Ross how satisfied are you with that tonight?
I’m really pleased. We’ve worked hard, like everyone, over summer. We thought we took some good lessons out of Port Adelaide with just some basics, some ball movement and executing and a little bit on defence. Every week regardless of the four points, you get feedback on what you’re trying to do. We took the feedback last week, we trained it and I thought we implemented it tonight. We went from three marks to 12 inside 50. We spread the ball. The week before we had 180 kicks this week we had 240 and we kept them to 180, so it was almost a reverse. We learnt some really good lessons. I thought with four players, one game or less, two debutants and two debutants the week before brings some real enthusiasm and vibrancy. There’s going to be some challenges, we understand that. I thought Cerra was fantastic tonight, and Brayshaw, Mitch Crowden’s effort, and Bailey Banfield’s role on Merrett was a significant role. We sent him to tag Merrett, and Merrett’s their jet and I thought he really limited him, crucial on the wing so that was pleasing. But the bigger picture is that, at Optus Stadium, first night for the club, I think there were 50,000 here, and we averaged 34,000 at the previous stadium. Members and fans are hard to find and when they turn up, you want to respect that, show the respect by giving great effort and we did that tonight. So as a club we walk away, that’s a significant game and we feel good about ourselves and we want to engage, entertain and win and I thought we did all three tonight.

The big crowd you talk about, probably would have enjoyed seeing you get to 100 points, it’s not something that’s happened a lot in recent years.
It’s not something I focus on to be honest. More people get stuck on that than me, and the Tigers for a long time last year weren’t kicking 100 points. We’ve had two premiers that were about 8th or 12th attack for the whole year and then for the finals they turned that around. It’s pleasing, I’ve always said you want to have a balance of both and tonight we achieved that. There’s continuing challenge, but in AFL football, anything is possible. 

What about the efforts of your back six in keeping Joe Daniher goal-less and Cale Hooker to one?
I thought our pressure in the front half of the ground was very good and our ball use, how you attack helps you defend. I thought early we had a couple of bad turnovers and let them back in. But I thought Alex Pearce (and Daniher), two young guns really, Daniher he’s going to be a superstar of the game we know that, I thought he lowered his colours to Alex tonight and Alex competed really well. 

I thought Joel Hamling came in and played how we want him to play and that’s a template for Joel. I thought Michael Johnson was superb tonight. The three kickers of Ryan, Wilson, (Stephen) Hill and Blakely were very good as well. But at the end of the day it’s won and lost in the midfield and I thought our midfield really won the battle.

What happened to Bradley Hill in the last quarter, he looked like he was in real trouble?
Sometimes you can get a really bad knock and it feels terrible, but then you gather yourself and the physios work their magic and you get going. I think it talks of his mental toughness a bit. His ability to push through with injury is pretty strong.

What about Stephen Hill to come in off no footy and play like that, was that pretty pleasing?
Yes very pleasing. He had a significant role, they have three dangerous small forwards as well know. He’s a high-end performer and just where we are at at the moment we really needed him in for that depth of talent. It’s a credit to him. You see him working on the assault bike with one leg and really smashing himself and he’s a great preparer and our conditioners got him ready. We backed him in and he delivered – but we might’ve had egg on our face if it didn’t work out like that.

What did you make of Matt Taberner’s performance?
I think he continues in the same vein of what he’s producing. It takes a long time to build big key forwards. Even last year when there was a bit of doubt we said ‘we want you and the best place is here’ and he said ‘ I don’t want to play anywhere else’ and so that’s a win-win isn’t it?

Over a challenging summer he worked hard and he’s starting to get reward for effort. Generally if you can play, or you’ve got some genetic talent, if you work hard you get rewarded and he is starting to get rewarded.

Your senior players are important with such a young team… Mundy and Fyfe were influential tonight?
You’ve hit a key point. If our leaders didn’t stand up tonight it would’ve been really difficult for those younger guys. I thought Nathan, Aaron, Neale, Walters and Bradley Hill after injury was superb. They set the tone and the intent and everyone jumps in. It’s critical, they did it last year when we had a lot of young players and they’ve done it again. They won’t always get it right but if they can get it right 75 per cent of the time as a leader you are going pretty well in this business.