Immediate reaction?
Great to get the four points. So, yes, relieved.
Out of jail?
I don't know what that term means. I think in the end we adjusted our game plan and got them into a contest. I thought really we dominated the last quarter. I think 14 entries, 4.3 or whatever it was. So the ability for the players to hear the message and adapt was really strong. I thought it was a positive start but they (Carlton) walked it out of the middle and kicked six goals for the night. I mean it just shouldn't happen but it did. That's half their score I think…some terrible turnovers in our defensive 50m. They hardly scored off turnover except in their forward 50m. I think they kicked 3.2 from five turnovers. You turn it over in your defensive 50m and it's about 90 per cent chance you're going to get scored against so that hasn't been our trademark but it's crept in the last three weeks. So we'll modify our ball use. All credit to them with their pressure but I just thought over-finessing and mucking around down there sort of hurt us. Centre bounces hurt us. They were the main things. I thought Judd was terrific early, great leader, great player. Our ability to handle him early wasn't great. Ryan Crowley I thought did a pretty good job on Murphy, copped a fair bit of attention obviously but he always soldiers on so it was good. But in the end we turned it around. I think we acknowledge Matthew Pavlich got concussed early, second term. And Mzungu off so we were down to 20 men on the biggest ground in Australia against a team that was running well and coming off the bye. So there was some really good effort to dig in. We found a way. Clearly we've got plenty of work to do. We need to improve. That footy is going to take us nowhere.
Initial prognosis on Mzungu and how hard was it with two rotations?
I think I alluded to how hard it was. Secondly, it's a really low-grade strained hamstring. We put him on at the end to pinch a minute breather for one of our forwards that had been on for a long time. So that's why we did that. He'll be fine. Hopefully Matthew will come up but concussions are serious obviously so his health is paramount. Then from there we're healthy.
Matthew Pavlich had two knocks in 12 days?
Has he? What was the other one? Was he concussed?
I thought he was ok against St Kilda. If he was unwell, you're either concussed or your not. But I think to reiterate we would take no risk with not only Matthew, we would take no risks with Hayden Crozier or Tom Sheridan. We've got strict protocols in place, the AFL has. It isn't an emotive issue, should he or shouldn't he play, he'll either be healthy to play or he won't be and I never get involved. So really I'm like you guys, sitting in the theatre waiting for the outcome. But obviously we would like him to play if he could.
How did you make the adjustments with your forward structure given Matthew went down?
I thought that was fine. I think Fyfe and Mundy spent a bit of time forward. You sort of make do. Mayne just played a bit deeper. I thought he looked really good a bit deeper. It just highlights the point why hasn't he kicked as many goals. But we might have to play him a bit deeper. I thought he helped drag us across the line in the last quarter. He was pretty good.
Any concern it took Fyfe, Ballantyne and co to get you over the line?
No that's what they're paid to do. You expect your good players and leaders to stand up. And those guys did that. I thought after half-time, Hill, Pearce and Neale doubled or tripled their possessions and lifted. So there's plenty of stories. Luke McPharlin got confidence in his body. I don't think we got the rub of the green in some areas tonight. I don't think much went in our favour in our forward 50m, and a bit went in their favour in theirs. But that's been happening for a while now, so we sort of get used to it. All credit to Carlton - they've got some of their very best players out - Walker, Robinson, Everitt's been good for them. Their top five players are very good though. Murphy, Judd, Gibbs - those guys are very good players. If they get Yarran, Simpson, Waite, Henderson and young Graham's a beauty and Tuohey can play. So they've got a bit that can really play, and they got going a little bit tonight. They'll go home disappointed, but I'm not here to worry about Carlton. We've all lost close ones. In the end, we did a lot right to get across the line, so we'll focus on that and then review the early stuff. Our model is to identify and train it, so clearly the last two weeks haven't been great footy pre or post the break, so we've got some work to do.
You said that type of footy won't take you anywhere, can you expand?
I don't think I want to go into too much detail. I think it's pretty obvious - centre bounces, ball movement out of defence, just generally accountable.
Has pressure dropped off?
I think we had lots of tackles. Tackles aren't an indicator of pressure though. A lot of people think they are. But we generally are not a high-tackling team. I think we sit 10th for tackles for the year. Sometimes it's just thinking a bit quicker, it's as simple as that sometimes. If you ball watch, it's too late.
You had 52 more hitouts tonight. And you said Carlton were able to walk it out of centre square. How do you make adjustments?Well it's not my job, we get to the coaching panel. Well it is ultimately (my job) because we're talking about it. Look, we've been very good over the course of the year, but it's a long year, you're going to have some bad nights, and you've got to try to minimise the damage. I don't think we minimised the damage that well. And our defenders needed to defend a little bit better. You can't sheet it all home to inside the square. There's a fair bit from them getting the ball and kicking a goal that's got to happen, and we were sloppy.
Can you turn around iffy form next week?
Well that's the aim. And everyone ebbs and flows. We're looking forward to the challenge. I thought the players showed enormous fight at the end. It would have been easy to lie down and say 'here we go again'. But at the end of the day we won the game, we get an eight-day break, we get to prepare really well. But I don't think you can underestimate losing two players early in the second quarter. It's not ideal. It's not an excuse, but it does put you under some pressure. I think one you can handle, but two becomes difficult. And then to come from behind, and the rub of the green not going your way, I thought it was full of merit.
Mzungu ok for next week?
I said he's got a low grade hamstring.
Extra break bode well for you now?
Well I said we're all fine. I think it clearly helps Matthew, but it won't help Tendai. And our reserves play on Saturday. It's always good to have a bit longer to prepare in theory. It's a good opportunity for us to gather ourselves and train hard. We won't be breathing out. We need to improve, we'll train hard. And that was the message to the players after the game - we need to improve, we need to train well, and we need to get back to our very best football.
How much confidence do you have going to Simonds given how well you played last year?
I think it's irrelevant. Where we're at last year to this year are poles apart. I always say past results don't count for the next one. What's really important is we stay in the moment and we continue to prepare and try to improve, and we need to improve. It's pretty simple.
