Justin, you must be thrilled with that?
I was really proud of the way we jumped into the game. We had a really good win last week, six-day break and a lot of distraction around covid. I thought we got on the front foot and we were proactive early, got the game on our terms. I was really proud of the players because that showed that we prepared really well, and our heads were in the game. There were some messy parts of the game, and we didn’t make the most of our supply, I think we had 67 inside 50’s and it would have been nice to make more of that, but we defended really, I thought we were really strong around the contest most of the night and it was a good win.

Extremely close to the lowest score this club has conceded, defensively you’re strangling teams at the moment. What’s the key to how you’re going?
18 players on the field buying in, that’s as simple as it is. They’ve got a fierce determination and a commitment to the way we defend, that’s all you ask for as a coach.

Did you have to prepare differently due to the loss of player to Health & Safety Protocols?
Absolutely, but we probably picked that up earlier in the week that there was going to be some distractions and potential to lose the focus of our players to things that don’t help them play well so we probably did a couple of extra reps of mental prep with our players and went through strategy a little bit more and our leaders led that really well. It was different earlier in the week, we segregated our playing group earlier in the week, main training was later and lighter on. Skeleton crew at training really. The last two days before the game were really normal, and our leaders made sure our players were really locked in and preparing well and like I said that showed in the first quarter.

How much does it help when a debutant takes a good mark, kicks a goal with his first kick early in the game?
It doesn’t hurt, I don’t think. It gets everyone into the game and gets everyone up and about. It’s so hard for me to put a percentage on how that helps us, but I know it would have helped Jye, get an early touch and settle into the game. As for the rest of the team I’m not sure.

How did you assess his debut?
Really good, he gave us everything we wanted. Engaged his opponent, and as he gets bigger and stronger and fitter, he’ll provide more options. There’s probably a couple of marks he left out there which he’ll take in four weeks’ time. He’s so early into his AFL career, his career as an AFL footballer full stop. He had no preseason, played against men for the first time a couple of weeks ago in round one of the WAFL. I’m just so proud of his attitude since he got to the club, he’s really keen to be his best self. He’s been a pro and to get his opportunity so early in his career and show that he can perform is a credit to him.

How big a weapon is that accuracy that he’s got?
If he can keep it up it’s going to be a weapon, obviously finishing your work and tying it off in front of goals is a really important thing as a key forward. He works really hard at it, he’s got a really strong routine and really fluent action so it’s going to hold him in good stead.

Switkowski looked really dazed after that incident, how is he?
Just bumped into him on the way here and he is actually feeling really good which is a good sign.

Is Alex Pearce ok?
He’s fine, sometimes his ankle gives way on him, and he got over it in a minute

Alex Pearce and Brennan Cox as a defensive duo, it seems like their combination is really flourishing by the week.
It is. It’s probably not just those two though, it’s probably our back seven. They’re just working really well, they understand the system that Matthew Boyd has got them playing too. 'Pearcey' communicates really well with whoever he plays with, he’s probably the deepest and he directs those in front of him. When 'Coxy' gets his positioning right and reads the flight of the ball well, he’s a great intercept mark. I thought Chapman and Young after missing a couple of weeks each coming off COVID both performed really well. Jordy Clark as a high back is playing really well and 'Walks' (Brandon Walker) is just really solid for us. As a back six or seven they’re just performing their role really well and working together really well. 

Have you got any early indication about those in the protocols and how they’re tracking?
No, not yet. They’re all a little bit different individually but we’ll see early next week.

Do you have a plan for how you re-integrate six blokes back in? 
Not really. I’ve given it a little bit of thought but until you see if they’re available we try not to get down the selection rabbit hole too early. You can spend a lot of energy thinking about selection for the next week before you’ve played and before you understand the availability. We’ve got a nine-day break, so I think we’ll get a good understanding over the next few days of how they’re all travelling.

Are you still going to remain as separate as possible for the next few days?  
Yes, we’ll give the players a few days off now. They’ll look after themselves, recover well and as I said we have a nine-day break, so the players deserve a few days off to relax and get away from it and have a mini-break before we get stuck into it next Tuesday. 

Have you given a message about not going to nightclubs?
We just gave a message about living the trademark while they’re not at the Club.

Are there any players who might be in a ‘red zone’ if they’ve been in contact with other players?
We always do a background check as soon as someone gets COVID, we do a background check of who they’ve been close with and who they hang out with otherwise it can filter through the Club. As far as last week’s little outbreak goes, I think we’ve got on top of that not to have a case in the last two or three days is a good sign. We’re always trying to make sure we segregate our groups and those who are close to cases just so we don’t get that spread and the spread doesn’t last for weeks. We try to knock it on the head really quickly and get it over and done with and make it a one-week thing so touch wood hopefully we’ve done that. 

Do you take any joy out of being on top of the ladder?
Not really because it’s a moment in time. What I do take joy out of is how we’re playing and the connection within the group. How our players are looking after each other on the field, the way they’re getting around each other during the week, the way they’re holding each other to account and to high behaviours and standards and the process type things are the things you take more notice of. The ladder is a bi-product of doing all those things well and feedback for us doing all of those things well so they’re probably the things I focus on more so.

Winning certainly makes it easier for everyone to buy into the stuff you’re talking about.
It is. We’ve got something to play for in the season and I think our players understand our squad goes pretty deep after what happened during the week. No one really wants to give up their spot in the team for any period of time because it makes you vulnerable, so that’s what I said to them after the game. 

What is a reasonable social restriction for players in WA do you feel?
We pretty much talk to our players about being smart and avoiding high-risk situations. It’s not really what the Club holds them accountable for, they’re professional athletes who want to be out there on the weekend playing professional football so by going and doing things that put that at risk is their own call really. If you do that and you give up your spot in the team, there’s no guarantee you come back. They understand that, not one person on our list doesn’t want to be playing football week in, week out so they make decisions according to that. I don’t or 'Belly' (Peter Bell) doesn’t really have to tell them too much, so that’s our stand on it.

Has Sam Switkowski got a concussion?
Yes, he got a good knock to the head, so he’ll miss a week. 

What about Luke Ryan?
He just rolled his ankle, it was a pretty standard ankle and he got through the game well. It’s a nine-day break we expect him to come up.