Fitness vs Skill?

[JBomber]

I keep hearing people say the Essendon isn’t fit enough. But every week I look at the “Effective Disposal Percentage” for all the teams. Again, last week EVERYONE else in the competition was above 70%, yet Essendon’s was 64%. It’s not about fitness when you win 1/9 first quarters. How can it all be blamed on fitness? So is it skill? I spoke to someone at the club last week at training and they said that there is a actual “skills guy”. Someone from Ballarat University (I think I read this also in one the footy records earlier this year also) looks after all the skills? Jayson Berry. You have got to be kidding. Essendon isn’t 2-5 because they aren’t fit enough (although it may be part of the reason) but its because they can’t hit a target! This club has to examine what they are doing in the skills area, because currently…it’s not working. We have the worst skills in the AFL! They mentioned that this Berry is titled, Skill Acquisitions Manager (or something?) ..i couldn’t help but laugh!

Then I read that the club wanted to try and start basing itself on the Hawthorn model? They had a real opportunity to do that when a Hawk/Bomber applied for the job. Yet the club dismissed him when he said the list needs a lot of re-working. 9 monthslater, we are going to base ourselves on Hawthorn?

In saying this, I like Knighter. He really seems good for the club. He seems passionate and positive. So I don’t think it’s a bad appointment. But, obviously this styl;e of play doesn’t work 100% (even 50%) with this current playing group. They can’t go full pelt for a full 4 quarters WITH THE CURRENT GAME PLAN! That is not a fitness issue, as I don’t think Hawthorn could do it either. This game plan only works if you nail all your targets! We just don’t do that. So, why not have an alternative plan, until we do. Until our skill matches the game plan. I don’t care if they try it for a quarter, but it has worked for most (would you all agree?) of the year. Can’t we modify it? A little?

So, use a game plan that works with the current level of the playing group you have. We are a proud club, but every week we are getting belted and this is going to effect the mindset of this young group. Not only that, we have Adelaide away and then Hawthron. I hope we have something else to offer up in regards to game plan in the next fortnight or we are in real trouble.

In saying this, I am questioning what the hell is going on with a skills persons at the club? From a University. Have they added up or concluded that maybe its not working and actually getting worse each week? But, mark the bloody ball and hit your man on the chest is all everyone wants to see.

Thoughts?

 

[Johnnyprinias]

Skill would be a factor, but the biggest problem right now is confidence. As soon as something goes wrong the players bow their heads and we get pumped. We had one of the hardest preseasons ever did we not, so i would think fitness is not the issue. Its skills and confidence.

 

[SirJimi05]

I keep hearing people say the Essendon isn’t fit enough. But every week I look at the “Effective Disposal Percentage” for all the teams. Again, last week EVERYONE else in the competition was above 70%, yet Essendon’s was 64%. It’s not about fitness when you win 1/9 first quarters. How can it all be blamed on fitness? So is it skill? I spoke to someone at the club last week at training and they said that there is a actual “skills guy”. Someone from Ballarat University (I think I read this also in one the footy records earlier this year also) looks after all the skills? Jayson Berry. You have got to be kidding. Essendon isn’t 2-5 because they aren’t fit enough (although it may be part of the reason) but its because they can’t hit a target! This club has to examine what they are doing in the skills area, because currently…it’s not working. We have the worst skills in the AFL! They mentioned that this Berry is titled, Skill Acquisitions Manager (or something?) ..i couldn’t help but laugh!

Then I read that the club wanted to try and start basing itself on the Hawthorn model? They had a real opportunity to do that when a Hawk/Bomber applied for the job. Yet the club dismissed him when he said the list needs a lot of re-working. 9 monthslater, we are going to base ourselves on Hawthorn?

In saying this, I like Knighter. He really seems good for the club. He seems passionate and positive. So I don’t think it’s a bad appointment. But, obviously this styl;e of play doesn’t work 100% (even 50%) with this current playing group. They can’t go full pelt for a full 4 quarters WITH THE CURRENT GAME PLAN! That is not a fitness issue, as I don’t think Hawthorn could do it either. This game plan only works if you nail all your targets! We just don’t do that. So, why not have an alternative plan, until we do. Until our skill matches the game plan. I don’t care if they try it for a quarter, but it has worked for most (would you all agree?) of the year. Can’t we modify it? A little?

