JimmyGadson

*delete* Embarrassing post made.

I'll put my hand up and say I got it wrong. Let's hope it'll work for us post bye because it's arguably cost us personell short-medium term.

It was to your "just be us" comment. We need to be a different version this year. Clearly.

I'm not suggesting a game plan change, not sure how many times I need to say it.

Yeh nah. Every year is different and it's clear the top teams have studied us to a T which is why this year we have a poor record against them, Top teams have adapted, we seemingly haven't. Now's the time. It's not about complete game plan changes obviously but it is about tinkering and changing things up positionally, perhaps trialling some players from the VFL through different positions.

Brisbane were coming off a 6 day break from Perth! Haha. That is simply fatigue from short turnaround.. But I'm sure you completely missed that because it better fits your theory that all top 4 teams are loading currently. You're trying to squeeze every ounce of 'evidence' to suit this loading theory and its getting ridiculous. Similar to how you used to bang on about Oscar endlessly. To me and many others, it's clear there are a whole host of reasons that are the main contributors to us losing.

Also, can't for the life of me understand why he'd play hurt when we were 10-2.

Seriously, if we can't cover for Max and we drop out of the top four by years end, we're not the 'team' we thought. Great teams consistently cover for key players. It's everything else that isn't working. Petracca needs to pull his finger out for one. Talks about lack of motivation when playing in front of small crowds and then has an opportunity to drag us over the line in front of 75,000 and has possibly the worst 30+ disposal game you can have. Fumbly, no class, not 100% committed. Fumbles in the goal square. Continues to miss easy targets. TAKE SOME [censored] CARE WITH THE FOOTBALL. HANDLE AND KICK IT AS IF YOUR LIFE DEPENDS ON IT.

You still haven't sent me your address cobba.

An issue for years has been connection from mid to forward. Even when when we connect, it's only ever for parts of games. I genuinely believe we need another mid who is primarily a ball user as well as a genuine contested marking forward. If that means we need to let go of a player/players then we should look at that. Every year the game shifts and every year teams evolve. What worked one year won't necessarily work the next and we've all seen Godwin's stubborness over the years. When you hear for three weeks in a row that our connection isn't there then either one of two things is happening. 1. Goodwin continues to instruct our players to chaotically kick inside 50. And when on slow plays to kick into deep pockets regardless of opposition talls being stacked back there. Or 2 - We possess too many mids who don't use the ball well enough. (I believe this one). Petracca, Harmes, Viney, Oliver, Jordan and Sparrow. All of them are average kicks. Even Petracca who can hit targets that nobody else can is too wildly inconsistent to be considered a great ball user. Either Goodwin makes some position changes for the second half of the year or instructs us to enter inside 50 a different way. Nothing has changed in three weeks in this regard and it's concerning.

No one is expecting him to dominate. Gahd damn Demonland is the place for wild exaggeration. If two first round picks (1 inside 5 and one inside 15) are up for grabs then we take and run. Genuine marking key forwards are our issue and will be going forward. Stop gap ruckmen are easy to come by and we'll have Gawn for another two or three years. Jackson will be a great player. But he will never be worth two top end first rounders. And that's what West Coast will be willing to pay. This is about sustained success. Not a flash in the pan grand final. I want to see us compete with the big boys for a number of years. A year of pain won't matter if it gives us multiple future years of flag chances.

Everyone relax. We're just in a loading phase..

I'll take the two first rounders thanks.

I've said it before and I'll say it again. We will be fine without Luke given the compensation we'd receive and there's an argument to suggest we'd be better off long-term.

Bloody oath. We should be winning this game based on desire, talent, system and purely that we are further advanced than them Great sides who have won premierships over the years have always been able to win games with key players out. The last two weeks have been understandable because of who we've played. But seriously, if we don't win on Monday I will be genuinely disappointed and slightly concerned about our second half to the year. We also owe these flogs who caused a huge upset against us last year. And they were missing a handful of their top 10 players and still beat us. It sometimes comes down to big club vs small club mentality. We better respond. Especially after the week in the media we've had. I expect a galvanised group who are committed to the cause for four quarters. And I expect to win.

And also, if we don't see a peak in performance post bye, what say those who subscribe to this theory? That it just didn't work this time?

Weird as I said, but happy to sort that for you.

Nice post, thanks for the info. I find it intriguing and confusing that a team would be going through a high load block at this point in the year given the wear and tear on the individual and importance of maximising recovery.

Nice response cobba, that was well articulated! Happy to sign and post anything for you although it's weird you're asking.

Of course it has. That's because after most games teams will have a different amount of days before their next. The longer the break, the more ability to train. That's a different 'phenomenon' to 'loading'. I don't think posters appreciate enough the amount of recovery that goes in to an individual after a game at this level. In fact I'm sure they don't. No other sport is as taxing on the body.

Acknowledged by insiders you say? Cool, maybe you can provide me some solid evidence and we can discuss further? Never once have I heard from the club that they did any sort of loading at this time of the season to get an edge in finals. And if we had, surely it would have come out by the club/players post season? Why would that be confidential info? What I have read and heard (as we all have), from those at the club is that under Burgess, our intensity and loads through pre-season were enormous and that he put a premium on training even when you don't feel 100%. Which is more around giving players a psychological edge. Thanks for the congrats. Never once did it this early in the year in any sort of significant sense. After a longer break between games, obviously you have the ability to train for longer and with greater intensity during the week... If you are misunderstanding that to be 'loading' then the joke is fair and squarely on you and others. Lols.

Yeh, I can see how it would work. But pre the first bye in AFL season, it's hard for me to believe any side's form would be influenced by any form of loading/periodisation. The nature of the sport doesn't allow for it given the amount of recovery time needed between a standard 7-8 day break. Which is why you only see one main training session where players are going hard. Around byes and through longer breaks I can understand it somewhat and then especially between season and finals. But to suggest that our form is being affected by training loads at this point in the season simply doesn't make sense. I have played high level footy and I'd suggest that the chances of individuals dealing with niggles that we're not aware of would be part of the reason as well as others that posters have already outlined.

Binman's theory is just that. I'm not sure anyone with a background in exercise science would agree with it. I have a little knowledge but to me it's far too early for any form of loading. To this point we'd be managing all levels of fitness. We have a bye coming up and then another 10 weeks of games before finals so any form of tapering/loading now doesn't make sense to me.

I was kind of being sarcastic. I think the loading thing is a stretch. I have some background in exercise science and loading at this time of year doesn't make sense to me. I'd say it's more to do with lack of consistency with constant ins and outs to best players as well as certain individuals being out of form mixed with the fact that our game plan and system is more scrutinised than any other sides.

Maybe we are tapering. Maybe it is a loading thing. Or maybe it's that we've been top of the ladder for nearly one and a half seasons, have won a flag, been the bench mark team and every top 8 side have dissected our game to the nth degree since then.. Perhaps because of this and the fact that we're a off in some phases has been the opening for two quality sides to beat us. Just a thought..