Senior Mens coach Danny Moore reflects on Season 2021 to date.
I think it’s always better to have a positive outlook during challenging times, and as much as we’re all wishing for the end of this latest COVID lockdown, it has at least given us a chance to refresh and reflect on how the season has panned out so far. Unfortunately, this football pause has come at a time when momentum was swinging in our favour, but having worked so hard to acquire it once, we know we can recapture it again.
Looking back on our first nine rounds of the Men’s State League 4 West competition, having started off tentatively, I feel as if we’ve grown into more of a reliable rhythm in the way we play, but importantly we’ve strengthened our mental fortitude too. Belief is a very powerful tool and it’s something we’ve spoken about a lot. How to find it, build it and use it.
Even before the season kicked off, there were a few practice games in particular against higher placed opposition where we saw indicators of what we could be capable of. Results in those games are meaningless, but the performance levels perhaps helped to sow the seeds of self-confidence and character.
Our opening day loss against Barnestoneworth in Round 1 followed by the 1-1 draw with Melbourne University in Round 2 – both very good sides – were sobering in some respects as they opened our eyes to the challenge ahead. Whilst I didn’t feel we were outplayed, there were obvious opportunities for learning and like any setback, it presented us with a chance to improve.
The long Round 3 away trip to Surf Coast became a match with added importance to give ourselves the spark we needed, and in many ways that’s exactly how it panned out. The manner of the victory rather than the points themselves (which we happily took!) combined with some strong individual performances and the general grit and tenacity shown really ignited our season from that point.
The following three rounds saw us go undefeated with a 2-2 draw away at Melbourne City sandwiched between solid home wins against Spring Hills and North Melbourne Athletic. It was the tangible sense of disappointment in the dressing rooms after the City stalemate that gave further rise to the feeling that our desire and craving for more was building.
Then came the Round 7 loss away to league leaders Laverton Park where, if anything, there were ‘non-football’ barriers which proved the most difficult to overcome which resulted in a missed opportunity. It was a result that stuck in the back of my throat and one which brought a lot of reflection as I considered our merit among those who would be vying for the top positions in the league.
Our next game against Golden Plains, a 3-1 home win, somewhat corrected our path but not in a way that looked or felt convincing. However, it was certainly a moment to appreciate that football isn’t always pretty or easy. But when the outcome is desirable and achieved, you take it.
Then came the match-up against top team Bell Park. When I look back on it now, what’s most pleasing of all as a coach is that we took parts of our best game prior to that versus Surf Coast along with parts of the lessons learned against Laverton and combined them to come up with a display that hit all the right notes. We were bright, bold and aggressive at the ball, but above everything we harnessed the self-belief that had been slowly simmering.
Regardless of what others on the outside thought about our 5-1 win, it gave us our own signal, within our own camp, that we had it in ourselves to exceed what was expected.
Nothing has been achieved and like all trees we keep our feet on the ground, but always aspire to reach the sky. There’s still an element of uncertainty as to how and when the season will restart, but one thing’s for sure and that is we absolutely cannot wait to get going again.
