Injuries under Sando

[Crows4Eva]

Not wanting to curse us or anything but one of the areas that seems to have dramatically improved since Sando took over as compared to when Craig was coach is the number of injuries to the players. I recall in 2010 and 2011 that the Crows had quite a lengthy injury list alot of the time.

However going into the NAB Cup last year I recall us having a full squad to pick from, the same going into the finals bar one or two guys. Now this year again, barring a mishap at training we are looking at having a full squad for the NAB Cup.

Is this coincidence? Good luck? Has Sando changed something that has made the difference? Are the medical staff simply managing injuries better?

 

[Geoffa32]

Less bikes and training our athletes to be footballers and not track athletes.

 

[Vader]

One year is too small a sample size to tell whether Sando's methods have really made any difference at all. I seem to recall Adelaide having a very good run with injuries in 2005 (Craig's first year as coach).

Someone on here (sorry I can't remember who) has repeatedly posted, those most at risk of injury are rookies in their 1st or 2nd season, players aged 30+ reaching the end of their careers, and players who have a history of injury (especially those who have repeatedly suffered the same injury). We had barely any players in those categories last year, following the cleanouts of 2010 & 2011. Which begs the question - how much was due to the coach and how much was due to the state of the list he inherited (which has nothing to do with Craig in this case).

 

[1990crow]

I found it interesting as a group they have had to do a lot more running in a shorter amount of time compared to last year. That made me a little nervous as that can lead to shin, calf, soft tissue injuries quite easily. Luckily though it seems it has gone alright.

 

[iamcorky]

Time will tell..

 

[The_Answer3]

I broke the dam

 

[woopedazz]

Are we talkin' 'bout practice?!

Not the game. Not the game. Practice.

 

[cmndstab]

From memory, Sando himself attributed this to two factors - firstly, that the players he inherited were already at a very high level athletically and there was no need to push them particularly hard in this regard, so we were less likely to suffer fatigue injuries. Secondly, the added size we gained from the new style of training has made our players more resilient to impact injuries.

 

[Drugs Are Bad Mackay?]

We had a really good injury run in Craig's first season but then fell short in September. Craig's conclusion was that he hadn't pushed the players hard enough. So we needed to lift our workload if we were going to be a premiership team and because we hadn't had injuries, could push the boundaries a little bit in this regard.

In Craig's words, we had to see what the players were capable of.

From then on, injuries abounded. We didn't think to scale things back until years later when we had an external review done.

 

[ManInTheArena]

We had a really good injury run in Craig's first season but then fell short in September. Craig's conclusion was that he hadn't pushed the players hard enough. So we needed to lift our workload if we were going to be a premiership team and because we hadn't had injuries, could push the boundaries a little bit in this regard.

In Craig's words, we had to see what the players were capable of.

From then on, injuries abounded. We didn't think to scale things back until years later when we had an external review done.

Yeah but found out what they were capable of and swiftly (5 years later) took corrective action.

 

[Bicks]

Heard Jobe Watson interviewed during the week, apparently The Dons have gone from an emphasis on weights/bulking up to trimming down and improving their speed/aerobic fitness big time this pre-season.

 

[OrdinaryJoel]

I broke the dam

Are we talkin' 'bout practice?!

Not the game. Not the game. Practice.

 

[Mr_Moogle]

I think Sando's playing style has to take some of the credit. Not only were the Crows physically bigger last year, they played a much more ferocious, attacking style of footy. For a change it felt like we we're the ones doing the injuring instead of being tossed around like rag dolls. For me this is the most refreshing thing he has brought to the club.

The changes in play style also filtered through to the mental side of the game. I enjoyed watching Taylor Walker taunt his opposition as he absolutely dominated them. Remember the first Geelong game? Walker was getting absolutely stuck into them. When that Geelong player messed up in the square and gifted Johncock a soccer goal, Walker was right there giving it to him. It was glorious and I doubt he would of behaved this way under Craig.

