Training Pre-Season 2023 (First game 18/3 v North)

[Doashuey]

You disagree that our fitness couldn't have been better in the past 2 or 3 years?

Lets call a spade a spade: fitness and physical standards at our club, over the past few seasons, have undoubtedly slipped

No, I'm just enthralled to hear your views on the subject as I can't ever recall you posting on these matters in the past.

 

[The wily weagle]

No, I'm just enthralled to hear your views on the subject as I can't ever recall you posting on these matters in the past.

Recurrent views does not necessarily make one incorrect

 

[Bender_]

Are you blaming covid for how out of shape our players were last year ?

Clearly just lazy *s living off 2018 credits

I can't tell if you're deliberately misunderstanding my post or you're currently near a carbon monoxide leak.

 

[The wily weagle]

No, I'm just enthralled to hear your views on the subject as I can't ever recall you posting on these matters in the past.

But, dont take my word for it; these are the words coming direct from our captain, as per fox sports, right now

Luke Shuey opens up on Eagles’ improved pre-season fitness – and the rival club surges they hope to emulate

Star reveals Eagles’ pre-season fitness ultimatum - and the rival club surges they can emulate

www.foxsports.com.au

"Eagles captain Luke Shuey believes his team is in the best physical shape it’s been in for as many as five years as it aims for a quick bounce after an “embarrassing” 2022 campaign."

"It was put to Shuey, who this week was appointed West Coast captain for a fourth season, on Wednesday by reporters that the group appeared noticeably fitter on the track this summer.

“Certainly fitter than the last four or five years, no doubt,” he said.

Asked if the club before players went on leave last year had requested players to return to pre-season training in better shape, Shuey said: “Yeah, yeah … look when there’s smoke, there’s fire."

“A lot of people externally were calling us ‘unfit’ last year – and they probably weren’t completely off the mark with that suggestion."

 

[Doashuey]

Not a fan, just obsessed.

I'm not saying you're wrong, I'm just saying you are a repetitive bore that bangs on about the same thing relentlessly. I reckon of your 3000 odd posts, 2000 would be about the S&C team.

 

[shooshka]

I don't disagree with you, but is that due to new training methods, or, the players taking ownership of last year, admitting they were indeed out of shape and really putting the work in this time around?

From the AFL.com article today - short answer is it is a bit of both:

"You can't do anything unless you're fit in this game anymore, so our first step over the off-season was making sure we came back in good shape.

"Our strength and conditioning staff did a hell of a job putting together a program that was different to years gone by, and the playing group was certainly more driven.

"There were more numbers training together each week and it was a really enjoyable off-season. There's plenty of hard work to do still, but I think we've started the year off on the right foot."

 

[Farang83150]

I can't tell if you're deliberately misunderstanding my post or you're currently near a carbon monoxide leak.

Are you blaming carbon monoxide for a ridiculous post!!

 

[Bender_]

Are you blaming carbon monoxide for a ridiculous post!!

You're right that was unfair of me. Might have been near that missing radioactive button.

 

[ROYAL EAGLE]

See if you can find an article pre-covid going through the club mentioning that the playing group was out of shape

It wasn’t until part way through the season that the eagles are fat became a thing

I have been saying for a number of years our standards have dropped and blame it on Simpson letting senior players get away with it

I remember this time last year giving a preseason report saying, apart from redden wce looked in horrible condition
i predicted us to finish last because of it.

it was obvious then

 

[Farang83150]

You're right that was unfair of me. Might have been near that missing radioactive button.

Found near Newman apparently

 

[Farang83150]

white chocolate macchiato from Amazon coffee today....LOVED IT!

 

[Truckosaurus]

Found near Newman apparently

Bodes well for Muzza

 

[Farang83150]

Bodes well for Muzza

Do you own a coat?

 

[Truckosaurus]

Do you own a coat?

Many. It's kind of a problem really given how rarely it gets cold enough in Perth to warrant one but damn they look good.

