Lions 6.5

Dees 1.4

Eagles 8.6

Dees 2.0

Tigers 9.3

Dees 1.0

Says a lot, I reckon.

I know this has been referred to in a few other threads, but I thought it was worth its own.

What are people's opinions on what exactly causes battling teams to be 'competitive' (Bails^TM) for 2 or 3 quarters, but get regularly blown away in third quarters? It's not just this year either, it was the pattern we tended towards during the worst periods of the last three or four seasons.

I'm of the belief that it signals a team with zero self belief. Sure, fitness might be a factor, but we often magically get our run back once the game is out of our reach (yes, I know opposition often take the foot off the pedal). Skill or game plan could be a factor, but we showed in patches that we can be quite effective and competitive (no better illustrated than last year, when we had one of the highest average winning margins of any team - when we where switched on, we could belt sides).

So, I keep coming back to self belief. When the game is there to be won, or even to be fought out, we just stop running, applying pressure, and simply go missing.

The silver lining, I believe, is that self belief can return to a side pretty quickly, under the right conditions (although Neeld is up against it given our team's core have mostly been members of a shite side for five odd years). If Neeld can use his teacher's nouse, and get these guys believing in themselves, and setting and meeting high expectations of themselves, we might just click at some stage (or maybe I'm just a Demon tragic hoping for a miracle).

Neeld's press conference is on right now, talking about how we were even in the last quarter... Think I'm going to neck myself

23 Goals to 4...

The opposition must be licking their lips after that quick shower.....

whilst the MFC sit & shiver.

23 Goals to 4...

The opposition must be licking their lips after that quick shower.....

whilst the MFC sit & shiver.

Yep, it's damn ugly reading, isn't it.

Sunday April 3, 2011:

3rd Qtr, 'a quarter that will live in infamy':

Hawks 8.11

Dees 1.1

I'm of the belief that it signals a team with zero self belief. Sure, fitness might be a factor, but we often magically get our run back once the game is out of our reach (yes, I know opposition often take the foot off the pedal). Skill or game plan could be a factor, but we showed in patches that we can be quite effective and competitive (no better illustrated than last year, when we had one of the highest average winning margins of any team - when we where switched on, we could belt sides).

We have never been this bad before and its right across the board. It has to be fitness. they look tired and too slow - especially in the midfield. Even Jonesy grabs the ball and just gets caught straight away. We are just totally off the pace.

And I wonder whether its down to the 'elite' fitness regime and too little focus on basic skills, structures and starting the season way too tired...

And Cale Morton - why did we keep him?

Edited April 14, 201213 yr by Norm Smith's Curse

We have never been this bad before and its right across the board. It has to be fitness. they look tired and too slow - especially in the midfield. Even Jonesy grabs the ball and just gets caught straight away. We are just totally off the pace.

And I wonder whether its down to the 'elite' fitness regime and too little focus on basic skills, structures and starting the season way too tired...

The thing that gets me though, is the amount of times we fall away steeply within the first couple of minutes of the third quarter. That can't be just fitness, surely?

It's like we get ourselves up for the start of the game but by half time (still in it, but now a couple of goals down) we resign ourselves to not being good enough, or that one decent half is enough, I we play like the losers we are deep down thinking that we are.

It's mostly above the shoulders. It's got to be. (Fitness sure ain't helping, though.)

Sunday April 3, 2011:

3rd Qtr, 'a quarter that will live in infamy':

Hawks 8.11

Dees 1.1

Deju vu. And not for the first time. When we get smashed, we really go out of our way.

It's bad enough to lose every centre clearance for the 3rd quarter, but once they get the ball into their forward line and then apply a forward press, we are stuffed.

One possible solution- let's try tackling them. We got thrashed on a number of stats today and a killer was the disposals - I think they were up by 150 odd possessions by three quarter time. But they ALSO won the tackle count. How is that possible?

If they have the ball 150 more times, surely that means that we are doing more of the chasing, and therefore more of the tackling!!! But they had 14 more tackles.

We are not working hard enough off the ball.

Deju vu. And not for the first time. When we get smashed, we really go out of our way.

It's bad enough to lose every centre clearance for the 3rd quarter, but once they get the ball into their forward line and then apply a forward press, we are stuffed.

One possible solution- let's try tackling them. We got thrashed on a number of stats today and a killer was the disposals - I think they were up by 150 odd possessions by three quarter time. But they ALSO won the tackle count. How is that possible?

If they have the ball 150 more times, surely that means that we are doing more of the chasing, and therefore more of the tackling!!! But they had 14 more tackles.

We are not working hard enough off the ball.

LACK OF FITNESS