Roast So, when does Burgess start getting some scrutiny?

[1954]

There is no doubt that the Burgess candle is flickering in the wind, but the club's penchant for drafting the occasional tall and surrounding him with jockeys goes way back before him, ie we have been one of the smaller teams for years.

Geebung and North Melbourne are just two teams that have a physical presence that Port teams lack, even the Maggies regularly look undersized across the board in the snafl, eg Tom Clurey is either nowhere near his listed height of 193 cm, or the other clubs have some monster forwards who are 196 cm plus, because I have seen a number of games at Alberton where the top of Cluzza's head is barely above his opponent's eyebrow.

Anyway, getting back to the Burgess situation, yep no argument from me that there are too many stringbeans, and our supposed fitness advantage of 2013-14 has evaporated.

 

[StrappingTape]

One thing that was interesting this week was that White highlighted a lack of experience within our fitness department, when he said it was the first torn peck any of the fitness staff have had to deal with.

Are we hiring exclusively uni students or something?

It's not exactly a common injury to tear it like he has.

 

[Doctor Feel]

It's not exactly a common injury to tear it like he has.

Bodybuilders injury, generally.

 

[tribey]

Bodybuilders injury, generally.

NFL linebackers too.

 

[RussellEbertHandball]

Bodybuilders injury, generally.

Do we lift weights?

 

[Doctor Feel]

Do we lift weights?

If you are asking whether we lift heavy metallic objects and put them down again, the answer is no.

 

[Moo87]

I laugh that we basically get this thread bumped on a weekly basis.

We lose/form drops - Burgess has to go, we must've had a heavy training load, bring back Russell etc etc

We win or hit a patch of form - suddenly it's all
rosy.

So why are our fitness staff copping it in a game where we started the game having a peaceful afternoon jog, and barely touched the ball for half the first quarter. A game where we squandered 4-5 simple shots from within 20metres out, without significant pressure.

Surely at some point the responsibility for performances like that rest on the players.

We just weren't switched on, our leaders mostly looked content to coast, and we weren't ruthless or methodical when we needed to be. It was predictable from the start, and it sure as hell wasn't fitness related.

You can put the best fitness staff in the world, best equipment, best psychologists etc etc but at some point the players need to put 100% in or it's worthless.

All this looking to blame coaches, support staff etc (although I agree our football department does need a shake up at the end of the year) takes away from the simple fact that the players out there on the weekend (and against WB, Carlton etc) were more than capable of winning, and were in a position to do so, but didn't take it on themselves to put the effort or take the responsibility to do so.

 

[Janus]

That's because it's easier to pin the blame on one person for the failure of others than blame the collective. Because if we admit that the list simply isn't good enough and might never be good enough we would have wasted years on players that have flattered to deceive their entire careers.

Lifting weights was never a problem before when we were running on top of the ground and playing for each other. It only seems to rear its head when we can't be bothered doing that thinking we can just take it easy and then get smashed on the inside against sides that are built around that style - which we aren't and never will be. That's not to say we shouldn't be better at inside ball, but our main advantage comes from our run...and if we refuse to run, then what do we have?

 

[Janey]

It's all Holly Ransom's fault

I think she's about the only person we haven't blamed yet.

 

[Nemisis]

I went out to the magpies huddle at 1/4 time against South. I looked at Polec and thought "has he ever spent time in the gym"? I mean you don't have to put on mass but really ...

 

[tribey]

Shout-out to Hodges 153! who wrote this early last year:



And a few months later we couldn't run with the might of Brisbane and Carlton.

With the benefit of hindsight on two years of failure and with Travis Boak running around like he has the hips, hammies and heart muscle of a 56-year-old man, it's hard not to revisit Burgess' punishing summers and wonder what it's all for.

Because there is clearly no tangible advantage to be had over competitors by flogging our guys in such a way, especially if Carlton are going to overhaul our 3-goal lead, while down to 2 fit men on their bench, with Cripps and Kreuzer both visibly hobbling about with knee injuries.

