Foley's frustrationBy Murray Belkin
Sun 24 Jul, 2011RICHMOND midfielder Nathan Foley says he is frustrated by Richmond's inability to string four-quarter performances together, as lapses in concentration continue to cost his side.
After Richmond managed just one goal in the first half against Geelong before eventually succumbing by 62-points at Etihad Stadium on Sunday, Foley was left to lament the Tigers' poor skill execution in the second quarter as the Cats piled on seven goals to two behinds.
And despite an encouraging second half performance where the Tigers matched the Cats with six goals, the 25-year old admitted the damage was already done.
"We just have to put four-quarters together. In the second quarter, we over-used the ball particularly in our centre-back area. There was just too much handball and that just played into Geelong's hands," he said.
"They turned the ball over a number of times and they scored out of it. I felt we were a lot better in the second half, but that second quarter really hurt us."
Richmond's inconsistent displays from quarter-to-quarter continues to cause coach Damien Hardwick enormous headaches, with Foley conceding the Tigers must improve on that aspect if they are to match it against the premier sides of the competition.
"We are always looking to become a consistent team that plays four quarters, that's what all good teams do," he said.
"It's something we are addressing week-in, week-out and the more all of us play together and start to understand the way we play, I think that will slowly eradicate itself."
The Tigers have now lost seven of their past eight matches, but Foley said the feeling around the club was still strong as they look to finish the season on a high.
"It's been a tough month but the morale around the club has been quite good," he said.
"Understandably we are disappointed with the last month but we also understand we have to keep continuing to improve and that's our attitude around the club."
Foley was also rapt to have fellow midfielder Shane Tuck back in the senior ranks after a stint playing in Richmond's VFL affiliate Coburg.
"Tucky was great. You know what you are going to get with Tucky. He puts his head over the ball and was very good," he said.
After years of battling injury, Foley is yet to miss a game this season as he slowly returns to full fitness.
"The body feels really good. It's all going well and consistently training week-to-week is fantastic," he said.
Foley said the final month of season 2011 will be crucial for his young teammates as they look to build towards next season.
"It's really important the next five weeks of footy," he said.
"You have got to keep continuing to improve and it's a great opportunity for all our blokes to get another five games playing together and learning our game-plan."
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