I just left the Bamboo restaurant in Kuta Bali, having booked lunch at 1pm for a 2.05pm start of the Eels v Tigers game. It is a sports' bar restaurant that shows Rugby League and AFL on a plethora of giant screens.
We were anticipating a great afternoon.
But here I am back in my hotel 4 hours later trying to come to terms with what I saw. What was that?
The one saving grace is at least I am not coming back and living through that as a loss.
Seriously, it was a terrible display by both side. A park footy error-a-thon. A stop-start smorgasbord of misfires and anarchy footy.
Neither side deserved to win. But by the grace of God, I don't have to live with the loss and can be grateful for that small mercy.
The thing I find interesting is the way our supporters in the "game day blog" reacted. Practically, everything negative about the game and the team. Many of our younger supporters made comparison with all the "shit ball football" they have obviously experienced.
Was it justified? Well, you could not argue against it. And negativity bias is a common thing among us homo sapiens. Up there with farting and pissing in pools. Easy peasy. They are the least lines of resistance.
But it is also possible to stand back at look at the bigger picture and think deeper. You could also have more of an appreciation of why the expectations on both sides made for the standard we all saw!
Yes, we are better than that and so are the Tigers, but we are also not in their shoes so lack real understanding. We can only judge as eggspert throwing keyboard warriors. A habit more ingrained than a two-pack a day smoker.
We witnessed two teams low on confidence and connection that have almost forgotten how to win. The Tigers even more so.
We played far better last week against this season's likely premiers. We gave them a tough game we probably should have won.
It's essentially the same team this week despite the polar opposite performance we just witnessed. And result.
The only consistent theme between last week and this week was multiple missed opportunities. At least this week we managed to seize an opportunity at the death to pull the game from the jaws of defeat.
I think they all know what the fans must feel. Frustrated and disappointed. It is just a shame that the same fans don't know or understand what they must feel.
If I think they are not more capable than what they displayed, I could not follow them. But I have been following them for longer than most of you and I will not judge them or the coach on that performance.
Let's move on, take the two points, and see us beat Souths next week!
Replies
Moses and Walker are my concern and Iongi also there form especially with the ball has fallen off the cliff consistency wise the last few weeks.
I see a lot more jamming in defensively also and we've yet to beat anyone in the middle of the park in I can't even remember.South's best left edge attack in the comp.Dunno with this team what we are getting.
Process like JR mentioned we are a work in progress that purely needs more talent.I see to many jo averages out there for my liking.
I ask you this ,
If you waddled down to this favourite umbrella and plastic chairs of yours , and ordered your usual dish of Special chicken rice , satay sticks and a Bintang . However old mate turns up under prepared to work and decides it's just easier to give you some monkey dung and yellow water, would you give two shits about how he's feeling when you tell him this shit ain't what you're satisfied with ?
Thought about that for 24 hours Wiz and you make a good point.....the only problem is it has actually no relevance.
I don't eat under an umbrella. have plastic chairs, order rice and haven't had a satay stick on the whole trip. Have had a few dozen Bintangs just the same....this is somewhere between 40 and 50 trips to Bali with my family and wife have never ate Monkey Dung or yellow water.......maybe you confused me with some of your Illawarra mates when they come to Bali.
Back to what I wrote and it has had 330 views, my concern with our fans/supporters was an appreciation of the circumstances that both side's found themselves in as an excuse for the quality of the game.
Your point is valid, only thing relevant was you can send food back the game had to be either swallowed whole or in part....the choice is to vote with your feet or dry your eyes!