Firstly on the injuries, Paul Duffield, Michael Barlow and David Mundy, how are they?
 
I’ve only got the updates of what occurred throughout the game so I haven’t had the official post (game update). They’re only minor and I thought Paul Duffield may have injured a wrist or an arm, but it was really just rib and some rib cartilage so nothing dramatic there. David Mundy rolled his ankle so it was really a no-risk approach. So in the context of what can happen, we’re in reasonable shape, nothing dramatic.

HBF Health Centre: Duffield's injury worry
 
How did you assess the performance overall?
 
We came out to try and build some patterns and some stuff we’re working on, I thought we worked into it. The second quarter was pretty good; obviously they (Melbourne) lifted their intensity after half time. I thought we overplayed our ball use. Our intensity was down, there intensity was up and they were stripping us. We were mucking around with a lot of handball and we had a fair bit of possession without much penetration, which is a bit frustrating. So I said, ‘we just need to bring the ball to our forwards in the manner we’ve trained over summer and take some opportunities to give them the ball’. So I thought we did that in the last quarter with our 12 or 13 (inside 50) entries in the last. We were just overplaying some of our ball movement, so that’s a work in progress and we learned a bit about that. (Due to) Some missed targets and some decisions on entry, we probably should have kicked another couple in the last (quarter). By any measure, I thought both teams competed really well in difficult conditions, it was a very hot day. And I thought both teams probably as they fatigued fumbled, and execution probably let them down, and us at times. There’s plenty of work to do across the board but I thought (Matt) Taberner continued in the manner we expected him too, so he was a real positive. You get (Jon) Griffin and (Zac) Clarke working in the ruck and (Michael) Apeness gets some exposure. What we’re trying to do with ‘Pav’ (Matthew Pavlich)…with some workers around him sort of helped a bit as well. There was a bit to like and like them, I think they had a few out and we’ve got five or six that push for our best 22.  We got to play at Fremantle (Oval), which was really enjoyable and obviously a challenge for the opposition, but it’s always nice to win. It’s a winning attitude and culture…when you’re playing marbles you like to win, so we take the win…that was good.

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You talked about trialling three talls and it looked like you did that tonight, how do you think it worked?
 
I think at times we looked dangerous. At times we looked slow to bring it to them. I thought there were opportunities to go to them with equal numbers that we didn’t take. So we made that more of a focus in the last quarter and I thought (Stephen) Hill took that on, it’s a work in progress. You’ve got to give them good ground level support but we think we’ve got that with (Hayden) Ballantyne, (Michael) Walters, (Matt) de Boer, (Chris) Mayne and (Hayden) Crozier. It was far from an outstanding performance but at the end of the day, it’s your first real hit-out. We take it and move forward, we’re on the bird…we get a good break to Sydney next Sunday. We’ll get a good training block in and go play a real quality opposition.

WATCH - Crozier's cracking snap
 
Hill had a really strong pre-season, he was strong in the indigenous game and strong again today, how have you rated him over the summer?
 
He came in the top three in our best and fairest, he’s elevated himself but that’s the expectation.  He is delivering on what he wants to and what we want to. He is becoming a real leader here, more vocal, he is an absolute professional and he’s committed to us. He spent time at half-back, he’ll get tagged a little bit heavier but he’s worked through that. We’re thrilled with his summer.
 
Mundy was at half-back a bit as well, are you taking a bit out of what Hawthorn did with the likes of Burgoyne and Mitchell?
 
I think you can draw parallels but at the end of the day David is getting on and they get tagged. You need that flexibility there’s not doubt, we can improve our flexibility and that’s a part of that. I’d agree with that.
 
Duffield looked sharp before he came off, do you still see him as part of your best backline?
 
He was probably, by his own omission…probably a little bit tardy on return. He really got to work quickly, got in shape. He has become a very consistent AFL player and he needed to. He is becoming the player he should have been over the last couple of years.
 
Are you projecting to get some continuity in games or are you planning to rotate through this NAB Challenge?
 
We will do a bit of both, we’ll lick our wounds and assess. We understand it’s all about round one, we have some formidable opposition coming and we need to be in good shape for that. You’ve got only so many minutes to play with and we understand the expectation to perform, so you’re a little bit hamstrung.
 
Nick Suban looks like he’s had a pretty good pre-season and started the game well. Is he another one as flexibility goes in the midfield?
 
Yes he is, his first half was alright but probably faded in the second half a fair bit. It’s the first hit out and we moved them around. He’s a really great competitor, he’s one of our elite trainers, he’s really grown and we need him to elevate himself around Hill, Fyfe and Mundy. We think he’s capable, it was a pleasing start for Nick.
 
Who are you expecting to have back for the Sydney game next Sunday?
 
There is a little bit of water to flow under the bridge, Aaron (Sandilands) could possibly go. He might go, (Nat) Fyfe maybe. Danyle Pearce no, Garrick Ibbotson probably. (Ryan) Crowley maybe, they are the main ones. Sandilands probably could have played today but we need to give him a lead in. Fyfe is ready to go, we think Ibbotson will be ready to go.
 
Are you happy with McPharlin and Johnson?
 
They are pretty good players for us, I think we are just trying to condition them and get them ready and holding our breath a little bit. I thought they were quite solid and when they were under siege they held up. I think there were bits and pieces of building into their best form.
 
We’re still building, we’ve got a lot of work to do, we understand that. From where we are today, to round one we’re a long way. We will continue to improve, we need to learn them quickly, implement them and get ready.