Port were overrun by North Melbourne.
Yes they are fitter, but I attribute their success more to Ken Hinkley and the fact they were a sleeping giant just waiting to be awoken.
Since Ken has arrived, the only player they've really added to their list is Polec.
Monfries was there when he arrived and Wines was drafted by their recruiting staff.
Hinkley just gave them a gameplan that worked and belief they could carry it out. Yes they are fit, but that's just one step of the process that I don't think is a huge factor in their resurgence.
Are our guys even using Whey?
SRS tho once Hird comes back he's going to governance the F out of our fitness dept.
Whey protein would be ubiqutious across the league. It would be as common as a Vitamin C tablet. Some ancillary supplements would also be near-universal across the league also. This is what irked me about the now-infamous charge sheet - the majority of those supplements would be in use almost universally across the league.
Creatine monohydrate for muscle gain (also helps in recovery), Glutamine is great for muscle protection and recovery as well as colostrum. I've done some experimentation on myself with those. When I don't take those after a workout I'm sore for 2 days - if I do, I can back up the next day. I would also be suggesting that anything to keep the growth hormone levels up would also be important for recovery. There are some perfectly legal supplements available if taken correctly will help your growth hormone levels up, which I believe is the key in all of this. Stress, illness, extreme exhertion will result in a drop in GH though, making it harder for the body to repair. I would love to pick the brains of these fitness guys people are mentioning above to see what they are using for their players.
Another irk of mine is that this subject is now completely taboo across the league - nobody is game to ask anyone else what is being used by players. Utterly untouchable subject despite the legality and 'universiality' of it all.
I believe Robinson was about building up the bodies, Danks role was to protect them. Dank just went beyond the chemist shelf.
Are our guys even using Whey?
SRS tho once Hird comes back he's going to governance the F out of our fitness dept.
Whey protein would be ubiqutious across the league. It would be as common as a Vitamin C tablet. Some ancillary supplements would also be near-universal across the league also. This is what irked me about the now-infamous charge sheet - the majority of those supplements would be in use almost universally across the league.
Creatine monohydrate for muscle gain (also helps in recovery), Glutamine is great for muscle protection and recovery as well as colostrum. I've done some experimentation on myself with those. When I don't take those after a workout I'm sore for 2 days - if I do, I can back up the next day. I would also be suggesting that anything to keep the growth hormone levels up would also be important for recovery. There are some perfectly legal supplements available if taken correctly will help your growth hormone levels up, which I believe is the key in all of this. Stress, illness, extreme exhertion will result in a drop in GH though, making it harder for the body to repair. I would love to pick the brains of these fitness guys people are mentioning above to see what they are using for their players.
Another irk of mine is that this subject is now completely taboo across the league - nobody is game to ask anyone else what is being used by players. Utterly untouchable subject despite the legality and 'universiality' of it all.
I believe Robinson was about building up the bodies, Danks role was to protect them. Dank just went beyond the chemist shelf.
Having witnesses the resurgence of Port Adelaide and their clear advantage over the rest of the competition in terms of running power is it time we looked abroad to find our own Darren Burgess?
I've long held the belief that Australia is miles behind the rest of the world in terms of Fitness and Strength coaches and imo how far Burgess has been able to take Port since he arrived further validates my opinion.
The game has changed to advantage players and sides that are capable of covering 15-20km a game, and at a quick pace. Clearly we don't have this ability and the only 2 players playing Senior AFL football from our club this year that could match it with Port would be Stanton and potentially Ambrose
It's hard to tell how much the AFL will change the rules and how the trends will change. When Geelong were dominating it was all about bigger, harder bodies. Now Port is on top it's more about hard running and running over teams.
I guess we will see as the season goes on whether Port slow up due to being too light (therefore more easily crunched). Obviously you need to find a balance and personally I think the Swans and Hawks will be hard to beat.
How many beep test scores of 16 did the Hawks and Swans have this pre-season? I'd love to see the stats but I'd say any we hear would just be rumours.
The point is that the beep test doesn't count for anything, because it's a non contact drill. Sure you can run like hell but it has nothing to do with making you better at kicking the ball or sticking a tackle (or getting up after being crunched). How long does a beep test go for (for a score of say 16)? Pretty sure it doesn't go for the length of a footy match...
Also I think we need to examine players individually, not as a team. If certain players can't cover enough ground or fade out during matches then that's a weakness they need to work on, no doubt. Do we need a new coach, the likes rarely ever seen in Australia, for this? Or does he just need to get more miles in his legs?
What does our current program even look like? It's possible that we have the most boring, cleanest, natural training routine in the comp because it needs to stand up to the ultimate scrutiny (the medias).
Personally I think we need to assess where our list is physically & what what the needs of the comp are (and where they are heading), and then get a fitness coach to get us from A to B. I have no problem with targetting a coach that's currently worlds best practice. It might not even be a full time job - they might be able to work with the players in the off season and set up a training and supplements program for them and just monitor the progress/results from back in the USA.
For all we know Port have done their endurance phase and from next year it's about bulking. I think we need to focus on ourselves and not other teams otherwise we will always be behind the pack.
Having witnesses the resurgence of Port Adelaide and their clear advantage over the rest of the competition in terms of running power is it time we looked abroad to find our own Darren Burgess?
I've long held the belief that Australia is miles behind the rest of the world in terms of Fitness and Strength coaches and imo how far Burgess has been able to take Port since he arrived further validates my opinion.
The game has changed to advantage players and sides that are capable of covering 15-20km a game, and at a quick pace. Clearly we don't have this ability and the only 2 players playing Senior AFL football from our club this year that could match it with Port would be Stanton and potentially Ambrose
It's hard to tell how much the AFL will change the rules and how the trends will change. When Geelong were dominating it was all about bigger, harder bodies. Now Port is on top it's more about hard running and running over teams.
