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This issue does involve the Swans but to me it is a general footy issue. In his press conference Longmire said that the players will have two weeks off and then get back to pre-season training. Really this is post season training because pre-season training doesn't start until after the Christmas/New Year break. In all AFL players have three week off each year which to me is far too short. The pressure these young blokes are under in enormous both physical and psychological. It is no wonder you get 'incidents' on end of year trips and nightclub excursions.
Last year because we won the premiership we were at least a week behind the other 16 clubs with the Hawks being the same. The difference is that while the Hawks lost the premiership and got back to training two weeks later, we had a week of premiership celebrations and then got back to training a week later than them. I believe the season is too long if you include the NAB Cup and if we are going to have that stupid competition there should be a week off for all players between that and the start of the season. The weeks break for all teams in the middle of the season does not mean a week off in reality, players still train on a scaled down level anyway.
In every job that I know of a worker gets four weeks annual leave, except AFL footy. As members of a footy club our players are our employees and we as a footy club really have a responsibility for their welfare. I believe the AFL Players Association should broker a new deal with the AFL to make sure the players get a decent four week break and can come back refreshed. This would also make it better for the club that won the Premiership as they could negotiate the break with the players and possibly scale down to a three week break. This would not put them so far behind the teams who went out of the finals early or those that didn't make the final eight.
Get rid of the NAB cup and play pre-season games again and that will help sides by playing sides they choose because of the coaching staff wanting to develop strategies. I would also reintroduce the State of Origin games. Our players were shagged by the time we got to the finals and that was obvious but we are not the only premier to suffer this fate, Collingwood, Geelong & Hawthorn have all suffered it. The Hawks were injury riddles in 2009 just as we were this year.
Last year because we won the premiership we were at least a week behind the other 16 clubs with the Hawks being the same. The difference is that while the Hawks lost the premiership and got back to training two weeks later, we had a week of premiership celebrations and then got back to training a week later than them. I believe the season is too long if you include the NAB Cup and if we are going to have that stupid competition there should be a week off for all players between that and the start of the season. The weeks break for all teams in the middle of the season does not mean a week off in reality, players still train on a scaled down level anyway.
In every job that I know of a worker gets four weeks annual leave, except AFL footy. As members of a footy club our players are our employees and we as a footy club really have a responsibility for their welfare. I believe the AFL Players Association should broker a new deal with the AFL to make sure the players get a decent four week break and can come back refreshed. This would also make it better for the club that won the Premiership as they could negotiate the break with the players and possibly scale down to a three week break. This would not put them so far behind the teams who went out of the finals early or those that didn't make the final eight.
Get rid of the NAB cup and play pre-season games again and that will help sides by playing sides they choose because of the coaching staff wanting to develop strategies. I would also reintroduce the State of Origin games. Our players were shagged by the time we got to the finals and that was obvious but we are not the only premier to suffer this fate, Collingwood, Geelong & Hawthorn have all suffered it. The Hawks were injury riddles in 2009 just as we were this year.