It’s really obvious that it was a great effort, the players created an opportunity, we certainly don’t bank four points but we get a home preliminary final which is really advantageous. It was a powerful response in the face of a great challenge today, we want to be an anywhere, anytime team and this was a significant challenge and the team got it done today. We had a double chance, if we had of lost we would have had to regroup and go again but we get a week to review sharply, prepare incredibly well and stay focused. I saw an incredibly dominant Hawthorn last night, saw an incredibly focused Hawthorn post game, they’ve been on the end of a losing grand final. They know where they are headed. For us it’s relatively new territory, we’ve just spoken about staying focused, staying in the moment and preparing really well. That’s what we’re all about, it’s standing us in good stead and that’s what we’re aiming for, the future.
The first quarter?
They were really dominant in the first quarter, I thought we could have been further behind but we came back late in the first quarter. Their clearance work was far superior to ours but then the midfielders and the rucks got to work and started to halve it in there and gradually work their way to get some sort of ascendency and give our forwards some opportunity.
When did you realise you needed to move Crowley onto Steve Johnson?
Probably after his 11th possession and second goal, I take the hit for that. They’ve got a lot of great players, their triple premiership players, midfielders, Kelly and Chapman, Johnson and Corey, they’ve done it all. So it’s a bit about take your pick. We thought Stokes had been getting on the outside and breaking the chain a lot so we went that way and in hindsight it was the wrong call. To Ryan’s credit, he went to a great player with plenty of help from his teammates and did a pretty good job, it was important for the win today.
What are your thoughts on Dawson’s game?
I thought his game was very good.
Zac Dawson was a bit of a mixed bag today?
I reviewed them, they were really marginal free kicks at best. I just happen to be the coach of the team, I have behind the goals vision, I have broadcast vision that I replayed and I saw them. They were incredibly marginal free kicks but that’s okay if they get paid but I think it’s really disappointing that after two hours of football they are the questions getting thrown up. He still played very well.
How significant did you think resting half your team last week was in terms of todays result?
It’s hard to measure, but the analogy I use is that I watched Hawthorn win last night and thought everyone has a week to freshen up for a prelim, so in theory it’s the same model. You couldn’t be doing it every week but after 22 home and away rounds it clearly would help.
Can you talk us through the decision to play Luke McPharlin?
I thought it was a strong bold decision, and I thought he delivered really well. We got strong information today that Hawkins was out, but you’re always guessing . Once we picked him the decision was made, we spoke about insurance , if we play Alex (Silvagni). We just went, well, is he right or is he not? It was a really good result but we need to assess and lick our wounds and clearly there are somethings to look at it. It’s been alluded to, we’ve got some sore boys who have had plenty of whacks and there was plenty of on and off ball things that would probably be looked at I would suggest.
How did you see Michael Barlow’s game?
I thought he was a feature, it was hard to individualise, I thought the whole team as a collective and our rucks were terrific. I thought all divisions stood up. They’re a great team on their home deck so it creates an opportunity, there was plenty of really good individual performances.
What were your thoughts on Stephen Hill’s game?
It’s a game of inches, I’ve seen toe pokes go the other way in grand finals and balls hit the post. Sometimes all that’s left over is a little bit of luck. That was a slight lucky bounce.
How’s Nick Suban?
He rolled his ankle, he was fine to come back on but it was taking too long for him to come back on. It was late in the third and Tommy (Sheridan) was there and we trust Tommy so we just took Suban out.
What does the win mean?
We’re one step closer than we were last week.
Can you give us an update on some of the guys who were ruled out whit injury this week?
To be frank, I have no idea, we’ll get back to Perth and talk to our rehab coaches . Once I get back to Perth I can give everyone an update.
What are your thoughts on Sandilands’ game?
It was his best game of the year I thought. He played well in the Carlton game and he was significant when he went forward, he was a real threat. They threw some challenges at Aaron with the spread but we were really confident we could handle that. A few things they were doing we adjusted to and it needed to be adjusted, and then they were able to play to their strengths rather than have their strengths taken off them.
What about Lee Spurr and Cam Sutcliffe’s games?
I think all divisions can see Lee is as hard as they come. Cam is a young player who stood up under pressure. If you talk about winning the contested ball, we were plus-11. It’s a good indicator, we got our head over the ball, we had 70 tackles. I reckon we put our head down and we won the clearances with a good margin. When it was a contest, we were pretty good.
What value can you get out of a win like this?
I don’t think you make it anymore than it is. I think it builds belief, confidence is just a feeling and clearly they feel good because they’ve had a win. The confidence from the win is we know what we are doing will stand up so therefore there’s belief but the only thing that matters is action. For us the actions of review and preparation, opposition analysis and when the ball is bounced in two weeks, getting into action. That’s all we’re about.
What’s your message to all the fans who have been waiting 19 years for a grand final?
It’s hard for me to keep looking back, it was a fledgling club that was really the baby that no one wanted, but the license was good and they were given little to set up. Through the backbone of Fremantle people and industry, a club was built. They’ve done it the hard way. I didn’t see two years of first round draft picks given to them. The license fee was nice but they’ve had to build a team from scratch and it’s been a long hard battle and at times they’ve been the laughing stock of the competition. The Geelong Advertise said ‘Mock a Docker’, I think we do stand for a bit, we have a strong board and at the minute we are competing as a good football club, but we know that’s fleeting. It’s all about your next performance, so I’m happy for the fans that travelled down, they were loud and terrific, At the end of the day, we’re here to put on entertainment and I thought it was a great show for everybody.