I guess we will see as the season goes on whether Port slow up due to being too light (therefore more easily crunched). Obviously you need to find a balance and personally I think the Swans and Hawks will be hard to beat.
How many beep test scores of 16 did the Hawks and Swans have this pre-season? I'd love to see the stats but I'd say any we hear would just be rumours.
The point is that the beep test doesn't count for anything, because it's a non contact drill. Sure you can run like hell but it has nothing to do with making you better at kicking the ball or sticking a tackle (or getting up after being crunched). How long does a beep test go for (for a score of say 16)? Pretty sure it doesn't go for the length of a footy match...
Also I think we need to examine players individually, not as a team. If certain players can't cover enough ground or fade out during matches then that's a weakness they need to work on, no doubt. Do we need a new coach, the likes rarely ever seen in Australia, for this? Or does he just need to get more miles in his legs?
What does our current program even look like? It's possible that we have the most boring, cleanest, natural training routine in the comp because it needs to stand up to the ultimate scrutiny (the medias).
Personally I think we need to assess where our list is physically & what what the needs of the comp are (and where they are heading), and then get a fitness coach to get us from A to B. I have no problem with targetting a coach that's currently worlds best practice. It might not even be a full time job - they might be able to work with the players in the off season and set up a training and supplements program for them and just monitor the progress/results from back in the USA.
For all we know Port have done their endurance phase and from next year it's about bulking. I think we need to focus on ourselves and not other teams otherwise we will always be behind the pack.
Why are we picking America?
BBall is 48 minutes of action in about 2 hours. Depending on the game tempo, there may be a fair bit of standing around, and always lots of short (for AFL) sprints. 6 timeouts (?) and 3 other breaks.
Gridiron is played in about 7 minutes spread over 5.2 hours. All 100% sprinting.
NHL is slightly similar, constant movement, but shorter and a much smaller rink, and obviously skating not running.
I doubt any American pro athletes cover even 2km in a game, AFL mids cover 15 no probs.
Having witnesses the resurgence of Port Adelaide and their clear advantage over the rest of the competition in terms of running power is it time we looked abroad to find our own Darren Burgess?
I've long held the belief that Australia is miles behind the rest of the world in terms of Fitness and Strength coaches and imo how far Burgess has been able to take Port since he arrived further validates my opinion.
The game has changed to advantage players and sides that are capable of covering 15-20km a game, and at a quick pace. Clearly we don't have this ability and the only 2 players playing Senior AFL football from our club this year that could match it with Port would be Stanton and potentially Ambrose
It's hard to tell how much the AFL will change the rules and how the trends will change. When Geelong were dominating it was all about bigger, harder bodies. Now Port is on top it's more about hard running and running over teams.
I guess we will see as the season goes on whether Port slow up due to being too light (therefore more easily crunched). Obviously you need to find a balance and personally I think the Swans and Hawks will be hard to beat.
How many beep test scores of 16 did the Hawks and Swans have this pre-season? I'd love to see the stats but I'd say any we hear would just be rumours.
The point is that the beep test doesn't count for anything, because it's a non contact drill. Sure you can run like hell but it has nothing to do with making you better at kicking the ball or sticking a tackle (or getting up after being crunched). How long does a beep test go for (for a score of say 16)? Pretty sure it doesn't go for the length of a footy match...
Also I think we need to examine players individually, not as a team. If certain players can't cover enough ground or fade out during matches then that's a weakness they need to work on, no doubt. Do we need a new coach, the likes rarely ever seen in Australia, for this? Or does he just need to get more miles in his legs?
What does our current program even look like? It's possible that we have the most boring, cleanest, natural training routine in the comp because it needs to stand up to the ultimate scrutiny (the medias).
Personally I think we need to assess where our list is physically & what what the needs of the comp are (and where they are heading), and then get a fitness coach to get us from A to B. I have no problem with targetting a coach that's currently worlds best practice. It might not even be a full time job - they might be able to work with the players in the off season and set up a training and supplements program for them and just monitor the progress/results from back in the USA.
For all we know Port have done their endurance phase and from next year it's about bulking. I think we need to focus on ourselves and not other teams otherwise we will always be behind the pack.
Why are we picking America?
BBall is 48 minutes of action in about 2 hours. Depending on the game tempo, there may be a fair bit of standing around, and always lots of short (for AFL) sprints. 6 timeouts (?) and 3 other breaks.
Gridiron is played in about 7 minutes spread over 5.2 hours. All 100% sprinting.
NHL is slightly similar, constant movement, but shorter and a much smaller rink, and obviously skating not running.
I doubt any American pro athletes cover even 2km in a game, AFL mids cover 15 no probs.
In basketball the highest minute players average about 2.5-3.0 miles (4-4.8KM) per game about 3 times per week. You're about right for the NFL. A typical wide receiver covers about 2k per game and they run the most of anyone.
You can be as fit as you want, as big as you want, as good looking as you want. If you can't execute the basic skills under pressure, you're going nowhere.
They're awesome stats... Essendon sorted by percentage:
1Q: 4th
2Q: 11th
3Q: 7th
4Q: 9th
Port Adelaide and North Melbourne are clearly the best second half teams. Fitness must have something to do with that, but it could also be to do with systems, i.e. the field position of your zone. A high forward press would have different fitness requirements to a defensive flood, as would the way that you try and move the ball (wings vs corridor, kicking vs handball, contest focus vs retention focus).
Those differences are the kind that could play out over a full game. For example, North's and Port's systems might be easier to score against early in the game but a the game wears on they might have done relatively less running.