Stevens' Half-Arsed Preparation

[Jeremias]

He has started off in horrendous shape and really has no excuses at this stage. He's been back in full training for a while now.

Some people seem to think that all these weight issues are a result of him being overlooked as captain. I would have thought that being overlooked would have the opposite effect in that he would really have a point to prove, specifically regarding the manner in which he conducts himself both on and off the field.

Stevo has a lot of work to do before he is back at full fitness and it is encouraging to see that he has engaged in extra training in an attempt to get his body at an acceptable level again. I wouldn't have thought that Stevens is the type that likes this attention and all the negative media being directed at him so I'm hoping he'll put in a big effort to turn himself around.

 

[Blue Dawn]

Absolutely bloody disgraceful the shape he is in, clearly back on the piss again.

I have it on very good authority, in fact it is 100% correct and I am not one to make up rumors about this sort of thing, that Nick Stevens the VC of the footy club was out til at least 5 am on Saturday night/Sunday morning on the piss as seen by a very close friend of mine after an absolutely disgraceful team and personal performance that very night where he looked considerably out of shape.

Absolutely ____in disgraceful and should be hung drawn and quartered. According to my mate he was the only Carlton player present at the hot Melbourne Nightspot. I feel it my duty to inform hard workin members like myself on bf that this is the contempt at which the leaders of our club are showing towards the supporters, members and the cub in general. We expect better.

If this is true then surely the coaches/leadership group must either get a guarantee from him that he'll back right off the p!ss OR drop his ar$e like a hot potato!

We've had no real leadership at our club in recent times and the culture we're establishing for our young champs is simply too important - in fact CRITICAL - to let this sort of situation continue any longer. In fact, it's fast approaching the stage where if guys like Stevo and Fev can't show the required discipline then GET RID OF THEM ASAP!! They're not taking us anywhere - a disciplined and focussed Gibbs, Murphy, Kreuzer, Hampson etc could take us all the way.

Enough is enough FFS! As others have mentioned, going out all night on the p!ss after a performance like last weeks when you're clearly struggling for fitness as it is, simply wreaks of not giving a f@#k - about your own performance, about your team AND it's supporters.

I think it's now well overdue that we, as a club, put in place a thorough code of conduct for our playing list including A CURFEW. Our boys have been partying for too long. It really is time for the leadership at our club to draw a line in th sand me thinks.

 

[Beloved]

Some people seem to think that all these weight issues are a result of him being overlooked as captain. I would have thought that being overlooked would have the opposite effect in that he would really have a point to prove, specifically regarding the manner in which he conducts himself both on and off the field.

I see, that information is of course on page 7 of 'Womens Weekly', followed by a recipe for chicken and sweet corn soup and a collumn about Elle Macpherson.

 

[gbatman]

He's definitely not as fit as he was round 1 last year that's for sure! Give him till at least round 5 though to get somewhere. Seriously though who is in charge of the players fitness? Shouldn't his lack of fitness and condition been noticed and corrected by the fitness trainers at the club? I don't think you can rely on footballers to keep themselves fit because after all they are footballers and not fitness experts.

 

[lousampi]

It could be the ****y white jumpers they were wearing on Saturday night.
Those jumpers would make Michael Tuck look fat.

 

[bibi01]

very poor by stevens and another case of the players once again letting down the club.

even if he had 3 weeks off training, you can still control/manage your weight by taking care in what you eat.

the sad part is that stevens had to be questined by the club in what was happening with his weight, rather than stevens taking it upon himself to do the extra work required.

if stevens does not change his attitude he needs to be dropped and made an example of.

 

[thylacine60]

We need to learn from the best. He'd be dropped at Geelong, if they ever let him get so out of shape.

 

[Beloved]

We need to learn from the best. He'd be dropped at Geelong, if they ever let him get so out of shape.

Geelong also dropped Steven King...

I'd rather stear clear of the above theory.

 

[kouta666]

Sure he was overlooked as the Captain.

But he's the Vice Captain of the greatest club going around....
The Carlton Football Club!!! Surely that means something to him.

.... OMG FMD FFS!!!

 

[HBF]

To think so many wanted him captain.

I was one of them 12 or so months ago when Whitnall was made captain. Now, I reckon there would be a few ahead of him.

I wonder why club doesn't employ the same policy with Nick, like they did with Whitnall. You will not play again until your weight is down to your ideal playing weight. Reckon that might get him into the gym pretty quick smart.

 

[thylacine60]

I was one of them 12 or so months ago when Whitnall was made captain. Now, I reckon there would be a few ahead of him.

