binman

Please upload your medical certificate.

My load of old cobblers gauge just blew up. What's predictable is the coach of a side who broke a 57 year drought and has a win loss record better that any other dees coach since norm smith getting bagged by dees 'supporters'. Equally predictable is the dees 'supporters' who complain about how we are treated by the AFL, umpires, our fixture and how loud and engaged our fans are etc etc not bothering to turn up on Sunday and supporting the team and club. Much better to pot us from the cheapest seat - the couch at home. Not referring to you HD, but if the couch fits..... By the by, this is the first time we play the Eagles at the MCG since 2014, when they flogged us by 90 odd points. Yet, I think I'm right in saying we have played them in Perth every year since then. A big factor is crowd size. So I hope any fan who can get to the G on Sunday, but chooses not, doesn't whinge when we only play the Eagles once next season and that game is at Optus oval.

Am i right in saying fritter was our leading goal kicker for the last four seasons? I wonder how dees many players could match that achievement in our 166 history? In my time of following us maybe Neita, Mark Jackson, Robbie (but only because we were so bad), Jakovich and then I'm drawing blanks. And of that lot I'd only be confident of Neita.

Really? Tell me more.

It makes sense. The NT is most def north of Melbourne.

From this article (my bolded bit) First to worst: Fitness no factor, so what's causing Dees' final-term fades? https://www.afl.com.au/news/1162860 'It's led to some queries around Melbourne's fitness and the side's ability to run out games, but that's a theory that's quickly dispelled by the numbers. On Friday night, the Telstra Tracker shows the Demons ran a total distance of 297km. It was the most covered by any side across the entire round, and 9km more than the Lions during the game. The Telstra Tracker also shows Melbourne ran 43km at high speed, 6km more than Brisbane. It completed 272 total sprints, 50 more than Brisbane, and it ran 21 repeat sprints, four more than Brisbane. The Demons' average speed in defence – a number closely tracked by clubs as it displays the side's work rate without the ball – was 8.3km p/h. It was significantly higher than the Lions at 7.4km p/h and the fifth best of any side across the round'

We broke the Eagles!

Yes.

Different programs, differenent stage of development and different goals is the short answer. But looking at 2 games in isolation gives a very skewed assessment. The hawks couldn't go with us when we played them. And we almost ran a 40 point lead down against the blues. Not sure where the hawks ranked, but we were number 1 in the afl for scores in the last quarter after 10 rounds. Doesn't sound like a team struggling for fitness to me.

Spot on. And the other factor is the age of the current best 22. Coming into the season the high performance program and planning would have been informed by an assumption that we Gus and Smith both available, and that we would get games from senior, seasoned players like Billings, Hunter, mcadam and to a lesser extent Ben Brown. That largely hasn't happened, forcing us to play way more kids than they would have planned to - a situation exacerbated by Lever and sako missing games and now tracc out for the season.

That's true, though I was only referencing the reason we might have tired, not making a comparison to the lions (who also flagged, as evidenced by some of their funky skill errors) But if i were i making a comparison id note they had their bye in round 12 , almost a full month ago so they are out the other side of bye related fatigue (ie from increased loads). And perhaps more critically, fielded a much more seasoned team in terms of age, experience and number of preseasons.

Great post. It points to two interconnected issues with cornes take, well three actually. One, fitness is probably the wrong word in the context of load management and the high performance program. At least in the context cornes is discussing our fade outs in the last six weeks. I'm not sure what the right term is. I mean they are all fit of course, it's more about fatigue levels. Or conversely, freshness. I'm going with dynamic, or optimal shape/readiness - unless someone has a better term. Two, cornes notes we have been the worst last quarter team in terms of scoring in the last six weeks. Suggests that is evidence we are not fit enough. Questions why we might not be, suggesting motivation and how we are rehabbing might be factors. But, here's the rub. The whole data set is we were also the best last quarter team for the first 10 weeks. So, by corne's logic, that means we were a very fit team in that period, perhaps the fittest. So, there is a logical inconsistency. I mean, what's he saying? We were fit, meaning we were motivated and worked super hard etc in the preseason, but six weeks later we're not? That our fitness could completey drop off a cliff in just six weeks? I mean, it doesn't make sense - in of itself. And the third issue is cornes' diagnosis of why he thinks we are not fit - which basically boils down blaming the players (though he does mention the youth of the team). Just asking questions. It's great they are discussing fitness as a factor, but it's a joke they don't discuss the high performance aspect. I mean cornes played AFL, and as I understand it is a high level distance runner. He knows what is going on. But it is still seemingly taboo to discuss load management. In this example, at least suggest it as a possible factor - particularly given there is four years of evidence of a clear pattern of an almost identical six week drop off in form and last quarter scores (after having dominated that same stat for the first 10 rounds or so) around the pre bye and bye period (by the by, it's no coincidence the crows had a a spike - we're more dynamic- this week). If it's not even discussed, then what are you left with? The players are soft and not working hard enough. Or the high performance program is nor working. Or both. It's stupid. And doesn't help people try and understand what's going on.

