Wendy and I were at the Suncorp Stadium last weekend watching our team, the Canberra Raiders take on the Broncos. During the game, when we were down 24-0 to the bronc’s, one of the home crowd heckled us, to which a Raiders fan stood up and called back “anybody can support a winning team, but a true fan is there when they lose, too”.
Today, I sadly feel like a real fan.
After Saturdays very disappointing game, we were hoping very much for a better performance today. While the scoreline shows a loss, all is not negative. So here are my thoughts on todays game.
- Welcome back #8 Cam Trew. After missing 2 games with a suspension, Cam returned today and was an immediate noticable player on the Blue Line. He’s not an offensive threat, but he gives all he has and is always keen to do what is needed to help the team. Cam stood out today as one of the better players out there, always being amongst the play and getting involved.
- CJ was a lot better than the stats show. The box score showed that CJ faced 28 shots, letting in 4 goals. At first glance, you could say these are bad stats, but I feel it is very important to mention that CJ was a LOT better than the stats show. His positioning was great and play consistent. Unfortunately, a diving poke-check went the wrong way for him, which really turn what would have been good stats into what we have, but the play he made was the right one to make at the time.
- The Blue Tongues appear to have a major Ego issue among some players. Today was a lot better than yesterdays, but we still saw cases of people opting to hold the puck rather than play as a team. This is a team sport, and this type of play does nothing to help the team win. I could be wrong of course, but from the stands, this is how it looks at times.
- The #1 pet peeve I had about todays games was the lack of heart that a few players seemed to have. A sense of having given up on the game was evident in some players. Instead of chasing the puck, some just stood there and let others do the work. If guys don’t give a damn about the game, don’t play. That may seem a bit harsh, but there are people in the stands who pay good money to watch, scream at, and cry for the guys on the ice, and to see some just lazily skate around really pisses those people off.
- The Adrenaline Coach spent more time whining about the reffing than he did managing his team. When he did, his own team told him to “shut the F up”, which i found rather interesting.
- Once again, reffing was the lowlight of a game on the Gold Coast. I don’t know what is up, but todays game was pretty terrible. Missed calls right in front of the ref, bad icing calls and worse of all, a call for the 4th goal that almost everybody who saw it claims did not actually go in, really ruined the game. Those who follow the team know that the ref today was the same guy who reffed the shocking games a few weeks back.
- Someone told me today that the 39 shots we put on net today show our boys DO shoot on net. I disagree. What those 39 shots show is that we put bad shots on net. I would wager that less than 20 of those shots were scoring chances, whereas almost all of the Adrenaline’s 28 were. Our boys love to play down the wing then make terrible passes, or shoot from wide. Just something to think about.
- Lastly, Zac Daunt, Jack Conner, Jon Bale, Alex Hall and Ben Spillant need to be get a lot more credit than they’re given. In my opinion the 3 stars off this weekend are pretty much ALL in this list above. Sure, Upton and Amado scored, but it was these local guys who actually played like they gave a damn about the game. They gave all they had, every shift on the ice. These are not the only ones this applies to of course, but these guys were the standout players.
Talking of 3 Stars, here are my 3 for this weekends games, in no particular order. Zac Daunt, Marco Bertossa and Jack Conner.
When I first started writing this, I found it hard to come up with phrases that would be deemed “polite”. The game today was… to be perfectly blunt (as i always am), disappointing.
So here are 7 thought provoking things I noticed from todays match, in absolutely no particular order.
- “There is no I in team”. It’s one of the most overused cliches in all of sports. A team sport requires teamwork to truly work. In todays game we saw over and over again the key players on the Blue Tongues (Macca, Amado, etc) skate down the ice and be more interested in holding on to the puck than passing it. Most times they either put themselves in a position where they could not shoot, or left it too late to make a play. Being a superstar is great, but we as fans support the team, not a player.
- Shooting is the first step to scoring. Over and over and over again today the boys had chanced to put the puck on net and chose not to. Why? It makes absolutely no sense. This is a team that can score a shitload of goals when they shoot the puck, yet today they looked like they were scared to let the puck fly.
- Macca on the point during the PP has often been effective, yet today, when he had a chance to sent a shot on goal he didn’t. Speculation is rife that his confidence is shaken due to the whole Marco Bertossa thing. If this is true, then he should NOT be on the point, simple as that.
- I really want to apologise to Jon Bale, on behalf of every single person following the game today. Time and time and time again the tongues would have a 2 on 1 breakaway and Bales would get in the slot and the winger, usually Macca or Amado would not pass to him. Even when passing was the best choice and would have all but guaranteed a good scoring chance, they opted to ruin the play by holding onto the puck. So from all of us, we are sorry you had to go through that Jonny. You’re a great player who deserves better.
- Zac Daunt should be a lesson to all. His intensity and passion are incredible. He gives 110% every shift, goes after those twice his size and is always willing to take the body. Zac was quite possibly the biggestt standout player on the ice today.
- Other plays who did great today were Jack Conner, Ben Spillane and Ross Howell. In fact, the local players were probably the best players on the ice!
- Kane Easterbrook is a great goalie. He makes incredible saves and has amazing potential, but todays game showed that he is simply NOT good enough to play at the AIHL level. His choices in net cost us the second goal and his drop in confidence was so obvious that even those watching the game were aware of it. The Adrenaline jumped on that and lit him up like a Christmas tree. I do hope Kane does great in the future, however i also believe CJ needs to start EVERY game from here out if we are to make the playoffs.
The 2 teams play each other again tomorrow, so i’m really hoping they play better. I lost my voice screaming today, and will do the same again tomorrow, regardless of the outcome.
GO TONGUES!
p.s. Apologies for no “Weekly Faceoff” post this week, was busy working.
To look at him, you could be mistaken in thinking Zac Daunt is not much of a threat out on the ice. The shortest guy on the Blue Tongues squad, Zac is often thought of as an easy guy to play against. Opposition teams playing the Blue Tongues this season could not be more wrong. You see, while Zac may be small, he has something special.
He has the X Factor!
What “is” the X Factor? Nobody really knows. It’s that perfect blend of passion, integrity and “give it all” attitude that take someone from being a hockey player, to being a clutch guy.
Daunt is feisty, is willing to throw his body on the line and plays with a ferocious desire to do all he can to help his team win. He may not put up points, and he may not be the star player of the game, but Zac is always there when needed to make that game changing play.
Next time you’re at a Blue Tongues game, keep an eye out for him on and off the ice.
