Training It’s a big preseason for .......

beatlesmith

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I would have thought that the situation is pretty obvious with Nic - the club limits how much running he does because his body is particularly susceptible to wear and tear. It's easy to forget in light of his knee injuries that it was actually his persistent groin issues that really stuffed his fitness.

So as much as we might think that him dropping 5-10kg might help his body, the process of dropping that weight might take a toll that we're not prepared to risk. The same can be said of McGovern. The club likely sees it as a matter of accepting what they are as athletes rather than trying to make them something that they're not.

I think it's silly to think that they haven't considered this proposition given that they're the gatekeepers of fitness metrics and TOG%.In these kind of situations I'm happy to defer to the club - they have much more expertise, experience and internal information (empirical and anecdotal) than we could ever have.
 

avishka5

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In all seriousness, guys like Edwards are the next generation really. We already have a KPP's these days over the 2 meter marks. Daniher, 2 meter Peter, Alex Pearce, Harris Andrews, Charlie Dixon and Ben Brown are a few. Majority seem to be forwards but i suspect over time we'll see more and more defenders come through the rank.

Whats promising about Edwards his agility/mobility, ball use and ability to read the footy in the air. Genuinely excited about him and with TB and Gov having an interrupted pre season, he has a strong opportunity to press his case for the Marsh pre season series.

I kinda see him pushing his case this year for a debut.
 
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Said for years Id love NicNat to be less of a tackling beast and shed some kgs and become more damaging around the ground.

I reckon he could be an even bigger weapon on the wing if he could run out a game.

Richo role

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avishka5

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Said for years Id love NicNat to be less of a tackling beast and shed some kgs and become more damaging around the ground.

I reckon he could be an even bigger weapon on the wing if he could run out a game.

Richo role

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Why turn him into a player that he isn't? His tackling pressure and presence around a contest is far more important to us than him getting touches on a wing. That one of his keys strengths and what makes him an asset.

I'm all for him shedding the weight to ease the load on his knee and being able to spend more time on the ground tho.
 
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In all seriousness, guys like Edwards are the next generation really. We already have a KPP's these days over the 2 meter marks. Daniher, 2 meter Peter, Alex Pearce, Harris Andrews, Charlie Dixon and Ben Brown are a few. Majority seem to be forwards but i suspect over time we'll see more and more defenders come through the rank.

Whats promising about Edwards his agility/mobility, ball use and ability to read the footy in the air. Genuinely excited about him and with TB and Gov having an interrupted pre season, he has a strong opportunity to press his case for the Marsh pre season series.

I kinda see him pushing his case this year for a debut.
I love your enthusiasm but he is still learning how to play KPD. The year before he was drafted, he was a midfielder meaning he has to learn how and when to play the new role.

So my expectation is that he will continue his apprenticeship in 2020 and by 2021 he will be looking to debut. He has only just got to the current body size. Now he needs to know how to use it.
 

The wily weagle

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So as much as we might think that him dropping 5-10kg might help his body, the process of dropping that weight might take a toll that we're not prepared to risk.

Again, i doubt it. Without elaborating too much my background is medical/sports injury and i can tell you right now: being the heaviest of your career, late in your career, and coming back to a game where you have to jump constantly for a living and having a lot of additional weight going through the knee can only be bad. I am truly amazed that to this point that issue has never really been addressed by our fitness staff

If you want an example of what should be happening, consider this: Luke Hodge, a legend of the game, and the hawthorn medical team (who i really rate), came to the conclusion that for every year he was playing in his late career, that he should be aim to get a kilo lighter, every year, for the rest of playing days. This is precisely because as we age, we don't want to be carrying additional load as it inhibits our capacity to cover distance on the field, and, it places weight bearing joints at greater risk of injury due to an increase in structural stress. Subsequently, the longer his playing career went, the lighter he aimed to be

This is the exact opposite to what Nic Nat is doing. He is getting heavier, when the need for him to trim down is greater then ever

Especially considering he is coming off dual knee reconstructions

Then when he inevitably comes off to the bench for a rest every five minutes next year, everyone will be surprised

They (the club) just need to bite the bullet, put him through the pre season from hell, and strictly monitor his diet/calorie intake

Otherwise, next year we all get more of the same: some highlight reel hit outs, flashes of brilliant, and half a game wasted sitting on the sidelines
 

FKASC

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I love your enthusiasm but he is still learning how to play KPD. The year before he was drafted, he was a midfielder meaning he has to learn how and when to play the new role.

So my expectation is that he will continue his apprenticeship in 2020 and by 2021 he will be looking to debut. He has only just got to the current body size. Now he needs to know how to use it.
In other words, temper your expectations?
 
If Naitanui can't trim down due to training loads and wear and tear (which for arguments sake i'll agree with) then he needs to be doing it via his diet.

I refuse to believe letting him roll around at 110kg, which is the heaviest and also the most injury prone he's been his whole career, is a good thing.

