WE WERE pretty confident going into the Essendon game, certainly not overconfident and we had not let the media hype and building excitement of our supporters allow us to get ahead of ourselves. We focused on the game and it was really disappointing not to come away with the points after good wins against Port Adelaide and Collingwood.
Those were both pretty big highs and it looked like we might have been a bit flat after a huge couple of weeks, but it just wasn’t good enough and I can understand if people were disappointed; we certainly were.
They got away to a great start and we struggled to put any pressure on them. They really got the jump on us and I think the lads were a bit shell-shocked.
We made a game of it at the end, but it’s pretty tough when you’re coming from six goals down at quarter-time.
Dick Pratt was obviously in the papers and on TV a bit in the lead-in to the game and I’ve been asked by a few people if the situation was a distraction at all, but that sort of off-field stuff cannot be a factor when you’re preparing for a match.
None of the boys knew too much about it when we turned up for training on Friday, but Sticks (Stephen Kernahan) addressed the group just to make sure everyone was aware and then we moved on. I believe we did move on and focused on the game rather than other issues around the club. That is for the club’s administration to manage.
It really is that simple because off-field stuff doesn’t enter your mind when you’re chasing the ball.
That doesn’t mean you’re not interested though. I understand why he had to step aside, but I really hope he can sort his situation out and come back to the club. He’s had a huge impact on the club and you don’t need me to tell you what a sensational job he has done.
Dick cares a lot about this club and he’s been a big part of getting us back on the right track.
But it’s up to us now and I’m sure Sticks will do a great job. You don’t get much more Navy Blue than Stephen Kernahan; he’s been involved for a large part of his life and he loves the place.
He doesn’t say a lot to the players as a group, he leaves that to the coaches mostly, but he’s an imposing figure around the place and you definitely listen when he’s got something to say.
We play a huge game against the Tigers on Saturday and Ratts has said that it could be a season-defining game for us. To hear the coach describe it like that does stir you up, we know if we want to regain the respect and momentum we had prior to last week’s game that we need to win. Ratts has said this season is about development and we know we have to continue to improve, individually and as a team, and not take a backward step.
We took a few steps back against the Bombers after a good couple of weeks and it will be really important for us to get that winning feeling back.
Every game is important, but it’s always good to play those big clashes against your old rivals. It’s great to perform on the big stage in front of all those people and they always seem to get a big build up in the media as well.
They’re going pretty well, they’ve had a good couple of wins, and we’re coming off a disappointing defeat, so both sets of supporters will be showing up confident of their team getting a win.
After so many years down we need to step up on these types of occasions and show that we can play some good footy as a team and continue to win back the respect that we have lost over that period.
