The primary objective coming here was the four points, but the added bonus was a club champion playing his 300th game. We always talk about occasions, trying to honour it with the effort, can measure it with the esteem you hold either the person or the day in. The fact we were able to tick both boxes - and the manner that we did it - we played very good football tonight, we all feel good about ourselves and I'm really pleased for Matthew, who has dedicated his football career to Fremantle. And to be acknowledged by the fans tonight in the manner they did - there are special nights in football and that's why everyone loves football.
You used the word mediocre last week. A week's a long time??
It is isn't it? We're 5-4, I'm not sure that gets us just a bit above good, mediocre, average. Statistically we're average, and average is normal and that's mediocre. Statistically we've got our nose in front so to speak. We had a good week drilling down the areas we thought we'd been inconsistent in. A really positive week with the players and the coaches.
We had two sessions on the track. We've had four six-day breaks that haven't allowed us to work in the manner we wanted to. Fortunately our intensity and our leg speed was all there tonight, and I thought we played very good footy.
But more importantly against a quality opposition. We feel a bit better about ourselves and our football. We think going forward if we produce that type of footy, we'll be in lots of games where we should be able to get the points or go very close to.
How much of a factor was the milestone in the fast start??
It's hard to talk to. I think we acknowledged it in the right way during the week. Matthew's family was in pre-game, which we do for all milestone games. It's an emotional time because they raise Matthew and he can talk to what they've done in his football life and journey. But it was really important we didn't over excite on the arousal curve. It was a pretty calm, calculated pre-game with players and coaches.
The emotion wasn't going to get it done, the only thing that was going to get it done was action, and we got into action all night tonight.
So from that end it was really pleasing.
When Pavlich had the ball with in 30 secs and kicked cracking goal, that helped?
Yeah I don't believe in omens, but if you did, you'd probably think, 'Gee, that's not a bad one'. Come out of the middle and hit him on the chest, and from an acute angle, bring all his skill to life. It was a fantastic start to the game.
Matthew Pavlich:
What sort of relief was that??
It was a pretty overwhelming week to be honest. I was very humbled and at times embarrassed by the football club, the fans and the industry in general. We operate in such a fantastic industry because the amount of people that got to me throughout the week from opposing sides. Just the industry in general. It was extremely humbling. To go out and play the way we did - to be able to get the four points and play in the manner that we did was extremely pleasing.
Did the boys respond to your milestone? Did you sense that??
I didn't sense it. It was relatively emotional pre-game with Shaun McManus and my family and Lauren's family. So there was an element of that. But I wanted to and Ross wanted to move on quickly to make sure we were focusing on the job at hand and not getting over aroused and not get caught up in the moment that was my milestone. It was about us as a group getting back to our best football.
Can you give us a bit of an insight into what you said to the boys tonight?
I said it’s not about me. I honestly said that no matter what they’re feeling, the emotion and what they were getting their motivating factor from it wasn’t about that. It was about us getting back playing our best footy. I wanted to pretty quickly deflect back towards us playing our brand. I thought early that was somewhere near our best. We’d need to go back and have a look but instinctively it felt pretty close to our best football for the year. As Ross said we have been meandering along, we haven’t been playing anywhere near our best for the last six or seven weeks. To get back in that vein was really pleasing and we’re going to have to handle the break really well. Relax and enjoy tonight but then recover and make sure we’re handling this next two-week period really well.
Ross Lyon:
Chris Scott said you basically smashed them at every contest?
Well he’s right, he’d have the same figures in front of him: contested ball plus 42, ground ball plus 21. We didn’t have to tackle as much as the Cats because we had the ball a fair bit. Off that it was how we used it. It was an up-tempo game, we played up-tempo footy. Lots of entries, lots of shots on goal, the players have worked really hard on that. We come here with a strong plan, calm and calculated with a degree of confidence because we have been in front in two of loses against quality team Port and North. We understood that we needed to get a bit more of it and tweak a few things We had a very good team in tonight. It’s not a complicated game - win the ball and use it well and defend well and the three phases I thought we did pretty well tonight.
