Forgive me for I am very frustrated.
It is the first half I am worried about.
God: - I listened to 5AA all day. A listener rang up to complain about the pro-Brisbane bias from Russell, which is what I was thinking as well. From before the match started Russell seemed to constantly go on about how good Brisbane players were and how hard it would be for Port. Did he and other leaders do this all week? By the time the game started did the players feel that they had no chance?
Mark: - We knew this was going to be a ferocious start. They were far more physical than us. Strength and decision-making in close are important. Though our players would have been primed, were they primed to be defensive or to be attacking? If the main emphasis is on the opposition player then it is difficult to attack the ball - you have slower reactions - reactive rather than proactive. How about attacking the ball ferociously rather than the player, and then our decision-making might be better. I think you are a great coach but you don't seem to be able to get the players "up", mentally attuned, before a some big matches.
Dewey, Roger, Josh Carr, Schoey, Burger, Tredders, Puss, Chad, Che, Ladey (not in any particular order): - when the going gets tough, where do you go? (Was Nick Stevens used defensively this game? - probably not). Perhaps I should leave Roger James out of this list because he was just given 2nd best Port player by God, but he seemed very indecisive at times to me.
This loss was an attitude problem. The players were overawed, not enough confidence. They ARE good enough to win a premiership, THIS year. I feel very confident that we will be thereabouts at the end of the year. But what has bothered me in every crunch game since about the middle of last year is the attitude in those games (and this includes the Wizard Cup and I went there).
At the start of 2001 in our Ansett Cup win we thrashed Brisbane. Brisbane did not have the right attitude. But they certainly did by the end of the year, and do now.
Right now we do not have the right attitude, not hard enough mentally at all. We have a couple of months to get there. Let's stop even thinking about how good the opposition is and start concentrating on making ourselves mentally stronger and positive.
This was an important match in the context of this year. We have had a reality check and should not hide away from the messages that will come out of it.
Sorry, I'll probably start thinking more rationally tomorrow!
PS Wish my first thread started wasn't so negative.
It is the first half I am worried about.
God: - I listened to 5AA all day. A listener rang up to complain about the pro-Brisbane bias from Russell, which is what I was thinking as well. From before the match started Russell seemed to constantly go on about how good Brisbane players were and how hard it would be for Port. Did he and other leaders do this all week? By the time the game started did the players feel that they had no chance?
Mark: - We knew this was going to be a ferocious start. They were far more physical than us. Strength and decision-making in close are important. Though our players would have been primed, were they primed to be defensive or to be attacking? If the main emphasis is on the opposition player then it is difficult to attack the ball - you have slower reactions - reactive rather than proactive. How about attacking the ball ferociously rather than the player, and then our decision-making might be better. I think you are a great coach but you don't seem to be able to get the players "up", mentally attuned, before a some big matches.
Dewey, Roger, Josh Carr, Schoey, Burger, Tredders, Puss, Chad, Che, Ladey (not in any particular order): - when the going gets tough, where do you go? (Was Nick Stevens used defensively this game? - probably not). Perhaps I should leave Roger James out of this list because he was just given 2nd best Port player by God, but he seemed very indecisive at times to me.
This loss was an attitude problem. The players were overawed, not enough confidence. They ARE good enough to win a premiership, THIS year. I feel very confident that we will be thereabouts at the end of the year. But what has bothered me in every crunch game since about the middle of last year is the attitude in those games (and this includes the Wizard Cup and I went there).
At the start of 2001 in our Ansett Cup win we thrashed Brisbane. Brisbane did not have the right attitude. But they certainly did by the end of the year, and do now.
Right now we do not have the right attitude, not hard enough mentally at all. We have a couple of months to get there. Let's stop even thinking about how good the opposition is and start concentrating on making ourselves mentally stronger and positive.
This was an important match in the context of this year. We have had a reality check and should not hide away from the messages that will come out of it.
Sorry, I'll probably start thinking more rationally tomorrow!
PS Wish my first thread started wasn't so negative.
