Carlton Supporters Club

I agree with that.
Heading off to Bali for a holiday is probably a 'bridge too far'.

I agree with that.
Heading off to Bali for a holiday is probably a 'bridge too far'.

I'm just not sure the more 'hard work' in this period is better than a couple of days away from the club.
Spending a bit of time with family and friends, and then back into it from Monday...is probably not so much of an issue.

I've no idea what the players we're doing last week.
I suspect it would be varied...and players that needed a bit of extra work will probably be getting it.
Others with a niggly injury or two, are probably having a rest.

We employ high quality fitness folks to give us the best guidance on these things.
A heavy training load for all players over a break could be the last thing the players need...but it might benefit some.

I'm talking from a Track and Field experience but the basic principles would be pretty similar for football.
Any training has two main components-
The workout followed by a period of rest and recovery.
Ideal training programs also comprise periods of high intensity and low intensity.
And it's not just the body that requires that rest and recovery, there's also the mind that needs that 'down time'...and sometimes the signs of that are pretty easy to spot...players getting frustrated by a practice that is not producing results.

So we don't know for sure what individual players have done over the last week, or what they'll be doing the next week...but hopefully it's been tailored on an individual basis.

The week after the bye is always a bit of a tricky time to navigate.
If we come out flat against Hawthorn it won't be because we didn't bust a gut in the off period.
The problem will be caused by the fact that after a good performance, the 'bye' came at an unfortunate time for continuity.

The majority of the hard training work would have been done pre-season.
During the actual playing period it would be more about maintenance.
But there would probably also be a few blocks of heavy sessions within that period.
It's why you may sometimes see teams have a flat couple of weeks while the heavy training period is occurring.
It may not be as noticeable as it was in years past (the old mid-season slump) because they probably individualise the programs so different players are being 'loaded' at different times.
In that case we're more likely to see an individual have a couple of off weeks.

The 'bye' is all about giving the players that mental and physical break in a long season.
If it's not used largely for that purpose, we should just keep playing.

I get the benefits of the break, I'm just saying what I think I would do as a leader to try and extract every ounce. I guess it would depend on the group, their health (physical and mental) and their reaction to "extras" if it were put to them. It would be an interesting exercise nonetheless. As Cripps said in his HS interview, there are all types at the club, structured/unstructured, positive/negative, energy givers/energy drainers. Managing/Leading that is a hell of a task.

It should be attracting the focus of the auditor, because the AFL players could easily go to FNQ, Darwin or WA and would still be almost anonymous.

There must be a reason they so often choose Bali, I suspect they get sweetheart deals from venues owned and operated by mates or former AFL players, there are many many venues in Bali that are part owned or operated by AFL players or retired AFL players!

It should be attracting the focus of the auditor, because the AFL players could easily go to FNQ, Darwin or WA and would still be almost anonymous.

There must be a reason they so often choose Bali, I suspect they get sweetheart deals from venues owned and operated by mates or former AFL players, there are many many venues in Bali that are part owned or operated by AFL players or retired AFL players!

I read with interest that the skipper of the 2s Crocker didn't have the week off, instead lined up for Langwarrin in the MPFNL.

Yep
The VFL players get a few extra breaks during the season ( 4 byes) and many of the non- AFL listed players are tied to local clubs.
For a lot of them it's as good as a break to go back and play locally because you can have a bit of a "kick and giggle" with your mates.
You can choose to have the week off or go and have a game with a bit less pressure.

I suspect it's something some AFL listed players would do too....but the club just wouldn't allow it.
There'd be hell to pay if Charlie Curnow did a knee playing for the Bullamakanka reserves during 'bye' week.

On the other hand we had our AFL and VFL sides both with a break last week.
Had the VFL side been playing it's pretty certain it would have been filled with AFL listed guys who needed a bit of extra work, including some who played seniors against the Suns.
Dow for one would probably have been on the team bus, given his limited game time in recent weeks.

Not suggesting for a second senior players play bush footy instead of having a break, just saying some blokes have a good attitude, Crock was abit ordinary for a few weeks then found a bit of form before the bye. I guess he didnt want to lose any touch so...

@Lods dont want to harp on about this but I was reminded of another example. Tour de France, 3500km over 3 weeks all at a fair clip with some of the meanest roaded mountains on the planet along the way. What do the riders do on their day off? Spin the legs over 100km for craps and giggles.

Is that right...
I haven't really followed the race
I wasn't sure of their activity during the break in the tour.
Is it everyone doing that extra cycle?
Is it an organised activity?
I'm guessing it's not a full on effort but more just keeping the legs turning over at a much reduced intensity.

But consider professional cyclists would be training for most of the year.
The Tour would be the same as their Olympics/world championship/ Commonwealth Games
For the elite, the ones with a good chance of winning, those events would be targeted so they reach their peak at the time of the competition.
During that annual training period there would be peaks and troughs of intensity.
They wouldn't be training flat out for that entire 12 month period.
I suspect for cyclists they may even have some weeks, even at the elite level, where they don't even sit on a bike and have a complete break...much like a footballer has his end of season break.

The more intense activity would be well away from the 'ultimate' event.
For a footballer that's the pre-season.
That's where you build a base.
With a 'competition' every week for the 20+ weeks of the season it then becomes more about maintenance during the season.
There may be a heavy block of training at different times through the season proper but it's more about maintaining fitness levels.

But there are other factors at play at the elite level, no matter what the sport.
The mental and injury issues.
Mental fatigue and niggling injuries can both benefit from that break in competition where a rest is probably the best option.

It's quite remakable the failure of some teams to 'get up' after the bye.
You can make a case that the 'switch off' is detrimental.
On the other hand the benefit of the break may not manifest itself until a few weeks after the bye.
Better to lose a game just after the bye, than to lose two or three heading into the finals.
Of course there are teams that can't afford to lose any...as we know.

Just to be clear, I was talking about their rest days during the actual TDF of which there are 2 or 3 I think. Every rider in every team will still turn the legs on a rest day.
As for the bye break, I think there is enough evidence to suggest the "switch off" is detrimental. Our blokes in particular have long been known to "not come to play" at the best of times during the season, I'd hate to think what they will dish up on Sunday after a break sinking piss and getting up to god knows what.

The unknown though.... is it a 'short term detriment' at the gain of a 'long term benefit'.
If the players hadn't had the break, would there be signs of wear and tear later in the season.
Why do we have a bye at all if there aren't sound reasons for it.
The fans certainly don't want it.

Does anyone know what each of our players were doing on the break?
I doubt they were all sitting around drinking for three or four days.

The only problem may have been a loss of structure, in that for a couple of days their days weren't dictated by the club.