully decimated by injury, a lowly team that actually still has a decent look at it's best 22 can bring it. Round 18-22 would be the earliest I can think of but we actually have a tough run home so perhaps if all the stars align a lesser team in amongst there could work. I personally think it's a dangerous game to play, and silly of King to be suggesting it now.

13 minutes ago, I'va Worn Smith said:

OMG.  As Paul Simon said once'...Still a man hears what he wants to hear, but disregards the rest....

I read that as Paul Salmon originally and thought "I didn't realise the big Fish was so eloquent"

Always reward performance, play your best available squad and respect your supporters, the opposition, and the players.

Resting players for no reason is arrogant.  Allowing niggling injuries to heal is different.

They get two byes before a finals series. If injured then rest but resting for resting’s sake doesn’t seem necessary to me.

7 minutes ago, buck_nekkid said:

Always reward performance, play your best available squad and respect your supporters, the opposition, and the players.

Resting players for no reason is arrogant.  Allowing niggling injuries to heal is different.

Agreed and thank you

It's too early to go there IMO. If we can win the next 2, which wiĺl be tough, then we will turn 11-2 minimum at the bye. That means 5-4 in the back half to frank top 4. Just keep winning!

It's a long way to finals when we need to peak and we can start planning for that when we have at 14 or 15 wins in the bag.

1 hour ago, Pates said:

I remember North started a year with 9 wins and scraped into finals. 

The last time we were 8-0, in 1965, we failed to even make finals!  

Don't want to do a Geelong from just about every year since 2012 and look dominant in the H&A season, only to become undone in the finals, due to fatigue (even mental fatigue perhaps). We should rotate and rest players. It doesn't mean gifting players games they don't deserve. It doesn't mean giving every bloke on our list a game/s. Rotating players through can only be a positive, even if only 1-3 changes a week. We don't want to cop injuries just before the finals and introduce players into the team that aren't used to the speed of the game because they haven't played seniors all year (this happened to Adelaide in 2005 and 2006 from memory, basically undefeated in the H&A seasons, copped awful injury runs at the end of the season to bow out before the GFs).

In saying all of that, I think there will be a massive game differential between the top 9 teams, and all teams after that. I completed the predictor last night, and 9th (Richmond or GWS in my book) could end up missing finals with 14 wins, whilst teams could miss top 4 with 17 wins because of percentage. That's what happens when there are so many poor teams, and lower teams drop off once they know their season is over (and start prepping for the following season). In saying this, we still need to keep winning. We have the Dogs twice, WCE in Perth, Port Adelaide in Adelaide and Geelong in Geelong. Hopefully we can win some of these, but we would probably go in favourite in just one of them (Dogs at home). That would mean four losses if we lose all the games we would likely start underdogs in. This means we really cannot lose many (if any) more than this if we want to guarantee top two for a home final (and perhaps even top four).

 

 

 

A conservative approach is being taken with Viney that I'm not sure would have occurred in seasons past.  In my view, this is both a sound approach and something that being in the strong ladder/win-loss position we are in affords. 

Little Charlie Spargo looks like he could do with a rest. 

But in all seriousness, will be interesting to see Burgo's approach to player management. I recall Port circa 2014 suddenly dropped a number of games in the back third of the season and it was later revealed they were getting flogged on the track as a mini 'pre-season' ahead of finals. A kick shy of the grand final but had to launch from 5th after sitting atop the ladder for much of the season. 

Petracca at 85% is clearly still in our best 5 to 10 players. If this week was a final or a crucial game, therefore he plays. Against Carlton at 85% when we're 8-0, I think you rest him as the slight/somewhat increase in chance of a related injury isn't worth taking.

Generally, if players are fully fit (or close enough to), you don't rest them. The exception is if you have valuable players who you know can't play a full season (ie. Buddy, Burgoyne, eagle's Kennedy) so there's some whole season management.

We don't have anyone in that bracket.

29 minutes ago, Skuit said:

Little Charlie Spargo looks like he could do with a rest. 

