Coach Terry Wallace conceded after the game: "Our use of the ball just wasn't up to standard in the first half."
http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/sport/afl/story/0,26576,23410603-19742,00.html
Look, i would be the first to admit that a win is a win and i was rapt to see the crowd go up (as i did in front of the tv) when Richo nailed his fifth goal and sealed the game well and truly. However we still display the same frustrating traits in our skill levels that just make you wonder how some of these guys get through junior football, get scouted and then make their ultimate dream, to play at the top level in the AFL.
Time after time our boys do something courageous only to undo the good work with a terrible mongrel punt that either results in a turnover or gives Richo no chance when leading in one direction and the ball goes in another. How can this happen when you have specialist coaches with these players 24/7. If an apprentice carpenter couldn't tap in a nail with a hammer continually then he would be given his marching orders, surely this simple skill of kicking a ball and hitting a target over 20 metres should be something they should be able to do in their sleep. What is going wrong, surely from watching all the replays that the clubs coaches utilise for tactics week to week should also be used to rectify these obvious skill deficiences. Perfect example was the fantastic exhibition of courage by Cleve Hughes where he would have heard footsteps backing to a pack but kept his eyes on the ball, took control and then ran towards goal, i am sure everyone who saw the game knows what happened next. If that was a Geelong youngster he would have nailed that goal from 40 metres! Why cant young tigers do the same, is this something our skills coaches at RFC are addressing or is it just put down to the pressure of the moment or bad luck. We won last night however deep down we all are aware that against a better side those skill errors would have cost us dearly, we need to address this problem and quickly or the courageous efforts of all will be wasted by a few costly blunders.
Yep the best footballers are those who can keep their skills up under immense pressure. In Cleve's case I just think he let the moment get to him and he just blazed away.
