Who is the best AFL preparer?
Former AFL high-performance guru Andrew Russell has been in and around the competition for over two decades, and has worked closely with some of the best players in the league.
Russell spent time at Essendon, Port Adelaide, Hawthorn and Carlton during his time at clubland, and is now assisting AFL players on an individual level.
On SEN, he ranks his top 10 preparers during his time as a high-performance coach in the AFL.
Stiff to miss
Lance 'Buddy' Franklin pre-season in 2008.
"The only player I've seen from a training perspective, you'd pay to watch him train; he was that good. In a team of champions, he stood out. His speed, endurance, skill, strength, his ball handling, finishing skills, every aspect of the game, completely stood out.
"He had over 200 shots on goal. A special year after a special preparation. It starts in October. He was in the top two or three in every single capacity you want to measure and one in most of them."
The criteria are:
"From the time you get up in the morning to the time you go to bed, what you do with your day. We're talking about life habits. Everything. The way that you live is the way that you play over time."
5Sam Mitchell
"He is the highest risk-taker in training, and he was not scared to make a mistake or fail. He would go for every kick and handball he possibly could. He always had a ball in his hand or near his feet. Before training, during training, after training.
"I remember going over to his house one day. I walked in, and there were 20 balls throughout the house. Tennis balls, soccer balls, footballs, and he'd just pick one up and dribble kick it through the door.
"He wasn't a great runner. He didn't have great endurance, but he worked on it. And he basically, Shane Crawford, when he got there, he's the best runner, I'm just going to go after him and stay with Crawf.
"And an unbelievable passion for learning."
