ONE man at Alberton can be definitive on the timing of the mid-season bye - ruckman Scott Lycett.
"Bloody hell, I'm spewing about it ...," says Lycett of an ill-timed break in the AFL home-and-away series.
Lycett's four-game ban from the AFL tribunal effectively becomes five weeks on the sidelines with the mid-season bye adding more time to his lock out that already has cost him ruck duels with Brodie Grundy at Collingwood, Sean Darcy at Fremantle and a makeshift crew at the Western Bulldogs.
"Every team looks forward to the bye," added Lycett in looking at the bigger picture. "It is a reset button. You can focus on the second half of the year - what you need to work on, what didn't ..."
The mid-season bye will be timely for those on the short-term injury list or those with lingering sore spots, such as captain Tom Jonas who landed heavily, flat on his back, from a marking contest at Adelaide Oval on Sunday evening - and played on without flinching.
The bye might be annoying for those eager to build up form, such as young tyro Connor Rozee who has been under the microscope while living to the high expectations that come as a No.5 national draftee (2018).
Rozee finished the 46-point home win against Fremantle on Sunday with 15 disposals (after eight against Collingwood a week earlier) - and the upbeat forecast of his encouraging coach Ken Hinkley for his 21-year-old midfielder-forward for the second half of the season.
"He is on the edge of getting there; on the edge of playing a game that he wants to play," Hinkley said. "I feel he is moving in the direction we want him to move in ... and that is going to be exciting for us."
Port Adelaide's 8-3 start is the best - for a 22-game home-and-away series - since the 10-1 of 2014 (beating the 6-5 of 2019, 2017 and 2016, 7-4 of 2018 and 5-6 of 2015).
The eight wins include, as many have noted, a perfect 7-0 record against bottom-10 clubs and a meritorious win against defending AFL champion Richmond. The three losses are against the teams currently ranked second (Western Bulldogs), third (Brisbane) and seventh (West Coast).
It is a solid start - a strong foundation that will have greater relevance should the AFL be forced to scramble with the fixture to deal with the fall-out of border closures during COVID outbreaks.
And, by that 1-3 win-loss count against top-eight rivals, there clearly is work to do ... not a bad agenda item in a volatile competition that is building to a classic finish in September (or will it be October?)
Under "normal circumstances", objective for the second half of the home-and-away season is clear - a top-four finish, narrowing the gap between the team's great and not-so-good form and consistently delivering the "Port Adelaide way" with strength in contested football.
But there is no certainty on how the second half of the season plays out or even if it does resume for Port Adelaide with a Thursday night blockbuster against top-eight rival Geelong at Adelaide Oval on June 10.
The AFL mantra demanding everyone be "flexible and agile" is again paramount and will test every team as much as the challenge of advancing their game or a player's form.
All that is certain today is the Port Adelaide players have a four-day break to refresh physically and mentally ... and the Port Adelaide coaching staff has a time-out to mull over all that has worked and has not in 11 games so far.
Good or bad time for a mid-season bye? Given all the uncertainty, it is probably a very good time to stand back, take stock and prepare for all contingencies ... even if Lycett is annoyed at having an extra week on the sidelines.
