Dear Dimma,

[austyn08]

Live and learn is what the thread is about..... The fact that Dimmer would publicly say that we had a good preparation in an email to members when clearly we did not is what worries me.

If people cant see that Port had an advantage than we have learnt nothing from the loss.

Agreed. We are a lot more prepared and professional overall but last weekend in Darwin we were not. Port left us for dead in that area and that's why they won.

 

[nut]

RD, it's nut's opinion that those commitments affected their preparation.

There is nothing wrong with his opinion, except that it's being spouted from the top of every mountain, to the point of being shoved down people's throats if they don't want to agree.

I just dont want us to make the same mistake!!!!!!

If they were sitting at home that night playing playstation, then we lost and people found out, someone would have an issue with that.

I'm not saying it isn't an issue. But if we were to ask Lids and Jacko if they think it had an affect, then that's probably the only opinion I'd take seriously.

What the players do in their own time is uncontrollable. Giving them guidelines or advice on how to prepare for an intestate game is the role of the football department. Lade and Lepietch(spelling) would have alot of experience in preparing for on the road trips... as would Dimma.

The whole playing group would have known that Lids was on the footy show... What message does that give to the list??? It's ok to stay up late 6 hours before you need to get ready to go to the airport.

I ask you if you were in charge of our preparation for our cairns or darwin trips would you change anything???

Late nights can have delayed effect on fatigue... thats fact... if anyone wants a lesson in fatigue I can help.... added to that an extended flight then straight to a training session.

 

[austyn08]

And just to add to the day, after the 315 training i heard the lads had two shows to go to, one at croc cove (croc park in the city) and another at parliment house. Not 100% on both, but one for sure.

 

[The Rusty Trombone]

Lets say we did go up early as Nut wanted and didn't have players on the various footy shows/public appearances and still loss, what would people be blaming then?

Blaming everything but the performance of the players on the night is a cheap excuse and lets the players off lightly.

I blame " the heat chamber " down at Punt Rd. Or the Sauna as it is usually called. It is too small and you can only hand ball in there. Not big enough for us to be claiming it an advantage in the days leading up to the game.

Lay off Nut his op is on the money. It was the same crap before the bulldogs. We take a big scalp and play well like against Freo and Essendon then every one is doing media pulling each others dicks for a week and then we drop the next game to teams we should have beaten.

The eight although a real possibilty this year is fast becoming a dream if this crap keeps up. I'd be spewing if I got that email as well.

They believed their own press again. The coaching staff are there to protect them from this stuff not encourage it.

 

[nut]

Blaming everything but the performance of the players on the night is a cheap excuse and lets the players off lightly.

But blaming the players when they were at a disadvantage is surely just as bad... it can cause disenchantment. I mean seriously I would have been pissed off if I was a player sitting at home watching the footy and seeing Port already up in Darwin getting a head start on the conditions.

Anyway... I'll get off the mountain and leave this alone.

Hopefully the club learns from it....

 

[Bazzar]

Im with nut, i reckon he is on the money with most he has said.

 

[nut]

On Footy Classified they said Port arrived Wednesday and had a full training session on Thursday night ...... whilst lids was on the footy show.

Port played the conditions better than us because they were prepared better.

 

[_RT_]

But blaming the players when they were at a disadvantage is surely just as bad... it can cause disenchantment. I mean seriously I would have been pissed off if I was a player sitting at home watching the footy and seeing Port already up in Darwin getting a head start on the conditions.

Anyway... I'll get off the mountain and leave this alone.

Hopefully the club learns from it....

No doubt we will learn from it in terms of our prepartation for next time. For me the bigger disappointment remains the way the players played the game. They lacked intensity, didn't stick to the gameplan and generally got ahead of themselves. To me those areas need just as much attention as the football dept need.

 

[Infamy]

Nut your username is very appropriate

 

[nut]

Nut your username is very appropriate

the word Nut can be used in many different ways....

I think our football department knows more than you do about these sorts of things

Clearly not

When are Port Adelaide flying up?

 

[Infamy]

Where is the blame for the lazy players?

 

[nut]

Where is the blame for the lazy players?

Please continue..... I never mentioned lazy players....

I would add though some players would appear to be lazy if infact they are tired and ill prepared.

Could you answer me this.... Do you think Lids preparation was effected by having a poor nights sleep followed by a flight to Darwin the day before a match?? yes or no.

Do you think the players would have been fresher before the game if we had of had 2 full nights in Darwin to prepare??? yes or no.

 

[TOOs_Finest]

Please continue..... I never mentioned lazy players....

I would add though some players would appear to be lazy if infact they are tired and ill prepared.

Could you answer me this.... Do you think Lids preparation was effected by having a poor nights sleep followed by a flight to Darwin the day before a match?? yes or no.

