Coach hot on cold ROC

By Brad Kingsbury
ROC coach Hayden Stanton did not hold back after his side’s meek thirdquarter capitulation against Beaconsfield on Saturday.
To the outsider the Kangaroos look relatively safe inside the five, with a game and significant percentage break on the Eagles in sixth spot, however a frustrated Stanton was forthright in his assessment of his side’s place in the competition.
He said he was at his wits’ end trying to explain the difference between the best and the rest and resorted to using an opposition player, (Beaconsfield’s Robbie Taylor) who had just torn his side to pieces, as an example in a passionate and honest postmatch assessment.
“It’s the big brotherlittle brother mentality. When are they going to stop sides like Beaconsfield pushing them around?” he asked.
“The same thing happens against Pakenham.”
Stanton said the group couldn’t seem to deal with the pressure.
“We’ve got some good positive signs, but we let ourselves down so badly that it drives you mad,” he said.
“After the game I talked about what it takes to be the best you can be and you only have to look at Robbie Taylor. He gets battered and bashed all day by everyone and still gets 40 touches. He’s superb, just superb.
“We know he’s a talented player and we know he’s played at a higher level, but I bet that every week he trains the house down. I bet his example is unbelievable. I bet he doesn’t go out to the Berwick pub and get on the piss.”
Stanton said these were all the things you had to do to be the best.
“Footballers have a window between about 20 and 28 to be the best they can and they have to exhaust every possible avenue to get the most they can out of themselves,” he said.
“Preparation is everything.
“I want my players to understand what is required to be the best and getting it through to them is the real battle.”