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Tmac (running and kicking), K.Turner in boots, must be closer, are only two in rehab. Plenty of noise as they get into their full field drills. They started with the fundamentals being loose, but have worked well into building up the standards. Clarry running hard. I can't see Hibbo, (I've had that problem before). Two station drills, both start with stoppages and competition. Two groups in the central bounce area, forcing turnovers, then delivering into the forward set up, after they go the second group then delivers. Makes the forwards look for the second quick entry. Stafford down in with them, and is having discussions of what he wants to see. The other station is much simpler. Two separate groups near the wings 50 arc, with handball competition then go for goal with a spread after the whistle. Williams takes the next drill after some instructions, they head to to goal area. Ground ball gets from, up, low, and pressure, snaps. The energy is high as they move to set shots they rotated through the 4 different stations, then back to the snaps again, and then more sets. The clubs administrators have gathered in numbers. It is a sea of red and blue at the shed. Pert and Richardson did the talking. Presentations and awards to the admin was the purpose. They finish up with some sprints (not extensive) and some laps.

Yes

I saw the session. Kev did a great job with his write up. Based on what I saw of Clayton, if he doesn’t play in 6 days time there is something sinister going on. Jack Viney was definitely at training and in great spirits. I watched him and Jed Adams play wrestling in front of me.

I’ll give him my hamstrings. They’ve barely been used.

Welcome back Ben Brown

Clarry and Bowey last out the track having a kick to kick. Appears to be carrying his leg a little (Clarry), though lots of them have the funny kind of gait. Petty was hanging out with the backline men.

