The bye - best to rest or play?

[Dry Rot]

Spotted that the Swans usually play an intraclub match during the bye, not rest

http://www.afl.com.au//news/2013-06-10/tippett-a-chance-for-port-longmire

Is this is a good idea for us? Would it keep the team sharp for the next game?

[chef]

With our young team we would be better off giving them some rest IMO.

[bornadog]

With our young team we would be better off giving them some rest IMO.

Even Willi had the bye so all our players rested up this week. I agree with you chef,some of the players (eg Stringer), really felt the heat in Darwin and deserve a rest.

[F'scary]

I am in the rest & recouperate camp too because the match preceding the bye was in Darwin (the Hadean venue).

If, instead, we had, say, played GWS at Etihad and beaten them by 100 points, I would be in the other camp.

[Maddog37]

A short 1 hour match with two 30 minute halves would be good. Keep the edge and game feel but less intensity and fewer Ks than a full game. Too much rest and teams come back flat.

[boydogs]

A short 1 hour match with two 30 minute halves would be good. Keep the edge and game feel but less intensity and fewer Ks than a full game. Too much rest and teams come back flat.

I would do this, but be selective about who plays - anyone with a niggle gets a break, the rest get to keep their eye in

[Dry Rot]

Any further thoughts on this, given our first half?

[bornadog]

Any further thoughts on this, given our first half?

We never seem to play well after a bye, so maybe we should have done a Swans.

[Dry Rot]

We never seem to play well after a bye

That's been my recollections for years, hence this thread.

[Eastdog]

Any further thoughts on this, given our first half?

The bye can go either way in my opinion. It can be good and bad. I reckon it was not the best for us as we had some momentum with 2 straight wins and would of liked to keep going. If we were in really bad shape before the bye then it couldn't come quick enough so we could regenerate.

[GVGjr]

We never seem to play well after a bye, so maybe we should have done a Swans.

We were coming off a tough match in Darwin so I'm think the break was needed especially for the younger guys. I don't think the break is the issue.

[always right]

We were coming off a tough match in Darwin so I'm think the break was needed especially for the younger guys. I don't think the break is the issue.

I have no idea if it was an issue or not but we certainly lacked energy and urgency in that first half. Unfortunately there is no way known we could have backed up straght after the game in Darwin.

[Eastdog]

I have no idea if it was an issue or not but we certainly lacked energy and urgency in that first half. Unfortunately there is no way known we could have backed up straght after the game in Darwin.

That would of been interesting to find out how we would of gone if we didn't have the bye. Do you reckon our fitness has improved? I think it has compared to last year - we are able to run out games which is vital.

[LostDoggy]

Any further thoughts on this, given our first half?

I'd say the bye — both ours last week, and Collingwood looking forward to theirs next week — was the only reason we did as well in the second half.

Very disappointed in them, coming back from a week's break with the tail dragging…