I'd argue that it was not only increased stength but also more confidence playing a huge part in our reduced injuries. Also luck on our side for a change.

 

[Coopers]

Heard Jobe Watson interviewed during the week, apparently The Dons have gone from an emphasis on weights/bulking up to trimming down and improving their speed/aerobic fitness big time this pre-season.

All or nothing then?

One would assume that... for AFL... a balance is important?

Who would have thought!

 

[jenny61_99]

Way too early to tell. One can only hope that our run continues this year. I like that we are making them stronger in the arms and legs. That they already have a strong aerobic base. My concern is that stronger (bigger) is not necessarily faster - an area that has been a weakness for some time.

 

[Elite Crow]

Shut the thread

 

[PyroCrow]

Are we talkin' 'bout practice?!

Not the game. Not the game. Practice.

 

[Team DJ]

This is one of the many reasons I rate Craigy alongside Robert Shaw as the worst coach in Crow history. If not worse

 

[radiojake]

This is one of the many reasons I rate Craigy alongside Robert Shaw as the worst coach in Crow history. If not worse

That is just silly.....

 

[crowman_23]

While they focussed more on physical side of things it appeared last year, we still didn't improve a huge amount in holding and/or breaking tackles, which for mine was one of the bigger reasons behind the strength focus. While I know it doesn't have a hell of a lot to do with injuries, the fact that they're all looking as strong as they are again this year, I hope they're teaching them how to tackle aggressively and how to use their hips like a Ablett, Cotchin or Danger to break tackles.

 

[fabs33]

I think it's a little too early to be drawing any meaningful conclusions regarding the impact Sanderson has had on our injury list, however the dramatic change coinciding with the switch in coach is worthy of raising an eyebrow for now.

 

[cmndstab]

I'm only going by my eyes here, but my impression was that our tackling improved fairly significantly last year in comparison to 2011.

We were still one of the worst tackling teams in the AFL, but nowhere near as bad as we had been.

 

[jenny61_99]

I'm only going by my eyes here, but my impression was that our tackling improved fairly significantly last year in comparison to 2011.

We were still one of the worst tackling teams in the AFL, but nowhere near as bad as we had been.

In our interview with Sando, the issue of our tackling was raised. At the time Sando was like "let's focus on the positives, on how many wins we've had compared to last year" which was kind of a disappointing (yet not unexpected) response. I'm glad to see, though, that they are actually focusing on it again this year. They did build the guys up last year with the boxing, but the wrestling should see even more improvement in this regard. And lord knows, we need it.

 

[skoobydoo]

In our interview with Sando, the issue of our tackling was raised. At the time Sando was like "let's focus on the positives, on how many wins we've had compared to last year" which was kind of a disappointing (yet not unexpected) response. I'm glad to see, though, that they are actually focusing on it again this year. They did build the guys up last year with the boxing, but the wrestling should see even more improvement in this regard. And lord knows, we need it.

Yep......I seem to remember that Sando in the early days was quite strong on improving our tackling performance. Our poor standing (tackling) at saesons end is probably the reason he chose to gloss over it given our other improvement areas. But its not just being stronger and fiercer and making the tackles stick, its developing and adding the offensive tackling element/attitude into what is primarily a defensive play. Some of our past coaches have concentrated on game skills overly based on possession through making space, and so elevating tackling importance and performance is a new emphasis our players have to bring to bear in their games. We have to improve this yaer.

 

[Tex Support]

Not wanting to curse us or anything but...

Something thats always irked me - why do people feel the need to start with the above phrase when discussing touchy subjects? Not having a go at Crows4Eva at all, because it's something we'd all be guilty of.

When you think about it - if you actually believe the chance that by merely discussing the issue might change your fortunes, why discuss it at all? And does prefixing the discussion with that phrase mystically make it ok? That is, if you didnt say it, then we'd definitely have a horror injury run starting immediately? Hmm.....

Here's another question: Guess who's bored at work?