I accept your apology dazzler. Let's move on But not before i break my own ban on this topic only hours after making it! A central argument i am making is that fatigue from loading is a key factor to consider when assessing any game of footy at this time of year. In terms of our games, i think it is the biggest factor in our middling form since, and inclusive of, the Freo game. And that includes the Pies game (i think both teams were impacted by fatigue in that game - the pies more than us actually, which is one reason I'm not reading too much into that win). But of course, it is far from the only factor. And i fully concede that i might be wrong and that is not the biggest factor. But it is 100% a factor - the only real debate is how big a factor. I don't necessarily agree with all of them, but you make some really good points about the issues that concern you - eg forward connection, team selection, game plan and form of some players. Where we diverge is my belief those issues all intersect with fatigue and the impact of a heavy block of mid season training. And so, i don't agree the issues you highlight have nothing to do with loading Take selection. You suggested the team selection for this game had 'nothing to do with loading'. But i don't think that is true. Goody said at the beginning of the year he would use the sub as a tactical option OR related to load management. My assumption the reason Spargo was selected as a sub this week was for load management reasons (interestingly he was gassed, and subbed off last week for Jordon and they reversed roles this week with Jordon coming of for Spargo. Coincidence? Unlikely). So, if I'm correct, it very much has something to do with loading. Perhaps as a young player, who is absolutely in our best 22, Bowey really struggled with the big block of training and because the goal is for him to be cherry ripe come finals they decided the best course of action was to play him in the lower intensity VFL game. In this scenario, that would be a decision very much informed by loading. Similarly, a factor in the the form slump you mention some players are in might be fatigue. I guess it depends on how long you think Pickett, Langdon, Gawn, Spargo, Chandler, ANB, and May have been in a form slump, but if you mean the last 3-4 weeks, well, that coincides with the loading phase. So it is reasonable to at least consider that as a causal factor - particularly for young players like Koz and Chandler. So again, form of players DOES have something to do with loading (in this period). I 100% agree the way we played against the Dogs and Sydney is how we want to play and that involves playing a fast attacking brand and sling shotting off half back to generate scoring pressure. That will be the game plan we will take into the finals. But ONLY if we are fit enough to execute that game plan - from the start of the game to the last minute. And the only way they can be confident of being fit enough to execute that game plan come finals is to do the loading now (which is the point Scott was making last year about being prepared to miss the 8 because they are going hard to increase their chances of winning the flag) - but as we saw last year, that is still no guarantee of course that, for any number of reasons (eg injury) we will be fit enough when the whips are cracking. You are right to say we've reverted back to the slow ball movement style (but only in the last 3-4 weeks) which gets picked apart. The question is why? The dogs was round one and the swans round three. At no point in the rest of this season will we be fitter and stronger than we were in those two games. Which is critical context because the game plan we saw in those matches involves a crazy level of all team high speed running. If we are not close to optimal fitness (like right now), we cant execute that game plan properly. The Pies method is even more reliant on running power. The all team high speed running and spread required for our preferred game plan is impossible to propery implement when the team is collectively fatigued. Which i think is why Goody has really emphasized defence in the last few weeks. One, to mitigate the impact of fatigue (less ballistic footy is less aerobically taxing). And two, we will struggle to win if we stick with our preferred game plan but don't have the run in the legs to implement it properly (ironically goody was criticised in 2021 and 2022 on DL for being too rigid with the game plan and not trying new things). So, the game plan is very much is related to loading - both in the sense of the loading giving them a shot at being fit enough come finals and as it relates to the impact of the fatigue on our ability to execute/implement our preferred method. The point i'm driving at is, of course loading is not an excuse or the only factor for our performance in our recent matches - but IT IS an important factor to consider, precisely BECAUSE it intersects with, and impacts, all of the many other factors and variables at play. It is that intersection that interests me. I don't feel i can understand the game without considering these intersections. As a thought experiment, try to explain why all teams have lost after the bye thus far WITHOUT factoring in fatigue (surely 10 teams can't all find it hard to mentally get going and switch on after a bye - which is the only explanation i have heard from the footy media so far). I take your point about the Pies kicking five two in the last today. I'm not sure if you watched the game, but they had no run. They were run off their feet in the third and looked nothing like they do at their rampaging best. But if you factor in fatigue then the assessment of the game changes. The key factor in that game was BOTH teams were coming off their bye, and therefore a heavy training block. Both teams struggled in the last. So for the Pies to kick 5.2 in the last under fatigue is super impressive and I mark their performance up for that. Outside say the four best kicks in each team, across the board they have much better kicks than us, with superior technique. Good technique hold up better under pressure and fatigue than poor technique. Our poor technique is being exposed ATM. Saying loading is a factor in our current accuracy issues (or our turnover clangers - ugh) doesn't diminish the fact that our kicking IS an issue of concern. The Cats kicked 6.2 in the last quarter in wet and heavy conditions and ran all over the top of us - because they were clearly not feeling the effects of loading to the same degree as they were the previous week, when coming off their bye. In their Port game they completely ran out of gas in the last quarter. But the Cats v Dees was their second post bye match. And, in a mirror to their performance against Port, they ran over the top of us in the last - exactly like the Suns and Freo (who were both out on their feet last week in their post bye matches) did to the Hawks and bombers this round.

Did you see them loading? :)

BBB was training well within the group, did everything. He previously had his own program. My guess, Petty would be primarily back, though will be used as a swing man.

Fatigue has nothing to do with kicking 2 goals 7 behinds in the second qtr. or 14g 33bh in the past two weeks. Has nothing to do with players being handball happy in the wet or playing behind your man or butchering kicks to our players advantage or stopping to wait while the oppo defence sets up their zone.. That is plain stupid brainless wet weather football. Decision making is abysmal, fumbling is killing us and stagnant, slow predictable footy is what undid us last year. Quick kicks and leads aren't being honoured. Players stop leading when that happens. Its a cancer in a team and totally the opposite of how we played in pre-season and training where the emphasis is on fast movement, angled kicks to the corridor etc. Kicking for goal was above average in the early part of the year because thats what we were doing and taking goal kicks from a more central position. We have now reverted to stop prop go down the line lick to the pocket. Its killing us. Kozzie bar the opening game has been totally out of sorts as has Langdon. Something isn't right with Gawn. There are a number of others. Selection integrity has been compromised for guys like Jordan, Bowey, Thommo, Brown directly but it affects the whole team when there are 'favourites'. This is not a team that is playing for each other. No one goes to Gawn's aide when he is targetted by Stanley, nor petracca when he was constantly being held by Atkins, nor Viney when he was down. We go from one of our best games (v Collingwood) to one of our worst. Something isn't right.

