I popped over to Mounties in Sunday as Api was guest speaker for the GF there. I managed to have a good chat with him before he spoke on stage. I asked him why the Panthers were so successful, I suspected it to be because of leadership & a great 7 and the confidence in their roles etc. Api responded by saying it was because of the fitness of the team and the style of game. He mentioned transition and how they put a lot of effort into the transition moments e.g. kick chase and when receiving the ball from a long kick having players back quickly to be in position to make the carries. There are also those moments after a mistake from the opposition being able to take advantage quickly etc. But the point was to have players fit enough, mobile enough to do all this. He emphasised that the speed of the game has made this so important. It seems an obvious point to make but still worth sharing when hearing it from someone like Api. Watching the Grand Final on Sunday simply confirmed his view as the game was so fast and intense.
My question is how do you think the Tigers stack up in this regard, fitness, mobility & speed? And who currently off contract or off contract next season do you think could help improve these areas at the Tigers?
