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A wake up call for the Overtouchers

On everyday, in every form of life people lose in some way or another. Whether we like it or not losing is like death and taxes, its a bugger of a thing and you can do nothing to escape any of these.

Muhammad Ali lost 5 times. Once to the late great Joe Frazier. He even lost to the journeyman, cocaine addict Trevor Berbick who later was hammered by Mike Tyson. But he was judged and measured on his greatness and his beliefs.

In Michael Jordan's basketball career he played 1,072 basketball games and lost 366 regular season games but he was not measured on this 34% losing record. Jordan was judged and measured on his 6 championships, not the 366 times he was a loser.

His coach Phil Jackson used Zen like quotes through his coaching career and described a season in this way "its not about the destination, its about the journey".

Today in the cities all over the world business people are losing out on business deals and tenders they felt sure they would win. These people are not solely judged on these losses but in how they go to work every day for themselves and their families.

Heck I didn't win Oz Lotto last night...I lost. If I had of won I wouldn't be sitting here in Sydney's golden west writing this story.

Losing is everywhere, its how we deal with it that teaches us.

Last evening the Toucher's wrote another chapter in their journey together.

Losing 7-6 to a worthy opponent drew no shame on the team. But it showed how they work under pressure. The Toucher's worked as a team during the game and will continue to do so after.

Up 4-2 at the break the Toucher's spoke more than in any other half time break about what to do and what not to do. I don't think any of it was followed, as per the usual, which makes me smile.

With 5 reserves the Toucher's never found any rhythm and whilst they lead through the first half you could sense they were never at ease and the 2 try buffer would not be enough.

Their opponents flew out of the blocks after oranges and shut the game down despite the close score. They seemed fitter, faster and better with their decisions on the ball.

With a few small differences the Toucher's could have scored two or three more tries but that's yesterdays papers now.

Post game the mood could be described as glum. 

Why do we play touch football at 710pm on a Tuesday night? 

  • for some its for fitness, 
  • for some its to re-live past glories, 
  • for some its to escape for an hour or so from whatever it is that's worrying them
  • for some its to try something they haven't done in a very long time, 
  • for some its the opportunity to play along side 'was beens' and 'has beens'
  • for some its a platform upon which to make long enjoyable post game speeches
  • for some its to be allowed to throw very long looping cut out passes because he was not allowed to many years and beers ago 
and for some its to be with their mates and have some fun as we don't get a chance to otherwise.

With a median age of the playing group of 40 something their is no other team on the park that can shift the ball the way the Toucher's do. There is no other team with the defensive structure that the Toucher's do. There is no other team that has the speed on the edges and out wide [not so much through the middle sometimes ] like the Toucher's do. No other team has the will to compete like the Toucher's do and its these qualities that make us a good little team of blokes.

Some of us may hate losing, some of us may accept is a daily task. But we all as a group on the park or in life, get up off the ground, wipe off the dust and go again. That's why we play.

Yours in wondering how to describe the first loss of the Toucher's

FMJ

BTW
What we should have done is play straighter. Taking 3 to 4 plays straight up the middle and not look to score at each set of 6. With only 1 reserve that would have slowed them down.

Then once their defense was compressed through fatigue play the longer plays to the edge, draw in their widest defender and provide the wingers with a saloooooon passage to the white stripe.

In defense, just trust the man inside you and outside you and tell him your there. If your man has beaten you on the outside let your defender outside you take him then you wrap around behind him and cover his player.

But that's all yesterdays papers now.





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