How is your team going to manage the next month

[Deeluded]

I'm interested to see how each club manages the next month or so of short breaks. Do you try and win each match with your best team, do you write off one game and rest most of your stars in that game or do you spread the load evenly for each match? Or is there another approach altogether?

I go for the Dees - our coach has said we will play our best team each match and that they have prepared for this period over the Covid 19 break with our fitness guru Darren Burgess. Whether this is what we actually do is obviously a different thing!

​

"Melbourne do not intend to rest players during the compressed fixture period, having prepared their team for four-day breaks when the AFL was postponed in between April and June.​

​

The Demons' conditioning coach Darren Burgess used his experience with the English Premier League – where short breaks between games are common – to ready the players for the demands of playing games in shorter time frames."​

https://www.theage.com.au/sport/afl...AOZfiMtM_VXRLr8usqBtFu_pt5KnR9A7ZOXecnkgdnYGk


Would be interested to know what people think is the best strategy and what your team has said about what approach they might take the next month or so.

 

[HairyO]

What ever we do it cant be any worse than the last 3 weeks.

 

[The Nostradamus]

We are in dgaf mode

Judging how we managed the first third of the season we will continue to play underdone players that will get reinjured and add to our growing injury list

 

[Kapow!!!]

We are in dgaf mode

Judging how we managed the first third of the season we will continue to play underdone players that will get reinjured and add to our growing injury list

Seconded

 

[00Stinger]

Anyone else think the condensed fixture over the next 20 days is actually a directive from the TV networks and not the AFL?

It seems pretty coincidental that 20 days of AFL footy is in pretty much the same timeframe the the tv networks were due to have the Olympics on. Would have helped the tv networks recoup a portion of their missed advertising revenue and helped the AFL renegotiate the tv deal for less games played

 

[Smeg Head]

Anyone else think the condensed fixture over the next 20 days is actually a directive from the TV networks and not the AFL?

It seems pretty coincidental that 20 days of AFL footy is in pretty much the same timeframe the the tv networks were due to have the Olympics on. Would have helped the tv networks recoup a portion of their missed advertising revenue and helped the AFL renegotiate the tv deal for less games played

A lot of what the AFL does it at the behest of the TV networks.

 

[Milanista28]

Poorly probably.

 

[Inspecta Gadget]

Peptides.

#whateverittakes

 

[Dinsdale]

Anyone else think the condensed fixture over the next 20 days is actually a directive from the TV networks and not the AFL?

It seems pretty coincidental that 20 days of AFL footy is in pretty much the same timeframe the the tv networks were due to have the Olympics on. Would have helped the tv networks recoup a portion of their missed advertising revenue and helped the AFL renegotiate the tv deal for less games played

the cynic in me says yes, but who had the tv rights to the Olympics, and who is going to be televising the footy over that 20 days?

 

[btdg]

Carlton is an interesting case.

For the first time in a while, we've actually got quite good depth, with not a huge drop-off from players 10-22 in the current team to some of the younger blokes waiting in the wings, particularly with a couple of borderline first-teamers coming back from injury in the next few weeks (Fisher, Dow, Silvagni and Marchbank should all at least be able to play a role in the team). On the flip-side: Cripps is looking worn down already, and the same can be said for Murphy, Pittonet (to a lesser extent) and Docherty (how far do you push that knee?). We're also still playing a few young and underdeveloped guys like Walsh, Williamson, McKay whose bodies are a risk.

Fixture wise, We've got two very winnable games in 5 days coming up (North on Saturday and Hawthorn next Thursday) on opposite sides of the country, then a big break (10 days) before matches against West Coast and Freo in Perth.

The temptation has to be to push Cripps/Docherty and Pittonet through the hugely demanding first stretch and hope to get 2 wins - that would put the team into 5-4 with a decent percentage, then they get to rest up, stick around in Perth and have a crack at the Eagles and Dockers with a realistic shot of the team's first finals appearance in 7 years.

The risk is injury - to the older and younger guys - that basically rules out the rest of the season.

