JETS LACK KILLER INSTINCT

[in the crowd]

Went to the game on Saturday and the Jets started brilliantly but again missed the opportunity to really bury the opposition. They were near the line twenty times and scored three times South were near the line only half that much.

South superior fitness in the last twenty aging proved the deciding factor (Keeping in mind South’s had no one on the bench, usually our excuse).

I know most of the South’s players are full time but the Newtown players have to ask themselves if they want to play in the semis. If they do what are they prepared to do to get there? Our will it be more gallant seconds?

It is very frustrating that this team is fare superior on paper to the 2002 side, yet they are a long way yet to equaling their six wins. Here hoping they can do it.

 

[Jeffles]

Great points there in the crowd.

While fitness will always be an issue for out part timers against most people's full timers, there must be some other explanation for the dropping off.

 

[The Dawson Twins Minus 1]

The body won't do what the brain doesn't tell it to.

It's all concentration.

While fitness is going to be higher in full-timers, it's a Newtown tradition that our guys can't focus for as long as the opposition.

I've been watching us win the first 70 minutes and then lose the last ten horribly for over 35 years now.

As much as they're almost all great blokes (hey! They're Bluebags!) and doing great things with no resources, often the reason a guy gets his chance with us rather than at the big clubs is that his concentration is very nearly what you need at the top level.

Very nearly, but not quite. Murph can help them to play as well as they possibly can. He can turn non-team players into guys who meld well with their team-mates.

He can straighten out a lot of things in their game that have been holding a player back, but if they don't have the ability to focus for a whole match, it's nigh on impossible to make them into 80-minute players (except by grafting on a new head).

I suspect it's one of the reasons we went a bit better when unlimited interchange was in force. I personally didn't like the system, but if you have guys who have trouble focussing for the full term, it meant you could swap them on and off and give their brain a "breather".

Funnily enough, though, with stoppages, there probably is enough down-time for guys to switch off for a few seconds and preserve what I think is possibly a finite resource.

Maybe we should be working on some drills that require that "switch" to be turned off and on to help the guys learn to use all the concentration they can muster when it really counts.

Regards,
TDT-1

 

[The Dawson Twins Minus 1]

Sorry - duplicate post.

 

[Henson Park Hornets]

Great points there in the crowd.

While fitness will always be an issue for out part timers against most people's full timers, there must be some other explanation for the dropping off.

Jeffles, I actually brought this point up with Artie, saying that most of his team were full timers playing agaist the part timers from Henson. He quickly pointed out that virtually all of his squad were part timers too.

Looks like we just need to raise the confidence of the boys.

 

[Jeffles]

Good point HPH. The Souths iunjuris means they would have a lot of part timers. So it could be mental.

TDT-1, you don't inspire a lot of confidence in my future decades as a Jets fan. But it'll be damn exciting.

 

[2 True Blues]

Where were Alf DUNCAN and Bilal ????.

I was at the game as well and was bitterly disappointed. I saw them at Parramatta stadium settle with a draw when 30 to 16 up with 15 minutes to go.

I was at Henson when they lead all the way only to lose to souths in the last 2 minutes. This time at Gosford a carbon copy game and result though I feel the Jets were unlucky at times in the second half. We really looked like we had the momentum a couple of times in the second half ( the first half was great ), however stoppages due to a Souths injury ETC, soon saw Souths back with the ball at crucial times. Felt sick when Souths took the lead for the first time in the game with four minutes to go this time.

Add 4 points from the two Souths games, and a point from the parra game, and we would be right up with the table leaders. However it is in the past now. We have to start winning games, because the boys are better than some of the results would suggest.

Hoping for a good game against last years grand final winners, who are coming off a loss to Wests last weekend and will mean business.

It would be good to see Alfie and Bilal back in the side.