5 minutes ago, 1964_2 said:

A big hit to use “loaders” tonight!  More than happy to put my hand up and admit when wrong. 

Absolutely no excuses tonight. And the similarity with other “loading” losses just too uncanny. 

Sure loading is a big factor, but more than happy to acknowledge I placed too big a weighting on how big a factor it is/was. 

Well done to others who favoured other factors. That second half, was just really weak in so many different ways. 

Sorry guys, but I fear this year will go down as a wasted golden opportunity. 
 

Yep. Periodisation is an extreme balancing act and can back fire if it goes wrong.

It seems to me that Griffith and in season injuries at critical times has really [censored] up our program. If we still had Burgess' excellence I'm sure he would have understood what to do and got it right regardless, but Griffith seems to have [censored] it. Not peaking like we should in terms of fitness.

Clear as day.. No time to fix now unfortunately it's game over. Collingwood have really done well to balance and are running games out extraordinary, well done to them.

6 minutes ago, 1964_2 said:

A big hit to use “loaders” tonight!  More than happy to put my hand up and admit when wrong. 

Absolutely no excuses tonight. And the similarity with other “loading” losses just too uncanny. 

Sure loading is a big factor, but more than happy to acknowledge I placed too big a weighting on how big a factor it is/was. 

Well done to others who favoured other factors. That second half, was just really weak in so many different ways. 

Sorry guys, but I fear this year will go down as a wasted golden opportunity. 
 

The problem I have with that loss was it was 3.4 to 7.4 after half time. That’s eerily similar to the games we lost during our supposed ‘peak’ loading. The last quarter we never really looked to have the legs when the ball was in play. Our 2 goals came from centre clearances. 

It’s not going to plan. That much is now clear.

This wasn't the effects of loading tonight we are beyond this part of the season. This defied logic, coughed up a game that should never have been in doubt.

1 hour ago, titan_uranus said:

But that's the point - the idea of the loading theory was that we were losing those mid-season games to peak our fitness now. If other sides are doing better fitness-wise than us, including the side which has won 11 straight and therefore clearly didn't need to load up mid-season like us, it's hard to accept loading is why we dropped those mid-season games. If it was, the loading certainly didn't pay off tonight.

careful

you'll upset the loading gurus

We dominated the first half, looked unstoppable 

then then ran over the top of us. They being the second bottom team from last year with several veterans and several kids

46 minutes ago, 1964_2 said:

A big hit to use “loaders” tonight!  More than happy to put my hand up and admit when wrong. 

Absolutely no excuses tonight. And the similarity with other “loading” losses just too uncanny. 

Sure loading is a big factor, but more than happy to acknowledge I placed too big a weighting on how big a factor it is/was. 

Well done to others who favoured other factors. That second half, was just really weak in so many different ways. 

Sorry guys, but I fear this year will go down as a wasted golden opportunity. 
 

Loading is not a factor tonight, this part of our season is complete.

We had our chances and didn't convert, they tackled well and took nearly every chance they had 

1 minute ago, Diamond_Jim said:

careful

you'll upset the loading gurus

The questions will be answered in September not August, hanging in there believers im taking names tonight.

Tough one to swallow tonight real tough live to fight another day.

5 minutes ago, YesitwasaWin4theAges said:

The questions will be answered in September not August, hanging in there believers im taking names tonight.

Tough one to swallow tonight real tough live to fight another day.

Feel free to take my name. R21, and we lost in a similar manner to other losses. That changes a few assumptions for me. 
 

Conjecture, conjecture, conjecture..

Just concede that the loading impact on results is miniscule. Total BS to say that it's a contributing factor to results. Every club contending for finals is loading to a certain extent, so any impact is neutralized.

Some people think they are smarter than they actually are.

Let's stop this nonsense.

2 hours ago, mo64 said:

Just concede that the loading impact on results is miniscule. Total BS to say that it's a contributing factor to results. Every club contending for finals is loading to a certain extent, so any impact is neutralized.

Some people think they are smarter than they actually are.

Let's stop this nonsense.

100%. Its only ever been a factor for those that can't or won't come to terms with what their eyes can see is happening on field. 

I'm sure they'll find another excuse shortly 

Feels like it's time to close this thread as it cant be used as an excuse any longer. Sorry Binman.

Staggering how much legs this has ever gotten. Sure we have probably loaded, as have the other teams, but it's just another embarassing excuse for some of our down hill skiing. 

Our stats last night looked like it should probably have been a win, but in the one thing that really matters, pressure, we again got out done by the Pies. Everything we did was under pressure, while not everything they did was. That is just will to win and unrelenting competitiveness. It's just not in the DNA of our club. We can do it ok when things are on our terms. We look timid and weak when the physical pressure really gets put on us. Really not an admirable trait for a team to have.

Edited August 5, 20223 yr by rufus

1 minute ago, rufus said:

Sure we have probably loaded, as have the other teams,

No we haven't and neither have they. But agree with you, staggering how much legs this has gotten for something that never happened.

