I asked him what was wrong, to which he replied that he was sad over the game this weekend, which he had watched with his father. I’m sure we can all emphasize with this boy right now!
We all know the pain we have suffered over the last ten years or so, the pain of missing out on finals, of big defeats and embarrassing performances. Now we have moved on from this era and we are all experiencing a new kind of pain. The excruciating pain of almost winning tight games against good opposition. This is a pain I prefer because it is a pain full of hope and expectation and excitement. We are getting closer, so much closer and if you can’t see the light at the end of the tunnel now then you aren’t looking properly.
On Sunday our team matched it with the undefeated Eagles who have one of the strongest line ups in the AFL. Our newly recruited ruckman, Ivan Maric matched it all day with the leagues best ruck duo and he did a fantastic job. Our backline battled hard all day against the versatile and taller Eagles forwards. No better example of their courage and willingness to put their bodies on the line was Dea’s brave effort to back into the back with the flight of the incoming ball.
We have found ourselves a really brave and committed group of players down back and Hardwick’s trademark hardness as a player is evident in the way these guys play the game. Look at Morris and the commitment to the ball he shows each week. Fantastic.
I know we are all disappointed because we can smell success now and we know it is close. I think Newman’s disgust and disappointment at losing on Sunday when he threw his mouth guard across the ground show just how much the players want success and how much their belief in themselves and their ability as a team has grown.
We are on the right track and those much deserved victories are just around the corner. Let’s swallow our disappointment at what might have been and look at all the positives. I am sure most of us would have been happy with being close to the top teams this time last year. It would have seemed like an unlikely dream to many of us. But we have really grown in many areas and I think it is only a matter of time til it all comes together and the little errors that cost us in the last 2 games will disappear from our game and we will be victorious.
Let’s start our winning streak against Port this weekend.blog comments powered by Disqus
