Chickens have come home to roost-bring back Justin Cordy

[PassIt2Carrots]

We finished the cheats.com.au game full of run. It aint fitness. It's between the lugholes and in the ticker.

And they are the only side whose fitness is in question and have dropped off considerably in the second half early in the season. So I don't think that's a good example to use.

[cimm1979]

And they are the only side whose fitness is in question and have dropped off considerably in the second half early in the season. So I don't think that's a good example to use.

Exactly.

.........and look at how the game panned out.

Competitive for a quarter and a half then we fall away with intensity which is our method.

Essendon hard at it for 3 quarters before hitting the wall, just like they have all year.

The only games that haven't followed the script is us V the Saints . Why? I don't think it we anywhere near the opening intensity we had in other games.

[madbluboy]

I don't think we're unfit, we just don't have enough good runners.

[crashlander]

When you're losing and bereft of spirit you always look slow and unfit.

Our fitness levels do look a bit better this year than last. We do not appear to be falling away as significantly in last quarters due to not being able to compete. Against St. Kilda we even came home strongly.

That does not say that we are fit enough. I don't think we are. However, we are not as bad as he have been in recent years.

Under Cordy we were significantly fitter compared to our competitors for the first couple of seasons. Then we fell away very badly very quickly. I can understand why the questions were being asked.
Cordy appears to be having a similar effect at Collingwood. The question is, can he keep it up? Last year Port were clearly the fittest team going around. It won them games. This year many of the others have caught up and passed Port: they have been run over a few times this season so far.
If we replace Buttifant, we may see some change for a while. But in the long term? Not so sure. I'd be willing to give him a go for a bit longer. But, like many aspects of our club at present, I would be looking at him and evaluating our progress.

But, as Baggers pointed out, when you are beaten in your head, when your will to win disappears and the self belief is missing, you naturally look slower and weaker. At the moment we are lacking self belief, so our skill levels and fitness look as bad as they can look. If we start winning and the self belief turns around, we will look fitter and stronger. Self belief and desire take you a long way. I would be evaluating Buttifant when we show some self belief and desire: it will make the evaluation more realistic.

However, with Malthouse looking like he will finish up at the end of the season, our new coach may have his own plans for the fitness department. Buttifant may not be among those plans. Many coaches bring in their own preferred fitness guru as a part of their program. As such we may not see if Buttifant is the right man or not. Like Malthouse he will be evaluated by the end of this year, be it reasonable or otherwise.

[ItsOurTime]

Moving away from coach appointed lackeys to appointments by the Football Manager is a huge opportunity for us to jump ahead of what other clubs are doing. Does Macca have those skills though?

[Thryleon]

I reckon that significant injury set backs have resulted in multiple Pre seasons that have been ruined for too many players resulting in a largely evident fitness issue during the season proper.  We finished last season stronger than we started it, and I expect that to occur again this year, but anyone telling us our blokes are in good nick were probably telling porkies.

We usually get the odd fluff pieces about the time trials around Prince's park, and this season none of that actually came out.  Or does 2012's injury set backs not have a correlating effect to players moving forward?

Regardless we don't run out of puff, we get rattled by intense physicality moreso, and when the tackling intensity goes up we seem to drop regardless of what quarter it is.

[c4e]

And they are the only side whose fitness is in question and have dropped off considerably in the second half early in the season. So I don't think that's a good example to use.

Not the only club. Freo get questioned nearly every week

[cimm1979]

Not the only club. Freo get questioned nearly every week

Freo take their foot off the gas.

[mina1]

our players are just weak,if you compare them to other teams players we look undersize,look at our players legs,arms no muscle what do they do in the gym.

[MosquitoFleet]

our players are just weak,if you compare them to other teams players we look undersize,look at our players legs,arms no muscle what do they do in the gym.

Agree...gibbs and murphs body have not changed since they started