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#1
At the end of last year a lot of people thought the Crows were burnt out because of their Wizard Cup winnning efforts. "Peaked too early" was a phrase often used.
Apparently, the coaching panel thought so too, if Macca's training reports were correct. They took a lot of the intensity and competitive work out of PS training this year.
Historically, the hallmarks of a Gary Ayres coached side have been their work rate and intensity. Their abilities to put pressure on the opposition, to get to a contest, to smother, to chase at all times, and to work into the free space are the normal attributes of this dour defender who coaches his team to play the same as he did. Remember the finals against Melbourne and Collingwood in '02?
Ignoring all the hysteria about gameplans for a moment, the most concerning thing for me was the almost complete absence of any of these.
So why did it happen?
Was it due to the low key preseason?
Are the players sick of listeneing to Ayres and "doing it tough"?
Or some other reason?
Apparently, the coaching panel thought so too, if Macca's training reports were correct. They took a lot of the intensity and competitive work out of PS training this year.
Historically, the hallmarks of a Gary Ayres coached side have been their work rate and intensity. Their abilities to put pressure on the opposition, to get to a contest, to smother, to chase at all times, and to work into the free space are the normal attributes of this dour defender who coaches his team to play the same as he did. Remember the finals against Melbourne and Collingwood in '02?
Ignoring all the hysteria about gameplans for a moment, the most concerning thing for me was the almost complete absence of any of these.
So why did it happen?
Was it due to the low key preseason?
Are the players sick of listeneing to Ayres and "doing it tough"?
Or some other reason?

