2001 Vs 2010

[OnceWeWereKings]

Watched the pre game Brisbane Vs Essendon 2001 grand final replay yesterday.

One of the things that stood out to me was the change in body shapes in what is reasonably small amout of time - 9 years.

Seemed that players back then were carrying a lot more bulk around the chest / shoulders / arms. Not so much muscle definition but more bulk.

Whilst players are probably carrying the same amount of kgs it seems that the weight is more around the core of todays players.

Seems to be a number of calls for our players to "bulk up" but there must be a fine line you need to walk with the "bulk" Vs "athleticism" in producing players that can compete in today's environment.

Is putting another 4 to 5 kgs on say a Paul Bower going to make him a more complete player when he lines up next year?. Does it give him a better opportunity to compete with an athlete like a Kurt Tippett?

Will the interchange rotations / cap decision play a major part in how our fitness department condition our players for next year?

Will strength and bulk one day arrest the trend in todays game of producing "burst" type athletes similar to those playing American Gridiron?.

 

[gbatman]

yeah things have definately changed. There is definately a balance between muscle bulk and athleticism. The very best players have high muscle bulk and athleticism like Chapman, Ablett, Kouta, Lake and Voss etc. Many of our players are too light, that's a problem but is to be expected. There is definately a balance between bulk and athleticism and we are off balanced. There haven't been many teams win flag over the past few years that were light and quick like we are at the moment. Most of the premiership sides haven't been over quick over all like Geelong, Hawthorn and Brisban but they have had a lot of strong bodies and only a couple of light quick types.

 

[Claypigeon]

There is also a difference between a mature team and a youthful team. .. core strength through the hips has always been an asset though. .. Its more about the right bulk based on the players style and body shape then shaping everyone the same way. ..

 

[OnceWeWereKings]

You should have looked at a video from the 70s.
Some players had another weapon then, called "Fat"

What you do want is to have a blend of both.
Scarlett is hardly Mr. Universe but can still hold his ground as good as anyone.
We shouldn't always be swayed by ideal body types as that alone won't convey the full story of that individual.

Bower is better served playing HBF for us anyway.
Did you see the size difference between he and Hawkins?
Having said that though Walker slaughtered Hawkins on our previous meeting as the game did not allow Hakwins to use his bulk and strength.
Football nous does also have some place in there to complete the argument.

Sadly there just aren't too many Richos or Franklins around, for now.

Harks,
It's the first thing I thought when I watched this game, "gee he looks like he's carrying a few pounds"
Really don't think those players could carry that type of bulk in today's game.
With the rule changes too, we have taken out of the game a lot of situations where strength ( one on one marking contests, ruck duels etc.) are less important.
I think you can see a trend in today's game where the player's with the larger type ( heavier ) bodies do not stand up to the strain today's game places on it.
Tom Hawkins is a prime example, I think the kid would have been an absolute gun 10, 15 years ago, but can he get his body fit enough for todays game without succumbing to the injuries that are already starting to appear?
Can we expect the larger type players to withstand a full season?
Will the game trend toward nursing these type of players through a full
season, accumalating enough points to make the finals so that these players can be in peak condition to compete in these games?
Are larger type players only going to be able to produce at their peak for maybe 2 to 5 years?
The list of players in their so-called prime being afflicted with these stress type injuries seems to be growing.
It is only with our medical ability to now days "put these players back together" that their careers are spanning 8 to 10 years at most.
Has the power forward become obsolete due to the amount of running in today's game? See Brown, Fevola, Hawkins, Lynch, Bradshaw, Mooney etc.

 

[OldBlueFan]

You should have looked at a video from the 70s.
Some players had another weapon then, called "Fat"

What you do want is to have a blend of both.
Scarlett is hardly Mr. Universe but can still hold his ground as good as anyone.
We shouldn't always be swayed by ideal body types as that alone won't convey the full story of that individual.

Bower is better served playing HBF for us anyway.
Did you see the size difference between he and Hawkins?
Having said that though Walker slaughtered Hawkins on our previous meeting as the game did not allow Hakwins to use his bulk and strength.
Football nous does also have some place in there to complete the argument.

Sadly there just aren't too many Richos or Franklins around, for now.

In watching the replay, the funny thing about that was the one time Hawkins really beat Bower for strength (the mark in the goal square) he totally had hold of Bower's arm right until the ball got there. Thus he prevented Bower from getting any leverage at all.

If it had been the other way 'round, would have been a free-kick every day of the week.