Brett Sturgess: We've got to stay positive
Exeter Chiefs prop Brett Sturgess says the club has to stay positive despite a big defeat last weekend.
Exeter lost 40-13 away at Harlequins, which pushed the Chiefs down to ninth place in the Premiership table. Sturgess has asked for every single player to try and keep morale high.
However, Exeter will play Northampton this weekend, which does not get any tougher. Northampton has looked like the strongest club in the league so far while Exeter is still trying to put roots down in
the Premiership.
There are many ways that Exeter staff and players can go about keeping spirits up and staying positive. There will be further defeats this season and how the club reacts will be the defining factor as
to whether Exeter stays in the league.
Different approaches
There are many different approaches players and staff can take to keep morale high. Coaches are going to spend a lot of the time reminding the current squad of all the hard work that has been done to get
to this position.
Club staff will also spend a large amount of time reminding the players how lucky they are. The Premiership is a well respected and competitive league. Players enjoy good lifestyles and are all on better
wages than ever before.
It's down to the players to motivate each other for important games. This means plenty of shouting and jumping up and down in the dressing room. This will keep everyone on edge and provide the best platform
for players to perform.
"We go there full of confidence and if we smarten up the things we did wrong against Harlequins, you never know. You've got to run hard, be direct and win the individual battles. They're definitely the
form side of the Premiership although they lost last week, and are very good all round," said Sturgess.
A long season
The Premiership campaign is a long season and the club will suffer more defeats. It's important the club tries different tactics to keep attitudes positive now.
This is because if these tactics work, the coaches and players will know all of the right things to say and do after the next heavy defeat. This will keep the side motivated over a long season.
It will also keep the players scrapping until the last minute in every game. This could turn out to be the difference between the club narrowly staying up and comfortably staying up.
"When the fixture list came up, I earmarked a couple that I was looking forward to and you always want to go back to your old club, so going back with Exeter is going to be a really good thing. It's been
a good few years now since I played there but there's still a few players I know who are playing, so there will be a few re-acquaintances made on Saturday," he added.
Betting advice
The best approach for Exeter's match against Northampton is to bet in play. Exeter could easily be taken apart by the best club in England at the moment. Betting in play will let you see if this is likely
to happen.
Don't be the slightest bit afraid to back Exeter to stay up this season. The club has a very good squad and has made a very good start to the season. A number of coaches from big sides have all praised
the attitude that the club has shown.
Stick with backing fly half Ryan Davis in the Exeter team. His all round game is very good and his kicking means he can score points in any match.
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