This is the happiest I have ever been losing by less than a goal. It was the oddest feeling after the game. After being on the edge of my seat, we didn't get over the line and after a second I relaxed and thought "Oh well they gave it a red hot go and that is all we can ask".
I think that is extremely important, what are we asking of this team? I'd like to direct people back to Saladin's excellent post of a couple of weeks ago.
http://bombertalk4.com/viewtopic.php?f= ... in#p153282 We are in a similar development position to Richmond, North and Melbourne and yet for some reason we expect more out of this team. Last year we lost a lot, i daresay more than any other team in the comp and the only gains were Williams who has only fired one salvo.
We were unlucky, we were wasteful and we made mistakes it end up costing us a game. In close games it is experience and keeping your head that counts, Port did it better than us, because they had more experience than us. But really how much is four points going to matter to us this year? I think we are on track to win 8-10 with the toughest draw in the AFL. If we do that we have moved forward in development.
After ANZAC day i was in a pretty dark place, i felt we had gone backwards and there didn't seem to be a way forward. But the last 2 weeks they have gone out and given their all. We are tackling as well as any team in comp AND we are winning hardball. This is a massive improvment on past years, it is an area we have clearly worked on. Add that to our attacking game and I am starting to see where we are going. Knights has improved the team every year and clearly has a goal we are building towards. I am once again excited about the future of this team.
NLM, as mentioned in another thread this guy has really come on. His influence in the midfeild has been incredible. That period in the third quarter he took the game on and won. I cannot wait to see more of him in this role.
Gumby, not only a freakish mark but is showing the awareness around goal which separates the good forwards from the great. He just gets better every game.
Hooker, massive heart on this guy. I was blown away by his endurance last week ror someone his size and strength. He is pure KPP, not overly blessed in skills but the work ethic and determination to get the job done. Never stops going after the pill.
Zaharakis, showing more class every week. Needs to finish better but the way he presents and creates opportunities he will kick a lot of goals.
Hurley, still effective on one leg, this guy will be star.
McVeigh, an important player for us if he can get back in the game. Started to show his class again on the weekend.
Slattery, Ive watched this guy get battered pillar to post on this site. He does one of the toughest jobs in the team and gets no respect for it. Unfortunately we only notice it when he is gone like was in this game.
Wato, the captain who shows them how it is done. He is the rock we are building around and a strong foundation it will be.
People knock the gameplan, the more i see of it the more i like it. We are not going to become another zone clone team, we are creating something new. The same way the Hawks did to steal a flag. We need patience, tough for a club with such massive expectations, but the other road leads to punt road.
Time is all this group is lacking.