Yes it was. I’m the Fremantle coach but I’m part of their history so it was nice for me to be able to acknowledge it. I was disappointed with us, we should have been able to play a little bit better. It was a nice moment but we move on pretty quickly, we’ve got a pretty exciting time. We’re a double chance so we’ll get back and we’ll have a good week on the track. We’re the only team in Perth in the finals so it’s pretty exciting for us. A big adventure lays in front of us.
Was that your message to the boys straight after the game; to move on?
Pretty much, the pretend seasons over and the real onestarts for people who have earned the right to have a crack at trying to win a premiership. There’s four teams with a double chance, of which we’re one. Just to our young players who played, I thought we gave a lot of effort but they now understand why we’re so demanding over pre-season, the Monday to Friday and why we focus so much on preparation because when you get out there there’s nowhere to hide. They learn about the demands, but I thought we competed really well. We lost Clancee Pearce in the first 30 seconds, we were always going to be under some pressure but Jack Hannath went back and played really well down there. We had a priority to rotate our guys that are regulars and it puts pressure on the younger ones and some other guys. Overall I was pleased with our effort and we had real moments in the game. But overall, Montagna and Dal Santo, their class just shone a bit.
(Geelong v Brisbane still live) Are you at all concerned that by resting those blokes you may have cost yourself a home final?
I haven’t got the crystal ball. It’s out of my control, it’s a risk you take. That’s life.
Is it a risk you’re comfortable with, knowing what you know now?
We took it, so it was a risk we were comfortable with. You play the percentages, sometimes it doesn’t work your way.
With (Clancee) Pearce, was it a calf?
Yes.
Was that a no risk policy taking him off or is he no chance next week?
He’ll be no chance next week.
It must be a blow for him and the team.
Yeah it’s a blow, he won’t play and we can’t pick him.
Do you expect all the guys who didn’t play today to come back in? Obviously (Garrick) Ibbotson pulled out as well.
No, we’ve got to get through a week. No, not all of them, there’s some injuries within that, there’s some concerns. We’ll deal with that in due course.
Can you tell us with (Garrick) Ibbotson, how close was he?
He did a fitness test this morning and failed.
Can he (Garrick Ibbotson) come back in now?
He’ll need to pass a fitness test.
Has he got the aerobic ability to come back in?
Yes, certainly.
Josh Simpson showed patches today as your first draft pick.
The Yalgoo Express, he showed patches.
Where do you see him going?
I see him doing a really hard pre-season, putting on some weight, learning to compete harder for longer and building an AFL career like Neale, Crozier, Sheridan and Sutcliffe have done. That’s where he sits, he’s doing some hard work. It’s a big shift for a young boy from 500km inland of Perth. He’s a young father with two children, so the transitions pretty significant for him. It’s not as easy as it is for most 18-year-olds. He’s hung in there and he’s worked and he’s got a taste of it and he’ll need to continue to grow and adapt to the challenges of AFL football. It’s on record, young indigenous footballers and the transition, particular for the country lads, so we’ve wrapped all the resources around but he’s still got some significant challenges to establish himself in our team.
(Alex) Forster and (Craig) Moller?
I thought they both showed signs. I thought Moller was, in particular, really exciting. Where he’s going to be in three years, it’s really exciting for us. He’s quick, he competes and it’s really exciting. I thought Alex (Forster) wacked away, without being anything special.
You made a similar decision (to rest players) when you were at St Kilda but would something like this be more common for a West Australian team because of the travel?