I'd rest Murphy (for Fisher) this week, but otherwise push through. Pittonet is the tricky one - it's his first year as the #1 ruck, and he's competed admirably but showing signs of slowing. Goldstein this week then an easy matchup vs Hawthorn. No real back-up (either Casboult leaves the forward line to ruck, or the very raw De Koning plays). Do you play him vs Goldstein and hope, knowing he's the best chance to compete? Or rest him, play Cas/De Koning and concede that match-up but get him fit for Hawthorn? Tough decisions there...

 

[00Stinger]

the cynic in me says yes, but who had the tv rights to the Olympics, and who is going to be televising the footy over that 20 days?

channel 7 & Foxtel for both the Olympics and televising the AFL games over the next 20 days

 

[JMarra]

Probably we will just do our usual thing where our players get injured then we rush them back in only to get injured again. Might even lose a game or two to the bottom teams. But hey its all good we are still learning Wooshas gameplan, so plenty of positives for us.

 

[Dinsdale]

channel 7 & Foxtel for both the Olympics and televising the AFL games over the next 20 days

I guess I meant that ch7 wont be showing the footy every day, in every state, whereas they would be showing Olympics... in NSW they pick and choose, tonights match is not on, over the weekend only Friday night, Saturday night, and any Sydney or GWS match is shown, no Sunday or Monday.

So Fox/Kayo have all the money to throw at AFL Gillon...

I've got a free Kayo for another month or so so I dont miss out, its sure going to be strange having footy on every day.

As to how the teams will go, inevitably there will be a lot more injuries due to less recovery times, and we'll see a lot of debutants, and a lot of mixed outcomes as a result.

 

[Belnakor]

"Melbourne do not intend to rest players during the compressed fixture period, having prepared their team for four-day breaks when the AFL was postponed in between April and June.​

​

The Demons' conditioning coach Darren Burgess used his experience with the English Premier League – where short breaks between games are common – to ready the players for the demands of playing games in shorter time frames."​

kind of a weird comment considering the premier league teams at the top end routinely rest and rotate players during the season.

 

[RonnieRaven]

I suspect we could be that short by the end that we will have to forfeit or put injured players on the pine to make a team.

 

[JezzasOnTheAsphalt]

Wouldn't bank on seeing the injury prone guys like Darcy Moore playing all the 4 in 13 days for us. Externally the players seem to be embracing it so far and are of the understanding that it will be a squad period with a rotation policy.

 

[calyam]

Being an Essendon supporter, I imagine poorly.

 

[btdg]

Anyone else think the condensed fixture over the next 20 days is actually a directive from the TV networks and not the AFL?

It seems pretty coincidental that 20 days of AFL footy is in pretty much the same timeframe the the tv networks were due to have the Olympics on. Would have helped the tv networks recoup a portion of their missed advertising revenue and helped the AFL renegotiate the tv deal for less games played

Is this even in dispute? Of course it is part of the reason. Add to that the continuing situation in Victoria (and NSW following behind), and it just makes sense for everyone.

I reckon both the AFL and tv networks have been waiting to trial a BBL style ‘games every night’ format for years. It’s the obvious way to help expansion too - with 9 games a week right now you already have teams consistently resigned to garbage bin time slots but shift to midweek matches and everyone gets on air in prime time = more $$$$ and exposure = good for everyone.

They’ll no doubt be looking at recovery times and feedback as well as ratingsbut I reckon this is a perfect trial run for the future (and I’m ok with it)

 

[The 747]

Awesome no byes.

 

[Tackle Bag]

Tigers hoping to bring in two or three returning from injury during this time . I’m expecting a rotation policy of some sort to be in place.

 

[Sherrinator]

Lions are going to rest big Stef

 

[demondavey]

I suspect we could be that short by the end that we will have to forfeit or put injured players on the pine to make a team.

Bring back Clive

 

[Yojimbo]

One second at a time.
One minute at a time.
One hour at a time.
One day at a time.
One week at a time.
The future is a mystery, the goals will kick themselves.

 

[Dylan82]

Quite well from the look of it.

No travel and no 4-5 day breaks.

Makes me wonder what grief is coming for us in the next wave of fixturing.