Geelong Advertiser | INVERLEIGH coach Mark McDowell isn’t worried about how anybody else sees his team, but he believes his side will overrun any opposition it faces.
“That’s our focus every week,” McDowell said. “We’ve outscored every team in the competition in the last half, except North Geelong; we broke even that day when they beat us.”
McDowell’s side proved him right as Inverleigh broke away from Belmont Lions on Saturday to register a 29-point victory.
The Hawks got off to a slow start, conceding the first four goals of the match, but McDowell chalked that up to belief that his team will overrun any opponent.
“I think (our fitness) sometimes sets in some complacency with the boys where they are sort of not going as hard or as intense in the first half, thinking that we’ll be able to roll over them,” McDowell said.
“One day that is not going to happen.”
McDowell will hope that day is not Saturday when Inverleigh faces Bell Post Hill in a match that will shape the top five. A loss for the Hawks would see them lose top spot but McDowell isn’t getting caught up in any talk about whether that match will define who the premiership favourite is.
“It doesn’t really worry me what anybody else says,” McDowell said.
“We’re sitting on top of the ladder when I look at the paper. I think that says it all.”
Lions coach Dave McKiernan noted the fitness of Inverleigh coming to the fore as the match progressed.
“Inverleigh worked very hard and we have to continue to work hard as well,” McKiernan said.
“We ended up getting beaten by a better team and the way they played on the day.”
The Lions fought strongly in the contest, but were let down by skill errors.
“I think it was more just our ball use that really let us down in the third quarter,” McKiernan said. “Our guys … lacked a bit of discipline around the team structures and didn’t hit up the targets we want to hit.”
McKiernan said his side may have “five or six come back” into the side this week as Belmont attempts to return to the five.
McDowell will focus his side on a possible finals preview against Bell Post Hill.
“Whoever wins that game is going to be in the box seat for top spot and we want it,” McDowell said, and his players will believe they have the legs stay on top of the ladder.
