Was top four sewn up the hard way?
Why do you say that? Yes, they did come at us late… last round of the season. But we always had our destiny in our (own hands). I think with percentage we end up two games clear of fifth. Sixteen wins is a pretty significant effort. We're pleased. It's a tough competition. You've got to go to the end, that's fine. It's a great lead in to next week.

Five goals to Port late, was it fatigue?
No. Look I think we've got to acknowledge Port. I think they're an exceptional team. It's a really tough trip to come to Subiaco. I think they're incredibly well coached. They challenge you physically with their run and effort and they certainly challenge you with their smart ball use and the way they set up. That's what we're really pleased about, to be able to respond to that, and they continually threw different things at us that might only be subtle but in the box you've got to work through it with your players. Some of those things sort of worked for them a little bit late. Their centre clearances were very good. So yes, it certainly wasn't about fatigue. We played a really dominant third (quarter) and you spend a fair bit. I thought we started well but didn't take our opportunities in the last. They cleared the ball out of the middle and they got some good third ups and they had some really good decision-making going forward. So therefore it was a real contest right to the end.

Was your performance in the third term strategically targeted?
No, I wish I was that smart, but I'm not. You can't break games down like that. No, not particularly no. We had a really good third quarter against Hawthorn.

What did you say at half-time?
I can't really recall much of what I said. I said 'we're in the game just keep working, things will turn, keep your effort up'.

Did you use up your 120 interchanges before the end?
Yeah we did. We were stuck for a while.

So Neale and Barlow were stuck?
Yes, we made some conscious decisions. They ran for 14-15 minutes in the last quarter so that was enough for them. We really had faith in everyone to do the job.

So it was a deliberate choice?
Something like that.

Rewards were so big, how much of a relief was it to win?
I'm pleased for our members and fans. I thought they were fantastic support today. The energy they bring to the playing group is significant, in saying that we won't have that next week wherever we are, more likely Sydney. It's very difficult, it's not impossible, but it's clearly very difficult to win it from outside the top four. Everyone has been on a long, hard, arduous season and the reward at the end is we get a double chance. So, yes, we've won a significant amount of games. So it¹s pleasing for the playing group that they get to have a genuine assault again. We go in in good form. We've beaten Hawthorn, we beat Port, we ran Geelong to a kick and we haven't played Sydney for a long time so we respect everyone but nothing really holds any fears for us.

Was Silvagni’s withdrawal tactical?
He was pre-game 90 minutes. You're allowed to change your team around so that's what we did.

So he's fine?
Yes, you're allowed to change it around.

Is Michael Johnson okay?
Yes, his back tightened up on him. He came in with a tight back and I thought he was full of merit, really smart. Their forwards are really smart, he handled that reasonably well. So we're confident he should be able to get up.

You moved Pavlich and Taberner to the middle?
Did Taberner go in? I'm surprised he went in. It must have been a stuff-up that one. ‘Pav’ is a renowned centre square bounce player, All Australian midfielder. It just frees him up a little bit. We're happy for him to go in and we'll continue with that.

Was that because of no Fyfe and having a six-day break going in?
No, not really. He's done it before, not as much, he's worked hard in that area to go in there so we're really confident for him to go in. I thought he was significant today, Matthew. I thought he showed strong leadership, bar the 50m penalty at the end.

Garrick Ibbotson?
I thought he contributed quite well. Was it a super game, I'd have to go back and review it. It was really challenging to try and pick your good players. I certainly know the midfielders. Yes, I thought he did some good courageous things. He needed to try and secure a spot in. He's been in and out for various reasons through injury and form so he stood up today, I'd agree with that.

How good was Barlow's effort under duress?
Look, it was unlikely wasn't it, that he would come in. He continued to push the envelope, he sat down with the medical people. He trained fully Thursday. So once he did that, the whole equation changed. We were never confident he was going to be able to do that. We didn't have an easy path for him. He trained Thursday fully, so therefore we were able to select him.

His efforts?
He was pretty good. He was pretty significant for us.

Was it your bravest effort of the year?
Oh, at the end of the day you just bank the four points. I thought handling the outcome - it was a bigger outcome, so I think we acknowledge that. I thought we were poor in the first quarter. Some flakiness with our ball use put us under pressure, I didn't like it. But for the whole, most pleasing because at the end it was a really sharp result and outcome. So you're king or dunce really, aren't you. We understood the pressures and we handled them really well, so from that aspect it was really pleasing for us. But it was a great game of footy. It was up-tempo and high scoring, as the Hawthorn game was. Again I pay homage to Port, it was really significant. I played a long time ago with Kenny (Hinkley). I know how smart he is and how well he leads. I pay homage to the growth of that team under his tutelage. They're a young group that will continue to grow. We feel like our youth today - Taberner, Crozier and Neale - we're growing. But at the end of the day, our job was to secure the four points and get a double chance, and we did that.

Are you a better team this year than last year?
It's hard to draw comparisons. You don't stay the same. You're either improving, or you're going backwards.

Are you improving?
Well we think we are, from where we were at the St Kilda game. We've clearly improved.

Is Michael Johnson hopeful for next week?
Yes, I'd like him to get up, really hopeful.

Luke McPharlin?
I don't rule out anything. Everything's unlikely until it happens. Maybe if he's got - and he has - the dogged determination that Barlow has and works with our incredibly talented and driven doctors and physios and conditioners, he might be able to get up, but that's yet to be proven.

Is Taberner's emergence a big bonus?
That was strategic, who we picked. We took a number of talls in the Rookie Draft and the National Draft over the past couple of years - Apeness, Taberner, Alex Pearce, and he was a part of that. The recruiters get reward for the work and diligence, but he's got enormous work ethic, so he's been able to harness his talents. It's really good for us. He probably should have been in a bit earlier to be fair.

Are you confident he can stand up in finals?
Well, you can't buy confidence, we talk about that all the time don't we. You can only get it from action. So if he's actions are standing up, and that's the way you see him, then I think it should stand him in good stead.

How much does he help Pavlich?
I don't think it hurts.

Is it better for Zac Clarke as well to concentrate on rucking?
Well he's still a ruckman/forward isn't he? He can still play the majority of his time forward. So it just means we've got three legitimate talls and it takes the pressure off Mayne. Mayne can run around and be a pressure forward, a marking target and a crumber.

Was that Mayne's best game of the year?
I've got no idea to be truthful. He worked really hard. He's playing desperate footy again, it's good to see.

Do you have faith in Silvagni to play on ‘Buddy’ Franklin?
You're assuming he's going to play on ‘Buddy’. Zac Dawson might play on ‘Buddy’. To be fair, it's been a really demanding game. We can get to whoever our opponent is probably during the week.