It sounds like a central tendon injury. These can take much longer to rehab. Slow heavy load that progresses slowly to faster movements. It is very individual in healing time. With load progression measured by the medical team The week in hospital would of made his hamstring worse because he was not able to load the tendon during this time. Tendons love appropriate load. No load actually makes them worse. We are doing the right thing, we need Oliver in September and there is no point getting him back when he is not ready.

Or you could just accept that the hospitalisation set him back a few weeks. It sucks but the hysteria around his injury has been off the charts.

Not just loading... power loading...

That would give Bowey plenty of running practice. Clarry not so much. 🤪

The way teams enter the forward line has changed, particularly this year. And no doubt it is all about statistical outcomes. We were training for "dump kicks" back in pre-season, and most of the teams at the top of the ladder now play the same way. The chances of a "contested mark" in the forward line with zone defences is next to zero. Clubs are depending on a deep kick into the forward line to create ground spillage and a 50:50 chance of getting the ball. Even better with good crumbing forwards like Pickett, Papley etc. Clubs will have done the numbers in terms of goal output. The argument that we should "lower the eyes" is also now irrelevant because of zone defences. It rarely happens to have a forward with space to lead into, and if they do it is almost always deep in a pocket = poor goal conversion. For fans it isn't as spectacular as the big forward taking marks, it's just how the game is played in 2023.

Yeah old news DB. But im actually starting to think that it's the forwards that are having a major play on this. The footy IQ of our front half is real average... & that's probably being polite. I'm talking footy craft, & as a foward. Movement. As a forward you have to dictate the play. You have to direct the kicker where to go. Doesn't give the kicker many other alternatives but to dump kick it long if our fowards are all running back towards goal saying kick it here. Lloyd, Hawkins, Reiwoldt (Jack)... could go on & on. Start leading to the footy! & just for a moment, imagine this team with the front half of the Daniher era...

Or maybe we just strip Clarry'a running and footballing program back a tad so he can actually try and regain full recovery. Bizarre decision to let him start running 3 days after he initially did it against Port..

' Clarry running hard.' Based on what you've seen today Kev, would you assess him as ready to go ?

I’d add that there are a couple of very good WA kids that look like they’ll sit in that 6-15 range who would hold a lot of appeal. 2 was too high for Ginbey (who’s easily in the Eagles best 5 performers this season) last year, but he was who they wanted. I can see a similar scenario this year.

