Did you care about the result or was it about the bigger picture for the finals?
We always care. I thought we started really well and had two really good quarters, which were the first and the third. In the second quarter we struggled to find (the ball) and turned it over. We spoke about that at half-time and just simplified it a bit. I thought we competed really strongly, then obviously we struggled to get it out of our defensive 50 in the last and the crowd was roaring, so that was a bit tough for our younger group. But yeah, we always care. But clearly we had the bigger picture in mind also.
Matt Taberner looked really good, was that a positive for you?
Yes, certainly. I thought he really ran and worked hard and it sort of did his chances no harm. I think they had 68 entries in the end, in the last quarter they had 22, and Brady Grey probably had 80 per cent of his time on Chad Wingard. I thought he fought on like a caged lion really. It was a pretty impressive performance on debut under all sorts of adversity. I thought he competed, which we knew he would do, so we were really pleased with that obviously as well.
Just on Taberner again, is he in contention for the qualifying final?
Everyone’s in contention, but we need to go away in the cold light of day and work through who’s available and who’s not. We don’t know our opposition yet. It’s likely to be one, but we’re not sure, so we won’t cross that bridge until we come to it. We’ll assess it.
Do you have a best 22 in your mind though?
I’ve got a rough idea. It’s always horses for courses. We need to go away and assess this performance. We’ll review it, apply rigour to it so our players can grow and we’ll keep it a normal week.
What was wrong with Zac Dawson?
He sort of ran around on Jesse Hogan the week before and we thought his groin would settle, but it didn’t quite settle. In the end the doctors made the call.
Will he play next week?
He sits in that category. We’ll just look at how many tall defenders we need. He’s certainly available if he gets on top of his groins.
How well prepared are you to win a premiership?
I think we’re as well prepared as anyone. We’ve worked hard to get a double chance, worked hard to create a home final or two. It’s a new season, everyone’s been posturing for positions and at this point we find ourselves where four teams like to be and can be. We’re one of them, so we really value that opportunity. But all it is is an opportunity that we need to try and take hold of. There’s no guarantees for anyone.
Are you happy with your form aside from the Port Adelaide game?
Our form’s been good enough to finish on top of the ladder, so that’s reasonable. I’d take that. It’s ironic, you play the first game of the year against Port and everyone’s writing all sorts of stories about everyone. As the bus went under I thought we’ve worked pretty hard to be on top of the ladder, we can’t lose that position. It’s a stark reminder of how brutal it is that Port’s not there and we are. The thing that got us there wasn’t what anyone wrote or anyone felt or any emotion, it was just pure and simple bloody hard work. We’re a really hard-working team, so I’m confident we’ll work hard.
You talk about hard-work, would you say you have worked harder than previous years?
How do you compare, it’s very difficult, every year you think you work as heard as you possibly can so we have worked hard but everyone has worked hard. It’s about working hard and smart and everyone playing their role. The real seasons starts next week, no one remembers any of this.
Do you expect Fyfe, Walters and Ballantyne to be good to go next week?
That’s the plan.
You’ve got 12 players likely to come in next week, how did you keep them sharp this week?
They trained this morning. They worked hard but they didn’t get the hits and the bruises.
Do you expect Fyfe to be somewhere near his best next week?
I expect every player to be near their best.
So injury wont be the thing that holds him back, do you think he is fit enough?
He needs to jump some hurdles, he’s not even picked yet.
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Do you think Jon Griffin will be available next week?
He’s injured. We’re hopeful he will be available but again all of those that have been injured, until I get the rehab report I don’t know. We’re preparing for an AFL game, it would be a disservice if I got distracted by that, but I do keep an eye on them. All of my energy goes into preparing like I normally would otherwise those young players would be really disappointed in me today if I didn’t apply myself.
Would you have liked Zac Clarke to put his hand up a bit better today?
I haven’t assessed his game. I thought he tried really hard under difficult circumstances.
How have you seen Garrick Ibbotson’s time forward?
He’s predominately a backline player, but we are looking for alternatives up there. He was another alternative to spend some time up there, because the ball is coming in there all different ways and blokes are running off you in different patterns. I thought he had a couple of opportunities, I didn’t think he was Wayne Carey today though.
Can he play forward in the finals?
Yes, anyone can play forward if we pick them, it’s about how effective they are. We’ll probably continue that again.
What are your thoughts on the potential challenge of Sydney next week?
We’re an anywhere, anytime, anyone team. We don’t pick our opponent, the results pick our opponents. We prepare for everyone in the same manner. They are clearly a formidable opponent, as is everyone that sits in the finals. We don’t distinguish, everyone is equal at the moment.
