Frustrated but in Brown we trust

All quotes are from Nathan Brown's post game [vs Raiders] press conference.

"We didn't get to the spot we trained to get to..."

How do we interrupt this statement? Either your methods where too complicated to achieve your goals or our players haven't got the brain power to comprehend you instructions? I know our players aren't rocket scientists and some actually have a very good brain for football, however it is clear without any doubt that some just haven't been blessed with that talent.

You coach Brown must devise a method to get these guys to start thinking more about the game as a whole and not just their role in the team.

"But with six blokes out there with three games between them it was a pretty good effort especially when they were all on the field and we were down and we got back into the game and then got ourselves in a position to win it."

True but we DIDN'T WIN. Yet another opportunity for someone to put their hand up, steady the ship and guide us to a win goes unanswered. These are the moments where potential champion players make their mark. You together with your coaching team put your judgment and faith in six guys hoping that one would step up and accept this role, only to be let down once again.

"We just weren't quite good enough at the death."

Didn't we display the same problem against the Tigers? You had two weeks to stress the importance of playing the game to the death and not to panic in the dying moments.

"I thought effort wise and the attitude and the way they hung in there it puts the club in good stead."

Only if they learn from their mistakes, however, by repeating them they aren't doing themselves nor you coach Brown any favours?

Considering the fans invested time and faith in the team by travelling 3 hours to get there, most would not be appreciative of the lack of smarts and the abundance of mistakes exhibited by our team for their viewing pleasure.

"Obviously dry weather would have definitely helped us. We couldn't get the ball to Gasnier or Cooper like we did last week."

Maybe that is true but the weather forecasts had been predicting showers down Canberra nearly all week, surely a wet weather plan would have been seriously discussed during the week and not just mentioned as a last minute after-thought prior to the game.

"With three minutes to go we still had a full set and we didn't put ourselves in the right spot to win the game. If we put on a couple of plays that we trained to do we could have scored and could have still won the game."

Just goes to highlight my earlier point. We have dumb players playing dumb football.

Really spoils all the hard work others are doing around them. Not to mention the frustrations they cause to loyal supporters.

Now don't think of this as whining or sticking the boot in while you are down, this is only an attempt at constructive criticism. I know too well the frustrations of coaching a team full of inexperienced players who despite the obvious, think they know all there is to the game.

I also know that there are ways to overcome this dilemma and this is why my faith in the Dragons to succeed in 2003 hasn't diminished one iota.

In Brown we trust!