Review Season 2022

[Truckosaurus]

I loved it, you all probably just don't understand the artistic vision

Why did we hire Lars Von Trier as football director?

 

[Grahame]

Worst part of the year was losing an entire season of Oscar’s career

Yes but on the other hand we ain’t going anywhere anytime soon so maybe he’s added a year to his career. Or at least helped stopping him getting too banged up for our successful years.

Similarly I wouldn't mind any of those good players who will be still around in five years having lighter years - less games or ‘managed’ - until the younger players catch up.

No point unnecessarily smashing the backbone of our next dynasty in these next few meaningless years.

 

[Balls In]

Yes but on the other hand we ain’t going anywhere anytime soon so maybe he’s added a year to his career. Or at least helped stopping him getting too banged up for our successful years.

Similarly I wouldn't mind any of those good players who will be still around in five years having lighter years - less games or ‘managed’ - until the younger players catch up.

No point unnecessarily smashing the backbone of our next dynasty in these next few meaningless years.

If the club was serious we'd have used the year out to prepare Oscar physically for that FF slot. By that I mean in the gym stacking on upper body. Not holding my breath though let's face it.

 

[The wily weagle]

Thing is, what is deemed outwardly acceptable for this club?

Our medical and strength and conditioning teams have long been trash but rather then the club hierarchy coming out and removing them, or at very least putting the absolute blowtorch on them, there is complete radio silence. Crickets. Best we can hope for is something like "we'll review at the end of the year". But there is absolutely no real pressure being applied to areas where we are clearly deficient

Next thing we know, we learn our entire medical team was signed up to a 10 year deal back in 2018. Dont laugh, as a club that values "stability" and the status quo, these types of deals are entirely plausible

Everyone at the club at the moment, from the board down, has gotten way too comfortable. And comfortable seldom breeds growth, change and success

 

[Rowan18]

The same people will say this is an excuse but then again they’re the subset of people who go missing when we win:

The injuries derailed our season in every way possible. That’s not to say there isn’t s**t to work on, there obviously is, but getting players back after the bye doesn’t magically get a preseason of fitness into them, or give them the base to run out four quarters of AFL footy just because they’re available to play.

The list, the team, the approach needs so much work. Nobody is denying that. Conflating ‘they were available’ with ‘they are at 100%’ is blatantly incorrect. “Well we shouldn’t have played them then” buddy let me stop you there, we played every player on our list and about 10 more that weren’t. When you set the AFL record for players used by about Round 10, it’s probably not the season you had in mind.

There’s a reason every athlete ever always harps on about how important their preseason was. We were denied one, partially due to our own poor management of injuries, and that has a knock on effect for the entire season, not just while players are on the sideline.

Agreed. One thing people overlook is that playing games actually makes you less fit each week. Every game knocks your body around, so you can't train as much during the week and your fitness gradually declines. That's why players need a big pre-season, so they have a large enough fitness base to get through the year.

Our S&C team have been a disgrace though. Sheed is the prime example. Spends months rehabbing an ankle, only to play three games (WAFL and AFL) and then have a shin issue that outs him out for the year. How did they not pick that up before letting him back?

 

[The wily weagle]

Our S&C team have been a disgrace though. Sheed is the prime example. Spends months rehabbing an ankle, only to play three games (WAFL and AFL) and then have a shin issue that outs him out for the year. How did they not pick that up before letting him back?

This is the same mob that sent Luke Shuey back on the ground after he clearly did a hamstring, and then tried to justify by saying that they wouldn't think he would do any more damage to that hamstring

 

[Rowan18]

This is the same mob that sent Luke Shuey back on the ground after he clearly did a hamstring, and then tried to justify by saying that they wouldn't think he would do any more damage to that hamstring

Also did it to rioli earlier this year.