Thanks kasey

The last six weeks is the key here. We have struggled for that exact block of time in and around the bye since 2021. My explanation as to why is well documented. To that I'd add nearly half the team are kids. Two of the starting 22 against lions are in their first season of AFL season, meaning the kolt and Windsor as draftees, have not even completed a full AFL preseason. And we lost salo and bowey ahead of the game, one a senior seasoned AFL player, the other young but has 50 plus games and 3 AFL preseasons under his belt. AND we were coming off a six day break, and had to travel. Is it any wonder we flagged a bit in rhe last quarter?

Fair dinkum, that's just plain silly. Not that we would look to trade him. But that salo would be some sort of sought after 'trade bait', implying we would could put him up for a trade and get some sort of windfall in return. I mean, the first two posts in this thread both make good points. Points other clubs thinking of chasing him would well and truly agree with. As if another club would give up anything valuable, either a yrade or picks, for a player in the back half of his career with a history of a thyroid issue and various injuries. What did we got for jordon, a young player, albeit probably not in salo's class, with no injury issues who has been able to slot into the best 22 of the team on top of the ladder?

You could build a side around him.

Number two is total sprints

The telstra tracker is just about the best publicly available indicator I can find that gives a sense of where we are it in terms of running on top of the ground and our fitness level. Near the end of the first quarter I checked the numbers to test my sense that we looked in good shape. When we are, we almost dominate the top 5 in a number of categories Number one is for average speed in defence (which is defined as when the oppo have the ball). When we do, its a goody indicator our all team defence is on. These are the numbers near the end of quarter

Fair points. I think in the context of young players, its worth considering the impact of no salo or bowey. Bowey is young, but up to rhe critical 50 game mark. And salo is obviously a well seasoned player. Both were essentially replaced by inexperienced kids. In hindsight, I would have preferred laurie be the emergency as would have provided more flexibility and experience than pup, is physically stronger and has four AFL presasons under his belt to pups one. What would have happened if pup had to dome on in say the first quarter?

The handball chaining looks to be something they are really workomg hard to implement this season. Very noticeable, right back to the Tigers practice match. Still very much a work in progress, and super frustrating to watch when it comes unstuck (KICK IT!!!!), but if we get it right, like we did in the second quarter, it is a real point of difference with other teams. For it work optimally, we need to be running in waves. And fir that we need be close to optimal fitness.

If that free gets paid for tripping we are a good chance of winning the game as we would have had the opportunity to maintain possession for the last 90 seconds.

And how much is people's view of that incident coloured by the over the top reaction and accusation of staging by the commentator? They only showed a replay once and it didn't look like he staged or flopped to me.

But I do agree on the high press. A combination of setting the defence deep and then pressing up quite aggressively. Particularly in the first half. Forcing us to have to work back hard on turnover- something we struggled to do in the last quarter. That is another difference to the old goody game plan.

I don't actually think we did BPA - go back to our old model. At least not fully Agree we were much more contest focused, more stoppages focused, went long down the line a bit more, and played that manic tigers template footy (all hallmarks of the traditional goody model). But, as evidenced by the stats (eg our time in forward half, inside 50 and intecept mark numbers - stat's we always dominated when our old method was humming) the method was a hybrid with the transition game we are implementing. That's how we scored in the second quarter- transition footy combined with manic intensity. For what it's worth, that's the model I see us playing come finals, with perhaps more emphasis on winning time in forward half and inside 50s.