White Winmar wrote:I think the "mentally cooked" theory has merit, but it doesn't offer a complete explanation. ...
I'd hate to think we've dropped behind the leaders in physical conditioning, but it stands to reason ....
agreed
and the GFs while still raw in our minds is really a long time ago in relation to personnel and paychecks at the club
We arent fit enough, and just as importantly we arent strong enough. Im not going to use the word soft and then point out players, but when watching games we get pushed off the contest very easily, go to ground far too often, and tackles are usually nothing more than a love hug on your opponent.
It has nothing to do with kids dropping off in the last 1/4, our spread of ages is actually not that remarkable, and is really just an excuse for results this year. It does have a lot to do with not converting turnovers into scores, doing all the hard work only to watch a poor disposal coming rebounding back over your head quicker than lightning. You naturally drop your head, and the hunger for the next contest drops away.
The carlton game a perfect example, they were three down, & had turnovers galore in the first half. They tidied up after half time & ran all over us, we started getting messy (with fatigue) and were only just lucky to get a way with it.