It felt like groundhog day for Werribee in the Victorian Football League on Saturday against the Brisbane Lions.
Not for the first time this season, Werribee has been in a position to win in the last quarter, but haven’t been able to come away with the win.
On Saturday, against the Lions who are headed for finals, Werribee was unable to convert its chances, losing 12.6 (78)-9.12 (66).
Barlow said while they had been able to improve on some of the areas they had spoken about during the week, they weren’t able to make it count when it mattered.
“Brisbane is a top two side,” he said. “ We strengthened up what we wanted to and we played well for large chunks of the game.
“We controlled the game, we controlled the contest and shots on goals. We were getting good looks in the forward 50.
“This one was a tough one to swallow.”
Barlow said the side lacked a bit of polish at times and were made to pay. At the same time the Lions were able to convert their opportunities.
“We didn’t take the opportunities at important times,” he said. “It happened again and we are licking our wounds.
“When we were giving up opportunities, they capitalised and it was a hard lesson to be learned.
“I was really proud of the boys and they were competitive and gave it all, there was a little bit of polish we didn’t have and the ability to execute.”
Barlow said the coaches spoke with the group about the match and the season overall, while the playing group also had similar conversations.
He said everyone seemed to be on the same page.
“It’s groundhog day,” he said. “We know we can compete with those sides.
“As Damian Hardwick says at Richmond, it’s Richmond beating Richmond. We’ve been in large chunks of games in a position to win games late.
“We’re not able to have the finished product. We’ve given ourselves a chance, but for not long enough.
“We’ve been in games for 80 to 90 minutes, we need to be in them for close to 120 minutes.”
Barlow said while there had always been a bit of a gap between the VFL clubs and those aligned with AFL clubs, he said that he increased even more this year.
“This year has been hard,” he said. “As a coach you get quite emotional and frustrated at times.
“We’ve got part time players with a part time budget. The weekend was more apparent as Queensland hasn’t had the disruptions of footy the last couple of years.
“We haven’t played a huge amount of footy in the last two years. They’ve still been able to play and train. It does count for something.”
Nick Hayes kicked three goals, while Noah Gribble chipped in with two goals.
Tom Gribble had 38 possessions, while Nick Coughlan had 29 possessions.
Barlow said Hayes and Coughlan were their two clear standouts in the loss.
“Nick [Hayes] kicked three goals and went back for a little bit,” he said. “His game is the most complete game I’ve seen in my coaching tenure. He was forward of the ball when not many looked likely and then went back.
“Nick Coughlan in every game he has played this year, he has not been beaten. We would like two or three of him.
“He’s playing like someone who is capable of more than this level.”
Despite three losses in a row, Werribee’s finals hopes remain alive.
Werribee sits in 11th spot, two games behind sixth.
Barlow said the players were still so driven. Werribee faces Essendon this weekend.
“Our season is still alive, we need to win our last two games,” he said.
“Essendon is in a similar position to Footscray a couple of weeks ago. They won’t play finals, but we are preparing for a side in red hot form.”
