But before we get into that, I want to kick things off with some good news for our supporters.
It looks like we are going to have Rick Ladson and Stephen Gilham back sooner rather than later.
Ladson has been recovering from a knee and Gilham has had an injury interrupted first half of the season but both have shown some really good form for Box Hill in the VFL.
It’s going to be great to get them back and hopefully it is as early as our next game against West Coast but we’re not going to rush them if they’re not right. From a supporter's point of view it is going to be a real bonus to have them back.
But the best news to come out of the Club is that Trent Croad has started to train with the main group again, which has given the boys a massive lift.
Croady has worked hard to overcome his foot injury and this is another big step in his long rehab.
We are hopeful he will play a role in the second half of the year at some stage. He’s not doing full training yet but he has stepped into some of the low-level drills. It is great to have him out there and it really lifts the team.
Now, on to the other stuff.
Our effort against the Brisbane Lions last week was pretty disappointing – particularly in the second half and we now sit 6-6. We will be doing a fair bit of work over the next week and a half to rectify the situation.
We need to be consistent over four quarters and this was clearly not the case on the weekend.
These things are well within our control and we’ve got to be better at making sure we give that consistent effort and have the same gritty attitude for the full four quarters. Unless we can do that, we are going to be inconsistent.
In many ways, the mid-season break has come at the right time. There’s no question the boys need a bit of a spell. They’re off on country visits at the moment then have a couple of days to themselves.
As for the coaches, we’ve got a bit of review stuff and we have to keep working on making sure we get the right sort of structure and systems in place for the second half of the year.
We’ve got to look at what’s occurred so far and adjust accordingly. There are some areas to work on and we need to have the right approach if we are going to improve.
The views in this story are those of the author and not necessarily those of the clubs or the AFL.
