I keep coming back to one stumbling block .... Incentive ... he had a block buster year where he won every award on offer and subsequently gained a big contract .... other than "potential" future Flags what more does have to play for ... just pontificating ...
It's a good point , could be applied to a lot of sports people , what motivates them to perform week after week , season after season , or do they just know what they have to do and lift a extra gear when they need too.
Maybe he just enjoys having a kick with his mates (and gets paid a bucket load to do it) and when Cotch says "pull your finger out Dusty" he does
Look at blokes like Federer , Jokovic & Nadal etc etc just do what they need to all year then lift when the Slams are on , I guess it comes down in some way to personal pride in your performance.