Midfield Coach Dale Tapping says the last two to three minutes in Saturday’s loss to Port Adelaide is
Down 23 points heading into the final quarter, the Lions booted the last four goals of the match to be within reach of defeating the Power.
“We took our time and [you] saw that the last two or three minutes of the game. Previously and even times last year, we would have rushed straight in and been outnumbered,” Tapping told lions.com.au.
“We were really composed with the ball and found the free line and sort of moved the footy around a little bit and hunted in on our opportunity.”
But the Lions want their hard work to be rewarded with a win after coming close in the first three rounds.
“We’re getting close but at some
“We executed things pretty well but there were a few lapses in the third quarter.”
For most of the game contested footy and clearances were good, both having been key areas of focus in the off-season.
In Saturday’s game, a large number of players rotated through the midfield. Ryan Lester, Allen Christensen and Mitch Robinson all had stints there.
Tapping says sharing the workload in the middle is integral to the team’s success.
“The game is just so demanding around the ball, so you’ve got to keep the power up.”
Ruckman Stefan Martin was one who kept his intensity and work rate
“His work rate is phenomenal,” Tapping said.
“Between the arcs he was fantastic. He was the one driving the ball in there the last few minutes.”
Zorko was another who went well in Saturday’s game, having had to fight off tags all season, while Tom Cutler had a smooth transition from emergency player to call up in the senior side for Dayne Beams, albeit only finding out an hour before
“It’s a bit symbolic of our growth as a footy team at the moment,” Tapping said.
“That we’ve had guys able to step in and perform at the level at the moment, so it just gives the group great belief.”
The Lions will take this confidence
