09-25-2023, 01:40 AM
(09-25-2023, 12:22 AM)LP link Wrote:[member=906]Lods[/member] there won't be any warm and fuzzy feelings amongst the playing group, that's a fan perspective.
I've been involved with state level sport and even won some state titles over the years, I know you've had a long involvement with athletics, have you every known top level sportspeople or teams to be satisfied with going close?
In my experience falling at the last hurdle just makes people who are already driven and capable to get to the highest levels, even more driven! The most important thing is to learn from the failure and sharpen your focus on the things that are needed.
What you say is generally true.
I'm sure our players are hurting...
Is the hurt as much as at the end of last season when we missed the finals?
We missed out last year, but I suspect we thought it would just roll over and we were 2023 finalists for sure, which may have contributed to the sluggish start.
I guess what I'm alluding to is levels of disappointment.
If you've given your absolute best, even exceeded, expectations, and just run into a superior opponent at the end you can walk away with a positive feeling, even in defeat.
You're confident that with a bit of improvement you can take the next step.
There's disappointment there, but at the end of the game you group together and make a commitment to go that next step, next season.
Contrast that with a side who has fallen short of expectations, maybe even embarrassed themselves. This is a side that feels that they've been beaten by an inferior side.
They leave the field shattered at what might have been.
Knowing that at their best they should have won.
Think a side like Melbourne, and the 'dead' bodies all over the field at the end of their last game.
Where's the greater hurt?
Where is the need for redemption?
Where is the motivation for improvement greatest?
Now it may be that history repeats, and a side like Melbourne has run its race, and we're just at the starting gates.
The danger for us is believing that we'll be there for sure next year, because that's when it can come undone.
And that's a challenge for the coaching staff in the off-season.