By Liam Twomey
Western Jets’ coach Torin Baker had one number on his mind leading into last week’s bye – number 909.
That is how many points the TAC Cup side has conceded across the first eight rounds of the season.
It’s nearly 100 more than any other side in the competition and a whopping 470 more than top-of-the-table North Ballarat.
A leaky defence has cost the Jets the chance of contending for a finals berth this year. After eight games, the team is in 14th spot on the ladder, with just one win.
With the youngest list in the TAC Cup competition, Western was always going to struggle against some of its bigger-bodied opposition this year.
Baker said the key to improving was to get back to basics.
“Initially, we just had some players who didn’t know how to defend,” he said. “We had to teach that and then get stronger around the ball.
“Now that we’ve been able to address a couple of key areas, we will look to add some attacking flair and ball movement.”
While it’s been a tough first half of the season, signs of improvement have started to signal a possible end to some big early-season losses.
The Jets secured their first win of the year, defeating Bendigo last month. Subsequently, the club was also much more competitive in general play against Geelong and Dandenong.
Baker is confident that as the little things continue to click, the Jets will feature more regularly on the winners’ list throughout the season’s second half.
“It’s just about making sure we can implement all the parts in a game,” he said.
