It appears to me that we have a crisis of confidence at the club. The telling moments last week were Webster and Ross's errors near the goal-line that both cost goals. Both players were unsure of themselves and what to do - these are two players that are better than that, but didn't have the belief or confidence to make the right decision.
This seems to be a huge problem in the senior team. The amount of handballs and kicks that we had smothered last week was incredible; on top of that we continue to make simple errors. The goal-kicking woes have been there for a long time now - again, I believe it's a confidence and belief issue just as much as technique.
Our supporter base have grown weary. We define the term "long-suffering fan" - we've seen that many heartbreaking losses that we should be terminal, but we bounce back and keep going. There is a problem at the moment though; we've been out of the finals for a long time, and many thought this would be the year we'd be heading back to September. Now that that appears not to be the case, many fans are angry and taking it out on the coach and players.
The problem with this is that it only makes the situation worse. We are a relatively small supporter base, so the noise that we make is even more exacerbated. When we bag our players and coach, they hear it, and it's personal.
How are we ever going to get through these confidence issues if the club are constantly being told how s**t they are BY THEIR OWN SUPPORTERS? We as supporters need to band together right now and get behind the club and players - many of these guys are young, they are still working out their own particular playing style and where they fit within the team and the AFL system in general.
I'm not saying we can't be critical at all - that's one of the things these forums are for. But we need to tone down our abuse. There is a difference between saying:
- "Player X had a poor game, he's just not offering much at the moment and should be dropped" and
- "Player X is a s**t-kicker with a heart the size of a pea and I hope he never pulls on the jumper again"
The same goes with the abuse of the coaching staff and administration. It's unnecessary and ultimately unhelpful, and potentially detrimental.
At the start of this season I was perusing the predictions of many footy experts. Barely a single one had us making the finals. To put that in perspective, our start has been poor, but we are a young side that not many had in the top 8 this season. We are still learning our craft.
It is up to us as supporters to get behind the team now and try to help them turn around this season. If you are one to go to the games and bag out our own players and coach then I say stay at home. If you need to come online and have a go at the players, at least try to make it constructive and not personal.
I am heading down to Melbourne for the next two games and will be making a conscious effort to be supportive in the hope of grabbing a win against the grain. As supporters, we can help our side to get over this crisis of confidence.
And I'm not writing off 2018 just yet. Go Saints!
This seems to be a huge problem in the senior team. The amount of handballs and kicks that we had smothered last week was incredible; on top of that we continue to make simple errors. The goal-kicking woes have been there for a long time now - again, I believe it's a confidence and belief issue just as much as technique.
Our supporter base have grown weary. We define the term "long-suffering fan" - we've seen that many heartbreaking losses that we should be terminal, but we bounce back and keep going. There is a problem at the moment though; we've been out of the finals for a long time, and many thought this would be the year we'd be heading back to September. Now that that appears not to be the case, many fans are angry and taking it out on the coach and players.
The problem with this is that it only makes the situation worse. We are a relatively small supporter base, so the noise that we make is even more exacerbated. When we bag our players and coach, they hear it, and it's personal.
How are we ever going to get through these confidence issues if the club are constantly being told how s**t they are BY THEIR OWN SUPPORTERS? We as supporters need to band together right now and get behind the club and players - many of these guys are young, they are still working out their own particular playing style and where they fit within the team and the AFL system in general.
I'm not saying we can't be critical at all - that's one of the things these forums are for. But we need to tone down our abuse. There is a difference between saying:
- "Player X had a poor game, he's just not offering much at the moment and should be dropped" and
- "Player X is a s**t-kicker with a heart the size of a pea and I hope he never pulls on the jumper again"
The same goes with the abuse of the coaching staff and administration. It's unnecessary and ultimately unhelpful, and potentially detrimental.
At the start of this season I was perusing the predictions of many footy experts. Barely a single one had us making the finals. To put that in perspective, our start has been poor, but we are a young side that not many had in the top 8 this season. We are still learning our craft.
It is up to us as supporters to get behind the team now and try to help them turn around this season. If you are one to go to the games and bag out our own players and coach then I say stay at home. If you need to come online and have a go at the players, at least try to make it constructive and not personal.
I am heading down to Melbourne for the next two games and will be making a conscious effort to be supportive in the hope of grabbing a win against the grain. As supporters, we can help our side to get over this crisis of confidence.
And I'm not writing off 2018 just yet. Go Saints!
