Freo's goal of refining their kicking skills and ball movement was well documented in the pre-season, but senior coach Ross Lyon said he wouldn’t judge the success of the team’s preparation solely based on the result of their game against the Western Bulldogs on Sunday.
“We’re in it for the long haul, it’s not all or nothing in round one,” Lyon said.
“It was never going to be a five month assignment, and that’s not the way AFL football works.
“There’s no finish line, there’s just a continuous state of improvement.”
Entering his 10th year as a senior coach, Lyon also said he was well aware of how the AFL landscape reacts throughout the season.
“Headlines will be written after round one, and people will be written off,” he said.
“We’ve seen it all before.
“It’ll start with the Tigers and Carlton on Thursday night.
“You just (have to) work hard, stay focused, improve and the results will follow.”
The Western Bulldogs, were one of 2015’s big improvers as they made a surprising finals appearance off the back of an attacking, rebounding brand of football.
While Lyon admitted the challenge of playing a fast-paced team at Etihad Stadium, he said the basic skills of football would dictate the outcome.
“The fundamentals stay true,” he said.
“As much as the game changes, it stays the same.
“Everyone has to be hard at the footy, use the ball well and work really hard.
“And the team that makes the least mistakes will win.”
