It’s not every week you’re given the opportunity to play a game on the hallowed turf of GIO Stadium, and when the option was put forward to play at GIO as an alternative to one of the grounds in Gungahlin- Royals gratefully accepted.
The Eagles results have not been a true reflection of their potential through each of their preceding round games and Royals coaches reinforced the need to not be overconfident and assume a win over Gungahlin as a foregone conclusion. And they were right. The Eagles came ready to play and throughout the first half took advantage of Royals lack of effort in basic aspects of the game and an apparent unwillingness to play the game-plan the coaches had set. The end result being that we went to the half time break trailing 3-10. Our performance through the first half epitomised a core issue to be overcome by this playing group- if we are to be a contender at the business end of the season we need to do the basics consistently at a high level, we need to be disciplined in how we build pressure, and we need to be ruthless in converting that pressure into points.
Off the back of a halftime rev up, we got our act together and put the Eagles away. Alec Corcoran, Lincoln Smith and Ben Johnston all found their way over the try line and Pedro slotted a conversion to give the Royals what is ultimately a deserved win. Our 5th in a row.
Despite the wins, there is a sense of frustration about the group at the moment which comes from knowing we can be better. From wanting to be better. This speaks to the high standards that have been set as a group and the fact we haven’t yet delivered to that standard. Our challenge is not the physicality or toughness of the players in the group- that’s been proven time and again. Our challenge is mental, staying switched on and aware of what’s happening in the game, the need to maintain focus and a level of motivation that will see the hard yards done away from the field or at training to develop the skills needed to play the way we want to play.
Exciting times ahead for Royals you’d think.
