List Mgmt. Kevin White - Head of Performance

[Billy Not Really]

The team is fitter than they have been in previous years, we must have short collective memories because our fitness & durability was horrendous, still have a ways to go but I can’t complain. They can train the house down aerobically but are they drilling enough? Doing enough endurance maintenance? Dieting properly? I don’t know. Nobody does because all this stuff is outside of training.

Again, we can’t go headhunting to pin this on one sole person. You know what’s way more likely? The players.

Which players are out there doing extras? How hard are they training in the off-season? Do they watch footage closely? Do they take notes? How ****ing serious are they taking this for their you know, CAREER?

I dont think many put in the intangible extras, which is the biggest separator between good and GREAT, and then GOATs.

Don’t even get me started on the psychology, they’re piss weak in that department.

 

[Ligma]

Spot on. They can't even apply themselves with directed workouts and diet as evidenced by the fact that some of them haven't put on an ounce of lean mass in years.

I was listening to jack ginnivan on a poddy and it was legitimately inspiring, he did a 4 week block where he got himself as fit as possible because he knew his form wasn’t good enough, he didn’t care that he went into VFL games sore because he knew that it would pay off and it did because look what he has achieved and it has all carried over into this season.

 

[Mute Point]

Leaving out the first & second year players, compare the size, strength & fitness of our players today against their Hawks opponents.
An indictment on each & every one of them.
Taking the easy money & getting away with doing the bare minimum year after year.

 

[Only Forwards]

What's he meant to do, rock up to the Espy and drag these blokes away from their in season concerts?

Tbh from what I saw at a club event last year he’d probably be there right beside them.

 

[cybercrab]

Fitness and strength has a lot do with the player, case in point look at Sheezel, Xerri, LDU and Jy compared to Stephenson and Taylor

 

[roos_fanatic08]

Our injury list has been one of the best since he came to the club. Bugger all soft tissues injuries.

He single handedly built the programming for Wardlaw to rebuild his hamstrings. That in itself is worth its weight in gold.

He is the last bloke who deserves criticism, it’s not his fault that plenty of our blokes don’t do extras, don’t take their nutrition seriously and cruise when they are in the gym.

 

[DarwinRoo]

Our injury list has been one of the best since he came to the club. Bugger all soft tissues injuries.

He single handedly built the programming for Wardlaw to rebuild his hamstrings. That in itself is worth its weight in gold.

He is the last bloke who deserves criticism, it’s not his fault that plenty of our blokes don’t do extras, don’t take their nutrition seriously and cruise when they are in the gym.

Yes it ****ing is his fault.

That’s his ****ing job!

 

[deano28]

Our injury list has been one of the best since he came to the club. Bugger all soft tissues injuries.

He single handedly built the programming for Wardlaw to rebuild his hamstrings. That in itself is worth its weight in gold.

He is the last bloke who deserves criticism, it’s not his fault that plenty of our blokes don’t do extras, don’t take their nutrition seriously and cruise when they are in the gym.

100% agree mate , he’s a jet .

 

[roos_fanatic08]

Yes it ****ing is his fault.

That’s his ****ing job!

You could give Curtis Taylor and Jaidyn Stephenson the perfect program to
build their bodies up and add 3/4kg. If they don’t do the work and would rather play PlayStation, eat shit food and gamble online until 3 in the morning then that’s on them. Not on White.

And fyi that’s the sort of professionalism White and the rest of the coaches have to deal with when it comes to a fair % of our listed players.

 

[BlueandWhiteinmyBlood]

Our injury list has been one of the best since he came to the club. Bugger all soft tissues injuries.

He single handedly built the programming for Wardlaw to rebuild his hamstrings. That in itself is worth its weight in gold.

He is the last bloke who deserves criticism, it’s not his fault that plenty of our blokes don’t do extras, don’t take their nutrition seriously and cruise when they are in the gym.

Well said. I agree on all parts. I was waiting all year for Warlords hammies to ping, and I was really impressed what Kev produced in that department.

 

[Shinboner1]

Time to shape up, or ship out.
Will be 3+ years under this guy next year.
Our established players still cant play 4 quarters...

 

[Gasometer]

Time to shape up, or ship out.
Will be 3+ years under this guy next year.
Our established players still cant play 4 quarters...

OR KICK OR HANDBALL!!!!