 

[Keys]

I have been saying for a number of years our standards have dropped and blame it on Simpson letting senior players get away with it

I remember this time last year giving a preseason report saying, apart from redden wce looked in horrible condition
i predicted us to finish last because of it.

it was obvious then

Must have been on another site because it’s not on this one

No posts between January 21 and March 20.

 

[PremiershipNo4]

I have been saying for a number of years our standards have dropped and blame it on Simpson letting senior players get away with it

I remember this time last year giving a preseason report saying, apart from redden wce looked in horrible condition
i predicted us to finish last because of it.

it was obvious then

Your opinion is highly regarded by me, and you are one of the more knowledgeable posters on this forum.

 

[Shueygod]

Must have been on another site because it’s not on this oneView attachment 1598604

No posts between January 21 and March 20.

Yeah was gonna say sounds like absolute bs.

 

[Farang83150]

Many. It's kind of a problem really given how rarely it gets cold enough in Perth to warrant one but damn they look good.

Ok, but comedian, coat, leave...blah blah, you get it

 

[THE A5]

Also the photos of players looking buff also appreciated as always THE A5

Also great full of The wily weagle insight into the world of sport science and how our lacks behind

 

[Bender_]

Also great full of The wily weagle insight into the world of sport science and how our lacks behind

Your opinion is highly regarded by me, and you are one of the more knowledgeable posters on this forum.

 

[The wily weagle]

Also great full of The wily weagle insight into the world of sport science and how our lacks behind

Sports science is results driven, is it not?

When we have spent large portions of time since 2018 constantly stricken by injury, unable to run out games, unable to get our injured players to return to play without breaking down, surely questions rightfully need to be asked

There was a period there i believe that we were, in 2021-2022?, the worst or second worst performed last quarter team in the AFL. We are unable to stick or break tackles. There was a game in 2020/2021 against North Melbourne where we literally set an AFL record for the most broken tackles in a game. And aside from this year, we have started the pre season with a laundry list of players who are either outright injured, or, having heavily modified pre season

Thus, since 2018 when we won the premiership, we have been fielding a team that has been:
-Unable to run out games
-Physically weak, unable to stick and break tackles, and, ranked poorly at contested ball which would likely be, in part, a bi-product of this
-Constantly injured, frequently reinjured after returning to play, and players missing either large chunks of the season, or in some cases, the entire season

If that, in anyone's language, should apparently constitute excellence in our sports science department..........well, its a low bar

The frustrating thing is, given that we are Australia's most financially successful sporting club, we should be leading the pack here. Our medical and fitness team should be akin to a Real Madrid, or Bayern Munich, or a New England Patriots, we should be the leader

As its stands at the moment, not only IMO are we not leading the pack, we are, not even at the forefront. Atm i would rate Brisbane, Richmond and Sydney as having superior sports science programs

Its frustrating. But putting our heads in the sand and somehow telling ourselves over any over that if we just keep hoping that somehow our sports science is elite, all of a sudden it magically invigorate, change and we'll start leading the pack, is foolish. We had some bad luck, sure. But we haven't had that much bad luck

Real change, will only come with a change in personal and the introduction of new ideas. That said, from what i have seen, this pre season look the most positive i have seen in a very long time. So its not all doom and gloom, there are some good early signs that warrant cautious optimism

And what i would not give for the club to poach Darren Burgess. I have had the good fortune of having met him and i really, really rate him

 

[Keys]

I posted this in the 2022 preseason thread on 27/9/22 shortly before it was closed but it bears repeating

I’m bumping this thread because there’s been a significant amount of commentary around players not turning up to preseason in shape and our inability to get players fit is at the core of our poor performance

Have a read through it

Pre-Christmas and in the 2–3 weeks after returning from the break, most of the commentary was positive

Redden was coming back from post season shoulder surgery, Duggan from late season knee surgery and Jamieson had a knee cleanup in December

A large group of senior players returned to training early

McGovern was in as good as shape as ever, Yeo was training well, Allen was flying, etc etc

