Riley Bonner

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RussellEbertHandball said:
Been talking to a mate who knows an Athletics SA coach and he said Riley Bonner has been doing some 400m training over his off seasons and has had the odd session with that coach here and there and expects him to do it again this off season. He has been running 400 metres for about 7 or 8 years.

I am pleased to hear that because a few years ago I heard one of head fitness guys for an AFL club, not Burgo, and can't remember who, said the athletic profile of an AFL footballer has changed from 800/1,500m runner to a 400m runner. AFL went 100% full time at end of 1999 season. We got Andrew Russell from Essendon at end of 2000 and he was an 800/1,500m runner.

Its why I talk about speedendurance being more important that speed and endurance. Most clubs have scrapped 3km runs, we did last preseason, and the AFL draft combine has ditched the 3km run and introduced the 2km time trial this year.

If you see a track athlete spewing up its most likely after a 400m run, not a shorter sprint.

I listened to ABC radio this arvo and in their This Sporting moment segment they looked at the 1982 Comm Games in Brisbane. One of the people they spoke to was Raelene Boyle who was a 100m/200m sprint champ but because of the way she was disqualified from 200m in 1976 and then refused to go to Moscow in 1980, she worked out with her coach she would retire at the Brisbane Comm Games. Her coach said she had to run 400m as she wasn't going to win either 100m or 200m. She said she hated the 400m, was always in pain at the end of it and she didn't even celebrate when she won it because she was completely stuffed at the end of winning it. Can't remember who it was, but someone told her a year out, she would win it, not because she was the best 400m runner, she probably only was only 10th in the field, but she had the mindset to push through the pain barrier and was mentally tougher than the others. They were right.
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Talking of 400m performance. Sam Mayes' dad, Leon was once the Jnr 400 metre Australian champ. I think he won in around 47 seconds. He just couldn't crack the 45 second barrier to make the big time in the seniors.
 
FWIW at this stage id never have Amon in the team again. But he is still in the squad, it would be his best suited position and a few years back I had DBJ delisted too.

So I guess you never say never.
 

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Tibbs said:
Athletic was my main sport as a jnr & young man back in South Africa. I was too skinny for rugby (played on the wing for schoolboy teams), played as a keeper at my soccer club, played some cricket, but athletics & running was my passion. I loved the sprint races, but our athletics club coach wouldnt let me run in them as my gait & style suited longer distances. So I became a middle distance runner, but as part of training, we had to regularly do 400m runs, and so at times I used to also run a leg of the 400m relay events if they were a man short ... Hated it with a passion!!! With sprints you give it your all, then its over, with middle distance you can regulate your rhythm to the event pace, but with 400m it is just torture from start to finish!

Very good training for an AFL player because the ability to do sustained bursts of gut running is invaluable.
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The AIS Boxing team now employs 400m runs replacing the old 10km and 12km runs. It's the perfect exercise to build explosive endurance.
 
Jason K said:
The AIS Boxing team now employs 400m runs replacing the old 10km and 12km runs. It's the perfect exercise to build explosive endurance.
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SpeedEndurance beats Speed and Endurance everyday in a sport like footy.
 
Bonner needs to follow Ladhams into the weights room.

He looks so light and appears to have limited core strength. I dreaded him being caught one on one in defensive goal square tussles.

Some size and strength would do wonders for his confidence.
 
Ford Fairlane said:
Bonner needs to follow Ladhams into the weights room.

He look so light and appears to have limited core strength. I dreaded him being caught one on one in defensive goal square tussles.

Some size and strength would do wonders for his confidence.
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Yes, his physique should be more developed by now. Needs more intensity as well. Hopefully this year it clicks for him or he will be overtaken pretty quickly
 
Bonner would slot in nicely with a team full of run and confidence. He is not the type of player to grind it out and then be a match turner. And that is ok, not every player can be that type of player. But he does need to be a very good link player and consistently get 20+ possessions.
 
Hong-Kong Phooey said:
FWIW at this stage id never have Amon in the team again. But he is still in the squad, it would be his best suited position and a few years back I had DBJ delisted too.

So I guess you never say never.
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Never for Amon IMO if we keep going down that well we will sink
 

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Good to see him re-sign. Struggled at times this year, but unlike the Jake Neades, Kane Mitchells and Sam Grays of this world there's a hell of a lot of upside to him that makes him actually worth persisting with. When he's on, he can do things very few others on our list are capable of.
 
RossFC said:
Bonner is now also an assistant coach for West Adelaide under 16s.
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That's auspicious. Let's see how he goes. It is important for a team having players able to understand the game.
 
Had a good year last year.

Very underrated on this board
 

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Riley Bonner

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