Longmire's Coaching

[Steve]

We have a Plan A and that seems to be it.

You can only assume they did consider all the moves that seemed so obvious to everyone else - the only explanation I can come up with for why they didn't is they were more concerned at the alternative.

Conceding them free defenders meant we had an extra in our own defence plus extras around the ball. You could see the end result coming all second half, but for whatever reason we decided we couldn't match them in the midfield or defence so had to keep our advantage in those areas, and just hope somehow we could steal a few goals against the run of play.

Regardless the fade outs are a major concern, and you don't get fitter once the season has already started.

Agree this is the real test for Longmire and the rest of the coaches.

[Meg]

Dan Lonergan on ABC Grandstand TV this evening:

"I'm concerned about the Swans. They don't seem to be fit".

[aguy]

Dan Lonergan on ABC Grandstand TV this evening:

"I'm concerned about the Swans. They don't seem to be fit".

Yes Interesting ...

[jono2707]

Dan Lonergan on ABC Grandstand TV this evening:

"I'm concerned about the Swans. They don't seem to be fit".

I think he's spot on - we don't have enough run at the moment. We currently lack the fitness to give that real run and spread that has served us so well the last few years. Hopefully we get it back soon - everything else should fall into place then.

[mcs]

Our fitness looks awful. Its going to be very hard to improve fitness now the season has started without it impacting on performance levels.

[giant]

Got it in one Liz! Ironic isn't it?

They had Pedersen and Fitzpatrick as their key forwards - we had Reid and Franklyn!!!

[liz]

They had Pedersen and Fitzpatrick as their key forwards - we had Reid and Franklyn!!!

Yep, the Dees definitely had more reasons not to have a forward line. They've tried to go out and recruit some tall forwards but with all of Clark, Hogan and Dawes unavailable, it's a challenge.

The one thing that most puzzles me about Saturday's game is why Reid was in defence for so much of the game.

[bloodsbigot]

I'm no fitness expert, but I studied training schedules around 9 years ago at tafe and I recall that fitness comes in peaks and dips.

Meaning... if they're in a dip now, they need to build up to a peak at some point during the season. It's probably impossible to maintain peak fitness for the whole season. The human body simply doesn't work like that.

If we are in a dip in fitness now... it's because Longmire and the training staff have decided that it's unimportant to peak at the first half of the season and rather the second half.

[Ludwig]

If's hard to imagine that the fitness program hasn't been worked out, or that there are many changes from year to year. They measure the performance levels of the players throughout the training cycle. Players in their mid twenties don't lose fitness year over year unless they have to reduce training loads due to injury.

I think the problem is that we have to work too hard to move the ball forward and score, expending energy that could carry us through the 4th qtr.

When your skills are good, hit targets and move the ball cleanly, you tend to run out the game better.

It comes down to an equation of how much effort is required for a given result.

[chalbilto]

I'm no fitness expert, but I studied training schedules around 9 years ago at tafe and I recall that fitness comes in peaks and dips.

Meaning... if they're in a dip now, they need to build up to a peak at some point during the season. It's probably impossible to maintain peak fitness for the whole season. The human body simply doesn't work like that.

If we are in a dip in fitness now... it's because Longmire and the training staff have decided that it's unimportant to peak at the first half of the season and rather the second half.

What's the point of being fit in the second half if they don't win many games in the first half?

[bloodsbigot]

What's the point of being fit in the second half if they don't win many games in the first half?

Maybe they were hoping to concede games to stronger teams and ease past in the easier teams in the first half? Dunno... maybe ask Horse.

[mcs]

What's the point of being fit in the second half if they don't win many games in the first half?

Seems a bit pointless to be fit in September if your not going to be playing football in September, which at this rate we won't be!

[Ludwig]

The one thing that most puzzles me about Saturday's game is why Reid was in defence for so much of the game.

It's because we decided to play ROK and dropped Laidler. They had 3 tall forwards in Cloke, White and Goldsack, who probably would have been Laidler's man.

I defended the coaching staff on this selection even though I thought it was a clear mistake at the time, as it was an unusual situation involving one of our better players in recent times, but it did hurt us in the game. I'm sure, in private, they regret the decision.

[liz]

It's because we decided to play ROK and dropped Laidler. They had 3 tall forwards in Cloke, White and Goldsack, who probably would have been Laidler's man.

I defended the coaching staff on this selection even though I thought it was a clear mistake at the time, as it was an unusual situation involving one of our better players in recent times, but it did hurt us in the game. I'm sure, in private, they regret the decision.

So who were Rampe, McVeigh, Malceski playing on? Any of those three is tall enough / good enough to cover Goldsack. Given we had Shaw and Smith playing almost exclusively in defence, McVeigh playing large chunks down there, as well as Reg and Ted, that seems like plenty enough defenders such that you don't need to sacrifice one of two effective tall forwards. It wasn't like we were getting smashed around the ground for the first three quarters. Indeed, the Swans were clearly the less awful of the two sides until close to 3/4 time. It's just that our forays forward came to zilch because we had no forward line worthy of the description.

[Ludwig]

Just saying that for whatever reason Horse had for playing Reid in defence would have been obviated by playing Laidler instead of ROK, as it seems Horse wanted another tall defender instead of manning up across the ground, something that has been roundly criticised.

What a bizarre start to the season. Going in, everyone was saying we had too many talls and couldn't play them all, while the reality has been that we don't have enough, aided and abetted by the coaching staff.