Whilst I was not at the MCG  last Sat night ( live interstate) I watched twice on TV and didn't think Charlie looked "flat".

Form was good for all Of the game and contested well In all aspects. 

Without knowing intrinsically what each individual is going through - it's impossible for us outside the group to know the right way to manage the loads on the players. 

But he is right in there needs to be management of the group to ensure fitness for the back end of the year, prevent any mental burnout and the guys peaking when it counts.

You want the team settled for the last 4-6 weeks pre finals. Between now and then we are in a very enviable position where we can strategically 'rest' players, experiment in positions (why not leave max FF for a game and let Jackson/BB/weed take the load for example), and also rotate through the guys who deserve it in the 2s so as they're ready if And when injuries happen. 

 

Should we have rested TMac because he had a quiet game the week before, if so we would have lost to Sydney.  Sydney would be build confidence and have an easier run (less pressure) into the finals.  They would also draw confidence if they met us in the finals.

You play your best team and beat all opposition teams.  Note each loss experienced by the opposition adds pressure to win an extra game.  This can lead to playing players who are 50/50 and the possibility that they are then not available for finals.  Also the pressure from having to win do or die games can build a mental toll which effects performance as time wears on.

Winning games is more than just 4 points.

I'm not sure about resting players, but I would like to see people who are performing well in the seconds rewarded. I would like to see some of the young players given a sniff of what it's like so in the case of needing to play them in big games/finals, we aren't throwing them to the wolves. No matter how successful we become, we always need to be looking to the future.

11 minutes ago, Bendigo_Demon said:

I'm not sure about resting players, but I would like to see people who are performing well in the seconds rewarded. I would like to see some of the young players given a sniff of what it's like so in the case of needing to play them in big games/finals, we aren't throwing them to the wolves. No matter how successful we become, we always need to be looking to the future.

Trouble with players in the seconds is they don’t play much. We are at game 9 in the seniors and our Casey side has play 2 games. As a back up competition it is crap and proves very little about wether a player is ready for senior action. 

The only players who might need resting are the young players who have found themselves playing every game just as Jordon, Pickett, Jackson and Rivers. Even then though it’s only a strong *might*.

I would expect a senior player to be able to play the whole season without being rested for games. There are other ways the club can manage workload, such as light weeks on the track, or even a few days break mid-week. I wouldn’t want to see us putting weaker teams on the field.

I am on board with resting players, however I lean towards it being more mental than physical.

At this point of the season we can probably get away with mid week resting.

 

Over the course of a year, fitness drops off as recovery is the priority midweek. Definitely need to ramp up training to prepare for finals

 

I can't help but think this is a bad idea, and honestly if we did get accused of resting players and then lose that week, David King is exactly the kind of media person to point the finger and say we're getting arrogant.

This is why you have competition for places. The team we have on the park in 10 rounds time is going to be very different to the team now (as Goody says). Maxy is probably the only one I reckon where you might if he is carrying an injury, but otherwise you just gotta put the best team out there.

 

25 minutes ago, Nasher said:

The only players who might need resting are the young players who have found themselves playing every game just as Jordon, Pickett, Jackson and Rivers. Even then though it’s only a strong *might*.

I would expect a senior player to be able to play the whole season without being rested for games. There are other ways the club can manage workload, such as light weeks on the track, or even a few days break mid-week. I wouldn’t want to see us putting weaker teams on the field.

These are full-time professional footballers who play a game for about 2 and a half hours, once per week. The rest of the week - the remaining, say, 35 hours of nominal work should be sufficient to give them any rest that they need.

If a player is carrying an injury, that's a different thing. Not playing for that reason is because the player is injured, not because they need a "rest". 

We have a bye during round 14. Everyone gets a rest and I think the Players Association mandate 4 days away from the club during the bye - can someone confirm this?

Resting the young guns - Kozzie, Jordon, Jackson, Rivers - once each between round 16 - 22 makes sense.