Poupou Escobar
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I think every team is as close as possible to 'peak fitness' by round one. Any differences (real or perceived) come down to playing talent rather than coaching. High involvement big men are worth more than big slugs. The fittest spine players create more opportunities over 80 minutes than less fit playmakers of equivalent skill. These fitter players cost more which is why they are usually at the clubs that seem to be able to pay more.P. P. S. We need to get much fitter also. I would do my damnedest to get us to Melbourne level fitness or even Tigers fitness. I don't think we are at those levels.
Related to this, the affordable high-involvement players (like Alvaro and Gutherson) lack power, speed or skill, and are usually found at the clubs that have less to spend on players. You mention the fitness levels at the Tigers but it's no coincidence that they also lack size and skill in the forwards. All their go-forward is provided by their outside backs. That's fine in their own half but inside the opposition 20 they are toothless, with no quick play-the-balls.