I can’t speak for West Coast. My experience at the red, white and black was different because it was round 20 so we thought we’d get the benefit but we struggled, we lost our next two games by one point and one point. We certainly got the benefit in the finals series. So previously my experience was with Milne and Schneider with Adelaide, and they had a really good first final but with this amount and at this time for me was not an experience that I’ve had. I was certainly guided and ultimately allowed it but Western Australian teams do have some uniqueness, there’s no doubt about that. I watched Hawthorn and Sydney, I thought it was a terrific game last night but at the end of the day, I lived in Sydney, it’s an hour and a half door to door and you’re tucked up under your doona with your water bottle. Next week Hawthorn will play in Melbourne. With us, you get a 4.30 (pm) flight, you get delayed on the tarmac for an hour so that’s 5.30 (pm), it’s a three hour flight, that’s 8.30 (pm) and you adjust your clock when you land that’s 10.30 (pm). We’re getting to the hotel at 11.15 (pm). Typically we can get an earlier flight at 3.00 (pm) and as it is we’ve had great difficulty getting Virgin to give us a 3 o’clock flight because of scheduling. So as it sits now we’re on a 4.30 (pm) flight this Thursday coming, if that was to happen again our players are getting to the hotel at 12 o’clock (midnight) because we can’t get a flight scheduled, that was all part of it. We’re happy to travel but they’ll then go to the airport, sit, wait, get on, hopefully there’s no delays, then three hours in the air. It is significant to do it back-to-back. When I speak to Peter Sumich, in the past they used to fly back-to-back two weeks in a row during the year but common sense has prevailed and it’s alternate weeks. When you’re alternate weeks the whole year it doesn’t really stack up that in your first final you’d like to go back-to-back, hence the management.
Resting players was done three years ago when you were at St Kilda.
It was done in round 21, let’s be clear. They (StKilda) played Carlton the next week, beat Carlton and played finals. So it was done two weeks out, so it is slightly different.
Where would you like to play next weekend?
It’s out of my control. I’m just telling you the challenges and part of the decision making.
What is your view on the possibility of the final being played at Simonds Stadium in Geelong?
I haven’t really got a view, except that I am aware of it. Our club put a view forward. The club representation view was that we think our members and fans should have the best opportunity to get and watch the game. We know that earlier in the year, some of our fans couldn’t get a ticket down there because it seats 30,000 and they have 40,000 members, so I wouldn’t have thought their would be too any tickets floating around for Dockers supporters.
Having said that, we are an anywhere anytime team so we will go and play.
It’s out of my control.
Have you addressed the possibility of playing there with the players?
Not at all – the players just play.
It was on the agenda at the start of the year that Simonds Stadium would be available for a final.
Was it? That’s fantastic.
Is it the fact that it has come up in the last week a bit of a problem?
Not a problem for me, we’ll go down there and play.
You were bemused by the public talk of leaving so many players out this week. Now that the dust has settled, are you happy with the result?
I understand everyone’s interest.
We are paid to make decisions and we leave ourselves open to criticism. Every time you pull on an AFL jumper, or you are an AFL coach, you get critiqued every week and that’s ok.
There’s no right or wrong on this. It’s just a value judgement on what’s important and at the end of the day, results will dictate.
Will it be a challenge this week to get your players match fit?
It’s a hard thing to balance but we are pretty confident we will do that.
Did the players who were rested train this weekend?
They trained. Footy (skills) this morning; kick, ground ball, tackling, run. It was very measured and controlled. You can do them to the sprint distance you want. Our head conditioner stayed behind and worked them really hard.
Are you ok with Pavlich and Sandilands’ preparation for finals?
I don’t think it’s been perfect for them but the expectation is that they are ready to go.
Matthew’s played four games in a row now, I thought he showed some really good moments. It’s been a challenge for him and he’s showed some really good moments... It’s a credit to him.
Aaron will be better for the run. In the end he will be instinctive and aggressive I would think.
What is McPharlin’s situation?
He will be up for selection. Will we pick him?
I was always definite to pick him but then it becomes more mitigating circumstance and different variables
Is it best for him to play or not play?
It is something we will need to discuss at match committee.
Did Clancee Pearce re-aggravate his injured calf?
I got told it was a different calf, but that information could be wrong.
Geelong beat Brisbane by a point.
Yeah, see – good judgement.
Does that give you confidence?
I like the Leigh Matthews theory – if it bleeds you can kill it.
