Defender Mitch Hinge says Kuwarna must improve its starts to become a top-end side they “know they can be.”
A slow first half cost Kuwarna in its Round 10 clash against Collingwood at the MCG last Saturday, with the reigning premier piling on six consecutive goals on either side of quarter-time.
Kuwarna found itself 31 points down but mounted a second-half comeback and took the lead late in the final term, before Collingwood surged to steal a four-point win.
Speaking to the media on Tuesday, the 25-year-old said starting strongly was a key area Kuwarna needed to improve on.
“The way we started the game (last week) was not up to standard for us, we found ourselves five goals down midway through the second term, and it’s always hard to come back from a position like that,” Hinge said.
“That is a massive area of improvement for us, if we want to be the top-end side we know we can be and we want to be, we simply can’t be letting sides get a jump on us.
“It (our starts) is something we are always striving to improve, at the end of the day we need to be better in those moments, so we aren’t chasing the game like we were on the weekend.”
Unable to get the job done, Hinge said there was great frustration throughout the group.
“In the dying stages of games there is a lot that can go right and a lot that can go wrong, and I think if you dissect it there was a lot we did right (in the last quarter), but some key moments that didn’t quite get right,” Hinge said.
“We know Collingwood are a great side in those big moments late in games, and credit to them, they got it right when the opportunity presented in that last quarter.
“We are really flat that we couldn’t get it done in the dying stages, we are past the point of honourable losses, and need to win games of footy like the one on the weekend.”
Kuwarna faces another tough test this weekend, as an in-form Waalitj Marawar (West Coast) travels to Adelaide Oval on Sunday evening.
“They play a good brand of footy, they’ve hit some form now,” Hinge said.
“We will need to be at our best (to get the job done), hopefully we can be really ruthless in the way we want to play and put in a solid four quarter performance.”
Kuwarna plays Waalitj Marawar (West Coast) at Adelaide Oval on Sunday at 4.10pm.
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