Fit for purpose

Here at AussieRulesBlog Central we haven’t made a habit of commenting on specific games. We’re testing the limits of that tradition today in drawing from last night’s Barcodes–Saints clash.

 

It’s not an original thought — we’ve heard a number of radio talkback callers making the point — but we think it has become crystal clear over recent weeks that the Barcodes’ dominance can be explained in one word: fitness.

 

It’s probably the clearest exposition of the barcodes’ fitness that we’ve had for some time; the most competitive hitout they’ve had to weather, although the statistics for last quarters show it as clearly as anyone could need. Watching the game last night, the power and speed, but most importantly the effortlessness, of the Barcodes’ running was simply irresistible.

 

Is it the much-vaunted high-altitude training that provides the extra capacity? Frankly, we wonder how long that effect can stay in the body. It’s not like our bodies are not constantly being replaced at a cellular level. There must be a period after arriving at high altitude where the body acclimatises. Once that plateau is reached — if you’ll pardon the pun — there are presumably some benefits in terms of aerobic capacity, but AFL games are not played at high altitude and no AFL team is based at a high altitude, unlike the Denver Broncos, for instance, in the NFL.

 

Just as there’s an acclimatisation process when arriving at high altitude, we imagine there’s a similar process when returning to near sea level. So, how long might the benefits of the high altitude training last?

 

AussieRulesBlog thinks the real benefit of the Arizona expeditions might be mental. The Barcodes players believe that they have a physical advantage. Their last quarter running performance contrasted sharply with the Saints last night. Saints players were regularly seen sucking in the big ones. Not so the Barcodes players. They believe they are supermen — and they play like it.

 

We think the skill and finesse of the Cats might be the only meaningful hurdle to the Barcodes this year. Just as a good big man will generally beat a good small man, we think skill and finesse will trump fitness. Only time will tell.