Credentials as best
First quarter shows Lions can match it
the end of the year is very rewarding.”
Capra suffered an ankle sprain going back with the flight in a marking contest, but Jamieson hoped it would not be a long-term injury. LEOPOLD coach Steve Clark believes his side’s best form is still good enough to beat anyone, despite slipping out of the GFL top five on Saturday. The Lions, who won a formidable 17 out of 18 regular season games in 2016 on their way to the GFL premiership, have dropped successive games after Saturday’s 42-point loss to undefeated powerhouse St Joseph’s. But Clark was looking at the glass half full with more than half a season still to play out. “It’s hugely early in the season, and if you have a look at our draw, we’ve played some huge games all in a row,” he said. “All we’ve got to do is qualify. “We’ve just got to get it all together and make sure we’re playing good footy at the right time. “I’ve said it before — and I know it’s a cliche — but you qualify (for finals), then it’s a fourweek season.” The Lions’ best made the well-oiled Joeys line-up look off the pace in the first quarter-anda-half on Saturday, with Leopold dominating contested footy while locking the football in its forward half. It nailed four of the opening five majors, denying the home side time and space to pinpoint kicks to uncontested marking options. But the Joeys worked into the game in the second term before flexing their muscle in a second-half demolition job.
“I think the first quarter-and-a-half was quite good, then we slightly fell off what we were doing which gave them a little bit of momentum, I suppose,” Clark said.
“After halftime we came out and weren’t able to keep committing to the things we did early, so then we fell away.
“It’s happened the last couple of weeks; I suppose you look at the two top sides and our good footy’s been really good but we’ve seen it again today, we just haven’t been able to do it for four quarters yet.
“We went off how we were playing the game and the competition’s too good, you can’t do that.
“You’ve got to be resilient . . . I thought we were up for that challenge, but we’ve just got to stop falling away.”
But Clark said he would hang his hat on the fact the side’s best was competitive enough to challenge anyone.
“When we get it right and commit to it we look real good,” he said.
“The fact that we didn’t stick to our guns, that’s probably the frustrating thing for me at the moment.
“It’s just disappointing we weren’t able to continue that when the game changed.
“If we can keep getting better and better, and if we can get it all together on one day, we’re going to be tough to beat.”