Winning Versus being "Competitive"

[Darbsy 55]

I brought this issue up earlier.

HOW GOOD IS WINNING!

It is amazing that the week our coach (interim) states that the Dees need to remember that winning is the most "important" thing, we WIN.

SInce Danniher left, I think the message that a win is the priority was only mentioned for the first time in the past week. 6 years of coaches just wanting us to be competitive. Well this morning I wore my Demons Hoody proudly and strode amongst my fellow man, basking in the joy that we had a heart stopping win and had not simply been "competitive". We play Sydney next week, a win is unlikely, but I want the message to continue to flow out of the Demon camp that we are going for a win. No more of this "lets be competitive" bollocks.

[Bang Bang Bang 5,765]

Good call. I absolutely admire the way Colin Garland has gone about things this year - but I distinctly remember him saying something along the lines of "I don't care if we don't win this week, I just want us to compete". Think it was before the Richmond game and after the GCS debacle - an attitude thanks largely to Neeld brainwash. Remember when Neeld was happy about 28 point defeat to Brissie too?

Good that Neil Craig has completely shifted the party line and attitude towards winning - I agree it's not co-incidence the attitude changes and the win comes.

[Chook 14,997]

This is how I see it: if you expect to win, the worst you'll do is be competitive. If you expect to be competitive, the worst you'll do is be uncompetitive.

[baysidedave 246]

I brought this issue up earlier.

HOW GOOD IS WINNING!

It is amazing that the week our coach (interim) states that the Dees need to remember that winning is the most "important" thing, we WIN.

SInce Danniher left, I think the message that a win is the priority was only mentioned for the first time in the past week. 6 years of coaches just wanting us to be competitive. Well this morning I wore my Demons Hoody proudly and strode amongst my fellow man, basking in the joy that we had a heart stopping win and had not simply been "competitive". We play Sydney next week, a win is unlikely, but I want the message to continue to flow out of the Demon camp that we are going for a win. No more of this "lets be competitive" bollocks.

I'm confident that we have turned the corner, l look at our list and see many positives as well as players who won't be there next year or the year after. I think if we go another 10-15 players turnover next year we need to get players from other leagues and not other clubs unless they are an established good players.

[DeeZee 7,296]

Id rather win than be competitive.

[Waltham33 475]

Being competitive means not being blown out. Winning is why most of us watch and go. Being competitive does not get us flag 13, winning does

[DemonFrog 1,347]

Accepting lossing is like a virus, really hard to get rid.

There is so my stats these days about this and that when really there only one that counts.

Did your team win or lose?

Don't accept second best as the MFC needs its 13 Premiership.

[Sir Why You Little 36,629]

I don't want a PP at the end of the year. I want the club to learn to work harder as a minimum.

The club works hard, good players will come via Free Agency.

Good kids are out there and trades to GW$ can be made.

[DeeSpencer 24,731]

Whilst I don't want to ever hear a coach mention being competitive again I don't see it as a surprise that we finally win a game after we actually are in a game and playing some half decent footy against St Kilda.

Therefore the focus against better sides must be to go out there and try to win but there is a genuine advantage of being competitive and not rolling over. It's the same theory in which an ultra defensive and structured game plan will be horrible in a developing side because it will just result in all players losing their attacking flair. The quality of opponent is part of it but also it's not a surprise we looked better in the last 2 weeks when we've roughly be even in disposal count, compared to under Neeld where we lost all attacking flair and threw away 50 disposals of ours whilst giving our opponents 50 more and then losing the disposal count by 100!

Bailey got sidetracked when he starting talking about winning quarters but I think if used infrequently it can be a good aim for a group. No point every week trying to win just one quarter but if we aren't in games winning the second half or last quarter is a fair aim at times. Again at least the focus is on winning.

[Suzanna 72]

We won. Still haven't stopped smiling.

[rjay 24,593]

Been saying for a while now that the only KPI that counts is the scoreboard, good to hear the coach is onboard the scoreboard.

[Jaded No More 67,641]

Watching Craig's post match conferences I get such a positive feeling. He focuses on the good without actually hiding from the negatives. Even watching him address the team, they seem so engaged, which is how I feel watching him speak in the media. He has a very calming and yet demanding demeanour.

In contrast, I always felt such negatively and willingness to give up when Neeld spoke.

It does not matter what stage of development you are at, the number one thing that needs to be engrained is "winning is the only thing that counts". I'm glad the players were celebrating the win with a measured approached. It shows a different mindset and I'm glad that Craig spoke of the poor last quarter as much as he spoke about the good three quarters.

Never take your eye off the win.

[Ted Lasso 18,780]

win at all costs, not just win be ruthless and destroy teams is the culture we need to push

[monoccular 17,319]

I was a Neeld supporter until he repeatedly said that some of our losses this year were OK - there he lost me.

Craig is a breath of fresh air. Well balanced stressing the positives, but not hiding from the negatives.

And the introduction of Dawes in particular, coming from a winning culture and being a strong minded and strong bodied leader, has helped the team a lot.

[demon-4-life 467]

I think Craig has done two great things already.

1. Changing the training times.
2. Not allowing the guys to wear skins to training

Simulating game situations in conditions that you will normally play in is just common sense.

Simulating game situations in the same gear as you would normally play in is also common sense.

[Macca 16,611]

It would have been easy for Craig to put down the last quarter fade out as the team running out of legs but he didn't. Instead of that he emphasised that the team was poor in the last quarter.

Craig was quoted as saying ...

“The result does matter … absolutely it does for us and it does for the Western Bulldogs as well, but it was probably more the experience of being very good for three quarters and being so poor for the last quarter.”

That's what our players need to hear. At 3/4 time in our next game our players won't have an excuse to fall back on if they don't run the game out.

Edited June 30, 2013 by Macca

[praha 11,119]

I brought this issue up earlier.

HOW GOOD IS WINNING!

It is amazing that the week our coach (interim) states that the Dees need to remember that winning is the most "important" thing, we WIN.

SInce Danniher left, I think the message that a win is the priority was only mentioned for the first time in the past week. 6 years of coaches just wanting us to be competitive. Well this morning I wore my Demons Hoody proudly and strode amongst my fellow man, basking in the joy that we had a heart stopping win and had not simply been "competitive". We play Sydney next week, a win is unlikely, but I want the message to continue to flow out of the Demon camp that we are going for a win. No more of this "lets be competitive" bollocks.

I also tried to think of a time when winning was the dominant sentiment coming from the club.

Astounding, isn't it?

[jazza 1,323]

We won. Still haven't stopped smiling.

yes , bask Monday has arrived

we got 8 points , first time in history a club has had 2 wins on the same day

now get the paper and leave it open on our page and talk about all DAY

don't accept any other conversation