so the gist is this.

Maybe we need to be more proactive with our team selections.

Drop players for rests a lot more frequently.

say - Robb's played 3 in a row - rest him.

Kruise has played 5 or 6 - rest him

do this regularly over the next couple of years as we build experience into the core group.

Rest players - continually bring fresh players in, pick sides that suit the circumstances not letting anyone rest on their laurels, keep it fresh.

I know its could to build a solid set team but I really do not think we are at that point yet. We are not top 4. Potentially yes, but we are not yet. We cannot sustain effort across weeks - this is what we should work at.

Don't let the side drift into games. Rest players, bring new players in, keep the group working.


Just a thought.

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This type of slight is alien in the more cultured part of the world - Walsh. Its up there with mad dogs, Englishmen and the midday sun!

you pick your best 22 each week if you think you are capable of having a real dip

you do what you said if you are still trying to develop


we seem to be doing something in between

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If you allow the Government to change the Laws in an emergency
They will create an Emergency to change the Laws

The problems are physical, not mental
This is not an under 12's rotation system so that everyone can participate
Do you rest them after x games if theyve just had a blinder?
What if the like for like player in the Ants doesn't deserve a promotion?
Stick with form, fitness (the fitness staff can decide if they need a break) and team balance. Let's not introduce another artifcially created variable
Pure and simple....we were not switched on last night, just like the Ess game and Coll game. We are a 6th -8th side this year

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If I want your opinion, I'll give it to you!

IMO the problems are mental not physical. And DB's theory holds up on that basis. It's not that they need a refresh physically always, often they need a mental break, a release, a chance to regain the hunger to play senior footy.

Can we exclude Juddy from the rotation? hehe

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"It was like calling your ex girlfriend after a night on the booze, just a really bad decision".

The fact that everytime we have a bad loss, Ratts always says in his pressers one way or another "We weren't switched on". This ain't a physical problem, this is in the head. This is a bunch of guys coming up against easy opposition and thinking they're in for an easy week. To me its an early symptom of FIGJAM-itis and we need to put a stop to it.

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WADA medical director Dr Alan Vernec describes Essendon* FC drug case as biggest scandal in team sport the world of sport has seen. #WC2WB

#GUILTY

and if we are a 6th to 8th - I'd say 6th - 10th - then should we develop a deeper list and if so then we play kids and kids tire (and I'd say its a mental/physical thing, not something to isolate as one or the other - we are always both) so rotate them - Kruiser is a kid yet some here are questioning him - he's 21 and been rucking now for just over 2 years, he is not a seasoned veteran. Why not rest him and play Hammer or Warnock and rest Jacobs at a later point. It happens anyway so why not control it instead if it controlling us - which is what I think is happening to this club at the moment.

as for the old set - form, pushing for selection, etc - they hark back to days when you developed in the reserves and played later in years or came in as a kid with lots of old bodies around you - and even then in your first couple of years you went back and forth to the reserves - developing, not necessarily dropped on form. We now have much younger lists, I mean compared to Nth's list last night our was about what a year older and about 20 or so more games of experience. We were the old side!

We have 2 years before our core really are veterans, until then we need to develop these kids and part of that (I think) is controlling their loads rather than have their loads control us.

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This type of slight is alien in the more cultured part of the world - Walsh. Its up there with mad dogs, Englishmen and the midday sun!

I can see this being a great idea with Robbo in particular.

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That’s not a political statement — it’s a harsh reality, and we must act,” she said. “He is a clear and present danger to the things that keep us strong and free. I support impeachment.”

It sounds similar to what Collingwood has been doing this year with a number of their players for various reasons. Mostly their older players to keep them fresh for the Finals push but a few youngsters are involved in that rotation.

Three bad games in a row and you're dropped.

Few of our boys had shockers last night. I'll give Browne another run you cant drop him on one bad game ditto with JR, AJ and a host of others.

Setanta is on the cusp... last chance next game me thinks.

Really does seem like a mental issue, maybe it's time for one of those Geelong style meetings where we work out if we wanna be the real deal or wanna make up the nu
numbers?? Just my opinion!!

That's a pleasant change Danny.

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Looking forward to seeing our potential realised.

This is a great post/thread, agree in theory - idea has merit.

Kruez looks tired, Hammer should come in.

Grigg deserves a run.

Sometimes when a kid has 3 good games it's odd on his 4th will be poor.

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It's a small world, but I wouldn't want to paint it

EDIT: I meant, the problems are mental not physical. Apologies

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If I want your opinion, I'll give it to you!

db. all I'm saying is, if the medical staff/mc believe a young player needs a break, I'll defer to their wise judgement. Artificially created rests may be beneficial, I don't think they are....but they can also be a vehicle for flirting with form. If Kruezer had had a blinding final qtr that got us over the line, would we want to rest him next week if his rest period was pre-determined weeks ago

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If I want your opinion, I'll give it to you!

agreed

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If I want your opinion, I'll give it to you!

not advocating pre-determined, more that the match committee or more proactive in their team selection rather than just going with the flow with certain players without considering fatigue and trying to pre-empt it. Not even sure if it would work but I think we need to control the list better than we are at the moment.

Its about not dropping players when they run into form loss due to fatigue, but bringing players in and out in a much more fluid manner.

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This type of slight is alien in the more cultured part of the world - Walsh. Its up there with mad dogs, Englishmen and the midday sun!

It's not that we lose to these teams, it's more how we lose to these teams.

I wasn't so fussed over the losses to the filth and Lions because we weren't horrible. But against the bummers, hawks and north we were appalling. It really does seem mental to me. For whatever reason we come out less intense, as a result get a few goals down and freak out and play scared catch up footy.

Maybe these sort of games with an "issue" over them are played down too much by coaching staff? ie the losing streaks against Ess and Hawks, Nth's lack of supporter interest. They use that as an incentive and we can't answer it because to us it's not a big deal

Whatever the case we need to address it soon because it's becoming obvious to other clubs that we're a bit soft in that respect

Geelong does it right, they spell players during the season. Player management makes sense and if it accelerates list development and promotes depth it may even make more sense for a younger side like the Blues.

This could be massaged to match the opposition, intended game style, weather conditions, travel etc..

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"It was like calling your ex girlfriend after a night on the booze, just a really bad decision".

yep, that's my way of looking at it

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This type of slight is alien in the more cultured part of the world - Walsh. Its up there with mad dogs, Englishmen and the midday sun!

Agree in principle but all those other variables you mention only increase the complexity/permutations. Eg. all the stars align and its time to give say AJ a week's rest cause his immediate opponent won't be playing. Suddenly Carrots goes down at training and AJ is required. You then can't rest him the following week because he is needed for a specific job etc. Yes its all hypothetical and speculative and maybe the cats can do it cause their list runs deeper

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If I want your opinion, I'll give it to you!