Here’s why the Eagles failed!

What an enthralling finals series it was for both the AFL and the NRL.

In the NRL we saw the Cowboys win its first premiership and come from behind in the last few seconds of the game to score draw the game and then go on to win in penalty time. A team with a never say die attitude, right up to the last seconds of the match, went on to win their maiden premiership cup.

In the AFL we saw the opposite…

The Eagles thrashed Hawthorne in the Semi finals, and then went on to play and soundly beat North Melbourne in the Preliminary final to skate through to the grand final.

Hawthorne had to travel more than any other team and they then had to compete against the Eagles on an unseasonal 30 degree day on grand final day.

The Hawke’s had won the flag the last two years and were seasoned finals campaigners.  They are like a boa constrictor; once they catch the opposition they then squeeze the life out of them and go on to put them to the sword.

The Eagles had come from 9^th on the ladder the previous year, to make the grand final which was seen as a small miracle.

The Eagles had a relaxed coach in Adam Simpson, he shared with the boys to enjoy the lead up to the grand final, to soak it up and take it all in. Simpson had bought a new game plan to the eagles that he had developed in his time as assistant coach, working at Hawthorne it was dubbed the web.

The Web involves players no longer manning up one on one, but standing between opposition players, ready to intercept incoming kicks. More importantly, it involves extreme pressure being applied to the opposition to force them to kick erratically and inaccurately.

What went wrong

Should coach Adam Simpson have spent more time on the players reflecting on what had worked so well all year for them that had got them to the grand final. Review the game plan, discuss what is required to win a grand final and to take that ultimate step and win it. Hindsight is a wonderful thing.

Applying the plan

The Eagles didn’t apply the pressure to the opposition to allow the web to function to its year long proven best. Without the pressure, the Web is more like a sieve, allowing the Hawke’s to carve their way through the Eagles defence and pick out players in striking distance from goal, time and time again.

No plan B

The Eagles appeared to have no contingency plan to deal with the pressure applied by Hawthorne. When the shoe was on the other foot, the eagles could not cope with the pressure. Having the Web was a wonderful game plan to make the final but having a plan B was required to break Hawthorne’s Game style. The game was taken when Hawthorne would chip the ball and then wait patiently to kick it to the next target, kicking with extreme accuracy.

Seize the Day

Making the grand final is one thing, winning it is a completely different story. Hawthorne was never going to give the cup to the Eagles, the Eagles had to want it, fight for it and win it. It appeared on the day that the eagles were not focused on doing what was required to win the most important day of the year.

Mentally settled

As important as it is to be determined to Seize the Day, at the same time the team also needed to be mentally settled. Settled to stick to the game plan, and to take the opportunities when they came their way, the Eagles were not prepared or willing to take them. Hawthorne had 5 goals straight and at the same time the Eagles had 1 goal five points… Goals win grand finals.

Making the grand final is the first step, winning the grand final is a completely different proposition.

It’s all between the ears…

I was reading about how Jason Day, Australia’s youngest and current world number one golf player (who has been on the circuit for 7 years) decided recently that he actually wanted to win the big ones.

 “The mentality swung at The Open Championship. Something changed in my head, and I thought it’s my time to start winning tournaments”.

He always had the skill, just needed to have the attitude to hold it all together when it counts and to seize the moment when it arrives.

On the final day of his huge win in the PGA Championship at Whistling Straights Jason Day did just that, he had the intention of leaving everything out there, with nothing held back. His nearest rival, said exactly the same thing, he had no chance of catching Day because he played the perfect final round.

For the Eagles, there is always next year…

If you are sick of saying, “there is always next year” and you think enough is enough, it’s your time now to get what you deserve out of your business, to seize the day and make your business work for you, we can help!

At ABC Business Improvement we have or are assisting builders, tradesmen, retailers, restaurants, wholesalers, manufacturers, mechanics, professional service providers like accountants, lawyers, pharmacists, dentists, importers/ exporters and we can assist you too!

At ABC Business Improvement we will organise a meeting where you will;

–         Uncover the challenges you are facing

–         Define a path to overcome them

 –         Create a first step plan to move forward

 –         Gain a sense of excitement and relief, knowing where you are going

Be one of the first 5 to contact us this week and we will organise a ‘seize the day’ strategy session today…