PERENNIAL finalist Merrivale is lamenting “poor” decision-making and disposal after crashing out of the premiership race in Sunday’s elimination final.
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The Tigers fell short after three quarters of hot competition, eventually tumbling to a 33-point loss.
Tigers assistant coach Matt Brown said his side struggled to edge close enough to pile pressure on the Demons.
“We just couldn’t kick two in a row. We couldn’t quite get close enough to pressure them up,” Brown said.
“Our execution was poor. Our decision making was poor as well.
“We had a few crucial turnovers across half back and that cost us.
“When we needed to be linking up better, we picked the wrong option and kicked to a 50-50.
“It was one of those days. Nothing quite went our way – balls bounced the wrong direction. But, you’ve got to deal with that. They were very good, Timboon.”
Brown, who joined the Tigers alongside head coach Jason Rowan, said injuries had a detrimental impact on Merrivale’s season.
“We haven’t had a consistent side all year, we might’ve had four or five changes every week,” he said.
“Losing Al Porter mid-year, who is a gun midfielder, was tough. His class and his ability to dash away from packs is hard to replace.
“It hasn’t been easy, we haven’t had that consistency. But that’s footy, it is what it is.”
Midfielder James Kelly was named best-afield for the Tigers, while Josh Brown, Rhys Raymond and James Fary were also serviceable.
