Jolls
Well-known member
I would add to that list maturity. We have a side that really doesn't understand how to control a game, but more importantly how to wrestle momentum back. I'm not saying age related maturity - I'm speaking purely in a footablling sense (although in our case we certainly have a lot of young ones).1. This has been a problem for many many years. I started a thread on here pointing this out in the 2022 off season. It’s not new. The club refuses to address it.
2. Our blokes aren’t unfit. Their problem is they can’t tackle at a first grade standard and as such, fail to stop teams getting a roll on. The result is they become more fatigued than their opponents. This is when the poor discipline comes into play.
3. Lack of discipline comes from two areas. The first is fatigue based. They desperately try to keep up with play by slowing it down. The problem is they aren’t any good at this either. The second is we have some hotheads who can’t control themselves.
Our “treatment” by referees and match review committees/judiciaries is largely warranted.
We are in the competion for 60 minutes most games and then drop off the perch because of fatigue and a lesser skill level in some cases. Some of that comes from the fatigue you have outlined above but I think a lot of it comes from our poor control. Api on the field, and the coaching staff off it, have to shoulder some of the blame - but most of this issue sits on the shoulders of Sezer and Sullivan and to a lesser extent Galvin.
When we start to lose momentum we need to wrestle it back. Sometimes a good forward run or a good set can get us going in the right direction, but that is draining. Our halves need to understand how the team is travelling; when to get some air into them and when to put the foot down. If we are gassed and need to get back into the game, for a team at our level, we simply need to kick deep and for the line. Slowing the game down until we can catch out breath. This means our guys get a blower and the opposition's momentum has stalled. Once we have caught our breath and are looking to gain momentum for ourselves we have three options:
1. Kick early. We have the option to kick early in the set (preferably a 40/20). If it doesn't get there we need to ensure we have a great chase (hence the need for air back in the lungs before hand). Kicking to the seagulls is always an effective way to get momentum on our side. We consistently kick too deep and into the hands of one of the back three; handing momentum back to the opposition.
2. Play fast. We can also play fast down the middle corridor and kick late and long with a stong chase to pin them in a corner with our defence. This is energy conuming but effective; just watch the Panthers.
3. Go for the big play - this is risky and tends to be the option we take - throwing the ball around with lots of second phase play - just waiting to make an error.
For mine - if we learnt to control momentum with the ball in hand it would go a long way towards overcoming our shortfalls on the other side of the pill. That means less energy expended, which should result in better discipline and less errors.
I know it is really easy to sit back in the chair and say it - but they are being paid big $ to play FG. Time to earn it!
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