 

[Keys]

Up until the move to Lathlain our conditioning was pretty good and there were times that our fitness was as good as anyone in the league

Other than the obvious relocation of training facilities I don’t know what else has changed. Warren Kofed has been at the club since I think 2008 from what I can find and Glenn Stewart has been there even longer

Did we change our procedures, are the players not being as diligent in putting in the work whether that be preparation, recovery or rehabilitation, are the facilities themselves creating issues or is it just really really bad luck

Ultimately, only the club itself can answer that and it’s probably a combination of all those factors.

What they need to do is go through each players program individually and identify what did or didn’t work and why. Then decide what changes need to be made, whether that be procedures and/or personnel

 

[Rowan18]

Up until the move to Lathlain our conditioning was pretty good and there were times that our fitness was as good as anyone in the league

Other than the obvious relocation of training facilities I don’t know what else has changed. Warren Kofed has been at the club since I think 2008 from what I can find and Glenn Stewart has been there even longer

Did we change our procedures, are the players not being as diligent in putting in the work whether that be preparation, recovery or rehabilitation, are the facilities themselves creating issues or is it just really really bad luck

Ultimately, only the club itself can answer that and it’s probably a combination of all those factors.

What they need to do is go through each players program individually and identify what did or didn’t work and why. Then decide what changes need to be made, whether that be procedures and/or personnel

This is my guess based on comments I've read from the club appearing in the media. We started to get a whole bunch of lower leg issues in 2019 after moving to Optus and then Lathlain. The grounds clearly had some sort of issue with hardness and Freo suffered from similar injuries.

The club then modified training to reduce load (I'm not sure what exactly but I assume it was low impact stuff like cycling). This didn't really work and player's fitness dropped (which was acknowledged by several at the end of last year).

I buy into the theory that others on here came up with; they pushed too hard last offseason to try and catch up with fitness and it lead to a whole bunch of injuries. COVID, and that disastrous pre-season week against Freo, wrote us off for the year.

I don't know how to fix it, but I look at Freo ,who had many of the same problems, but turned it around this year. They sacked their fitness boss and hired a guy who had worked under Burgess.

 

[ziad]

This is my guess based on comments I've read from the club appearing in the media. We started to get a whole bunch of lower leg issues in 2019 after moving to Optus and then Lathlain. The grounds clearly had some sort of issue with hardness and Freo suffered from similar injuries.

The club then modified training to reduce load (I'm not sure what exactly but I assume it was low impact stuff like cycling). This didn't really work and player's fitness dropped (which was acknowledged by several at the end of last year).

I buy into the theory that others on here came up with; they pushed too hard last offseason to try and catch up with fitness and it lead to a whole bunch of injuries. COVID, and that disastrous pre-season week against Freo, wrote us off for the year.

I don't know how to fix it, but I look at Freo ,who had many of the same problems, but turned it around this year. They sacked their fitness boss and hired a guy who had worked under Burgess.

whatever bits are correct I am not sure - but whatever the case it just says we have incompetant sports science people.

 

[Keys]

This is my guess based on comments I've read from the club appearing in the media. We started to get a whole bunch of lower leg issues in 2019 after moving to Optus and then Lathlain. The grounds clearly had some sort of issue with hardness and Freo suffered from similar injuries.

The club then modified training to reduce load (I'm not sure what exactly but I assume it was low impact stuff like cycling). This didn't really work and player's fitness dropped (which was acknowledged by several at the end of last year).

I buy into the theory that others on here came up with; they pushed too hard last offseason to try and catch up with fitness and it lead to a whole bunch of injuries. COVID, and that disastrous pre-season week against Freo, wrote us off for the year.

I don't know how to fix it, but I look at Freo ,who had many of the same problems, but turned it around this year. They sacked their fitness boss and hired a guy who had worked under Burgess.

I’ve heard Mark Duffield talk about the club watching Melbourne and Footscray train at Lathlain last year and being surprised at their intensity

He’s then said pretty much what I’ve bolded from your post - that they pushed too hard and it created problems. Prior to that practice match the club was pretty bullish about their fitness levels

Whatever we did, I hope we learn from it because we simply can’t afford a repeat

 

[Manbearpig77]

Obviously this year has been an unmitigated disaster.

Worst ever.