Do you think the players would have been fresher before the game if we had of had 2 full nights in Darwin to prepare??? yes or no.

Lids and Jacko had 46 possessions between them, they looked fine to me from a distance.

How would Inf, you or I know how the players felt? Ask them ffs, otherwise we're just guessing.

Inf was saying the players were lazy, and I would agree that they were mentally not quite on after the win last week. Similar to how we were the week after playing well against other favoured opponents this year - the Saints and Freo. And the games after those were in Melbourne!!

PS: Can't believe you're not in bed Nut, how on earth are you going to function on the weekend?

just stirring!

 

[MightyTiger]

Live and learn is what the thread is about..... The fact that Dimmer would publicly say that we had a good preparation in an email to members when clearly we did not is what worries me.

If people cant see that Port had an advantage than we have learnt nothing from the loss.

And what position within the club are you in to make such a call????

Stop sprouting your bs as FACT when it is your opinion, how can you seriously sit there and think your opinion is more valid then that of a head coach?

nut did you know that the club were using some sort of jelly that the players were constantly rubbing there hands with every time they came to the bench and the runners were running around with?

How else could we have better prepared for it? Cambo in the preview said the boys had been training in the heat chambers for a couple of weeks now to prepare for the Darwin match, is that not good preparation?

Port had Friday booked for a training sessions on the field, we had it booked for Saturday, what good does it do for the players to sit around for 1 day doing nothing?

I would of been more pissed off if the club was forced to train on some second rate field where a player could do a serious injury because of the shit surface, the club took every measure to ensure they had a good preparation.

And also can I point out that I thought we ran out the game better then they did, so fatigue was a non issue in my eyes, and the ball handling skills were a issue for both teams, we struggled with our skills and they hit targets.

 

[HKTiger]

Physiologists will tell you that to prepare for a late night game you should be up at that time keeping your metabolism going. So the Thursday night activities of the various players are actually probably beneficial. This game was later than any gametime except the odd WA night game.

The lack of training conditions simulating the match (time, dew, lights, etc.) is/was not ideal and I'm sure the club will learn from that.

Despite all of that. The right intensity and adherence to game structure and we could still have won on Saturday night. We failed at both of those items. The other items we didn't get right pale into insignificance (imo) compared to those two items.

 

[TheProwler]

On Footy Classified they said Port arrived Wednesday and had a full training session on Thursday night ...... whilst lids was on the footy show.

Port played the conditions better than us because they were prepared better.

So your opinion is what? That Lids should have been home in bed at 8.30? What about the other week when Jack was on the footy show and came out two days later and kicked five? How many should he have kicked then?

There has been talk for years about when a team should travel and many sides have experimented with success and failure. Most teams travel to the interstate venue a day before the game allowing for aleast one training run prior to the match. Travelling sides who have gone over several days ahead of he game and not performed well have been accused of being flat from having too long preparing for the game. However the only time this issue comes up is when a side loses


I wonder if we had won by four goals if you have the same issue and say we should have won by ten? At the end of the day we played an awful game and the straw clutchers are out for blood and prepared to blame it on everything other than the playing groups performance.

 

[nut]

And what position within the club are you in to make such a call????

Member, Supporter.... a observer who saw on side cope with the conditions better than the other

Stop sprouting your bs as FACT when it is your opinion, how can you seriously sit there and think your opinion is more valid then that of a head coach?

seriously not sure why I am replying to you??? what BS did I write??? The FACTS are we didn't handle the conditions as well as PORT... Is DH also talking BS??? he admitted that.

nut did you know that the club were using some sort of jelly that the players were constantly rubbing there hands with every time they came to the bench and the runners were running around with?

It didn't help did it!!!!

How else could we have better prepared for it? Cambo in the preview said the boys had been training in the heat chambers for a couple of weeks now to prepare for the Darwin match, is that not good preparation?

can you tell me which corner of the Heat Chamber simulates greasy/ slippery conditions?? IT WASNT HOT IN DARWIN

Port had Friday booked for a training sessions on the field, we had it booked for Saturday, what good does it do for the players to sit around for 1 day doing nothing?

No they trained on Thursday NIGHT... we trained on Friday Afternoon. 1 side experienced the conditions first hand... the other didn't.

I would of been more pissed off if the club was forced to train on some second rate field where a player could do a serious injury because of the shit surface, the club took every measure to ensure they had a good preparation.

Dribbling the ball to each other on the esplanade next to the hotel at 9pm would have would have been more beneficial than an afternoon training session

And also can I point out that I thought we ran out the game better then they did, so fatigue was a non issue in my eyes, and the ball handling skills were a issue for both teams, we struggled with our skills and they hit targets.

