West Coast will use the extra preparation time ahead of round five to rediscover some chemistry, champion forward Josh Kennedy says.
With their fixture moved back to Saturday against new opponent Sydney instead of Richmond, the Eagles have happily accepted the additional two days to work on their craft.
Coach Adam Simpson immediately scheduled a main training session for Wednesday at one of Metricon Stadium’s outer ovals, and the entire travelling party is working hard behind the scenes to turn the 2020 campaign around after three-straight losses in Queensland.
Kennedy, who booted four goals in a valiant individual effort against Port Adelaide, told 6PR that it boiled down to winning more of the ball, using it better and sustaining effort for longer.
“There’s a few aspects of our game that we’ve been quite down in and a lot of it has been around winning the actual football,” he said.
“We’re not syncing up together as we usually would and we’ve just found it hard to find the footy and transition the football.
“It’s been a tough few weeks. We’ve played in patches where we’ve had a good 10 minutes here, a good five minutes here and a good quarter here, but it’s not a full game.
“What we’re realising is there’s less time in a game to get back into it and if you miss that chance teams are blowing us away with three or four goals with this momentum swings.
“We’ve got a few things to work on individually and then as a team.
“We’ll keep pushing through that and then hopefully we’ll come out the other end.”
In a season which has already included relocating to a hub, non-contact training, limited or no crowds and a two-month shutdown, the Eagles are learning to deal with unusual times – including a change in opponent three days out from a game.
“It is a bit different. I think we’re getting used to the daily changes of everything,” Kennedy said.
“Whatever is locked in we’ve got used to not backing that in because things do change pretty quick.
“For us, from a five-day break to a seven-day break it’s pretty good because you get a few more days to get some more training in.”
Things could get stranger when West Coast returns to Perth, with players and staff set to abide by strict quarantine regulations for 14 days, potentially even in their own homes.
“We’re still not 100 per cent on all those rules. We probably can’t sleep in the same bedroom (with partners) and we’ve got to minimise a fair bit of contact so they can live their normal life,” Kennedy said.
“It’s going to be quite difficult but it is what it is and we’re going to have to do it to get back home.
“We won’t be able to go out to the shops or go get coffee. We’ll be able to just go to training and get on with what we’ve got to do with work.”