North Melbourne’s Shaun Higgins and Collingwood’s Taylor Adams have provided Carlton with some timely advice as to how to cope with the scrutiny that comes with losing.
The Blues slumped to 0-4 after a gut-wrenching two-point loss to Gold Coast on Sunday, meaning they have won just three of their last 36 matches.
Roos star Higgins says having great clarity in the mind and being able to overcome the psychological barrier when the game is in the balance is key in turning their fortunes around.
“The feeling during the week would probably surprise a lot of people. It’s very well balanced and measured,” he told The Oval Office.
“They will know they’re under the pump. We were 0-3 going into last weekend, it was really controlled through the week, we were clear on what we needed to do.
“I’ve been involved in seasons when we were 0-5 and also seasons where you lose really close games. The measure is going to come when they get that next opportunity to win a close game and whether they’ve learned and can respond.”
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Pies midfielder Adams believes altering the preparation during the week with a different voice could be an effective way of reviving the morale within the team.
“A good way to get yourself out of that is to keep the group fresh,” he said.
“Maybe change the scheduling … a day off site, a new voice, a guest speaker – something different just to get the brain ticking.”
Brendon Bolton’s side take on the Western Bulldogs at Marvel Stadium on Sunday.
THE PRESSURE VALVE NEVER GETS RELEASED@CollingwoodFC's @taylor_adams13 and @NMFCOfficial star @SM_Higgins give their advice to @CarltonFC on how to deal with the pressure of losing on #TheOvalOffice. pic.twitter.com/9KHvzMruNr
— The Oval Office (@OvalOfficeAFL) April 15, 2019