Well our skills were poor and we weren't switched on.... 2 things DH admitted to in the email. Hopefully he recognisers that the preparation had alot to do with both of those points and we plan differently for the Cairns trip and our future trips to Darwin.

 

[nut]

Physiologists will tell you that to prepare for a late night game you should be up at that time keeping your metabolism going. So the Thursday night activities of the various players are actually probably beneficial. This game was later than any gametime except the odd WA night game.

do you know how long it takes to change your metabolism??? please show me reference to this claim.... they aren't preparing for a long haul flight....FFS

The lack of training conditions simulating the match (time, dew, lights, etc.) is/was not ideal and I'm sure the club will learn from that.

yes not Ideal...

Despite all of that. The right intensity and adherence to game structure and we could still have won on Saturday night. We failed at both of those items. The other items we didn't get right pale into insignificance (imo) compared to those two items.

It really helps a side when they can handle the ball efficiently... if you cant most other things are hugely effected.

 

[nut]

So your opinion is what? That Lids should have been home in bed at 8.30? What about the other week when Jack was on the footy show and came out two days later and kicked five? How many should he have kicked then?

There has been talk for years about when a team should travel and many sides have experimented with success and failure. Most teams travel to the interstate venue a day before the game allowing for aleast one training run prior to the match. Travelling sides who have gone over several days ahead of he game and not performed well have been accused of being flat from having too long preparing for the game. However the only time this issue comes up is when a side loses

NO NO NO... this is the FIRST TIME OUR PLAYERS HAD PLAYED IN THE DRY SEASON DARWIN.... BIG difference to a 1 hour flight to adelaide.

I wonder if we had won by four goals if you have the same issue and say we should have won by ten? At the end of the day we played an awful game and the straw clutchers are out for blood and prepared to blame it on everything other than the playing groups performance.

WHY do people bring up hypotheticals to try and strengthen their arguments.... WE DIDN"T WIN!!!!!!

I do BLAME the playing groups performnance. As admitted by DH himself " We fumbled all night" .....they handled the conditions POORLY.... I am giving a reason why we did handle the conditions poorly and also the FACT that Port were in Darwin on Wednesday and had a full training session in match day conditions which helped them prepare for the match better proves my point as well.

 

[Bazzar]

A bloke rang the Rumor File on 3AW this morning saying he has it on good authority their was an issues with the size of the Tiger stops and Port had the longer ones and handled the conditions better.

 

[_RT_]

Interested in your opinion on the following Nut: http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/a...to-port-adelaide/story-e6frf9jf-1226065947495

 

[Bazzar]

"It is as bad as we have played under Damien.
"It was the most disappointing game, and the most disappointed Damien has felt, because we are in really good form and to play that way is not reflective of the way we have been playing.

So what is their excuse? Something wasnt right to play like we did.

I would love to know what was said in the first coaches meeting as apposed to the fluff we have been given.

 

[nut]

Interested in your opinion on the following Nut: http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/a...to-port-adelaide/story-e6frf9jf-1226065947495

"It's not an ability thing or a conditions thing. I don't subscribe to that rubbish."

God help us if they seriously believe that.

"We want to play finals footy whether it's this year or next year, and if we are going to play finals footy, we have to win games in Darwin and Perth and Brisbane and Sydney," he said

If we want to play finals this year.... which I dont think we really do.... then how about spending a little bit of that coin we get from selling the games and fly up a bit early next year.

If the conditions or preparations had nothing to do with it then I suppose we be happy if we prepared the same next year????

Are we going up the day before the GC game in Cairns???

 

[Livonski]

I think you're overplaying the "footy show" aspect but are spot on re preparing for the conditions.
They played dry weather footy. Totally inappropriate. Get flat hands behind the ball when marking, flat hands behind the ball when running on to a ground ball. Quick, long kicks to space (rather than laces out). Should have been worked out after 5 minutes. Early subbing on of Tuck tells me they realised this style was required.
Don't overuse by hand (Dimma admitted this) because it's slippery (he didn't admit to this). Gloves might have helped, training at night would have helped.
Attitude may have been an issue but we were still in a winning position for 3 qtrs.

 

[The Goon]

Funnily enough i think both sides of this discussion have it right. We were 4.9 at half time and I thought we were on the verge of thrashing them. Could a better preparation have made the difference in accuracy and scoring shots to give us a good break and put a demoralized Port away for the night? Quite possibly. But no conditioning / preparation would have stopped the insipid performance we saw in the second half, that's purely mental.

To me the big question is do the coaching panel learn from this and prepare better when we travel to Cairns? It's easy to forget that our coaches are new too. If it's a blip in the coach's development and they create a better preparation routine next time then I'm stung less by this loss.

One thing is for sure though, they need to be practicing how to handle humid and slippery conditions. This is where our reduced clearances and poor tackling this year are killing us. Sprinklers during training anyone?