Without a doubt, we are all disappointed that the team did not follow up on their gritty performance from last week. We all knew and should have known that Geelong, a top-four team, was always going to put us under pressure, and they did just that. They played the game their way by slowing it down and not allowing us to play the game faster, which they find challenging to do.
Our lack of experience to overcome this showed, plus our inability to score goals. Again, I am not going to single out players or even coaches, either good, bad or indifferent, as that is not the point of my blog. Again, others do that.
The point of this particular post is simply a case of the one thing that Ash Barty said when she was interviewed after her magnificent and just deserved win at Wimbledon. She said that she just kept “chipping away” to get to her eventual success. I read an article in the newspaper about Ash Barty’s success and how one of her coaches, her mindset coach, Ben Crowe, has played an immense part in how she sees herself in her sport and what she wants to achieve. It was inspirational and should and must be the same for the Carlton FC. Here’s why.
What is it that we want to achieve? We want to achieve success, the ultimate success of holding up another Premiership Cup that has alluded us for so long. We must verbalise this, state this and believe that it is possible. But we must also realise and understand, just as Ben Crowe has shown Ash Barty, that if it doesn’t happen in the way or the time frame you want for yourself, then this should not mean the want of success becomes unachievable.
It just means that you have to keep “chipping away” to attain that eventual goal – to win. It is a mindset, but it can also determine the very essence of the club’s culture.
Our culture in the past has been one of trying to achieve success in quick, knee-jerk reactions. Things don’t work out the way they want, so let’s just get rid of a coach or a player and let’s see if things can work out then, and if that doesn’t work, well, we will just do it again, and again, and again. How can any club or team develop a culture that will bring us success if there is no consistency in the club? I don’t mean just on the playing field.
We have to stop with the reactions that only undermine what we want to achieve and believe and state out loud to the world our intention. We want to win a Premiership, and we will keep “chipping away” until we do. We know that we may suffer setbacks, but we will take them in our stride and continue to forge a path to eventual success. We will do that by believing in not only ourselves but in who is going to guide us there. We are not going to react every time we fail with knee-jerk reactions.
I will say this again, I believe in David Teague, and I believe in the team (with a few tweaks). We achieve nothing with knee-jerk reactions, and our culture becomes one of teetering on a block of bricks that is tenuous and unstable. We must not want that for our club. If this is too “out there” for your liking, then so be it, but there is so much proof that this mindset works and works well. It has been shown in many instances in the history of sport, and the Carlton FC must step on that road of self-belief and a verbalization of their ultimate dream. Can we do it? I know we can.
#GO BLUES!
P.S. On another note, some of the comments that David Teague should not have congratulated Tuohy or Henderson after the match is, to my view, very petty. Win or lose, treat others with dignity and respect.
SPORTZ 