Now, there have been excuses for this, whether they are acceptable is a different question. The fact is the excuses are there.

Next year those excuses will not be accepted.

From what I can ascertain, Nisbett has a policy of holding the line and not panicking. This has worked well for us in the past, and we can see what happens with other clubs when they do panic (hello Essendon/Norf). Sometimes when it's your turn, it's your turn. The club isn't panicking and appears to be aware of what went wrong.

I believe we got our position wrong at the end of last season. We grossly overrated where we were at and then the perfect storm of covid, injuries and mismanagement lead to a confluence of bullshit, which leads us to where we are now.

This off season is huge for us. Play it right and we can do what we've historically done and bounce. If it all goes to s**t, I think we may see some major changes made.

 

[KERRPOW]

The problem with essendon is that it got leaked to the media.

If this was all played out behind closed doors than its possible rutten would have still been the coach.

Either way karmas a bitch for a campaigner of a club that treated woosha with such disrespect in his final year.

 

[Keys]

The problem with essendon is that it got leaked to the media.

If this was all played out behind closed doors than its possible rutten would have still been the coach.

Either way karmas a bitch for a campaigner of a club that treated woosha with such disrespect in his final year.

But it would’ve been someone from within Essendon that leaked it so it’s their own fault

Even Fremantle we’re able to keep the Lyon appointment hush hush

Well run clubs don’t leak s**t like that

 

[Monocle]

But it would’ve been someone from within Essendon that leaked it so it’s their own fault

Even Fremantle we’re able to keep the Lyon appointment hush hush

Well run clubs don’t leak s**t like that - This is true.

Loose lips sink ships.

Essendon is so fractured due to the fact that there, are so many factions within the Power Base.
The Club has more factions that the ALP.

 

[matthew_s]

The problem with essendon is that it got leaked to the media.

If this was all played out behind closed doors than its possible rutten would have still been the coach.

Either way karmas a bitch for a campaigner of a club that treated woosha with such disrespect in his final year.

go watch the press conference their pres did on Friday.

leaking is the last of their problems.

 

[Keys]

Loose lips sink ships.

Essendon is so fractured due to the fact that there, are so many factions within the Powers to Be.
The Club has more factions that the ALP.

My suspicion is that the two clubs with the biggest, most influential coterie groups are Essendon and Carlton

No surprise then that they’re the clubs struggling more than anyone else to come to terms with the shift from VFL to AFL

 

[Monocle]

My suspicion is that the two clubs with the biggest, most influential coterie groups are Essendon and Carlton

No surprise then that they’re the clubs struggling more than anyone else to come to terms with the shift from VFL to AFL

Bingo.

Essendon's coterie group is too large, well loaded, fractured and at war within themselves.
Until they get this sorted out, the rabble will continue.

You could perhaps add Collingwood to that list, but the historically long s**t fights, now seems to have been sorted and settled, but only after having jettisoned some favourite sons.

The sooner Essendon piss Sheedy off, the quicker the wounds will heal.

 

[Keys]

Bingo.

Essendon's coterie group is too large, well loaded, fractured and at war within themselves.
Until they get this sorted out, the rabble will continue.

You could perhaps add Collingwood to that list, but the historically long s**t fights, now seems to have been sorted and settled.

Most time since last flag

1966 : St Kilda
1995 : Fremantle (joined comp)
1995 : Carlton*
1998 : Adelaide
1999 : North Melbourne
2000 : Essendon*

* Big 4 Victorian clubs

 

[Seadog]

Most time since last flag

1966 : St Kilda
1995 : Fremantle (joined comp)
1995 : Carlton*
1997 : Port
1999 : North Melbourne
2000 : Essendon*

* Big 4 Victorian clubs

From memory Adelaide last won in 97 and Port won in 2004.

 

[Keys]

From memory Adelaide last won in 97 and Port won in 2004.

Ah *

I’m a dumbass

 

[Carbine Chaos]

Loose lips sink ships.

Oh, the car scene from Titanic makes a lot more sense with that in mind.