Ross, were you pleased to get the points today?
Yes, really pleased. I thought at three-quarter time we could have gone either way with Nathan (Fyfe) being concussed and tapped out of the game. So it was really important that we displayed great character and competed fiercely for our club and our captain, and I thought that we did that. There were some mistakes but I thought we really hooked in and showed great grit and got the four points, so that was really pleasing.

The Fyfe incident was hard to watch
That’s what happens when you keep your eyes on the ball. I saw it unfolding but I knew he would be unflinching. He gets a lot of treatment every week but he never complains, Steele played him really tight but I thought at half time he (Nat) had 15 (disposals) and lots of clearances, so I thought he was winning the battle. He kept his eye on the ball and he sets a great standard. You talk about culture and the way we do things – I think as an AFL player to keep your eye on the ball, he sets a really high standard for our club as a leader.

How is Fyfe?
I’ve spoken to him twice. He’s fine but a little bit ‘doey’ but he’s pretty good. Ellie (his partner) and his dad David were in the rooms, so they'll look after him. He was really pleased we won and the boys dug in. 

Did you speak about it at three quarter time, a sort of ‘stand up for the skipper’ thing?
Well, it is always more than just that, I was a Carlton supporter and I remember when Stan Magro knocked out Alex Jesaulenko. At three quarter time I think they were six down and they did it for ‘Jezza’. So you remember those things as a kid, so hopefully the young Dockers’ supporters remember the time when Nat got knocked out and the team stood up for him.

He looked really groggy but there wasn’t a stretcher?
All I know is I spoke to him, we will assess him during the week and he will go through all the protocol like the genuine care for all of our players, no one gets any special treatment, so we will step through that, as it is I don’t know anything more.

Thoughts on the performance of Walters today?
He stands out, his commitment to the ball it was, for a little man, very strong, and it was last week when the game was on the line as well at half forward. I thought he was outstanding and contributed really strongly so I thought our leaders in the last quarter without Nathan; (Joel) Hamling, Alex Pearce, (David) Mundy, (Michael) Walters and (Reece) Conca were all exceptional. I thought Rory Lobb in the ruck gave us another dimension today out in the middle, that was pleasing. 

And Ryan in defence?
I’m just about action and he’s really growing as an AFL player - he was important for us today.

And Brandon Matera, Ross? He was pretty much the match winner there with the three goals.
He had a suspension and gave up his spot, he went back to Peel and responded. He has trained hard all summer so it’s really good when you see people work hard and get reward for effort. I thought he was hard and took his opportunity and that is exactly what small forwards in the AFL need to do. (There were) some strong individual performances - I think Andy Brayshaw was struggling to three quarter time and then he was just ferocious in the last quarter with his hit and his pressure and his tackles. He wasn’t perfect but you know it’s a great lesson for our young players that you can always contribute and turn it around.

With Sean Darcy potentially coming back in next week, is it a good headache to have with all the talls?
It puts pressure on everybody, selection and the players. It will be horses for courses - we thought that was the right way to go without bringing in another ruckman. We’ll see if Sean’s available and if so we’ll have to make a hard decision either way.

Jesse’s game today, what did you make of it?
I haven’t had a chance to assess, I think everyone contributed. I think everyone’s building into form. There’s no easy games, everyone wants to write everyone’s story for them. Pundits said Gold Coast were the worst list in history and that’s been thrown squarely back in their face, they’ve got a lot of talent and they’re clearly committed. Every week’s a challenge there are no easy games, I understand that but, hopefully, that depth of understanding has a cascade effect throughout where it needs to go.

Did you see Jesse’s tussle with Nathan Brown where he went off for a concussion test, was there any concern there?
No, I didn’t see that, it’s hard to break down, I just saw Nat’s incident right in front of me. I remember Jesse just going at the ball.

Big task ahead next week?
I’ve never rolled up thinking there’s been an easy game of AFL football, but that’s just how I sit.