MELBOURNE midfielder Tom Sparrow has emphasised the importance of a four quarter effort following his side's 17-point loss to Sydney on Sunday.
The Dees were unable to match it with the ladders leaders for the entirety of the game, their second quarter letting them down, according to Sparrow.
“[I’m proud of] the way the group really fought to the end of the game,” Sparrow said.
“I think the second quarter just let us down, unfortunately.
“It’s good to know we’ve got a group that will fight but it’s still disappointing that we weren’t able to put four quarters together."
Sparrow reflected on Melbourne's second term and how the group needed to come back to what they do best.
"In those tough moments, you just can’t get hung up on the outcome and so we’ve got to bring it back to our process," Sparrow said.
"In that second quarter, we went away from content and clearance, we weren’t being brave with the ball and that’s what we’ve got to get back to in those moments.
"When the game is on the line and things don’t start going our way, we’ve got to make sure we double down on that process, we can’t go into our shells."
On a personal level, Sparrow has been producing some of his best footy to date, currently averaging a career-high 19 disposals and six tackles.
“I love being a part of this team,” Sparrow said.
"The way that Kingy is coaching us and my teammates around me, they're all helping me to thrive.
"I do think I’ve still got a lot of opportunity to grow, get better and improve my game, but it’s a team sport and I can’t give enough credit to those around me."
