Melbourne coach Steven King says the Demons broke their own hearts against the Giants with their ball use and execution going inside 50 letting them down in their 49-point loss. But the Dees coach is adamant they’re quick fixes despite the wounds of the past being opened.
King Reflects on Performance
In the latter years of the Simon Goodwin era, the Demons were often criticised for bombing long inside 50 and King said he hadn’t been faced with that challenge until now. “I don’t sit there and go in all facets of the game we were really poor. It was just that conversion thing which I haven’t been faced with this year, which has happened to this group in the past,” King said.
The loss to the Giants was the first time the Demons have lost two-straight games under Steven King. “I feel like our shape was really poor with ball in hand and that left us vulnerable in defence. They’re linked so much together (attack and defence) … I hadn’t seen us use the ball as poorly as we did,” he added.
Quick Fixes and Over-Coaching
King acknowledged the emotional toll of the defeat. “There’s certain moments in games where you end up breaking your own hearts a little bit. That’s OK, we can fix that pretty quickly.” He also questioned whether he is over-coaching, saying the loss provided reminders about efficiency and composure. “For me I’ve just got to trust the players to play the game,” King concluded.