Sometimes I think that's all anyone notices, DB 😄

If you think there isn't far more pressing concerns other then your 'loading' fantasy then you're delusional once again. Bit like last year. The fact that you genuinely think that the cats the just clicked their fingers and realised that all those years it was all just due to loading is a [censored] take from your end. You don't even have the facts to even back this up. Cats have been loading year after year. The fact is, the cats had a complete revamped of their whole footballer department at the end of 2021 after the loss in the preliminary and had a mini review at the end of the season. Scott completely changed his whole coaching structure and brought in new Intel into the group which meant they had a complete revamp of their game plan. They played a far more attacking style that was a complete opposite to what Scott had ran with previous years of the chip, slow and controlled ball movement. Not only that, they rested players in the 2nd half of the year which had them absolutely cherry ripe for September. They had the luxury of doing as they played some lower end teams. Complete opposite to what we did last year when we sent Gawn and Lever up to Perth against West Coast with back and ankle issues when the opportunity was there to rest them. So as I am pointing out, Geelong identified far bigger concerns that was holding them back instead of pin pointing loading as their main key target. I mean thanks for the laugh though. In terms of more pressing concerns then 'loading'. • Forward connection is one. Forwards starting behind defenders and not willing to lead at the ball carrier. We struggled to connect in the first quarter. This has zero to do with 'loading'. We're still fresh even in the first quarter. No player ever goes into a game feeling gassed from a main training session especially when recover now days is at an all time premium. Nothing to do with loading. • Botched team selections. Playing a completely underdone Petty off 6 weeks with zero match condition over an in form and fit Tomlinson. Not only that, he started down back after Goodwin promised that he'd be spending most of the year up forward. Spargo as a sub was just bizarre. James Jordon who has zero influence over the game ahead of Jake Bowey who would have added cleanness and speed off half back. Again, nothing to do with loading. • Form concerns of certain players. Pickett, Langdon, Gawn, Spargo, Chandler, ANB, May are all in a form slump and need to find ways to get themselves out of it because it's costing us. They all seem bereft of confidence and are simply struggling. When I see Kozzie picky try and toe poke a ball forward instead of bending down and picking up the footy then it's got absolutely nothing to do with loading, but more so on confidence. • Game plan. We've reverted back to the slow ball movement style which simply gets picked apart, eerily similar to last year as well. I remember watching the Doggies and Sydney and thinking that this will be the game plan that'll win us the flag this year. We played a fast attacking brand that caught teams off side with the way we were able to sling shot off half back generate scoring pressure so quickly. It's why we were at one stage the highest scoring team in the competition. Nothing to do with loading, it's the tinkering of game plan that is evident.

I think it is possible that the fitness professionals know more about it than we - or at least I -do.

Clarry was running well and hard most of the session. He must have pulled up sore. He had a hint of a kind of limp, and felt for the area high on his thigh at the end of his run.

But unfortunately Gawn and Grundy give us very little from a goal kicking perspective. Grundy 9 and Gawn 7. Brown has 9 goals from 10 less games than Grundy If Brown's body is right, bring him in

Although our ground level pressure is really good at the moment (the last two games we've laid 17-4 vs Pies and 19-8 vs Geelong for +24 tackles inside 50), we're not converting our snap or burst chances inside 50. Therefore, I wonder if resting Chandler (some VFL and additional kms on the training track instead) and trying Bowser forward isn't such a bad move. He's quick, he's decent 1v1, he's clean and he's a beautiful kick, and played half forward as a junior. Just to try something a little different through this middle part of the season. The thing is, does he have the endurance?

There were 6 players, 3 on 3. At first the delivery was over the back, then they did lateral leads and finished with straight leads. Perhaps the two balls coming in was meant to create repeated movements. Most of the things they do on the track appear to have some purpose.

I can see Oliver training with the main group on the story Melbourne posted on Instagram this morning

We've been doing this since 2021. I don't mind the dump kick here and there especially when we move the ball quick and fast. This is why it worked in 2021 because we had McDonald, Brown and Jackson as our 3 talls. If they weren't marking it they would at least bring it to ground for our smalls to pounce on What I do hate is that the last few weeks we're just doing dump kicks on the top of the likes of Chandler, Pickett and even ANB deep inside 50 against much taller opposition. At one stage Sparrow kicked to a Pickett vs De Koning deep inside our forward 50 in the 3rd quarter I think. If we're going to do a dump kick then bring in Brown if we have too. He draws defenders and at least we can halve the contest once the ball hits the ground with our smalls.

I would love to see a captain pull all the players together after a seriously bad call, and all walk to the bench to call the coach down and discuss walking off. Would never happen (although it should) AND then the AFL might just wake up to the umpiring crisis. Suited "nuff nuff's on 6 figures just have no idea that they are ruining the game. I have been going to games since 1956 and I am fed up with the way the game is going. Fixtures, Umpiring, MRO/ Tribunal is/has left a bad taste for the game in my mouth. My love for the MFC keeps me going BUT there will a time I just don't go or follow. I am teetering now.

