One of the first lessons taught in junior sport is that when a teammate makes a mistake, you don’t give them a hard time.
The poor kid who spilled the pill is more than aware that they’ve made an error and will feel terrible for letting their mates down.
So the general response is to give them an encouraging word – it happens to the best of us.
Tell you what, Matt Moylan would have had some pretty bruised shoulders on Saturday morning, so many consolatory pats on the back from teammates did he receive the previous evening.
The Cronulla custodian had a night to forget against the Knights – at one point he coughed the ball up in his in-goal, then on the ensuing dropout, used his shin to make contact with the Steeden as a result of giving himself a shocking bounce.
Matt Moylan: can’t catch, can’t drop.
But his teammates rallied around him, patted him on the bum, and presumably gave him the ol’ “You’ll get ’em next time”.
His skipper, Paul Gallen, probably got some consoling words from his troops after he dropped the ball cold with a minute left on the clock, in what was the Sharks’ last hope of tying up the scores and forcing golden point.
Of course, Gal wouldn’t have heard the encouragement, such was the reception he got from his opponents.
The oldest bloke in the game has been pretty vocal about his general disdain for the Knights over the last few years – and with reasonable cause, Cronulla having won eight on the trot against the red and blue until this weekend.
Most famously, Gallen said he couldn’t see Newcastle winning a competition “for a long, long time” after Mitchell Pearce chose to sign with the Knights over the Sharks in 2017.
So when he made the mistake that snuffed out his team’s faint hopes of a comeback victory – in what was his last game in the Hunter – the opposing pack gave him heaps.
Usually I’d say that’s poor form, particularly against a respected warhorse like the former Blues captain, but he’s always had a ‘live by the sword’ mentality. I daresay it was water off the proverbial duck’s back.
(Photo by Mark Kolbe/Getty Images)
What was poor form, however, was Brisbane youngster Joe Ofahengaue’s response to a dropped ball in his side’s loss to the Storm on Thursday night.
It was similar circumstances to Gallen’s error, in that the clock was winding down and the Broncos desperately needed to score if they were any hope of breaking Craig Bellamy’s undefeated Round 1 record.
Ofahengaue knocked on just short of the line – it what was the right call, but you’d have to say it was a 60-40 decision, in that sometimes those ones do end up being a penalty to the attacking side.
But ten points behind and with a little over five minutes to go, Joe O’s frustration boiled over, giving the refs a spray for the call.
A penalty was blown for backchat, the Storm went from their tryline to the 30-metre mark with the touch finder, and just like that, Brisbane’s flickering light was extinguished.
Oh Joe, of all the things to do after a dropped ball!
Let your mates pat you on the back. Let the opposition give you a condescending rub of the head. But don’t yell at the bloke holding the whistle!
It’s indicative of why I question the Broncos’ title chances for 2019, because which forward pulled Ofahengaue aside and had a quiet word? Last season it presumably would have been Josh McGuire, but the Aussie rep was allowed to move to North Queensland to help free up cap space to retain all this emerging talent.
Just to be clear, a chat wasn’t required because Ofahengaue dropped the ball – everyone makes mistakes – but because discipline is entirely within the player’s control, and Ofahengaue’s lack of it was what crushed his team’s (admittedly slim) hopes of a win.
However, at just 23 and with barely 70 games under his belt, Ofahengaue is one of the elder statesmen of the Brisbane pack.
The Broncs may have the best young pigs in the game, but at this stage, the emphasis needs to be on ‘young’ rather than ‘best’. Talented and terrifying though they may be, this is a team learning on a week-by-week basis.
mushi
Roar Guru
Paul do you see the irony of your emotional intelligence tirade (at satire no less) when your original comment is text book low EQ response of yelling at people immediately after a mistake
mushi
Roar Guru
There's actually some sound reasoning around it. First if you need someone to outwardly show their remorse at something like this after training and playing with them then you're not a team. Actual team mates will already know they are disappointed and that disappointment is counterproductive. Just about every decent team will go through training designed to encourage players to forget mistakes (both theirs and team mates). Focusing on the error leads to either doubt or trying to "make it right". The make it right is the more damaging of the two outcomes, if your on that field it's because your coach and team mates trust you to do a job. Changing that is hurting the team. Plus there shouldn't be "more", if you can just play better at the drop of a hat why weren't you playing like that already - experts thrive on unconscious competence, trying actually hurts the outcome. Sure it isn't how previous generations thought, but then that's called progress through knowledge.
