We simply weren't motivated enough, regularly enough during the season. In this competition you need to turn up for 80 minutes, every week.
We need leaders who can motivate the team. Hayne does freakish things and has played well all year, but he is not the person to get the team psychologically out of the doldrums when they are flat.
Some of the success in the back third of the season was quite deceptive, and I think in some ways we were lucky to be challenging for 8th place.
We all talk about a couple of games we lost by 2 points, but look at how we played in the must "win games".
In the first game against Canberra, we were 10 nil down, and it would have been 16 nil within the first 20 minutes but for a disallowed try. We did not lift to the level we needed until the last 10 minutes.
In the game against Canterbury, again we were 18 nil down after 20 odd minutes. We only played motivated for 40 minutes.
In the game against Manly, we could have been easily down by 18 or more. Luckily we kept them to 12, and then again we only played 40 minutes of motivated football.
The games against Newcastle and Canberra speak for themselves.
Actually throughout the year we kept coming out flat in the first 20 minutes and that will hurt you.
I don't think we can automatically assume next year will be better. That's what we thought in 2009 about 2010.
Unless they can find another genuine leader who plays with maturity and can motivate the team alongside Hayne, I am not sure we will improve.
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I've noticed players getting back in the line 2 tackles later.
I agree that some players are just slack, lazy or unfit. That's a motivation thing.
Our young forwards have made crucial errors in the past 2 rounds and dropped a lot of ball.
Some of the 1 on 1 tackling or lack of by these blokes has been very damaging to this team.
Bigger and better next year.
After the Newcastle game I couldn't help thinking, if only the players could have that chance back.
I was sure that they would have learned from there poor start and where they went wrong. Stupidly thought it had something to do with the brilliant manly performance and all the hype surrounding that just the week previous, understood they were in unchartered territory.
So much for that!
I've said this before but I don't know what was worse waiting for them to wake up or the late flurry ignited by Hayne and watching them sit back and wait for it to get desperate, (as per bldy usual) and leave it so late.
Yes they are young and inexperienced blahblah, but to have gotten to the level they are at in sport, surely they have the will to win within themselves, and must have the ability to lift for this do or die game.
I agree.
By the time you make top grade you should know how to put in for 80 minutes.
Inexperience is a cop out. They should also be able to make tough 1 on 1 tackles by first grade and catch the ball under pressure.
It's a hard step up, and then u add the clubs form. Over the past 3 seasons. We did well and will push for top 6 next season
That's right. How does inexperience explain the fact that our youngest and least experienced stood heads and shoulders above them all in both of the last two games.
When the going got tough, why couldn't the others go with him.
yes, Peats for captain, but who's gonna tell "I am the greatest" Hayne? Manu Ma'u for captain, what's that Jarryd? You talking back to captain Mau....
The problem here is we have a great individual player with a huge ego no doubt in Hayne yes he leads by example,but he only leads himself around, and not the team and the balance of the squad are utterly inexperienced to realise it, Hayne can't do it on his own he needs support, and he needs an experienced player to help him realise his potential every game not every second or third game!
I think we will need to sort out the attitude as well as the experience.
Attitude and motivation has been an issue throughout the club for a while. I think post Cayless we haven't had a leader that can bring that out on the field.
Hayne is brilliant but I'm still not sure he has the leadership qualities of some of the great captains.
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