I wonder why club doesn't employ the same policy with Nick, like they did with Whitnall. You will not play again until your weight is down to your ideal playing weight. Reckon that might get him into the gym pretty quick smart.

Wouldn't it be nice to be in a position whereby dropping a player of his quality didn't leave such a gaping hole? (cue "gaping hole" weight jokes).

 

[Conduct Unbecoming]

you cant put the neck as total blame for the problem. he was doing drills last year with no contact and running laps and he started pre-season earlier as well with no contact! quote]

yes you can - he missed nearly all of 2007 with a neck injury after spending all of 2006 looking over his shoulder for oncoming contact.

 

[jj1978]

I'm sure the club was pro-active about it and what we're hearing is more of the aftermath. I would hope Stevens suggested the extra sessions of his own bat instead of it being forced.

But he signed a 3 year contract extension so he prob assumes he's safe.

After seeing Judd have a word to him on Sat about his 50m penalty I would not be surprised if Judd bluntly went to Stevo and went... "You're VC show some respect to yourself and your team-mates and lose the gutt!"

 

[Beloved]

yes you can - he missed nearly all of 2007 with a neck injury after spending all of 2006 looking over his shoulder for oncoming contact.

How much excercise and physical cardio work do you think you can do with an injured neck?

 

[Bluebear]

I was one of them 12 or so months ago when Whitnall was made captain. Now, I reckon there would be a few ahead of him.

I wonder why club doesn't employ the same policy with Nick, like they did with Whitnall. You will not play again until your weight is down to your ideal playing weight. Reckon that might get him into the gym pretty quick smart.

With Lance it was all tied into his knee.

He needed to lose the weight so he had half a chance of playijng without injections.

If Lance's knee was fine he'd still (shudder) be captain of the club, and yes...........Stevo's weight would proabably go unnoticed.

I agree though that in this phase, while we'd like to win with our best team, the greater good might be served by sending a signal to the rest of the group.
Yank Stevo for a month and get him to the fat farm to lose 10kg, bring him back through the Ants.

 

[Pamam]

definately doesn't look in shape!!

 

[thylacine60]

With Lance it was all tied into his knee.

He needed to lose the weight so he had half a chance of playijng without injections.

If Lance's knee was fine he'd still (shudder) be captain of the club, and yes...........Stevo's weight would proabably go unnoticed.

I agree though that in this phase, while we'd like to win with our best team, the greater good might be served by sending a signal to the rest of the group.
Yank Stevo for a month and get him to the fat farm to lose 10kg, bring him back through the Ants.

Won't happen but should. Maybe not a month. You'd have to believe that the players are still running the club to a certain degree. No-one has the bottle to discipline the senior players. Wonder what Dick thinks about it?

 

[Beloved]

definately doesn't look in shape!!

Lance Whitnal, eat your heart out.

 

[BlueYoss]

Pretty ordinary if unsurprising admission toward the end of the article.

I'd like to point out that these 'admissions' were made by Nick a year ago when he was at the best fitness of his career and reflecting back on how he far he had come. (Admittedly they are exectly the sort of quotes that will come back to bite you in the ass if you ever put the weight on again).

It is only following the numerous comments about him looking overweight that it has been dragged up again and an 'news' article created out of nothing when really it is little more than yet another anti-Carlton media beat up.

It consists of little more than selective cut and paste of a year old interview a cross reference to Fev's recent alcohol incident and suppositions and presumptions about what is going on behind closed doors at the club 'Stevens appears to be heavier now than he was a month ago' 'It is understood the coaching staff have questioned him on the weight gain'.

I'm not making excuses for Stevo, I was very critical of his overweight appearance and apparent inability to run out games earlier in the week before this article was published

I don't buy that Stevens is not at full running capacity because he's coming back from injury. I can understand him not being match fit and that may need some time to adjust to AFL footy, to 'blow out the cobwebs', but not that he's lacking running capacity. How many articles did we read last year about all the running he was doing until he was allowed to do lateral movement, and then skills but no contact? All the talk of how his pre-season started a few months earlier than everyone else's and how he will have a great head start on his runnning base by the time the rest of the team starts pre-season training...

But this article should be seen for what it is: a media beat up stating nothing more than Stevo's looking a little heavy and nothing more.

 

[bibi01]

I'd like to point out that these 'admissions' were made by Nick a year ago when he was at the best fitness of his career and reflecting back on how he far he had come. (Admittedly they are exectly the sort of quotes that will come back to bite you in the ass if you ever put the weight on again).

