Maitland midfielder Jimmy Thompson has promised a committed Magpies outfit playing for each other in Friday night's clash against Lake Macquarie at Cooks Square Park.
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Refreshed after a competition bye and refocused after some home truths from coach and players in the wake of a disappointing 4-2 loss to Edgeworth, Thompson said they had identified various issues behind their form slump.
"I think we might have got ahead of ourselves, me included, after such a great start to the year," he said.
The Magpies led the competition with six wins from their first seven games. The only blemish came with a 1-0 loss to arch rivals the Weston Bears in round five.
However, in the past three regular season games they have had a 1-all draw with Broadmeadow and 2-1 and 4-2 losses to Lambton and Edgeworth, as well as 3-2 loss at home to Newcastle Olympic in the FFA Cup, to slump to third on 19 points, five points behind competition leaders Lambton.
"We sat in the rooms after the Edgeworth loss and spoke about where things were going wrong and I think it became apparent we weren't playing with the same intensity or for the team as we had been," Thompson said.
"But starting this week I think we will definitely pick up and get back to where we were at the start of the season.
"The best way to put that behind us and move forward is to have a big win playing team footy."
Thompson said the Magpies' early season success was in no small part due to the enthusiasm and competition for spots brought about by the influx of youth.
"It's only a few seasons back that I was in their spot. You play your heart out to impress your teammates and the coach, and with the competition for spots you are driven to do everything asked of you," he said.
"But there are two sides to a young team and it's such a long season that it can be hard to stay up at the level required. I think after striving so hard when you get a regular start you can get a bit complacent about the effort and concentration required.
"There is no let off and that's where the relationships on and off the field become so important between the younger and more experienced guys."
Thompson said finding the balance in on-field direction was an on-going learning process for him as he transformed from a youngster to one of the more experienced players.
"I had guys like Matty Thompson and Carl Thornton to learn from when I was coming through and it was really important in my development," he said.