1 minute ago, bing181 said:

No we haven't and neither have they. But agree with you, staggering how much legs this has gotten for something that never happened.

What are you smoking? Of course we've loaded.

It’s interesting that so many people can’t comprehend loading (fatigue) effecting performance but also think us not being fit enough (fatigue) is why we lost.

 

1 hour ago, BW511 said:

It’s interesting that so many people can’t comprehend loading (fatigue) effecting performance but also think us not being fit enough (fatigue) is why we lost.

 

We can all comprehend it. 

It's just the sheer face-palmery of dissecting games looking for fatigue in every corner. 

It's so silly. There are so many factors. And there are so many factors to fatigue, loading being one of them. 

@binmanseems to have turned into the Oracle around these parts and predicted a comfortable win. Maybe his loading timetable is out of whack?

We lost because we didn't make the most of our chances both at goal and going inside 50. That can be attributed to about 5 things before loading would even enter the conversation. 

Nevertheless, keen to hear how next week should be another bounce, or sorry is it a dip? 

Someone will tell me no doubt! 

(sarcasm) 

Edited August 5, 20223 yr by JimmyGadson

It's interesting to compare the run in our legs between the Freo game and the Pies game. We didn't need to work anywhere near as hard defensively due to the Dockers inability to take on our zone defence. Contrast that with Collingwood and Bulldogs who constantly moved the ball, switched, ran hard at our lines and regularly got in behind our zone, which required us to work harder defensively. Putting the loading argument aside, those sides with the ability to execute a plan that counteracts our defence will make us work a lot harder and possibly cause us to run out of legs near the end of games. I see this as a fitness issue which won't be solved this season. This doesn't mean we can't go all the way, but it does mean we need to take our chances. 

This is also the difficulty of winning back to back flags. Teams are all gunning for us, working hard to identify a game plan that disrupts our strength. We've been worked out now, good teams are using the same approach to defeat us and we somehow need to adapt. Again, we are not far off, our gameplan still has us in the contest deep into games, but we need to take our chances.

Edited August 5, 20223 yr by Boots and all

What a load of BS. Fact is we just aren't good enough

6 minutes ago, COVID Dan said:

What a load of BS. Fact is we just aren't good enough

I would agree with you if we were losing by 5 goals, but that's simply not the case. We are good enough, we just need to fix up a few skill issues, our leaders hit form and take our chances. 

3 minutes ago, Boots and all said:

I would agree with you if we were losing by 5 goals, but that's simply not the case. We are good enough, we just need to fix up a few skill issues, our leaders hit form and take our chances. 

Agree, i accept what you're saying.

But to play devils advocate "pardon the pun", out system has consistently been broken by good teams this year in second halfs.

I am not saying the MFC can not win it, i am saying based on form and talent, we lack the big guns and offesnsive capability the Pies and Cats have.

We apparently pride  ourselves on defensive pressure, but the Pies scored at an alarming rate and efficiency last night.

You could argue until your blue if it is about coaching, personnel or form, but simple fact is the AFL want offense and will favor those teams who produce it. And in big games this year the MFC has failed time and time again to stop other teams run.

 

It's the Pies and Cats season

50 minutes ago, COVID Dan said:

Agree, i accept what you're saying.

But to play devils advocate "pardon the pun", out system has consistently been broken by good teams this year in second halfs.

I am not saying the MFC can not win it, i am saying based on form and talent, we lack the big guns and offesnsive capability the Pies and Cats have.

We apparently pride  ourselves on defensive pressure, but the Pies scored at an alarming rate and efficiency last night.

You could argue until your blue if it is about coaching, personnel or form, but simple fact is the AFL want offense and will favor those teams who produce it. And in big games this year the MFC has failed time and time again to stop other teams run.

 

It's the Pies and Cats season

It certainly feels that way re cats v pies. I also agree with everything you have said. For us to win we still need to work to allow the strong parts of our gameplan to be effective. Forward line pressure would help our downfield zone a lot, but it's just not there atm.

Edited August 5, 20223 yr by Boots and all

There is fitness (loading considerations), tactics (execution of game plan) and mindset (attitude) for the want of better words. They are all to a degree interrelated. 
In my certainly  not professional opinion, if you don’t have all three switched on at the same time, that is a real issue.

I reckon we are fit enough, the tactics and even more perhaps, the mindset now need attention and adjustment. Next game will tell ( one game at a time).

We are the reigning premiers which obviously makes things even more challenging ( being the hunted, etc). I still have faith that we can go all the way. Can we? Yes. Will we? Maybe.

GO DEES 

Edited August 6, 20223 yr by Wodjathefirst
Typo

Loading is a thing, it is now over and this thread should die. It simply is not a factor for our season anymore.

The bigger factors for our fortunes are on game day; so head on over to the Forward Half Concerns thread and bloodlet! 

More fun talking footy instead of fitness regimes anyway…

Too many plodders