I think this obsession with fitness by so many is laughable. If there is one thing we have always been known for it is our fitness. In saying that, if there are 2 things weve been known for over the past 10-15 years, it is our horrendous skill level, especially by foot.
I watched 2 games on the weekend which prove my point. The first being the Hawthorn game, in which the Hawks looked like they ran at three quarter pace for the most part, and could surely afford to. Why? Because they have supreme confidence in their ability to find a moving target and/or to put the ball into advantageous space. How does a team get this way? Well first they recruit guys based on skill level and not combine harvest results. Next they DRILL,DRILL,DRILL with ball in hand until it becomes so second nature that they hit targets even when they shank the bloody thing. A result of this being the ability to beef up the size of their men and then apply a gameplan accordingly.
Think of the last coach we had that followed this ideal???
Second was the "super-fit" Power game, in which their skill level let them down in a big way all game, exemplified by Hartletts turnover in the dying minutes. Bad ball use spreads like a nasty rash, and when you see teammates like Hartlett, Polec, Monfries, Boak make multiple clangers over the coarse, that s**t spreads like subliminal herpies.
Fitness will never account for shocking skill level. This is a flaw in coaching/recruiting philosiphy. To base a gameplan on high possesion when you have a low skill levelled team is utter stupidity and the height of arrogance.
Ask yourselves why we did o.k in 2012? Cos we got the pig skin, we kicked the pig skin as long down the line as we could then we went rabid in our follow up chase of the pig skin. This game plan worked for near 100 years before we all tried to turn Aussie rules into a friggen science.
Meh.
Fitness does impact skill level, the keel if fatigue impacts both decision naming and skill execution and you don't need to have played the game at an elite level to give testimony to this