Eels Blogs

That's the line that sticks in my mind when I think about the name Vince Lombardi. The man who demanded perfection and the coach that almost every professional coach looks up to. The only coach to have never had a losing season and the most successful coach in American football.

Even Big Jack was influenced by Lombardi and it is that enthusiasm and determination that Parramatta lack. At the moment our team is inexperienced and struggling for consistency. But that is no excuse to give up. 

You look at a team like the Packers of the 60's and they weren't exactly world beaters on paper. But throw in Lombardi and a healthy dose of determination and the will to win and they were world beaters.

I'm not saying our team can make the finals, let's be realistic we'll be lucky to avoid the spoon. But if the team doesn't give up and stops playing for their pay checks we will avoid the spoon. The white flag is raised when times get tough.

In the words of Lombardi "If you accept losing then you can't win." This team has to stop accepting defeat. It's time they decided that they aren't the whipping boys of the competition. Our boys have learnt how to quit and it has become a habit.

"Winning isn't a sometimes thing it's an all the time thing. You don't win once in a while you, you don't do things right once in a while, you do them right all the time. Winning is a habit, unfortunately so is losing." That sums up where we are at the moment. We have made losing a habit, we have to make winning a habit.

We as supporters must stop being content with "a good effort" and so must the players . Again Lombardi says it in no way I can "You show me a good loser and I'll show you a loser."

It doesn't matter where you finish, if you're not first you're last. It shouldn't matter who runs out there or who we're playing. What should matter is how they play, how they want to be seen. We can't be perfect, no one can be "But if we chase perfection we may catch excellence."

If the Eels turn up and refuse to be dominated and refuse to raise the white flag they will win. Why? Because in the end it's about which man wants it more. If the bloke in front of you is more determined to run over you than you are to tackle him, he will beat you.

It's time these guys started playing for the bloke next to them. Aussie pride themselves on not letting their mates down. Not all of the guys are slacking out there but in the end they are all judged on the result. So if a couple of blokes aren't pulling their weight it reflects on the entire team.

Finally I will finish with one of Lombardi's best quotes "Winners never quit and quitters never win." So the question that has to be asked by the men in blue and gold: Are you a winner or, something else?