So, use a game plan that works with the current level of the playing group you have. We are a proud club, but every week we are getting belted and this is going to effect the mindset of this young group. Not only that, we have Adelaide away and then Hawthron. I hope we have something else to offer up in regards to game plan in the next fortnight or we are in real trouble.

In saying this, I am questioning what the hell is going on with a skills persons at the club? From a University. Have they added up or concluded that maybe its not working and actually getting worse each week? But, mark the bloody ball and hit your man on the chest is all everyone wants to see.

Thoughts?

Very interesting thread, mate.

The best remedy for the lack of skills at our club is to draft skillfull players.

It is very hard to improve the skill level of a player after he is already playing AFL. Most of it is done as a junior.

The fact is we have far too many unskillfull players on our list.

 

[Not a Wellman]

Our skill level could be due to a number of reasons. Our skill may be fine under no pressure at training and it's our dissposal under pressure that's letting us down.

It could be that we don't block, clear space to run into, talk enough, but whatever it is it needs to be found.

The Uni bloke isn't going to be able to determine any of these factors, my guess is he might be using an ultra slow motion camra like they can for cricket to improve their techneque which can only help us to a certain point.

Or it could be confidence also.

 

[B-Bomber]

When you look at 63% v 70% it doesn't seem like much...

BUT we also handball more then most others! Which means that we should be higher because handballing is easier then kicking, is it not?

 

[Neaglemagic]

This is a great thread! Why have we not got Plan B?

Playing kids is fine, but kids can't keep this kinda pace for another 10 rounds.

There IS a HUGE difference between 64% and >70%. The main difference is Essendon has the worst effective disposal rate (yes, this includes kicking and handballing) in the league. It is a problem. i heard about that guy from Ballarat and after him being there 2 or 3 years now, we have gone backwards. The injuries from soft tissues are fitness related, but the game plan attributed to that and the skills are shocking.

Why don't they try playing man on man accountable footy this week even for 1 quarter? See how the go!

Go the Dons!

 

[Ben the Gooner]

This is a great thread! Why have we not got Plan B?

Playing kids is fine, but kids can't keep this kinda pace for another 10 rounds.

There IS a HUGE difference between 64% and >70%. The main difference is Essendon has the worst effective disposal rate (yes, this includes kicking and handballing) in the league. It is a problem. i heard about that guy from Ballarat and after him being there 2 or 3 years now, we have gone backwards. The injuries from soft tissues are fitness related, but the game plan attributed to that and the skills are shocking.

Why don't they try playing man on man accountable footy this week even for 1 quarter? See how the go!

Go the Dons!

We will have a plan B, when we start using plan A.

At the moment, Knights is trying to sound out the offensive capabilities of the list. Once he has done that, and can make a proper decision on where the entire list stands offensively, he will move onto defense. He will do the same thing there, and then move into the actual game plan to take us to our next flag, which will be somewhere in the middle. Give him time.

 

[THOMO_31]

We will have a plan B, when we start using plan A.

At the moment, Knights is trying to sound out the offensive capabilities of the list. Once he has done that, and can make a proper decision on where the entire list stands offensively, he will move onto defense. He will do the same thing there, and then move into the actual game plan to take us to our next flag, which will be somewhere in the middle. Give him time.

agree 100% been sayin that from day 1

 

[Ben the Gooner]

agree 100% been sayin that from day 1

Knighter also said it on SEN apparantly.

 

[monty1104]

Sheedy had this mentality of trying to draft athletes and turn them into footballers. IMO, thats the wrong way around. Examples of players drafted as athletes are Bolton, Henneman and Judd Lalich. We all know what happened to them.

Now we need to draft good footy brains. Guys like Simon Black, Daniel Kerr and Sam Mitchell might not be the best athletes, infact they are probably at the lower end of the scale. Yet they are champions. They have good footy brains, they use them to make the right decisions. Our only great footy brain in the midfield is Watson. We need more like him.

 

[ant555]

This is a great thread! Why have we not got Plan B?