Around January 20/21 it became apparent that Darling was to be exiled due to his covid stance

About a week later, Shuey did a calf at the start of a match sim. Then Cripps tore a pec

It then started to emerge that Yeo had backed off training a bit, but there was no need for concern

Then Allen’s foot injury

Then Cole did an ankle just before our first preseason game against Fremantle

Then that game. Ankle for Chesser. Ankle for Sheed. Leg injury for Yeo

Somewhere around all that Clark hurt his shoulder and went in for surgery after having been training well

Then the covid cases started to come before the official preseason game against Fremantle at Optus

By round 1, covid was ripping through a squad that was battling through a significant amount of injuries many of which were impact related.

We never recovered as players were brought back too soon as they were underdone and trying to regain fitness whilst playing matches under prepared

So next time anyone wants to paint a picture of a playing group that turned up to preseason unfit because they were lazy or whatever, have a read through this thread. It wasn’t an issue until late January when it went downhill

What Shuey said was correct - we weren’t fit enough last year. Simpson said so himself during the season

Now Kane Cornes has come out saying that Shuey’s comments are some sort of vindication for what he was banging on about last year

Well kinda, but not really

Cornes was saying the players came back for preseason out of shape, which they didn’t. What they did was return from injury layoffs to underdone and the fitness of the side overall wasn’t up to standard.

So yes they were unfit but in typical Cornes style, he refused to look into how and why that was the case

Nobody can argue that in 2020 and 2021 standards slipped and we reached our nadir in the back half of 2021 when we won only 2 games after the Richmond victory. We went from a top 4 chance to missing finals altogether. During those games senior players were openly arguing with each other on field as we fell into disarray

My own view is that a lot was dine after the 2021 season to rectify the problems that became evident- not least the need to be reunited as a club. Simpson spoke about it at the 2021 B&F

Generally speaking the players returned in decent shape ready to make amends before the season was torpedoed in late January to early March

It resulted in our worst ever season and the playing group as a whole have responded. Collectively they’ve returned in as good a shape as ever and standards have lifted to a new level

It’s a good thing. Time to look forward

 

[RookiePick]

this is the pre-season content I've been looking for

 

[Astro7]

“Certainly fitter than the last four or five years, no doubt,” Shuey said.
Curiously that takes the team back to Grand Final times - is he covertly suggesting something?
They don't really believe they can? It's not possible?
They definitely have a fire in their bellies and a belief in their bonnets, but......

 

[Astro7]

I posted this in the 2022 preseason thread on 27/9/22 shortly before it was closed but it bears repeating



What Shuey said was correct - we weren’t fit enough last year. Simpson said so himself during the season

Now Kane Cornes has come out saying that Shuey’s comments are some sort of vindication for what he was banging on about last year

Well kinda, but not really

Cornes was saying the players came back for preseason out of shape, which they didn’t. What they did was return from injury layoffs to underdone and the fitness of the side overall wasn’t up to standard.

So yes they were unfit but in typical Cornes style, he refused to look into how and why that was the case

Nobody can argue that in 2020 and 2021 standards slipped and we reached our nadir in the back half of 2021 when we won only 2 games after the Richmond victory. We went from a top 4 chance to missing finals altogether. During those games senior players were openly arguing with each other on field as we fell into disarray

My own view is that a lot was dine after the 2021 season to rectify the problems that became evident- not least the need to be reunited as a club. Simpson spoke about it at the 2021 B&F

Generally speaking the players returned in decent shape ready to make amends before the season was torpedoed in late January to early March

It resulted in our worst ever season and the playing group as a whole have responded. Collectively they’ve returned in as good a shape as ever and standards have lifted to a new level

It’s a good thing. Time to look forward

The bumped 2022 thread was a thorough factual account of what really happened, without a hundred tonnes of speculation and conspiratorial waffle. There it is in black+white, read it, understand it, let it go and move on...
Great read, thanks!