bing181

Always hard to tell on Demonland, but I thought he was being sarcastic, rearranging the deckchairs and all that.

To be fair, he didn't actually say that, especially the use of the word "big". It's also taken out of context, because he wasn't just talking about the fitness/medical side. What he said was ... "there will be a lot of changes in that area and the coaching areas as well." Which unless I'm mistaken covers the whole FD. Worth a listen, Mahoney calls a spade a spade. The above section is from around 4:05. https://www.3aw.com.au/dees-footy-manager-says-a-failed-pre-season-has-compromised-their-performance/

Yes, but where does confidence come from? You're running through the middle, you look up and you see what ahead of you? Not familiar faces, running to where you expect them to be, doing what you've done together x times in the past ... you see either players who deep down you don't really trust to win/hold the ball (Hannan), or players who you've *never* played with down forward (Petty, Preuss). In both those scenarios, what you don't have is predictability, thus, a lack of confidence in the outcomes.

Weideman for Hannan, maybe Baker for Dunkley.

Inexperience.

Score a good reflection of the game. Lever and Jetta will be better for the run, makeshift forward line was always going to be stretched, but once again, too many players out, too little consistency in the team we're putting on the park and still too many (fringe) players where chains of possession break down. Against that, a good opportunity for younger players, and Petty did well, working to his strengths. Final point: Steven May. Bag him all you want, but showed what real, take the game by the scruff of the neck leadership looks like.

5 possessions or less: Brayshaw, ANB, Preuss, Fritsch, Lockhart, Hannan, Dunkley, Frost (though honorable mentions to Petty and Jetta).

Demonland represents only a small percentage of the Membership/supporters base. Also, a self-selecting group.

Or that his development has been impacted positively by having to work on his defensive skills, not to mention, learning the forward's craft by playing on them.

So now no Weideman. That means Tom Mac, Weeds, Melksham, and arguably VDB and Garlett are unavailable from first choice forward 6, and throw in both T & J Smith as first cabs off the rank as backup.

If you think that any of those have anything to do with Misson, I can't help you.

Tim Smith Calf TBC

Yeah right. The one guy who kept his job in the FD under 3 different regimes (Neeld, Roos, Goodwin), and is leaving under his own volition to go overseas. Worth noting that while Misson has been head-hunted a couple of times over a career in the AFL that goes back to 2001, he has never been sacked or "moved on".

Probably could have played in the firsts.

Not sure what people are missing here, especially as it was covered in the original post. This is *NOT* just about fitness. If pre-seasons were just about fitness, we wouldn't even have one. Each player could be given an individual fitness program and they could just meet up on the morning of the first JLT match.

Yes, because Preuss is one of the emergencies.

Believe that Preuss will be held over regardless. They can still pull Max out right up until game time.

I don't know that any professional AFL player is 100% by this time of the season.

If Gawn actually plays (as opposed to actually doesn't play ...) it'll be because he's OK to play. Hard to see what could be problematic. Though whether he plays or not has little to do with Misson, it's a call for the Doctors and medical specialists.

The only thing that's mind-bogglingly stupid is making claims about players' injury status without having all the information at hand or the competence to assess such information.

He got a knock to the knee. (Contact sport and all that.)

I'm not sure anyone's saying that it is. Equally, things aren't always as unconnected as they might at first seem: inability to perform at highest level (personally/collectively) -> falling confidence and self-belief -> inability to perform at highest level (personally/collectively).

Absolutely. Though the thing that jumped out at me re the Lewis comments were re the May/Frost "discussion", where he made the point that Sam hasn't played in a team where he's had a player around him like May to make those kinds of comments in the first place. "It's basically two players who haven't played together very much". Which goes back to the subject of this very thread, and the lack of time together over the pre-season and onwards.

It does. It completely and utterly does. What do you think it takes to maintain, yet alone improve, skills at an elite level? Yet we've had a substantial number in the team who couldn't even kick a ball, yet alone practise overhead marking, for months on end. Same for "dumb" football. It's about a) decision-making and b) you being aware of what's going on around you. Both of which you need to practise. At the moment, not only do players not really know what those around them are going to do (due to lack of time together), half the time I wonder if they even know WHO is around them, the team has been so unsettled since last year's finals.

It's not the playing on part that's the issue per se, it's what happens after we play on, i.e. the disposal. So many disposals just don't make their target, so then ... turnover, and it's off to the races. Weideman has his shortcomings, sure, but watch how many times he works to position, only to see the ball sail over his head or land 10m in front.