southerncross
28-05-2007, 05:45 AM
Fickle form Eade's worry (http://www.heraldsun.news.com.au/footy/common/story_page/0,8033,21804165%255E19775,00.html)
WORLD beaters one week, passengers the next. That's the dilemma facing Western Bulldogs coach Rodney Eade after his team was shown up by Sydney yesterday.
In a big blow to the Dogs' credibility as a top-four side, the Swans beat them at their own game at Manuka Oval, running them ragged to win easily by 43 points.
While last year's grand finalists are again building ominously after an early season slump, the Bulldogs' turnaround from last week's stirring victory over Collingwood was disturbing.
Eade was left to question his players' workrate, with all the relevant data indicating it was one of their worst performances for some time.
However he doesn't believe yesterday's debacle was a fair indication of where his team is at."Things are going better than that," Eade said. "Two weeks ago Sydney set themselves, they were playing poorly and they are back in form.
"Form is a fickle thing, it can change week to week, full credit to Sydney but we just didn't work hard enough. That is not a true reflection of the way we go about it. "I think the good sides have that consistency of effort, that is something that we need."
Eade was particularly bemused about the second term where the Swans kicked five unanswered goals.
"There was just a 25-minute period in the second quarter where we got smashed," he said. "It was just through hard work, they outran us.
"Whenever they won it in tight they spread pretty well and we didn't. Their pressure was very good and ours wasn't up to standard."
The evidence of the Bulldogs' lack of effort was available to the coach at halftime with the readings from the GPS - Global Positioning System device used to monitor heart-rate and distance covered - telling the story.
"We just didn't run," Eade said. "Those new GPS on players, the measurements there showed that to be the lowest in the second quarter for the season of repeated running efforts.
"That was across the board. We just didn't work hard enough, our handball receives at halftime was down by 40 compared to the opposition, uncontested possessions was less by 40 to the opposition.
"They were OK at contested ball, we were OK at it but once the ball got out, which is probably normally our strength, they were far better which was down to workrate."
Rather than get angry, Eade was philosophical."It is a long journey," Eade said. "We are going to have some poor games and we are going to have more poor games as we move along.
"At the end of the day it is four points. "I think out of every defeat you have to learn and I think that is what we are trying to take out of this."
The Dogs badly missed the run of Ryan Griffen and Jordan McMahon yesterday with both set to be back, along with forward Robert Murphy, for next Sunday's clash with Carlton at the MCG.
WORLD beaters one week, passengers the next. That's the dilemma facing Western Bulldogs coach Rodney Eade after his team was shown up by Sydney yesterday.
In a big blow to the Dogs' credibility as a top-four side, the Swans beat them at their own game at Manuka Oval, running them ragged to win easily by 43 points.
While last year's grand finalists are again building ominously after an early season slump, the Bulldogs' turnaround from last week's stirring victory over Collingwood was disturbing.
Eade was left to question his players' workrate, with all the relevant data indicating it was one of their worst performances for some time.
However he doesn't believe yesterday's debacle was a fair indication of where his team is at."Things are going better than that," Eade said. "Two weeks ago Sydney set themselves, they were playing poorly and they are back in form.
"Form is a fickle thing, it can change week to week, full credit to Sydney but we just didn't work hard enough. That is not a true reflection of the way we go about it. "I think the good sides have that consistency of effort, that is something that we need."
Eade was particularly bemused about the second term where the Swans kicked five unanswered goals.
"There was just a 25-minute period in the second quarter where we got smashed," he said. "It was just through hard work, they outran us.
"Whenever they won it in tight they spread pretty well and we didn't. Their pressure was very good and ours wasn't up to standard."
The evidence of the Bulldogs' lack of effort was available to the coach at halftime with the readings from the GPS - Global Positioning System device used to monitor heart-rate and distance covered - telling the story.
"We just didn't run," Eade said. "Those new GPS on players, the measurements there showed that to be the lowest in the second quarter for the season of repeated running efforts.
"That was across the board. We just didn't work hard enough, our handball receives at halftime was down by 40 compared to the opposition, uncontested possessions was less by 40 to the opposition.
"They were OK at contested ball, we were OK at it but once the ball got out, which is probably normally our strength, they were far better which was down to workrate."
Rather than get angry, Eade was philosophical."It is a long journey," Eade said. "We are going to have some poor games and we are going to have more poor games as we move along.
"At the end of the day it is four points. "I think out of every defeat you have to learn and I think that is what we are trying to take out of this."
The Dogs badly missed the run of Ryan Griffen and Jordan McMahon yesterday with both set to be back, along with forward Robert Murphy, for next Sunday's clash with Carlton at the MCG.