JimboJones
Guest
It would appear you've taken this the wrong way Paul , I was in fact being facetious , with the intent of supporting you
Paul
Roar Guru
People like you suffer from very low emotional intelligence. They are incapable of coming up with a rational attack on a point someone has made, so instead they attack the person by making insulting statements to someone they've never met. Children do this regularly and when they're called out, hide behind mummy or daddy. This would be same if, heaven forbid, we ever met and I asked you to say these things to my face. Of course, that wouldn't happen as you lack the courage to do that. I look forward to ignoring your comments in the future, but I really do hope you mature as you get older and learn to make intelligent comments about an issue, rather than silly attacks on a person.
Albo
Roar Rookie
Yes I thought that was a bit harsh on Moylan too . I must admit I find it hard to believe that a footballer and athlete with such talent to run and pass the ball, has no idea how to kick it ? Something wrong with his "feet / eye" co-ordination ? But he drops very few bombs and is easily the Sharks most dangerous attacking player. I had young Nikora as the Sharks best on Friday night, but Moylan the one most likely to create something if the team could only hold the ball. I have tipped both the Sharks and the Knights to make the 8 this year, but if they don't, I am pretty confident the Sharks will at least finish in front of the Knights.
Brian George
Guest
P.S. surprised I didn't see you with your best mate Fraser.
Brian George
Guest
Still alive and still campaigning against coal... :)
JimboJones
Guest
Hello Brain , how are you ? Good to see your still alive.
Brian George
Guest
Surprised to see you here at this time. I thought you'd still be flooding alt right sites with your bile.
JimboJones
Guest
Geez Clanger , satire is now an unwelcome guest , but I would have thought a person of your generation would not only recognise it , but welcome it with open arms.
Clanger mcclunk
Guest
Geez Jimbo, you're a bit rough on us old fellas. I too prefer the time when a captain would "get up" his players for mistakes. The best captain I have ever seen, John Sattler, threatened to belt any of his team mates if they showed any sign of injury. He would roast them if they made a mistake but, to a man, they stood with him because he was a born leader. Sure, times have changed as they will again over the course of your life and I have no doubt when you are north of 65yo there will be times when you think back to the days, early 21st century, when the precious princess era was best.
JimboJones
Guest
Paul , the sooner dinosaurs such as yourself disappear from the planet , the better . With your gigantic poos producing a carbon footprint almost as big as your actual footprint , your only good for CO2 emissions, dangerous large holes and rubbish comments . Its a new horizon , a time for pre pubescent climate change protesters , egg throwers , victims and the unemployed to flourish.
Paul
Roar Guru
Yep, when we made a mistake we put the hand in the air and owned up to it. None of this fake "best buddy" stuff that happens these days.
souvalis
Roar Rookie
‘The Cronulla custodian had a night to forget ‘..no he didn’t...those 2 incidents amounted to a total of 1 minute out of 80..there was no damage to the scoreboard and from an ensuing drop out he got a return of the football.. Only an opinion but I thought Moylan was the Sharkies best in a very,very even contest..Moylan had 40 receipts at fullback ..more than the Rooster halfs,which is odd..double Tedesco touches..even more than RTS who was working with a rookie half..he worked extremely hard for this side..he may forget the game quickly,but this fan won’t..
Max power
Guest
Where did you play ? Halfback at the schooling hard knocks ?
Max power
Guest
It’s a tactic employed by a wide range of professionals I’ll take their opinion over you and your 0 NRL games
Paul
Roar Guru
I'm old school and this patting players for making a mistake is rubbish. Why shouldn't the player get a spray from their captain - maybe it might get their heads into the game, but patting a bloke who's screwed up is ridiculous. As for Ofahengaue, your numbers show a young man who had a brain fade. He's not a baby at 23 and he's played 70 games so should know giving refs a mouthful is not a career enhancing move. 9 year olds could tell him that - maybe they should, though Mr Seibold will no doubt make his feelings known on Monday.
Sean Andrew Ticehurst
Guest
I dislike the patting and general 'It is fine' attitude. Honestly prefer a player to be pissed off than acceptance. Doesn't seem to be a remorse stage anymore.
AE47
Roar Rookie
Early days, sharks are better than that, let’s see where Newcastle are come rd 10. The hype around Ponga and Pearce is just that, mitchel isn’t good enough to lead for 25rds and as Ponga said “there were times I sat back and just watched” big expectations on this kids shoulders, a lot of weight on his young shoulders