How will the boys respond???

[motorace_182]

Will we come out very emotional and quite obviously not up to playing the Dees?? Or will we fire up and "Do it for Wall!!"
It looks like it could go either way, depending on how well the guys recover after tomorrows funeral. They have obviously been very gutted from the passing and only time will tell.

[Damien]

I think dealing with 22 different sets of emotions is hard to predict - but somehow I can see them resolving to 'win it for Wally'.

Hopefully a fired up team on Saturday.

[TheHood]

Originally posted by Damien
I think dealing with 22 different sets of emotions is hard to predict - but somehow I can see them resolving to 'win it for Wally'.

Hopefully a fired up team on Saturday.

We are already scitsophrenic as a playing group and now, predicting a result is just not possible.

I hope our backs to the wall, play for you life team runs out and plays HARD!

[ihamilto]

Re: How will the boys respond???

Originally posted by motorace_182
Will we come out very emotional and quite obviously not up to playing the Dees?? Or will we fire up and "Do it for Wall!!"
It looks like it could go either way, depending on how well the guys recover after tomorrows funeral. They have obviously been very gutted from the passing and only time will tell.

Really hard to say but it has been so emotionally draining for
everyone involved they may find it hard to come up. Like Damien
I hope they can find something really special on saturday night
it will be a great effort if they can. cheers Ian

[Barry Schneider]

I wonder if Roos might ask the players before naming the side if they are capable of giving it their best go.If a few players aren't it is better to give them a rest to deal with it.Selecting players who are just not mentally right won't help the team nor the players.
A win won't make up for the death of Wally but a loss doesn't help anyone.

[ihamilto]

Originally posted by Barry Schneider
I wonder if Roos might ask the players before naming the side if they are capable of giving it their best go.If a few players aren't it is better to give them a rest to deal with it.Selecting players who are just not mentally right won't help the team nor the players.
A win won't make up for the death of Wally but a loss doesn't help anyone.

Actually I wont be surprised if Jason
Ball does not play and you could"nt really blame him 2 deaths to
deal with in 5 weeks is terribly traumatic.
Ian

[Bas]

I think that unfortunately that is it for our season this year. It's a very big loss to the Club and I imagine many of the players, especially those from interstate would have looked up to Wally as a father figure.

Unless you have experienced the loss of someone very close, you don't know what it feels like. You might think you do but I can tell you from personal experience you don't. It's all very romantic to say that they'll win it for him but remember after the passing of George Stone's son, Paul Kelly was reported as saying that playing football was the last thing on his mind. Sydney got beaten in a game that they should have one.

I'll say that they will get thrashed this week but might regroup for the last two games.

The best thing they might do is get the players to be honest about who will be up to playing and getting the best 22 on the ground. They would do much better than playing grief stricken players. I don't think the "being professionals' argument is really worth touting. Everyone deals with grief in their own way.

How about thursday and friday, supporters should send emails or faxes to the Club (players and staff), acknowledging their grief and a message of support. They will need a purpose to get themselves up.

[motorace_182]

How we respond to it will make or break this season. If we get thumped i think its all over for 2004, not much hope at all left there. But if we pull off a massive, or nailbitting, victory, it may turn the season around and the players find a need to do it for Wal. Even though i never met the bloke and wouldnt have recognised him if i walked past him, from what club representatives have said this week, he sounds like a guy that would want em to get out there and give it a real go.

But if certain players such as Ball arent up to it, will the younger and less experienced such as Dempster and Mcglone be keen??

This is such a hard weekend to predict how it may turn out.

[swansrule100]

i see us winning the premiership :P sorry just too one eyed!

[swansrock4eva]

I think there will be a mixture - there may be a couple of players who just can't get themselves on the field, then some who get on there but just can't get fired up, and then those who get there and fire up well. That was how it ended up after Jack Stone's death in 2001. But no doubt, it will play on their minds, regardless of their performance this weekend. If they can say they got out there and gave it genuinely the best they had to offer right then, that's all we can ask.

Go Get 'em Boys!

[Snowy]

you could look at it the other way and say what would Wally have wanted the players to do in this situation? Without being heartless sitting around and moping doesn't change things.

[Rob-bloods]

Every week there is a reason for players to be up, down or indifferent. Our form is a week to week proposition at best. This week for once, WE all know about an outside.

I personally expect them to have a red hot go this week, it is a tough assignment, but we can win it.

[sharpie]

With the lack of focus on the game and the lack of training this week, I just cant see enough of the guys going to be mentally prepared for the game on saturday.

And what happens when we dont have a large majority of the players playing well? We lose. I just could not imagine being in any position to be able to play a game of football after last weekend. Especially for the guys who were sitting on the bench at the time. Something like that would psychologically scar you very deeply.

Good luck to the boys, and I hope they dig deep, but I wont be too worried about the end result. I would honestly be surprised if the team can get back into the right mindset for playing footbally any time before the end of the season. But I wouldnt really begrudge them their grieving period. I just feel like it is a very sad way to finish off what has been a very disappointing season.

[liz]

Totally agree with those sentiments Sharpie.

[NMWBloods]

Yep - I pretty much agree with all of the above Sharpie.