ONIC PHILIPPINES struggled to break their slump, suffering their second straight loss at the hands of Team Falcons in the MPL Philippines Season 15 Week 2 Friday headliner at Green Sun Hotel in Makati City. ONIC Philippines is up against tough times, but how do reigning world champions respond when the odds are stacked against them?
ONIC Philippines may not have secured the win, but coach Tony “YnoT” Senedrin saw their upset loss to Team Falcons through a different lens. He took pride in the remarkable growth and higher level of play in the local league.
“I think siguro, [from] the perspective of being a spectator, tanggalin natin yung pagiging coach ko sa ONIC. I'm pretty happy. I'm pretty happy and proud na yung liga natin pinapakita talaga na we are currently still the strongest league amongst yung merong mga MPL."
"Ganda ng mga improvement, to be honest, ng lahat ng teams. It's something that you're really looking forward to each and every game day to see kung ano na ba yung mga nangyari,” coach YnoT said in an exclusive interview with SPIN.ph.
“Nakakatuwa in a sense na hindi nawawalan ng gana yung mga players from yung mga heartbreaks last season. Mas na-inspire lahat so I think it's very good for the league and for the fans,” he added.
Bringing out the best from his players
With their stellar performance at the M6 World Championship, ONIC Philippines carries the weight of heightened expectations as they gear up for the next challenge—winning the MPL Philippines Season 15.
From a coaching viewpoint, Coach YnoT revealed his frustration in trying to uncover the gap that needed to be patched up.
“Nakakainis in a sense na meron ba kaming avenue na hindi na pag-usapan, natitingnan, medyo naging stagnant ba kami? So you have so many questions running through your mind,” he said.
But coach YnoT kept his eyes on the bigger picture, confident that ONIC would soon find their rhythm and break their skid.
“Pero at the end of the day, you really want your opponents to bring out the best sa mga players. I think that's one way of putting it. Kasi, again, gusto ko pa rin kasing nag-grow yung mga players ko. Pero I just have to make sure na ngayon nga, we're gonna need to work on that mental toughness and make sure na slowly but surely, na makabawi na,” he said, optimistic that ONIC will regain their footing despite the rocky start of the season.
Fatigue a factor?
From MPL Philippines Season 14 to the M6 World Championship and Snapdragon Pro Series Season 6 APAC - Challenge Finals, ONIC Philippines has relentlessly pushed forward to establish themselves as one of the world’s strongest teams—but has the price been too steep?
“I think bago pa lang mag-start yung season, people are all asking kung ano yung power rankings where we actually placed ourselves in the bottom. Kasi kapag data na binibigay, kami yung pinaka maraming data na binigay, kami yung pinaka bukang-buka, sabihin na natin, kami yung pinakapagod. Pero again, at the end of the day, those are just, you know, excuses. And it's really something that we have to get over with,” coach YnoT said, pointing out the cost of winning three championship titles in a row.
A champion's mindset
Leading ONIC Philippines, coach YnoT lives by the mantra that true champions don’t give up; they rise again no matter how odds may seem insurmountable.
“Being champions before doesn't give us a pass to perform poorly this season. Kailangan lang namin bumalik talaga sa drawing board. See what we need to improve on,” he expressed.
The reigning champions are being put to the test—how well they handle unexpected hurdles will define their journey.
“Definitely pagbalik namin ng bootcamp, ng HQ, make sure that we talk about everything."
"Make sure na lahat ng mga feelings ng bawat isa mapag-usapan towards yung ngayon sa mga pagkukulang namin,” coach YnoT said, assembling the squad for an in-depth discussion at their bootcamp.
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