Was the first quarter close to the best quarter you’ve seen?
We’ll it’s hard to review, you have to start well. Even the Collingwood game we didn’t start well. I think it’s fair to say we played some pretty good football at the right time tonight. I really want to acknowledge Geelong, obviously they are disappointed , there are some great players there. To stand there and form a guard and wait, it was a reflection on what we already know. They are a top class club and a great organisation. So I’d like to acknowledge Chris and Joel and his team, it’s not easy to do that but it’s full of class.
How did you see the Crowley and Johnson battle?
I thought Ryan won the first half and I thought Stevie J probably got on top of him in the second half, he got a fair bit of the ball. It was probably a 50-50 split.
What about Hayden Ballantyne, were you playing it down?
No, I always tell the truth.
Was he more courageous than he let on?
When you have a procedure on your face it’s always significant. The first thing is , the surgeon probably wouldn’t be thrilled but he wasn’t at a great deal of risk. It was just about pain and comfortability. If you’re talking about damage, there is no risk for any further or new damage. It would only be if he had a hit like he did last week it would be the same sort of thing. It’s what builds football clubs, played with a desire to play under adversity. There’s plenty of guys that do it, not everyone does it though. So we acknowledged it after the game, it’s a significant contribution to the culture of the club and how we do things, which is wanting to play and wanting to get up. All credit to him, I don’t think he shied away from a contest all night.
Does the comp open up now given the draw?
Well, I think we write our own story today. I don’t know. Melbourne beat Richmond today, Adelaide beat Collingwood. I’m on the record at the start of the year saying this is going to be the most even competition in a long, long period of time. I think there’ll be 14 or 15 teams that think they could make the 8 at the start of the year and it’s panning out that way. If you’re off, not playing your best, you are going to lose. So, there are no easy games of AFL football.
The runners?
Yeah, he got in the way once. He’s a bit slow. No, I wouldn’t have thought typically. I don’t really look at it. The new rules come in and the runners are on and off. I certainly didn’t use a runner for coaching. My runners used to get on and off. They like to stay out there because I yell at them a bit. So, there’s not much incentive to come back. But yeah he got in the way and rightly so. We don’t want them in the way and it’s not typical of how we operate. That would be his first free kick in a long time.
Incident with Crowley?
I said settle down, sit down, don’t worry about it. It’s a concern. We’ve got an open channel. I don’t tend to ring much, but I’ll certainly ring about that. Sometimes when you think there’s an injustice you can get frustrated, but I just said Ryan, keep your cool. But it was great gamesmanship and theatre.
Ring Mark? Or the Umps?
I’ll ring someone from the AFL. …I’ll get Chris (Bond) or an assistant coach to ring. Just for clarification. In the best interests of the AFL.
How will you handle the break?
With great care and diligence. They will enjoy and relax, but we will recover and review and send away with a strong plan. Certainly a mental break, but physically the guys are going to have to do some strong activity to make sure they stay in good condition.
Satisfied with where you are now?
We are never satisfied. At the end of the day we have lost four games. We can’t say we’re satisfied. We’re far from the position we’d like to be in?
Was that Stephen Hill’s best game?
Nah, I wouldn’t have thought. He’s played a lot better than that. I thought our midfield, collectively, they really maximised each other’s strengths. I thought they worked together pretty well.
You were pretty sharp, you got them on the spread?
Yeah, which is their job, really. I don’t look at it as a bonus. That’s what we want them to do and when they’re not doing it, we put them under pressure to do it. You know, everyone talks about if your intensity is up and you are winning the ball, your spread’s up and your ball use is up and your defence is up. So you can’t quarantine intensity. You can’t think I’ll not work hard without the ball, but when we get it I’ll spread. That laziness or lack of focus… you can’t just switch it on at different phases of the game. So if you’re really intense it’s going to be there at all phases and clearly we were tonight. We have been inconsistent previously.
Did scoreboard reflect the game??
The scoreboard doesn’t lie. That’s about right, I think.
