Round 17 V Eagles
It is Sunday night, 24 hours after a soul destroying capitulation to the Eagles. A 14 goal loss that cuts so deep you wonder how the wound will ever heal.
Our second half on the weekend was spiritless. No physical intent on the ball or our opponent. Our midfield was bullied by a more aggressive and dominant opposition. The building pressure of the scoreboard caused poor decision making all over the field.
We are wounded heavily but we are not dead.
Another sleepless night allowed me to be inspired by Cadel Evans. The test of character was clear to see with the individual time trial. Cadel Evans has had his own soul searching moments in his career and only 2 nights ago had to dig deep after mechanical issues affected his mental state of mind as he thought he had lost the race. With the help of his team he regained the attitude that he would not surrender but rather fight for victory.... Victory is his.
It is this trait that differentiates most people in life. How do you react to an adverse situation? How do you respond?
No excuses, no blame. Compliment the opposition on their performance and then get straight back on the bike and work your guts out. Keep fighting until the fight is done. A test of Character.
Last week my coach and mentor was buried. It is he that taught me to fight for what I want. It is simply the willingness to commit that has stopped so many in life from reaching their potential. The fear as to what would happen if you commit and still failed. This fear stops so many......What is it about human nature that we need excuses? Why do so many just retreat when it is within where the answers exist.
We need to work hard and get back in the fight. We may lose a contest or two (or eight in our case so far) but I firmly believe we will eventually learn the art to consistent winning.
The human spirit has the capacity of overcoming adversity. We will win another game of football shortly.
It is in the times of conflict that humans can reveal incredible strength of character.
Regards,
Andrew Collins