The Magpie Malaise

[Mike]

The team that cleaned up every side they met in the first 5 weeks of the season now wouldn't stand a chance in hell of beating those same sides. Why? It's, broadly speaking, the same team.

Alf blames the mentality of the pampered professional footballer, but I don't think so. All we're doing by treating our players in the fashion we do is levelling the playing field - all the clubs do it. Alf may be right in his assertion that there is no incentive provided for them to play well, but that view completely denies the professionalism of most of the team. All of these guys have arrived at AFL level football through skill and dedication to the sport. Most have them have a work ethic that has been ingrained throughout their teenage years and is a now part of their psyche.

So why, the fans cry, aren't they trying? Are they lazy or complacent? Of course they're trying. They must try, remember that to win is as much a part of them as breathing, and they've proven their work ethic. They are playing AFL football because they're achievers, otherwise they would never have taken a place in the top echelon of the sport.

But the 'achiever' mentality could also be a major part of the problem. Take a winner, someone who has the skill and the drive to place himself at the very top of heap and is used to achieving and then make him lose and then lose again... and again - in a team that has a reputation for failure. He is going to be very susceptible to a crisis of confidence. Imagine something that you're good at, better than most people you know. Tomorrow, when you wake up, it's not going to be good enough anymore. All of a sudden, no matter how hard you try, that skill is not enough and the harder you try the harder it becomes. Sav Rocca knows how that feels.

But these guys are professionals! A confidence crisis is a part of every career and is something to be worked through and overcome. The difference here is collective confidence. Sav has been joined by most of the team in an insidious and contagious lack of belief, not only in themselves, but in the team. Even Bucks has looked, by his lofty standards, shaky over the last couple of weeks.

This mentality has, over the past decade, become a part of the collective unconscious of the Club and its supporters to the extent that I think that the players were just as surprised by those first 5 weeks as we were and never expected it to last. If North and Essendon hadn't come along just when they did, the story might have been different. It was a new season, we'd won our first 5 matches straight, a new super-coach was on the scene and we had new and promising youngsters - it should have been enough to break the hold of the losing mentality. But come along they did and we lost two in a row. We could justify losing to the top two teams in the comp. and we went into round 8 expecting to beat Fremantle and get back on track, but a doubt was now there and was enough to lose us the game. From that round on we were doomed - the Magpies of '97 and '98 were back in full force and we fell back into what is becoming our traditional role.

That expectation of defeat was demonstrated by Nick yesterday when Melbourne were beaten by Carlton. "That'd be right" he said " We meet them next week and they'll be fired up now." The fact that we lost as well apparently didn't mean that we'd also be fired up, because it is expected that we won't be - after all, we're used to losing.

I'm not trying to provide any answers, I'm just writing out my thoughts in an attempt to understand how this team could under-perform so regularly and so reliably. It's a collection of contradictions that I haven't been able to come to grips with, but I refuse to believe in the easy answer that the players are not trying.

[Newelly]

I agree with your sentiments Mike. Nicks feeling was spot on and is what us supporters have become accustomed to thinking. Once a team is fired up the fact that Collingwood lost last week means nothing we only seem to be around as a means for good sides to cruise over and struggling sides to resurrect their season against. I've seen it over the past 4-5 seasons.This season should of been different. Still for reasons u can look at crucial areas of the ground. Our ruck is by far the worst in the league and its hard to compete when your ruckman isn't being able to tap the ball to your followers, when the opposition is getting first use of the ball from rucks 70-80 per cent of the time what realistic chance do we have?. Our fullback is still by league standards not big enuff to constantly compete with full forwards throughout the match. Our forward line lacks confidence and we have yet to find two or three quick well skilled pockets and flanks to kick goals when sav is dumping marks and not leading. ie we need a jeff farmer, ronnie burns or phil matera. Leon Davis really should fill this mould and brad oborne seemed to be last season but has not been sighted this season in the seniors. Also the man who does know about this aspect of the game the magician Daicos said he would trade Williams, his words ring true at present. With Davis, Williams and the Rocca's we should have a forward line the envy of every league club but we only have the mirth at the minute. Davis has hardly been given a chance but is Williams carrying any injuries or does he not really care much anymore?

[TBirdsRGo]

Newelly, good point about the forward line.
With Davis, Williams and the Rocca's we should have a forward line the envy of every league club but we only have the mirth at the minute.
But add to the mix Micheal and Tarrant and we should have a forward setup (on paper) that all sides fear. Yet since round 5 we haven't managed to kick a winning score.
How could this be?

[Joel]

Good thread! You all have some great and valid points. Its so hard for us as supporters to always see rationaly but thankfully some of us can. The thing is I'm sick of expecting the players to come on. I know its only the 1st and 2nd year for alot of the team but please let theses guys mould into a good team.