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I’m fine with it considering we have 3x10 day breaks in a row where I’m sure players get at least 2-3 days off/10, but I don’t like the fact our interstate players only get 4 days home for a bye. Especially those from WA. Bit of trek. Would be nice for them to have more time with their families, the go home factor is tough enough already. 

4 minutes ago, Lewis said:

I’m fine with it considering we have 3x10 day breaks in a row where I’m sure players get at least 2-3 days off/10, but I don’t like the fact our interstate players only get 4 days home for a bye. Especially those from WA. Bit of trek. Would be nice for them to have more time with their families, the go home factor is tough enough already. 

No they don't get any more blocks of 2-3 days off.

Once the season starts, their only real break from the club where they can do what they want eg veg on the couch, go to noosa, fly home to see family et etc is the four days they just had. 

That's it.

They will get at least one day completely off a week, and occasionally two days. Bur not a proper rest or extended break until after their season has finished.

But even on their days off they would likely still do fitness work and certainly won't go interstate or away for a trip.

As -coach- said, these are elite level, professional athletes. They don't 'rest' in season.

Take the nine day break from the cats game to the giants game in the Alice.

We play Thursday night. They might get the Friday off, but then have to train hard on Saturday. Sunday off, and back to the club for more hard training Monday through Friday. 

Assuming we fly out Saturday (could be Friday I'd they are doing community stuff like previous years), they all get up ultra early, fly to Alice and have a captain's run on traeger Park Saturday arvo.

Play Sunday. 

Fly out Sunday night. Back in their own beds, say 3am monday morning, maybe Monday off, then back on deck for more training Tuesday.

 

 
3 hours ago, The heart beats true said:

As always, thanks for the update Kev.

It’s terrible that our players are training on the Saturday of their bye round after playing just days ago. I’m very surprised the players didn’t go to the AFLPA. I would have. 

They have 3, 10 day breaks in a row.  I’m sure they’ll survive 

1 hour ago, Diamond_Jim said:

Petty with the main group.

Thanks Kev

Very interesting.........selection wise

yep. we need a big mature body up fwd. bring him straight in I say


  • Author
2 hours ago, binman said:

We play Thursday night. They might get the Friday off, but then have to train hard on Saturday. Sunday off, and back to the club for more hard training Monday through Friday. 

Their pattern seems to be, day before game Saturday, Captain's Run, two days before that is the main session (Thursday) and two days before that is the post game review (Tuesday, but could be Monday). Fly Friday?

 I assume they will get another extended break after the Thursday night, Geelong game.

Again all speculation, though habits and routine suggests this structure.  

Edited by kev martin

4 hours ago, DubDee said:

reality is if we want to play the Big Freeze game we’ll get a shorter break. we are also a big team snow so more likely to get night games. 

Why? Pies don’t get a shorter break 

We could easily have played Geelong on Saturday night 

12 minutes ago, Jaded No More said:

Why? Pies don’t get a shorter break 

We could easily have played Geelong on Saturday night 

Pies had a shorter break last week

it all evens out

 

Oliver, Petty and Bowey giving signs they will all be available next game or very soon.

A-rangers assemble!

4 hours ago, FarNorthernD said:

We get 3 ten* day breaks in a row. Other clubs get a longer single break than we do but we have longer breaks than them either side of the bye. Surely the Club can design a program that will maximise these 3 long breaks. Who knows, if we are smart it could be an advantage 

* or nine depending on your outlook 

Last year it was a steak dinner, didn't go well.

This year it was a golf day last week.

I'm sure they'll have plans for after the Geelong game too. Spread the mental refresh over 3 weeks. Hope for the best outcome of the physical refresh.

Really I'm hoping the result is the boys get to enjoy their bye like every other club, but they now have a short week in to the Geelong game. 

That might be an advantage. Usually trainings are sloppy during bye weeks as you have a lot of time and not a lot of focus. No one wants to train hard when you've had a holiday and there's 10 days out to a game, you want to still be on holiday and feeling fresh for the only time of the season. With a shorter break the focus should be right on this week.


Thanks Kev and all posters bet there were a few sore boys out there today, lots of interesting discussions regarding breaks hopefully we have it covered going forward.!!!

I think the problem lies with trying to incorporate a loading regime mid season without being able to give the players a good 6-7 days off to freshen up. Here's hoping the 3, 10 day breaks work in our favour

Edited by Roost it far

5 hours ago, Demonstone said:

What you call a 9 day break is what most of us would call a 10 day break - 12/6 to 22/6.

If you play on consecutive Saturdays, that is seen as a 7 day break (ie. a week between games).   

Using your method, it would be 6 days as you only count the days that no football is played by the team.

