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2020 NRL Nines February 14-15

Poupou Escobar

Post Whore
Messages
84,160
The team of the tournament shows why our squad wasn't ideal for this format. Besides a couple of forwards famous for their one-on-one attacking ability, the best performers were mostly reserve graders:

Scott Drinkwater (Cowboys)
Clint Gutherson (Eels)
Mason Lino (Knights)
Tyrone Peachey (Titans)
Jason Taumololo (Cowboys)
Phillip Sami (Titans)
Luke Metcalf (Sea Eagles)
Cody Ramsey (Dragons)
Viliame Kikau (Panthers)
 

lingard

Coach
Messages
11,135
They didn't choke though. Just like any team that wins a comp they had a bit of luck. The idea of choking is nonsense. Just because you lose an elimination match doesn't mean you choked. In a close one it just means you were unlucky.

Many things - fluctuating confidence, negative self-talk, performance anxiety, doubting one's self - can negatively impact a sportsperson in a variety of ways. In a solo sport (tennis, boxing) this sort of thing might be more obvious - but lack of confidence can be contagious. So in a team sport, if you have one or two team members low in confidence and high in self-doubt, they can really upset the morale of a whole team. One or two mistakes by players during a high-pressure game, or one or two adverse referee decisions, and suddenly you can have most of the team (or enough of them) making mistakes and playing without confidence or conviction. I reckon 'choking' is a very real thing. And it's harder to control in a team situation than in an individual sport.
 

lingard

Coach
Messages
11,135
The team of the tournament shows why our squad wasn't ideal for this format. Besides a couple of forwards famous for their one-on-one attacking ability, the best performers were mostly reserve graders:

Scott Drinkwater (Cowboys)
Clint Gutherson (Eels)
Mason Lino (Knights)
Tyrone Peachey (Titans)
Jason Taumololo (Cowboys)
Phillip Sami (Titans)
Luke Metcalf (Sea Eagles)
Cody Ramsey (Dragons)
Viliame Kikau (Panthers)


But us coming fourth probably indicates that our squad was ideal for this tournament.
 
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