So now 2014 is done and dusted, I sincerely hope the playing group (or what is to be left of it post draft/trades) gets some good rest in the coming weeks, as come grand final time (end Sept.), our squad should be running laps at Princess Park till xmas and beyond.
The Blues (along with all the other sides outside the top 8) all up to a 4 week advantage over the sides playing finals.
Lets use it Mick, and use it wisely.
Indeed.
I don't have any worries about overseas camps and things, but we need to have them when it suits our training, not when it suits the venues best. Andy Collins told me the time in Dubai was the hardest he had ever trained, but that it was wasted due to poor timing.
I know Malthouse prefers America, but as long as we do the hard yards when we can get the best out of them, I am happy.
Whatever way we go, I'd be making sure all of the ops are done and dusted and that everyone will be ready for the start of preseason training. Juddy hasn't been through a proper preseason, for example, since he got to the club.
Mt Kosi is far closer. Send 'em there!
Defo +1 on the ops. Hell we should have had anyone with a niggle into surgery a month ago in any case.
I didn't like how some of the players and staff went to the US and some stayed home. I'd prefer the team stick together during the preseason, get to know new recruits and get some unity between players and staff.
Last year appeared to be more optional than previous trips. I hope this year pretty much everyone will be travelling and getting something out of it.
Hell, send them to Peru if they must, but make it relevant and worthwhile.
what i have noticed this year and previous yrs is that our players have no muscle or strong build.So i like to see bell gibbs 2e kruzer and others in theGYM and comeback stronger for 2015.
Give them a couple of weeks in Wollongong :D
the club should not close for holidays and they should all work through Christmas and new year to get our club off the floor...
They need a rest, you can't keep a race horse in work for 52 weeks a year.
Our fitness is fine, we finish games well, it's the skills that need work.
Nothing to do with fitness, I am saying all staff board admin & players...
Get Levi (if he stays), Menzel, Waite (if he stays) and Hendo kicking 100 goals a day from when preseason starts to round 1 2015.
Make that 1000 a day....
Back to basics please, we are not as good as we think we are.
Keep it local, keep it hard (very hard) and keep it very team orientated... Club orientated, none of this elitist stuff, they are just footballers FCS ::)
From every conceivable distance and angle until they don't miss.
20 push ups for every miss: they'll get stronger and more accurate as they will be starting with plenty of push ups!
Learn to kick around the mark quickly. Learn to kick low and hard to targets. Practice kicking clutch goals. Get fitness to a new level. Tackle harder.
Now that the dust has settled, it looks as though we have the right fitness and conditioning guy in place. At the start of the year, Eddie and other Collingwood identities were crowing about how good their new guy was and how Carlton had lost out. Early on, the Pies were on a roll and we had issues. Oh, how that changed! Now, Eddie's promising a review into their long list of injuries and what went wrong with the fitness program. Fitness wasn't an issue with our boys. Unfortunately, a major reason for our bad start can be summed up in 1 word - Judd. He's still half our team and when he's out we're only a shadow of ourselves. Not a great omen for the future.
That's still a huge question mark for me.
Our last half of the season was a huge improvement on the early part.
That coincided with Judd's return.
Our one really bad game was also Judd's worst performance...but he wasn't Robinson Crusoe that day.
Now it would be silly to attribute it all to Judd.
Even half of it ;D
....but it makes you wonder just what the influence is when
-other teams are Judd watching-
-he's taking pressure off other mids
-and our players walk a little bit taller with him in the side.
It is the last two points, maybe even the last point more than the second last.
Our pack of introverts fall into line behind the gold standard who leads by example.
But there is hope, Gibbs is on the rise, he is the next big thing for us if he stays injury free. It is like Gibbs has seen the future and time is passing quicker than he expected, he plays with some desperation!
I don't like missing finals :(
I know was so pumped this time last year.
Judd is like the Marco Bresciano to our Socceroos.
When he comes onto the ground, he adds class and makes our passages of look better.
When you are in the presence of greatness, it's hard not to be absorbed in it and develop belief that you can be great.
We need that greatness in and around our club, influencing our young players for as long as possible.