Too many Uber Eats. It's as simple as that 🍔🍟🌮


He doesn't need to be as big as he is. It's completely wasted in a game, what exactly is the point? So he can bullock a few midfielders around a stoppage? Great he can do that 5-10kg's lighter like he used to. Having to play another genuine ruckman like Hickey, and then hiding him on a bench for half a game because Naitanui isn't fit, is detrimental to the team. It's obvious. Reminds me of Worsfolds 3 ruck policy.

If you're a young player/ruckman on our list and you watch Naitanui getting away with his fitness base while everyone else is slugging it out, surely that would annoy you?
 

kerr87

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Maybe his body cant take the training loads? Over work the groins etc.
 
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Weve won flags with both workhorses (Harding/Turnbull/Lycett) and genuine stars (Cox)

I dare say you just want a contributor for the whole game rather than a flashy 5 min burst player.

I love Nic but if he cant play more game time he is hurting the team.

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The wily weagle

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Maybe his body cant take the training loads? Over work the groins etc.

Even then, there are still tons of options

If the fitness staff are worried about groin/knee loading (which is entirely plausible), whilst wanting to reduce Nics weight and improving cardiovascular fitness, plenty can be done

He can spend a lot of the pre season in the pool, on the bike, boxing....... That will still give him an enormous cardiovascular workout without too much structural stress on the lower limb. Hell, we are the richest club in the land: if we don't already have one, we can get an alter G treadmill which will allow him to run and get the kilometres into his legs whilst minimising loading through the lower body.

Throw in a good nutritionist, and some strict calorie control and watch the weight fall off

If Nic and the team were truly serious about getting him lighter, it absolutely can be done
 

RanaNaved

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Feb 15, 2019
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I would have thought that the situation is pretty obvious with Nic - the club limits how much running he does because his body is particularly susceptible to wear and tear. It's easy to forget in light of his knee injuries that it was actually his persistent groin issues that really stuffed his fitness.

So as much as we might think that him dropping 5-10kg might help his body, the process of dropping that weight might take a toll that we're not prepared to risk. The same can be said of McGovern. The club likely sees it as a matter of accepting what they are as athletes rather than trying to make them something that they're not.

I think it's silly to think that they haven't considered this proposition given that they're the gatekeepers of fitness metrics and TOG%.In these kind of situations I'm happy to defer to the club - they have much more expertise, experience and internal information (empirical and anecdotal) than we could ever have.
Spot on
 
Nic Nat copping a slating in here. His main issue is simply staying on the park. His TOG% could be better but let's be realistic...he has effectively been coming off LTI for any games in 2018 and 2019 and his TOG was trending upward prior to his second knee as we would expect.

Nic payed a huge hand in getting us a record adequate to lock up top 2 and win a flag in 2018.

We all want to see Nic play more football and at his peak. I think the fear of him being injured again paving the way to question his commitment is in pretty poor taste though. You campaigners just need to temper your expectations.
 

RanaNaved

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Feb 15, 2019
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Even then, there are still tons of options

If the fitness staff are worried about groin/knee loading (which is entirely plausible), whilst wanting to reduce Nics weight and improving cardiovascular fitness, plenty can be done

He can spend a lot of the pre season in the pool, on the bike, boxing....... That will still give him an enormous cardiovascular workout without too much structural stress on the lower limb. Hell, we are the richest club in the land: if we don't already have one, we can get an alter G treadmill which will allow him to run and get the kilometres into his legs whilst minimising loading through the lower body.

Throw in a good nutritionist, and some strict calorie control and watch the weight fall off

If Nic and the team were truly serious about getting him lighter, it absolutely can be done
Nic does a lot of boxing and bike work already, and WC do have the anti-gravity machines and good nutritionists too.
 
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In other words, temper your expectations?
Expectations - a strong belief that something will happen or be the case.
Eg. After tomorrow mornings coffee I'm going to have a large crap, this is highly probable, unless I die overnight.
Harry Edwards playing footy for WC in 2021 is also highly probable, fair OP so no need for tempering
Mitch O'Neill returning home to play football for a team that hasn't been created yet, highly improbable, so a need for tempering.
 

Astro7

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Aug 6, 2017
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Well, my bad jokes aside, I absolutely wish NN a great season ahead and want to see him playing at his optimum.
If we're all discussing his weight-or perceived weight?-on here, then surely it must be on the radar with the club and they do what they think is the right thing for him-depending on how or what they are using him for?
It's probably been mentioned untold here already, but did he put the weight on during his rehab (2 rehabs?), did he bulk/muscle up deliberately, did the club want to use him differently - more of the battering ram, did they see that as an asset...?
Re uber-eats, surely they keep tabs on player's diets etc, less so in off-season..
And how would he play, if he suddenly rocked up kgs lighter, would it be an improvement?
Would he be less injury prone?
 

ROYAL EAGLE

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Not sure what the latest height is stated for Harry Edwards but he looks to line up at the same height as Hickey.
View attachment 791158

Harry is now listed at 197 cm and Hickey 201 cm. I have a feeling he is likely to have reached the 200 cm club.

Have been told harry Edwards has had a growth spurt and is 200cm now
 
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