 

4 hours ago, binman said:

I take your point about Saturday to Saturday, but the coaches, Selwyn Griffith and players call it a 9 day break, so I'll go with that.

How the days are counted are more than mere semantics, given the concussion protocol requires a 12 day break.

I'm quite pleased that we have the invisible bye. We need to build on the momentum of having just beaten the competition leader. If the team had been given a "real" bye, we may have wasted that opportunity. Of course, if we'd lost last week, I may have thought differently.

Now is the time we need to actually manage our list in our last ten games, especially given we almost have a full list to select from.

I suspect we won't only be going into every one of these games favourite, but most clear favourite. We have a good run home. We need to be smart. This is a far cry from last season, where we played top 8 contending teams almost every week.

We need to move towards a 'list mentality' rather than picking the same team every week (baring injury).

If we win this week, no reason why we shouldn't finish top 2, given Port Adelaide and Collingwood play each other, and both have harder runs home.

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31 minutes ago, DeeSpencer said:

Usually trainings are sloppy during bye weeks as you have a lot of time and not a lot of focus.

They were very sharp today. As you said, "With a shorter break the focus should be right on this week."

At times the ball didn't spill. They adjusted really well to the windy conditions. Even the goal kicking, which they did a fair bit of, was good. 

Edited by kev martin


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25 minutes ago, DeeZone said:

bet there were a few sore boys out there today,

They all appeared to be moving well and barely any strappings on them.

Oliver needed the asthma puffer at one stage.  The wind must have been blowing in the pollen.

Edited by kev martin

59 minutes ago, DubDee said:

Pies had a shorter break last week

it all evens out

No it doesn't, and that's one of the problems. 

6 hours ago, DubDee said:

reality is if we want to play the Big Freeze game we’ll get a shorter break. we are also a big team snow so more likely to get night games. 

I disagree.. Pies can get a 12 day break - in fact they do almost every year. We are the ones that screwed.

1 hour ago, Roost it far said:

I think the problem lies with trying to incorporate a loading regime mid season without being able to give the players a good 6-7 days off to freshen up. Here's hoping the 3, 10 day breaks work in our favour

I was thinking this has to be better for us from a loading perspective.

When Max was interviewed by Whateley last week before the Pies game, the topic of the short bye and 3 x 10 day breaks was brought up. Max actually said that the strength and conditioning team saw it as an advantage to the rest of the competition due to the training blocks we could get in to help with the backend of the season.


Kev - you mentioned goalkicking. Would you care to elaborate?   Set shot routine? Snaps? Running?

And regards the bye break   Someone mentioned that if we want  the KB freeze game we need to miss on a 10 day break    Yet once again Collingwood get a 10 day break - 2 years in a row   As I recall last year it was even long enough for one of their players (whom will get an even longer break this year) enough time to get to Bali and again display to the world what a wonderful human being he is  

 

Edited by monoccular

  • Author
25 minutes ago, monoccular said:

you mentioned goalkicking. Would you care to elaborate?   Set shot routine? Snaps? Running?

They had the manikins out and spread in an arc from boundary to boundary, it was all about set shots. I think, each group rotated into this set up 3 or 4 times during the session. The end they used had them kicking into the wind.

In the ball movement drills, the forwards all finished with snaps at, or on the run goals.

I noticed that May and Rivers had a competitive edge to their goaling, by keeping score, and the associated sledging.

Edited by kev martin

50 minutes ago, At the break of Gawn said:

When Max was interviewed by Whateley last week before the Pies game, the topic of the short bye and 3 x 10 day breaks was brought up. Max actually said that the strength and conditioning team saw it as an advantage to the rest of the competition due to the training blocks we could get in to help with the backend of the season.

That is how I read what Griffith said in the pod with Andy and the boys. 3 ‘weeks’ where you can put more work into the lads and it not majorly impact fortunes.

 
2 minutes ago, rpfc said:

That is how I read what Griffith said in the pod with Andy and the boys. 3 ‘weeks’ where you can put more work into the lads and it not majorly impact fortunes.

I see it as a physical advantage, mentally should be about even, you’d rather the 2 weeks off but everyone only gets 4 days for a true holiday. Up to the coaches to get the right balance in the other long weeks  

And then a slight disadvantage for the Cats game due to the short lead in.

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1 hour ago, At the break of Gawn said:

Max actually said that the strength and conditioning team saw it as an advantage to the rest of the competition due to the training blocks we could get in to help with the backend of the season

The post match review trainings have definitely increased in intensity and the amount of time they are out there has almost doubled. Before this last period, the trainings were nothing more than a stretch, with simple, easy drills. Now they go harder, longer, with more enthusiasm, and have the capacity to try different processes. 


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