It is only following the numerous comments about him looking overweight that it has been dragged up again and an 'news' article created out of nothing when really it is little more than yet another anti-Carlton media beat up.

It consists of little more than selective cut and paste of a year old interview a cross reference to Fev's recent alcohol incident and suppositions and presumptions about what is going on behind closed doors at the club 'Stevens appears to be heavier now than he was a month ago' 'It is understood the coaching staff have questioned him on the weight gain'.

I'm not making excuses for Stevo, I was very critical of his overweight appearance and apparent inability to run out games earlier in the week before this article was published



But this article should be seen for what it is: a media beat up stating nothing more than Stevo's looking a little heavy and nothing more.

it walks like a duck, quacks like a duck, sounds like a duck- then it is a duck.

this article may be old and a beat up, but the fact is stevens still looks like he has not done everyting he can to be prepared for 2008

 

[Pamam]

it walks like a duck, quacks like a duck, sounds like a duck- then it is a duck.

this article may be old and a beat up, but the fact is stevens still looks like he has not done everyting he can to be prepared for 2008

but if Chuck Norris says its a chicken..................then its a F##cken chicken!!!!

 

[Jimthegreat]

Seems the weight went on between the Port Adelaide NAB Cup game and Round 1. Was that when he was suspected to have problems again with his neck? I know iot was denied but how do we know. If that's the case with that type of injury you won't be doing too much. If the metabolic rate is slow, weight then will go on very quickly. If you're training hard then bad food and grog won't explode your weight like that. Common sense tells you that, you'd burn most of it. It's more case of exercise he was/wasn't doing during the NAB pre-season while he was injured.

 

[BlueYoss]

How much excercise and physical cardio work do you think you can do with an injured neck?

a) That quote was from that satirical leaked 'CFC Confidential Document' that's been posted on this board at least 3 times already:

http://www.bigfooty.com/forum/showthread.php?t=428477


b) Stevens was doing diary entries for CFC website reporting on his recovery from surgery. This from his entry back in July:

http://carltonfc.com.au/News/NewsArticle/tabid/4311/Default.aspx?newsId=46993

I've started to step up training a fair bit now. I'm running four times a week and getting into some light skills work. It feels similar to getting back into pre-season - you've had a break but it's a little harder because I've done nothing for eight weeks and I was in bed for three of those weeks. It's been a bit tougher getting going in that sense, but I've started to feel great over the past week or so. It’s coming on well. I've been doing some running sessions with Cameron Cloke and we're both enjoying it and we've set our sights on getting as fit as we can for next year. I've run with Libba a few times and Paul Ford our fitness guy. Having company helps the motivation and adds that competitive element. I run with a heart-rate monitor as part of a set program, so it's not just a leisurely jog. Today I did three-point-two kilometres then some light skills then four five-hundreds on the clock after that.

I'm starting some rehab work in the gym with light weights and what we call core stability work, a lot of trunk stuff. That's a program set by Paul Ford in conjunction with the physio and the doctors. I saw the specialist about two weeks ago, just after my last diary instalment and got the all-clear to do everything. He's very pleased with the way my recovery is going. I can do everything apart from contact work - I won’t be able to have contact until the end of the year, but I have the green light for just about everything else. I just have to be smart in the way I go about it and build into it and not attack it like a bull at a gate

IMO if anything he should be fitter on account of all the time he had off last year!

 

[thylacine60]

I'd like to point out that these 'admissions' were made by Nick a year ago when he was at the best fitness of his career and reflecting back on how he far he had come. (Admittedly they are exectly the sort of quotes that will come back to bite you in the ass if you ever put the weight on again).

It is only following the numerous comments about him looking overweight that it has been dragged up again and an 'news' article created out of nothing when really it is little more than yet another anti-Carlton media beat up.

It consists of little more than selective cut and paste of a year old interview a cross reference to Fev's recent alcohol incident and suppositions and presumptions about what is going on behind closed doors at the club 'Stevens appears to be heavier now than he was a month ago' 'It is understood the coaching staff have questioned him on the weight gain'.

I'm not making excuses for Stevo, I was very critical of his overweight appearance and apparent inability to run out games earlier in the week before this article was published



But this article should be seen for what it is: a media beat up stating nothing more than Stevo's looking a little heavy and nothing more.

Isn't that enough?

 

[BlueYoss]

Isn't that enough?

It is!

My point is that plenty have already said it (Walls On The Couch, Maher on SEN) and we've all had our little rant about it already and this article has added no new facts/information so it's starting to become like a broken record...