Backing its processes has enabled Greenborough to overcome a slow start to the season, according to senior coach Robert Hyde.
THERE was an eerie quietness when the final siren rang to end the Round 5 clash between Greensborough and West Preston Lakeside at War Memorial Park.
The home side was on the receiving end of a 78-point thrashing – its fifth loss on the trot in a winless start to season 2017.
Senior coach Robert Hyde knew he had to do something, so he called a club-wide meeting.
Instead of ranting and raving about what was going wrong at the Boro, Hyde commended the club on the resilience it had shown in a challenging time.
“We sat down with the match committee and got all the players together, including the under 19s. We virtually just congratulated them on their attitude,” Hyde told NFL.org.au.
“No one was blaming the playing group or blaming the coaching staff, I think that was because we only got cranked up by West Preston-Lakeside. The rest (of the losses) had been pretty close and we weren’t that far away, we just needed a win to get us going.”
Since that chat the Boro have arguably been the form side of the Meadows Greyhounds Division 1 competition.
The club scored an emphatic 39-point win at Heidelberg in Round 6 and has now gone on to win five matches in a row to rocket from last place on the ladder to outright fifth – with a game and percentage gap on sixth-placed Hurstbridge.
Notably, the Boro have overcome significant deficits over the past two weeks – coming from 20 points down at half-time to beat Bundoora in Round 9, before kicking four of the final five goals to down Montmorency by three points last week.
Hyde said he and his coaching staff didn’t change their game plan or structures to find that elusive win, instead they just backed their own process.
“I just think that when we got on the board, we played really good footy against Heidelberg for four quarters and we didn’t really change much. We knew if we stuck at it we could win games,” he said.
“I didn’t dream we would win five in a row but I knew just one would kick start our season, but we have won the next five – and they’ve been really good.”
Greensborough will face second-placed Macleod this weekend and Hyde believes the Boro’s strong form allows them to fear nobody as they aim for a finals berth for the fourth-consecutive year.
“They only beat us by 13 points last time. They are a good side and they go really deep,” Hyde said.
“But we are on a bit of a role and the thing is now we know if we play good footy then we are a chance against anyone.”
