HEAD coach Gerard FitzGerald pointed to a failure of North Ballarat to generate motivation as a primary reason for its struggle to overcome lowly Frankston in the Victorian Football League in Ballarat on Saturday.
The Selkirk Roosters overran the Dolphins by 31 points to remain on top of the ladder.
However, it took North Ballarat well into the third quarter before shaking off Frankston and going away 11.11 (77) to 7.4 (46) at the High Mountain Eastern Oval.
Frankston went to the half-time break eight points up and in a celebratory mood.
Five goals to North Ballarat in the next 30 minutes put paid to that.
The Dolphins did not score from the 28-minute mark of the second quarter until 23 minutes into the last.
FitzGerald was relieved to get away with the win, knowing they might not have been so fortunate with a similar performance against a better equipped opponent.
"We were terrific early," FitzGerald said, referring to three goals in the opening seven minutes of the day.
Frankston kicked the next five goals.
"(The players) thought it'd just happen," he said.
"Our work-rate was okay, but we didn't do any more.
"We didn't have the required spirit ... passion."
FitzGerald said the Roosters needed to learn about developing "internal motivation".
He said too many had gone into the match expecting to win.
"It was cold, there wasn't the big Sunday crowd we've been having to generate an atmosphere."
FitzGerald said in these circumstances the players needed to create "excitement and spirit."
Some firm words from FitzGerald at half-time to reinforce North Ballarat's processes were all it needed to take the match away from Frankston.
"It was pleasing the way we responded without any histrionics," he said.
Key forward Michael Wundke, with three second-half goals, a relentless Myles Sewell and rock-solid Michael Searl were the backbone in steadying the ship.
Sewell improves with every game. He has become one of the most attacking players in the Roosters' onball/midfield rotation, with his ability to get the hard ball a big feature of his game.
North Melbourne-listed Liam Anthony knocked up getting possessions in only his second senior appearance for the year after stress fractures. It is easy to see why the Kangaroos are keen to fast-track him into the AFL.
Ruckmen Orren Stephenson and Tristant Cartledge also played important roles, especially as extra bodies in defence.
