A yes.
"Focus On Positive Confidence."
I like to think that these few words helped a group of U14 boys, in some small way, win a premiership.
Quite a few years ago there was a group of U12 Mackie boys. They didn't know each other, they didn't have much in common. It was hard for them even to get along with each other.
That first year they won only one game for the season, the last.
Over the next couple of years, as they developed, they got better.
But even in their U14 year, even though they were the best side in the comp, their internal problems and blow ups put a likely premiership at threat.
The critical point was about 5 weeks before the finals, the boys were 2nd or 3rd placed on the ladder.
The President of the Association had come down to their training session to tell them that their on field behaviour had better improve or the Association was about to kick their bottom big time.
That evening at training the boys took a vow together.
They put their hands together and said that for the remainder of the season they'd work together to go after a premiership.
It was then that I put together "Focus On Positive Confidence" as a simple message that the U14 boys could relate to.
The boys won the last H&A game of the season, against the top team by a handful of runs, to secure 2nd place.
They played the top team again in the Semi-final.
The Semi Final was enormous.
It was down to the last over, the top team was 9 wickets down, needing 2 runs to win.
The captain chose his "leggy" to bowl the last over.
First ball, the batsman swung & missed but was still in his crease.
Second ball, the batsman swung again, missed, keepers took off the bails, out, stumped.
It was enormous.
During the preliminary, all the boys went down to watch the game to analyze both teams strengths & weaknesses.
The boys were going to face the top team again.
The GF was played in +35 degree heat.
On the first day, they restricted the the opposition to 150.
On the second, they got off to a slow start but had their wickets in hand.
A greater than 100 run partnership for the 4th wicket in 15 overs put the game within reach. The lower middle order got them there by about 3 or 4 wickets. The biggest margin of the 3 games, played by the same two teams.
Our boys won all 3.
But it was damn close.
I remember taking the whole team to the Oakleigh Swimming Pool where they spent the rest of the day in the water.
Yep, Focus On Positive Confidence.
