Zurawski wrote:LETHAL wrote:I can see 4 or 5 kids from SASI making it somewhere!
Does anyone know who I am talking about?
let's hope baggio, but every year there are a few kid's that were supposed to 'make it.' the state team born in '89 had guys who went on to the AIS and Joeys and most of them are doing nothing now.
Talent and skills are not enough, players need to have the right mentality and attitude to want to, and be able to, give what it takes to become a professional. At 15, 16, 17, 18 there are too many new experiences opening up to them; girls, cars, alcohol, parties. And on top of that is high school, University, work.
The biggest killer of a future star is alcohol and late nights. It's hard when all your mates are going out on a Saturday night, and their calling you to come out. Read a few of the great players autobiographies and you'll see that all have had this challenge, and all the great ones have resisted the temptation to go out and party. They know that once they make it they'll have their time to party.
We need to keep reminding players about this, at training, at the elite levels, as parents. But at the end of the day it's their choice and we can't fault them for that.