What's your first take on that?
It wasn't good obviously. We were disappointed. Really even though we've been 0-8, we've been pleased with our overall desire and competitiveness, even though we've had moments and quarters. But the second quarter in particularly was disappointing. But I thought we regrouped. I thought we were really reactive. Not joining in around the ball. Just spectating a fair bit. I thought they dominated the clearances. And as always at the minute, the ball use out of D 50 was horrendous in the second quarter, and they scored heavily from our mistakes in the back 50 kick-ins. It started with that controversial one I suppose, the one off the ground to Spurr. But then there was a lot of things we had in our control. It's a continuing trend that we can't seem to get on top of for whatever reason. But we need to work through that. And the clearance work was really poor. You look at the entries, and they're all about the same. But it's about effectiveness really and composure with the ball. I thought their elite mids - Martin, Deledio, Cotchin, and their wingers - had some good impact, Grigg and those sort of guys. It's won and lost in the midfield. I thought they were a lot better than us. It's pretty simple. The quarter we were quite good - the third - we really joined in around the ball, hunted the ball pretty well, and gave our forwards some opportunities and entries, and got ground positions, all those things. When we hit our indicators that have stood up (previously)... like ground balls, clearances, more kicks than the opposition, more entries, more tackles - it was a pretty good quarter of football really, the third. That's what we're trying to produce, and at the minute we can't do that.
 
Deliberate call?
It's sort of the least of our worries in context isn't it. I think it's a simple interpretation. The umpire would've interpreted that there wasn't enough pressure on you to do that. Maybe it was right but in the conditions and all that, but it's neither here nor there really.
 
What are your thoughts on seeing things like that paid?
It all depends, different moments, you might think differently.
 
If a similar one went your way?
It doesn't occupy my thinking. I think there's more bread and butter stuff that I need to sort of roll my sleeves up and get to work on and fix. I'll leave the cream to those that can get to the cream at the minute.

Tigers capitalise on conditions

Alex Pearce?
We're really quite upset at the minute. It doesn't look great. It's a tibia. So it's broken. It will obviously be the season. We'll update you with more detail over the next few days as that comes to hand so just again respect his privacy. It's really, really upsetting. But it's sort of sitting in there with the way things are happening at the minute.
 
He'd really grown?
It's really hard to find young tall defenders. A third year player playing on keys, really holding his own and beating them in a team that's really been struggling to be truthful, let alone, it's hard enough when you play in a good team. We'll wrap all our support around him. He'll have to work his way through it. It's not ideal, obviously, but we'll try and keep perspective and he’ll bounce back at some point in the future but it's going to take some time obviously.
 
Can you believe how many serious injuries you've had?
Look I can believe it. It's just our annus horribilus isn't it? A terrible year. Look, there's opportunities, young players at Peel. There's some experience down there, Michael Barlow really stood up, Tendai Mzungu, Cam Sutcliffe went back. Look, out of the wreck we put Crozier back, he looked good with the ball back there and he looked a bit better, Mayney went back went alright, put Sheridan to a wing in the third, he sort of bounced a bit. Ballantyne is finding some form. Blakely showed bits and pieces but he was up against quality so he understands how he's got to build his run and spread and his reaction time and his skill compared to, when you think of Deledio he was pick one in the country, 10-year player. I think Martin was pick three and Cotchin was pick two There's a fair bit of quality in there that those guys are coming up against. What we want is (for) them to understand the challenge and grow with it and then we'd like to blend back in next year obviously, and later this year, Fyfe, Hill and Bennell into that group with a Sandilands. Hopefully, we can sort of get moving a little bit. But at the minute we've got to take the challenge on and work through where there are at.

Talking points from loss to Richmond
 
Ruck combination?
I think Hampson had the better of them. I think that's pretty simple. They'd be disappointed with some of their around the ground aerial stuff I would think, their positioning. But we've spoken about that. That's disappointing. They need to start grabbing some opportunities really.
 
David Mundy spent more time in the midfield than in previous weeks, what was your thinking behind that?
At some point you have to put some experience around the kids, and we knew were coming up against quality. If Hill had have played he might have still played down back. We will just move him around a little bit. He looks like he has got a bit of a calf strain, so he is probably unlikely for next week.
 
You spoke about gaining momentum in the third term, do you think the Dawson incident and 50 metre penalty stopped any momentum you had?
No I wouldn’t have thought so, I think we couldn’t sustain what we were doing and I think they lifted a bit really.  
 
Is Mundy’s calf the same injury sustained previously?
I couldn’t tell you if it was exactly the same.
 
Ross, the crowd tonight, I know there were factors outside your control with the weather but it was still disappointing you only had 20,000.
I don’t know, what do we average? I am no genius but I think you could extrapolate it out. When you are 8-0 and you winning and you are contending and the weather is fine and brilliant, you are probably going to have your 34,000 but when you are 0-8. I have lived in Perth for four-and-a-half years and the last 24 hours is probably as bad as I have experienced, so when you are used to the sun and the warmth and a team on top and you are 0-8 and you have some variables that are contributing and they would be encouraging you to stay home cosy and watch it on Foxtel or Channel 7, you will probably do that. Look, I understand it’s a commercial business but this team, this group and this club is built. There are plenty of teams that go through this, who build and come again. Clearly that’s our aim and that is where we are at and I think that’s what we acknowledge.

Clancee had a head knock in the last couple of minutes, is he ok?
He should be.
 
Is there any other injury concerns apart from David (Mundy) and Alex (Pearce)?
Not that I am aware of.
 
Tough night, tough conditions, what did you make of Connor Blakely’s performance?
I thought he showed a bit of life but has plenty to do.