Playing kids is fine, but kids can't keep this kinda pace for another 10 rounds.

There IS a HUGE difference between 64% and >70%. The main difference is Essendon has the worst effective disposal rate (yes, this includes kicking and handballing) in the league. It is a problem. i heard about that guy from Ballarat and after him being there 2 or 3 years now, we have gone backwards. The injuries from soft tissues are fitness related, but the game plan attributed to that and the skills are shocking.

Why don't they try playing man on man accountable footy this week even for 1 quarter? See how the go!
Go the Dons!

If one of our biggest problems is players not being prepared to play hard and close to an opponent or they play lazy footy and let the opposition run inside then how are we going to pull off any sort of man on man footy ?
Its very easy to say we should go man on man but if your work rate is not good enough then you can't pull it off.

 

[Rack Watts]

Sheedy had this mentality of trying to draft athletes and turn them into footballers. IMO, thats the wrong way around. Examples of players drafted as athletes are Bolton, Henneman and Judd Lalich. We all know what happened to them.

Now we need to draft good footy brains. Guys like Simon Black, Daniel Kerr and Sam Mitchell might not be the best athletes, infact they are probably at the lower end of the scale. Yet they are champions. They have good footy brains, they use them to make the right decisions. Our only great footy brain in the midfield is Watson. We need more like him.

I have been saying this for 2 years
All of the veterans in the team have great footy brains McVeigh, Fletcher, Lloyd and even Hille.

Hille is the smartest man in Australia over 200cm. I swear, have you heard him state his point with referees? LOL!

We need to draft a 22-25 year old with a great footy brain. Someone with that "Coaches can't teach that!" factor.

 

[Ben the Gooner]

Hille is the smartest man in Australia over 200cm. I swear, have you heard him state his point with referees? LOL!

Will Minson has something to say about that.

 

[Rack Watts]

Will Minson is 199cm sorry Ben lol

also Hille for PM.

 

[Slattery_20]

Our skill level could be due to a number of reasons. Our skill may be fine under no pressure at training and it's our dissposal under pressure that's letting us down.

It could be that we don't block, clear space to run into, talk enough, but whatever it is it needs to be found.

The Uni bloke isn't going to be able to determine any of these factors, my guess is he might be using an ultra slow motion camra like they can for cricket to improve their techneque which can only help us to a certain point.

Or it could be confidence also.

Big part of it. Getting run down, constantly having to avoid a tackler, not having anywhere to go - these are all our hallmarks. Not a super-skilful side anyway but no one would look good in our side at the moment. Physical pressure makes us look good & the opposition look shoddy - we managed it for 3 quarters against the Roos, 2 against the Dogs, 2 against Carlton, not enough.

 

[Tippaz]

our win/loss ratio has very little to do with fitness or skill.

write down the age of every player in our starting22 and compare that with all the other teams inside the top8.

INEXPERIENCE

 

[Drugs Are Bad Mackay?]

I spoke to someone at the club last week at training and they said that there is a actual “skills guy”. Someone from Ballarat University (I think I read this also in one the footy records earlier this year also) looks after all the skills? Jayson Berry. You have got to be kidding. Essendon isn’t 2-5 because they aren’t fit enough (although it may be part of the reason) but its because they can’t hit a target! This club has to examine what they are doing in the skills area, because currently…it’s not working. We have the worst skills in the AFL! They mentioned that this Berry is titled, Skill Acquisitions Manager (or something?) ..i couldn’t help but laugh!

Skills Acquisition is one of the buzz words floating around sports science labs at the moment. We have got a bloke at the Crows who performs a similar role, Damien Farrow. His role is nothing to do with teaching the players the mechanics of how to kick however, it is more about decision making, awareness, how to simulate match pressure at training and helping the coaches to create an environment that produces skill development...

Farrow tested all our players for decision making and it emerged that Graham Johncock was top of the class which is why he was handed kick in responsibilities.

 

[Ben the Gooner]

Will Minson is 199cm sorry Ben lol

also Hille for PM.

Really? I thought he was 208 or something like that. Heh, anyway.

He plays the cello, and is pretty much a genius.