HUN: Mission Statement

[Ice-Wolf]

Misson statement
05 December 2007 Herald Sun
Jon Ralph

MEET St Kilda's star recruit for next season, the club's new fitness boss, David Misson.

While Misson doesn't have the profile of Steven King or the potential of draftee Ben McEvoy, he is likely to have more bearing on the Saints' premiership hopes.
Misson has arrived at the injury-plagued St Kilda fresh from a seven-year stint in Sydney where he transformed the Swans into the AFL's Mr Indestructibles.
Sydney has had the league's best injury record for three years, including the fabled 10-week stint before the 2005 Grand Final when there was only one unforced change to Paul Roos' side.
While Misson says it will take some time to turn the Saints around, he is confident he can achieve similar results with the AFL's most injury-prone side.
St Kilda's conditioning and medical staff have swelled to 10 after a recent review of the club's injury prevention, with Misson's recruitment the key.
Coach Ross Lyon, a former Sydney assistant, has set Misson two simple objectives.
"One of Rossy's main objectives for me was to get the players fitter and to increase player availability," Misson said.
"We want to see if we can get our top 22 on the park a bit more often than they have in the past few years.
"I would like to think we can go towards setting up a system where we can gather the same sort of data and make decisions like we did (at Sydney)."
While the Swans' injury prevention techniques have reached mythical proportions, they are based on fitness staff providing individual programs for players designed by intensive feedback and "wellness" ratings.
No two players will have the same pre-season and, during the season, training regimens will be tailored to fit a player's age, resilience, injury history and fitness level.
Former Carlton fitness coach Peter Mulkearns remains Misson's off-sider, and will be joined by Australian track and field doctor Tim Barbour, former Melbourne Victory head physiotherapist Andrew Wallis, and several rehab and physio experts.
Misson said he had been shocked from afar by St Kilda's extensive injury problems, with Aaron Hamill, Matt Maguire, Justin Koschitzke, Luke Ball, Xavier Clarke and brother Raphael and many others continually struggling with lingering concerns.
"It was amazing, really. We couldn't believe it at the Swans," Misson said.
"Players were going down left, right and centre.
"They had a reasonably bad run for a few years and it puts you behind the eight-ball.
"It's taken us a while to get on top of the history of each player and what each player can cope with.
"The thing we are trying to do is put some systems and structures in place so that it's not guesswork."
"Before Christmas we are not in a hurry. We want to get guys fit but we are not in a hurry to get them all back into full training straight away.
"Each individual is following his own program."
St Kilda often suffered fade-outs last season and was third in last-quarter scoring, so Misson faces a delicate balancing act this pre-season.
"We want to get them fitter so we need to push them a bit harder," he said.
"But by the same token, the harder you push them the more susceptible you make them to injury.
"It is finding the balance."
While he knows there will be hurdles, he believes he has the club's total support.
The Footy First ticket that has taken over the club has told Misson that if the fitness department needs a crucial item it will be provided.
"They have been fantastic," he said.
"It's mainly been about getting the right people in, rather than toys and equipment and technology."

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[Squizz]

So what's your comment Icy One?

We all know that there's been problems, and Ross Lyon has previously queried their pre-season preparation.

I still believe the Saints will continue to have injuries due to the hard and sometimes slippery Dome surface (Goose's leg snap was definitely surface related).

However, they can be better managed and possibly the new team will know when to bring back guys like Max, Harvs, Raph Clarke, and Bally if they get struck down.

 

[Ice-Wolf]

So what's your comment Icy One?

We all know that there's been problems, and Ross Lyon has previously queried their pre-season preparation.

I still believe the Saints will continue to have injuries due to the hard and sometimes slippery Dome surface (Goose's leg snap was definitely surface related).

However, they can be better managed and possibly the new team will know when to bring back guys like Max, Harvs, Raph Clarke, and Bally if they get struck down.

I think it was interesting that Mission brought up that whilst he was at the Swans they couldn't believe the injuries at St. Kilda.

I also think that he seems to have the right idea about everybody requiring a different program and that it all has to be tailored toward each individual.

I like how the saints have been going about stuff this off-season identifying problems and making a decision, not just on the injury front but all over. I also love how they have staggered announcement and media releases so that we are constantly in the news, we are getting great exposure especially if you consider the Eagles and Kangaroo situations that have come to a head this year.

 

[Squizz]

Totally agree - at a time when we are trying to attract sponsors, it's great to be putting out some positive and regular news. No drugs, fights, women problems, fights with the AFL etc etc. Leave that to other clubs.

 

[Persevering Saint]

yeah, good point.