Western Force coach Michael Foley is confident he hasn’t lost the support of his players, but concedes he needs to reset expectations following his team’s latest loss.
The Force face a fight to avoid consecutive Super Rugby wooden spoons after slumping to a 49-13 home loss to the NSW Waratahs on Saturday night.
The result left the Force (1-7) second last on the table – with only South Africa’s hapless Kings below them.
The Force trailed the Waratahs by just seven points in the 53rd minute, before conceding the final four tries.
While a new, expansive game plan hasn’t paid dividends as yet, Foley still has faith it will steer the team in the right direction.
But three of the Force’s seven losses have been by 35 points or more – a worrying trend that has robbed the team of confidence.
Foley says his players tend to drop their heads too easily when things start to go against them.
When asked whether he felt his still had the support of his players, Foley replied: “I believe so.
“You come out of a game like that and it’s easy for people to interpret it that people don’t care. But I assure you the players care a lot.”
Foley said the remainder of the season would be a huge test of his team’s character, starting with Friday night’s clash with the Bulls in Perth.
But he admitted he needed to lower his expectations of what the team could achieve this season.
“The expectations we put on ourselves may have been too great. We’ve got to shake that. We’ve got to reset the bar,” Foley said.
“You set goals to make finals, you set your goals to win championships. And when those opportunities start to leak away, you tend to get too disappointed.
“So for us, it’s about showing that spirit we know the team has.
“Although we may not be in the playoff race, being able to go out there and show that type of character we have done before is critical.”
Foley said it was important for his players to stick to the task – even if things were going against them.
“You could sense the disappointment in the players, but it was too great,” Foley said.
“Yes, in the moment in the game you become disappointed because things aren’t quite going right.
“But you (need to) flush that, and you move on and you enter the next battle.
“For us, it takes too long for us to get past certain things that don’t go right.”
Playmaker Peter Grant is in some doubt to take on the Bulls after suffering an eye injury against the Waratahs.
But Luke Morahan, Chris Alcock, and Ian Prior should be fit to return.
Matthew Skellett
Guest
Well ummmmm NO they don't Mr Foley , my advice to you is .......pack your bags and leave a note as to where the Franchise can send your severance pay to .. :-)
Johnno
Guest
Western Force should be allowed even more foriegn imports, and not just developmental imports. Who cares if locals miss out, the western force need to be competitive.
Offside Joe
Guest
A new low was set on Saturday by the Force. We've seen a gradual degradation of game plan/skills/fitness/teamwork/passion from the 2014 season when we almost raised ourselves into finals contention through teamwork, ticker and, lets face it, a bit of luck. What was most disheartening about this performance (and the season so far) is the distinct lack of teamwork and clue about what to do aside from one out hit-ups, rolling malls, giving the opposition easy position through thoughtless kicking and, my favourite, passing it out to 'the athletic guy' and hope he can perform a miracle... Coming into 2015, our prayers were for improvement. Now we are just seeing our talent wasted either on the field with no clue or getting injured because they are trying to do too much. The Foley era is over - please leave and take your attack coach with you. Time to invest in a coach to build culture, pride, skill and fitness...
Squirrel
Guest
It is only a year or two before they get the chop
Bakkies
Guest
The fans have stopped turning up to the matches
Lara
Guest
The Force has not progressed for years and their game plan is so poor it is painful to watch.
CUW
Guest
its a farce , remove the bar completely and just play like a club side they are !!! u cannot win at super level with 4-5 classy players. teams like crusaders and stormers bring out test players from the bench. there is nothing a coach can do , if he does not have enuf talent to suit the competition. if u combine reds rebels and force, u may get one good team with 23 players
Bart
Guest
Is this the best way to inspire players? To "reset expectations"? So basically he has no belief in the team's ability to make the finals and is now telling the world he should have been thinking this way from the start. Great. This is not the man to coach a disadvantaged side like the Force. They need a team of world class coaches there to attract young talent or rejects with potential and fashion them into a confident side. He has some very athletic players - Rasolea, Haylett-Petty, Coleman, Cottrell - but can't get performances from them. Imagine what Jamie Joseph or Dave Rennie could have done with that playing roster.
Cynical Play
Roar Rookie
Yes.. but do the fans ???
Johnny J-Dog
Guest
Foley proved long ago that he's not up to coaching at this level.