Crikey, binman!! What an ungodly hour to be up let alone be writing about loading!! Sincerely hope your thoughts are in a Word doc to simply 'copy/paste' relevant parts as needed for each post. It does my head in to think you type each post aftresh! I really admire your commitment to the cause.

Thanks for another great report Kev. In Richo’s injury report today, he said that Clarrie is expected to miss another 1 to 2 weeks, because of a combination of his recent scans, and him not meeting certain Club “markers” (which presumably relate to fitness). Let’s hope it’s more about his fitness levels, and less about what the scans are saying.

Although Clarrie was running. maybe he has yet to regain full fitness - he would have lost more form his infection than the hamstring per se.

There was a Solicitor I knew called Richard Pulling.

Tbh, just about everyone agrees there is a loading program. You summed up the area of disagreement perfectly in this line: "But of course, it is far from the only factor. And i fully concede that i might be wrong and that is not the biggest factor. But it is 100% a factor - the only real debate is how big a factor" So the scope of the discussion is your position that loading is the biggest factor whereas others say it isn't the biggest factor (re impact on our performances). It isn't possible to demonstrate that either position is right in any given game as there is no data to measure the variables. It comes down to theories and assumptions. So imv, agreement on the area of debate is a head-banging-on-wall level exercise, as it was last year as it will be next year...

There are some major misunderstandings of the whole 'dump kick' talk. I don't think anybody questions the value of dump kicking when under extreme pressure and congestion and especially so in the wet weather? Do they? What supporters rightfully question is the sheer amount of dump kicking we see throughout many scenarios. If @george_on_the_outer is telling us that coaches now tell players (like Pendles) to forget to take that extra step and allow yourself time and space to hit a leading target going inside 50.. All for the new cause of dumping it in because 'statitistics'.. Then I'm following the wrong sport and have no idea what I'm talking about. Somehow I have sneaking suspicion this isn't true. And most top 8 clubs put an absolute premium on ball use going inside 50 when under little pressure and with time and space.

I normally don't like to comment on umpires in our games, no matter how bad I feel it was, as I realise I'm coming from a biased point of view. But when I see the inconsistencies in games I have no investment in it says to me the issue is real. It is not umpires making mistakes, that can happen. It's when the inconsistency starts at crucial times in a game affecting momentum or stopping a run on etc that I get really annoyed and frustrated. There should never be a pile on to individual umpires but unless there are complaints about the collective nothing will change. There should be scrutiny on umpires as they are well paid, not full time, but we'll paid. That the AFL doesn't allow it is a huge part of the problem. Openess and scrutiny will improve the overall quality of umpiring and stop the AFLs collusion, real or perceived, of umpires to control outcomes of games. I'm of the view that they are instructed to keep results close or from blowing out where possible. I don't care if a free kick count is one sided, so long as the decisions are applied consistently.

Would that suggest BBB is on his way back in and the Petty up forward experiment is dead in the water?

Glad to see Clarry is close to full pace.

Thanks Kev. Always appreciate your efforts...to go, and to report. Cheers. I am dead curious what this foward drill/setup is. Now some may think that's a purely dismissive/derogatory enquiry.. But I'm genuinely interested. Is there something we actually train?.. only to not happen ? We do actually have pattern drills ?? Thanks again Kev 👍

Occam's razor is a nice tool to use here. Loading, team selection, game plan are all huge factors for results but to put it simply, the overall record of teams coming off byes is 2-10. The winning teams being the Saints and Pies, but they went up against other teams coming off byes as well. The doom saying, mud slinging and hair pulling is very typical after a loss here but everyone should take a deep breath and chill.

