06-15-2020, 04:10 AM
(06-15-2020, 03:47 AM)Macca37 link Wrote:Interesting points made by Pauly and Blue Moon. I agree that "above the shoulders" plays a very important part in a team's culture.
However, surely that is affected directly by the ability - or lack of -of the players. How many times in recent years have we seen forward thrusts fail because of the inability of players to kick properly, or failing to kick to the forwards advantage or to
make the right choice, only to have the ball turned over and our backline hammered once again.
During the Covid break I watched all of the 1995 Carlton games, and the contrast with today's team stood out like the proverbial. No wonder our players stood tall. They had a belief in themselves to win because they had the mental attitude brought about by their skills.
The players were able to control a game because they could retain possession of the ball and use it to best advantage.
I suppose it's the chicken or the egg question, but I believe without skills so many opportunities are squandered, games are lost with monotonous regularity, and it's not possible to develop that essential positive mental attitude.
It might not help much, but I've heard a few players say that when they do match simulation and skills work at training, they never miss a target. Clearly that's not much good when you're playing for 4 points, but if it's true (I'm sure it is), then the skills are there, but clearly there's a subtle shift in mindset that occurs on match day, because when it comes to the game, things don't go smoothly.
It's a notoriously tricky thing this mindset / transformative experience business. If you get it right, a whole world of possibility and potential open up before you. If you get it wrong, say for example like the Crows recent off season camp (undoubtedly an attempt to transform the players). it will be an unmitigated disaster.