In the training sessions they've done, our players have made a constant decision to be a little bit more spirited – if not to get themselves up, but to create an environment where you're potentially assisting others.
We've made sure we've kept the group together. The VFL and the AFL boys have all been together, and the message is: ‘Okay boys, our backs are against the wall, we've had three not-great weeks now, and it's time to do something about it’.
Our training this week has been more intense. It hasn't been longer, or more physical, but it has certainly been with more intent, and more noise, and it's been driven by the playing group.
We don't think the past month has been a physical thing with our players. In competitive sport, teams can just lose a bit of self belief, and we think that's the case with us.
After the loss against the Brisbane Lions, there's just been some doubts creeping in amongst the playing group, and all of a sudden, that's bred some conservatism.
With good intent, players just want to do the right thing by their team. An example would be a defender staying on his player and not having the courage to leave and go and assist.
Therefore, we haven't been out-numbering at the contest, and it looks like we're not running.
We're not playing with the same levels of energy we had earlier in the year.
Our consistency has been a problem this year. You really have to look at each game on its merits, and there have been some issues with personnel in terms of injury. It's been something that we've brought up in match committee, our topsy-turvy win-loss record.
We've played some pretty good teams in the second half of the season – two teams in Richmond and Melbourne, who are struggling in their own seasons – and we failed to get ourselves up emotionally for those games.
We think we've been pretty competitive in most games, and that's really the cornerstone to our success, as well as the cornerstone to the success of most teams coached by Mick.
Effort, intensity and physicality underpins opportunities to win. It doesn't mean you're always going to win, but it gives you opportunities to.
Melbourne has a lot to play for this weekend with David Neitz's 300th game, but it's not emotion that concerns us. Neitz has been a superstar of the competition, not just the Melbourne footy club, and he's very highly respected with the way he goes about his footy.
We want to respect that effort with the way we attack our footy, and that's the way we treat these games. We do know there is a fair chance, initially, that motivation that will drive the Melbourne group, but that doesn't last very long.
The teams that have sustained success across a season and four quarters are driven by internal motivation – that is, to beat the direct opponent.
We're aware of it, and we'll have a massive focus on keeping the crowd out of it so it doesn't become an influence.
The Demons match up well on us. Some sides do, man-for-man, match up pretty well. That's our challenge – instead of being the hunted, we have to be the hunters.
Let's forget about win-loss over the year; we need to look at Melbourne v Collingwood over recent years, and they've clearly had the better of us, so we see that as a massive challenge to change that trend.
There is more riding on this game for us than there is for them.
