Poor habits and poor concentration. Every club has off days kicking but the contenders turn up switched on from the first bounce, lay tackles, compete hard. You can tell with this team early in the game what you’re going to get. The missed tackles and lazy efforts from last night set the tone. No one on the field calls it out. No one (including Max) seems to be able to rouse the team, shift momentum. Subconsciously we accept this standard.
We need leaders in the coaches box and on the field that maintain standards and demand others meet them or else. The best example I can think from another sport is Alex Ferguson and Roy Keane. Keane captained Man United in the EPL for years. All his ex-team mates say he was relentless. He demanded excellence, every minute, every training session, every game. If you fell short he let you know. New recruits got the treatment early if they didn’t track back or mis-placed a pass. He mirrored the personality of his manager Alex Ferguson who was an uncompromising, hard as flint, Scottish SOB.
Alastair Clarkson has these qualities. Ross Lyons too but he seems to wear the players out with a rigid game plan. There may be others but they are not obvious to me. Player wise, Melbourne obviously don’t have the right characters at the moment. Perhaps Viney with the right coach. Max leads by example but he’s not a mongrel. Steven May possibly, but he’s too prone to lapses and his professionalism is questionable. Some of the younger players may have the right stuff but they need leaders and mentors at the club to show the way.
Until we have the right coach and enough players with the right character we won’t improve. With the right leadership execution, effort, kicking will all follow.