 

[Magus]

Shout-out to Hodges 153! who wrote this early last year:

View attachment 259132

And a few months later we couldn't run with the might of Brisbane and Carlton.

With the benefit of hindsight on two years of failure and with Travis Boak running around like he has the hips, hammies and heart muscle of a 56-year-old man, it's hard not to revisit Burgess' punishing summers and wonder what it's all for.

Because there is clearly no tangible advantage to be had over competitors by flogging our guys in such a way, especially if Carlton are going to overhaul our 3-goal lead, while down to 2 fit men on their bench, with Cripps and Kreuzer both visibly hobbling about with knee injuries.

I'll believe that our players are struggling to run out games when they're coming to the bench visibly gassed, not just jogging behind their direct opponent and watching the action happen from a distance.

 

[PowerLil]

Shout-out to Hodges 153! who wrote this early last year:

View attachment 259132

And a few months later we couldn't run with the might of Brisbane and Carlton.

With the benefit of hindsight on two years of failure and with Travis Boak running around like he has the hips, hammies and heart muscle of a 56-year-old man, it's hard not to revisit Burgess' punishing summers and wonder what it's all for.

Because there is clearly no tangible advantage to be had over competitors by flogging our guys in such a way, especially if Carlton are going to overhaul our 3-goal lead, while down to 2 fit men on their bench, with Cripps and Kreuzer both visibly hobbling about with knee injuries.

Agreed. Can't wait to see the back of Burgess and his program. Surely there's another soccer club that is after a cutting edge fitness guru.

 

[PAFC66]

Agreed. Can't wait to see the back of Burgess and his program. Surely there's another soccer club that is after a cutting edge fitness guru.

2 good years and 2 bad.. all of the sudden everyone wants to see the back of him.

We don't look like we are trying let alone burnt out.

 

[tribey]

2 good years and 2 bad.. all of the sudden everyone wants to see the back of him.

We don't look like we are trying let alone burnt out.

I'm neither here nor there on whether he leaves.

But when you consider the coin he's on, the parallel opportunities he's receiving (The Uni stuff, The Recruit) and the paucity of results on field and in the treatment room, well, where's the beef?

 

[Quadzilla]

Hombsch and Jonas ... both ready to play ... both injured at training.

On top of everything else ... Just plain 'bad luck'?

 

[OneGreatClub]

Hombsch and Jonas ... both ready to play ... both injured at training.

On top of everything else ... Just plain 'bad luck'?

Summ't ain't right.

 

[OneGreatClub]

He has possibly taken his finger off the pulse with all his Uni SA commitments

 

[Steve Dore]

He has possibly taken his finger off the pulse with all his Uni SA commitments

If what he is implementing at Ports is what he is teaching at Uni SA it doesn't bode well for that venture.

 

[StrappingTape]

He has possibly taken his finger off the pulse with all his Uni SA commitments

No we were cooked round 1 last year to.

We have no explosive speed our entire team is one gear and for most of the season look like they are running in mud compared to opponents. Even Wingard looks slow moving around this year.

So this year just on soft tissue is it:
Gray
Hombsch x2
Jonas
Hartlett

Think there is more?

 

[Steve Dore]

No we were cooked round 1 last year to.

We have no explosive speed our entire team is one gear and for most of the season look like they are running in mud compared to opponents. Even Winguard looks slow moving around this year.

So this year just on soft tissue is it:
Gray
Hombsch x2
Jonas
Hartlett

Think there is more?

Wingard

 

[StrappingTape]

Wingard

Sorry fail

 

[StrappingTape]

Actually add him to the hammy list to

 

[Steve Dore]

Sorry fail

I was answering the question "Think there is more?" not picking you up on your spelling

 

[OneGreatClub]

Remember that poem 'IF" posted by REH a few months back...well Burgo..good luck...
..."If you can keep your head when all about you
are losing theirs and blaming it on you..."
Definitely some scrutiny required of our HPDept.