 

[DuckYeah]

OR KICK OR HANDBALL!!!!

Or self efficacy

 

[Hazey1977]

You could give Curtis Taylor and Jaidyn Stephenson the perfect program to
build their bodies up and add 3/4kg. If they don’t do the work and would rather play PlayStation, eat shit food and gamble online until 3 in the morning then that’s on them. Not on White.

And fyi that’s the sort of professionalism White and the rest of the coaches have to deal with when it comes to a fair % of our listed players.

I just don't understand how blokes with piss poor mental application actually make it to the AFL.

I have often wondered if US style university system would weed out such attitudes and drafting at 21-22 would have a much higher hit rate?

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[kool kangas]

OR KICK OR HANDBALL!!!!

Thats skills coaching not fitness coaching...Different area..

 

[Gasometer]

Thats skills coaching not fitness coaching...Different area..

 

[RossHenshaw]

Fitness and strength has a lot do with the player, case in point look at Sheezel, Xerri, LDU and Jy compared to Stephenson and Taylor

It’s old case … u put in the work, you get rewarded

 

[Horizons_00]

I just don't understand how blokes with piss poor mental application actually make it to the AFL.

I have often wondered if US style university system would weed out such attitudes and drafting at 21-22 would have a much higher hit rate?

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They probably do come into it with this mental application but come to North lol

 

[justroyal]

I just don't understand how blokes with piss poor mental application actually make it to the AFL.

I have often wondered if US style university system would weed out such attitudes and drafting at 21-22 would have a much higher hit rate?

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The more we have of Xerri’s, Sheezel, Wardlaws, Jackson and Chom as the spokespersons of the leadership group and culture will be a way to change this.

Bring out more vocality in the haphazards types Scott, LDU, Logue.

And filter out the absolute bullshit leadership qualities that is staining the list with mediocrity in Zuurhar, Fisher, Jy, McDonald, Taylor types who refuse to apply 100 percent intensity each week, is the only way it will change.

You can already see it rubbing off on Curtis, Ford. This whole it’s ok to not be switched on and give 110% each week.

 

[North1411]

You could give Curtis Taylor and Jaidyn Stephenson the perfect program to
build their bodies up and add 3/4kg. If they don’t do the work and would rather play PlayStation, eat shit food and gamble online until 3 in the morning then that’s on them. Not on White.

And fyi that’s the sort of professionalism White and the rest of the coaches have to deal with when it comes to a fair % of our listed players.

So true, basic levels of professionalism is to be prepared and to live a life to maximise results. Ridiculous to think this crap has been tolerated by giving them contracts

 

[Ichiro #51]

I honestly think we’ve been well behind the pack in identifying and prioritizing professionalism in our drafting and recruitment.

This is not a Brady bashing thing, I don’t think it’s ever been something we’ve valued enough. It’s not hard to think of the clubs that have valued it for the last two decades.

 

[Lomas]

So true, basic levels of professionalism is to be prepared and to live a life to maximise results. Ridiculous to think this crap has been tolerated by giving them contracts

It’s the bloody salary cap floor. It should be lower and allowed to accumulate or be used in the football operations cap.

 

[Lomas]

I just don't understand how blokes with piss poor mental application actually make it to the AFL.

I have often wondered if US style university system would weed out such attitudes and drafting at 21-22 would have a much higher hit rate?

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There just isn’t the money or talent for us to run that type of system. College football is huge because of the relatively small number of teams and the number of mid sized US cities.

 

[Billy Not Really]

I have often wondered if US style university system would weed out such attitudes and drafting at 21-22 would have a much higher hit rate?

It does. But then you run into the problems where a lot of blokes fall apart post-sports career because all they had to do was constantly live up to pressure.

We pot the journos here a lot, but the pressure mere children are on when you enter the college sports system is pretty high, and they are scathing. Their college sports are more revered than the national sports, certainly is the case for football/basketball depending on the state.

America’s problem is too much in that direction, Australia’s problem is too far in the other direction where we take the piss too much.

 

[Themanbun]

I hear very good things about this bloke.

Understands the need for speed and acceleration and actively prioritises it which is great to hear. A few players allegedly clocked their highest speeds in 2024 - a good sign.

However, it probably also means our aerobic fitness won't be fantastic for a little bit while they focus on the other stuff.