Tell him he's dreaming $750 or no deal

Sunday's weather is out Good news.. the rain is predicted to stop on Saturday night 12 degrees maximum with medium winds and a little sunshine http://www.bom.gov.au/nt/forecasts/alice-springs.shtml What's the drainage like at the oval I wonder... Red earth makes great mud

Brisbane has become one I reckon. Clashes in recent years have been pretty spiteful, thanks largely to the likes of Zorko. But maybe it's just me living here in Qld.

Yeah, revenue, how stupid.

First of all this is the funniest way to make an argument against something you don’t believe in. Argue that we aren’t doing it, but that other teams are??? But I’ll humour your odd assumption by saying that you are completely correct. The teams mentioned ARE all in different heavy training, BUT you have to take the contexts of their wins into consideration. Collingwood played against another side off the bye who also are training to be playing in September. Adelaide is Burgess and Burgess is a huge advocate for loading. The effects possibly nullified each other - and it was as close to a draw as you can get. Geelong played last week so would have had a lighter running load this week, and a crucially important week of match conditioning. But don’t take my word for it…. Not one side has won coming off the bye playing a side that played the week before. Not one. The 16th side beat the 3rd side. The 9th side beat the 4th side. The 11th side beat the 6th. I could go on and on across literally every game. All 8 of them. Training loads have a massive impact on output and performance. If you don’t want to see that then there’s not much point talking about it.

It makes total sense @binman the proof will be in the pudding in a months time. Key is for the team to stay healthy.

Why can’t we have issues AND loading be ONE of those issues? Will we improve once we taper off? Probably. Will we become a flawless team? Absolutely not. There are many issues going on with the side at the moment. Some easier to solve than others. Some that can be explained by a heavier block of loading, and some that cannot. Our limp performance against Freo and the last quarter against Geelong/Pies are maybe a loading issue. Our lack of reliable contested marking forward target, is not. Poor skill execution is maybe a loading fatigue issue. Overusing the footy by hand in heavy rain is not, it’s just dumb football. Can we still win the flag this year? Absolutely. This is a season of ordinary top sides and equally competitive middle of the road sides. If you make the 8 you can probably win it if you get some good luck. Do we need to improve our ball use/goal kicking/forward connection and settle on a winning structure in order to win it? Absolutely.

Having had a serious look at the Casey game there's a number of players that should be under serious consideration and a couple that are really putting their hands up. Should be coming straight in.... BB for Chandler Bowey for ANB Tomlinson for Petty (yes you got this completely wrong Simon..... put your hand up son). Tomo in his best form in years and even well ahead of Petty at this point (defensively). Petty as a part time forward is handy but experiment is over now that Joel's in & BB is back. Can't see how/where he fits in. Nothing against Petty just the way it is post injury. He's a VG back up once he gets back to his best form via Casey. Melksham or Harmes for Jordon (as sub). Melksham's in some serious form which might add a few goals up forward if Kozzy, Fritsch or Joel are having a mare. Knocking on the door.... Turner ...back to his best on Friday. No room at AFL level at this point but he is ready if needed imv. Howes ... clean as and reads the play beautifully. Rarely turns it over. Great by hand & foot. Also able to hit targets with last kick inside on occasions. Option here is to bring him in to replace McVee's role. Move McVee into Hunter's role on the wing. McVee great defensively and with his disposals/connections coming into 50 plus the run drive off the wings/HB that Hunter doesn't have. Woewodin...starting to get to the right places more often and alot more contests. Defensively he is quick to get in the oppo's face and corrals well. Disposal getting better by the week. Still kicks the odd clanger but its more like 1 in 4 instead of early days 50/50. Classy outside player with decent run/speed who often finds targets inside 50. Something we are crying out for big time. Woewodin's a juicy prospect. Once Clarry is back I'd be almost tempted to leave Sparrow or Langdon out for Woe for a block of games and see how he goes. Exactly what we need on the outside but can he cut the mustard at this point under the big lights for more than one or two quarters. I'd roll the die in the next few weeks once Clarry returns. Will any of the latter 'Disney' options happen? Maybe in a parallel world!