Motor racing V's AFL

[Fireblade]

The way I see it both sports have evolved to a point where if your not at your physical peak you are spat out very quickly. A quick comparison is Geelong, they are and have been at their peak for a few years, watch one of their games as I did on the weekend versus my team. They are on the ball 100% of the time, desicion making and skill even down to the last second of the match is second to none in the league and that is why they win premierships and will continue to be on top of the rest of them. But on the otherhand as much as it is blasphemy for me to say, look at Jamie Whincup, he has been at the top of the game for the last 2 years and is destroying all again this year, most will say it is the team and car that has got him there, but look at the concentration level he would have had to maintain at Hamilton on the weekend, one mistake and you are in the wall of the concrete canyon that is that circuit. He could and did at will get 10/10ths out of himself and the car for both races, he was posting lap records towards the end of both races just to make sure nobody could challenge him, and in all fairness no one could go toe to toe with him. He is the ultimate sportsman in the championship at the moment. The concentration level is immense in both categories the only difference being is you can have a spell on the bench to get your composure back if you lose it, no such luck in a racing car.

[uranium_death]

Originally Posted by SVD

Bathurst 1987 Group A's when it was pouring down rain, rest my case of Drivers being the more endurance and fitness to the extreme!
I'd like to see any AFL player EVER do what those guys did

Gary Ablett 1989.

7.4 and 34 possessions Round 10 1989.
Around the same time of the season, he played damn well against Essendon and Melbourne too in the thick mud - that is what people don't realise.

The modern day players are spoilt. The grounds are drained and absolutely no mud forms. Ablett could mark a muddy ball with one hand.

1989 Semi Final is an example. Marked the ball in his left palm while wrestling Rodney Grinter with the right side of his body at the start of the 2nd quarter..

Sure, AFL (or VFL back then) is not as demanding in some games, other games really do drain players.

1994 Preliminary Final - Geelong v Nth Melbourne. John Barnes said, 'If every game was like that, you would only survive 50 games.'

[swapper]

Originally Posted by SVD

can't remember the last time a footballer died during a game...

AFL Is not as taxing overall as Motor sport is at endurance levels is.
How long does an AFL game last and how long does a Enduro run? how many brakes to AFL players get and for how long? same question for Enduro drivers.

how many people that have died is totally irrelevant, we aren't arguing which is most dangerous (in which case football is much more likely to injure a participant but motor racing obviously has a much higher chance of death) but using death rates is silly, by that logic driving to the shop to buy a pie and a pack of smokes is more phisically demanding than the Hawaiian ironman

and I hate to break it to you but a decent afl player spends very little time on the bench, a few minutes a game, a driver in an endurance race will spend around half the event resting! So perhaps a bad example you're using there

[swapper]

Originally Posted by gtxb67

i would be certain that gary ablett could not drive a race car - without training
to do that he would need to condition different muscles in his arms, neck etc. etc. etc.
i am sure if he put in the effort, he would give it a good shot
just like the top level drivers would be able to run out an afl game with the right training

as has been alluded to, the top level of any sport (within reason - some activities are considered sports) are all played by great athletes. each group of athletes have strengths and weaknesses that others do not have


the 89 grand final was a great example, but so was bathurst 00, 92, 94, 96 and many others - but for different reasons
the fact is though, if the drivers were not at their peak fitness level, they could not concentrate long enough to keep it on the road, in the dry, let alone the bathurst's i mentioned

Whilst you may be correct about ablett not being able to drive a race car without training, I bet the level of training to get any afl player to level they could complete a V8 race would be a whole lot less than the amount required to get a guy like Paul Morris to run out a full afl game

[gtxb67]

Originally Posted by swapper

Whilst you may be correct about ablett not being able to drive a race car without training, I bet the level of training to get any afl player to level they could complete a V8 race would be a whole lot less than the amount required to get a guy like Paul Morris to run out a full afl game

that is obvious with paul morris, but afl is more a game of agility. paul morris may very well have done okay at nrl for instance. a guy like mcconville or longhurst and no doubt many others would certainly have a level of fitness as good as any other sports stars. the level they all have though is match fitness which of course is relevant only to their chosen sport

i would hazard a guess and suggest that paul morris is alot fitter than many people

just comparing afl to motor racing is not a very accurate assessment of sports though. a guy like gary ablett would probably get flattened within 10 minutes in the nrl. nothing against him, but he is probably not as big as the nrl boys

[Fireblade]

Paul Dumbrell frequently competes in triathlons such is his fitness level. Many of the V8SC drivers gone on frequent bike rides together, they probably train just as hard as any AFL athlete.

[austyphoon]

Well according to here auto racing is ranked 32 out of 60 sports. The list was compiled by sports scientists from the United States Olympic Committee.

[RG]

Originally Posted by austyphoon

Well according to here auto racing is ranked 32 out of 60 sports. The list was compiled by sports scientists from the United States Olympic Committee.

Beaten by cycling lol

Football is number 3.

[Fireblade]

Originally Posted by RG

Beaten by cycling lol

Football is number 3.

Thats US football (NFL) Russ, by far tougher than AFL .
And most of US motorsport consists of going round and round in a circle, can't see that being even remotely close to driving around the concrete canyon of Hamilton.

[uranium_death]

Originally Posted by RG

Beaten by cycling lol

Football is number 3.

Isn't that a US study? If it is, then it would refer specifically to college football, and the NFL.

I think AFL is more demanding than NFL because the game is non-stop, no padding and putting up with the umpires has become harder in the past decade.

[Falcon Coupe]

I couldn't see cross country snow skiing in the list, I was under the impression it was the hardest followed by motocross racing.

[RG]

Originally Posted by uranium_death

Isn't that a US study? If it is, then it would refer specifically to college football, and the NFL.

I think AFL is more demanding than NFL because the game is non-stop, no padding and putting up with the umpires has become harder in the past decade.

Exactly the reason washed up AFL players go there to extend their careers and become punters.

[uranium_death]

Originally Posted by RG

Exactly the reason washed up AFL players go there to extend their careers and become punters.

Fair call.

[4Vman]

Originally Posted by Falcon Coupe

I couldn't see cross country snow skiing in the list, I was under the impression it was the hardest followed by motocross racing.

+1 for Motorcross.

[aussie muscle]

Originally Posted by Falcon Coupe

I couldn't see cross country snow skiing in the list, I was under the impression it was the hardest followed by motocross racing.

skiing - Nordic; ranked 30. it's high on endurance (9.0), but not strength or power.