Despite their Men’s Australia Cup Qualifying loss, the Monaro Panthers are continuing to strive for success in the National Premier League (NPL) competition.
Involved in a tight contest, where only five points separate first and fifth place, Panthers Head Coach, Paul Macor, believes the team’s season has been successful so far, without ignoring the fact that there is still a lot of effort required to carry on.
“This season so far, it’s been pretty good to be honest!” Macor revealed. “From where they were last year to where they are this year, having lost the Federation Cup Final, but still in the [NPL] top four, there’s a lot to play for.”
With now only nine matches remaining for the regular season, they are hoping to then carry through into the grand final later this year. Although he believes the team is experiencing a ‘lull’ at this point in time, Macor remains confident in his team following this past weekend’s draw with Tuggeranong United.
“As far as our performance in general, I think we are probably in a bit of a lull,” Macor shared. “That’s due to players being unavailable, injuries and what not. I’m always confident with the players that we put on the field. At the end of the day, I’d rather walk away with one point then no points.”
As the season ticks over the midpoint, the Monaro Panthers have realised their greatest strength is their squad in numbers. Although the team has suffered with the unavailability of some of their talent for a number of reasons, Macor trusts that the entirety of the squad has the ability to guard their position in the competitions top four.
After taking a deeper look into the squad’s strengths, their coach has been able to identify where the players have some room to improve. While it may not be their physical ability to play the game, Macor believes that it may be the squad’s mentality that is keeping them from unlocking their full potential.
“We’ve got a great squad from number 1 to number 20, so anyone that is injured, someone can come in and fill the spot. I think our squad overall is pretty strong,” he said.
“I always say that games are won or lost in the first and last five minutes of the game. It’s just about being confident when you have the ball as opposed to when you don’t have the ball. Each player will grow, as coaches we grow as well but I think it’s more of a mental thing with these younger boys.”
Through what they consider to be the high and low points of their season, the Monaro Panthers continue to progress through the weeks with their sights set on one common goal of claiming the gold in September. Macor hopes to inspire his team to take the field with a ‘winners’ attitude week after week in the hopes it will carry them right through to the end of the competition.
“Our goal is always to win the competition. Our off-field goal was Australia Cup, top four, and Grand Final,” Macor shared. “`As coaches and as players, that’s what we aspire to, and that’s what I always try to bring as a mental thing with the guys. But they’ve got to go out as winners, winners always come out on top.”
Words: Kate Reedy
