CROWS defender Rory Laird says players need to stop dwelling on mistakes in games if Adelaide is to get its season back on track.
After last Saturday's three-point loss to Melbourne, Crows coach Brenton Sanderson lamented the retreat of his players into their shells after early errors, allowing the Demons to surge ahead.
Laird said he had felt the pressure of failure over the last few seasons, but that he and his teammates had to work hard to avoid getting sucked into a negative mindset.
"If we do make a mistake, which every player does at some point in the game, then you've got to be able to work through that and get yourself back involved in the game," Laird said.
"I've had it at times this year and last year where there's a lot of pressure, especially if it's backmen, when the result is you get a goal kicked on you and everyone looks at you and blames you for it.
"It's actually really hard to get out of that [mindset]…we are a pretty young team so I think a few players have experienced that.
"It's not necessarily getting the ball – it might be, as a defender, getting a spoil or stopping a lead or stopping a goal – just something to get you back in the game."
The 20-year-old, who was upgraded to Adelaide's senior list for 2014, has enjoyed his change in role this year, pushing up the field from deep in defence to the wing and into the forward line.
He said the move took some time getting used to but that he was beginning to adapt to a more attacking style.
Laird said it would help cement his place in the side by turning him into a more versatile player.
"I'm really enjoying it up the field. I've played a bit of half-forward, a bit of wing, against the (Western) Bulldogs I played a bit of midfield," he said.
"It's really good for my personal career, it helps me with that flexibility to stay in the team but it also helps the team out when, say someone goes down like (Tom) Lynch on the weekend and you need someone at half-forward, I can go there.
"My first game [out of defence] against St Kilda I was, not lost, but I just concentrated on doing really defensive things, but then against GWS I found a bit more of the ball and then I played midfield against the Dogs.
"I think I'm picking it up pretty well."
Twitter: @AFL_Harry http://afl.to/harrythring
