It was a really professional performance, we played an expansion team full of young players with a lot of run and skill and talent. They’re building so we understand what we’re up against. We certainly wanted to come out and play with intensity and in the manner that we wanted to - to make it a tough hard contest and I thought we did that right from the start.
In the second quarter we lost our way a bit, they did some different things. It was sort of a messy game really and then at half time we realigned ourselves to what we wanted to do.
I thought they were really good, they had seven entries and five goals we just lost some structure around the place but we certainly realigned ourselves at half time and came out and played with a strong method and spoke about being direct and stop mucking around as much.
I thought that came to fruition and we started scoring a lot more heavily, it was a professional performance really and we came out unscathed.
Duffield came off with a cork, we subbed Ballantyne out because he had a little bit of tightness and was throwing up at half time and we did higher than normal number of rotations today to try and share the running and load on some of the guys.
We’re fit and healthy and we’ll move on pretty quick. We go to Melbourne, they are certainly on the improve but we need to fly in and have a professional performance and try and get what we are after, and that is to bank another four points.
Can you give us an update on Stephen Hill?
He was a late withdrawal. He had some tightness, he trained fully and then mentioned in massage that he was a little tight.
We just thought it was an unacceptable risk so we didn’t play him.
Did the fact that you needed a certain percentage to jump up a spot on the ladder change the way you played?
We’re aware of all the conjecture but we can’t control any of that.
All I can control is to prepare well and try and play in our manner. We can’t control anyone else’s results, there is a lot of commentary and we understand the interest. Clearly we’re aware that there’s possibilities out there but none of them exist if we don’t keep winning and beating our next opponent so that’s at the forefront of our mind.
When we do have a look, and potentially individuals or groups might get distracted by that, we just ask them to say that it’s okay to think those things but come back and align yourself to what’s important and what’s got us to where we are and that’s preparation and performance.
There’s been a lot of talk about resting players. Are these games too close to finals for you to consider this?
We’re trying to build our footy. It’s happened by default for us because of a lot of injury. We’re probably in a fortunate position, nearly all but four of our players have had a few weeks off with injury and by default have been rested.
It’s not something that’s a big issue for us.
Kevin Sheedy referred to the team as junkyard dogs, what’s your response to that?
It’s an elite sporting environment, we like to be a hard nosed AFL team. There’s a number of them out there. Most of them sit in the top eight, there’s a few who have had some unfortunate things that sit outside the top eight.
To be the very best you have to aim for uncompromising effort and performance. We did what we needed to do. We acknowledged that we went about it for three quarters in the right manner. There’s a lot of descriptors out there, but basically we want to win the ball really well.
If we’re junkyard dogs, we did it in the right manner, our attack on the footy and our pressure was really strong. They’d walk away and go well that’s the level you need to be at and maturity and physicality to immerse yourself in that eight which is what we have done. So I think it’s a really good learning curve for them. I still think they are an incredibly exciting young group and talent. Anyone that supports them, I wouldn’t be dismayed. Jeremy Cameron kicked four, he’s going to be a star, they have a young midfield.
They’ll blossom, they’ve been really well coached. I think Kevin as an ambassador has been super, I think we would all like to see him continue probably in that role. I don’t think he needs to step away. You’ve got Leon Cameron, Monday to Friday, I think they are on the right path and if they continue to absorb the lessons they will continue to grow like Gold Coast have.
Kevin Sheedy said that you won the lotto with the draw, what are your thoughts on that?
Commentaries on draws are really interesting because, like most analysts or flippant opposition coaches, it runs as deep as about the last two weeks.
I’m happy to listen when people do a real detailed analysis of the draw. All I know is when it came out, if you look at our first eight weeks, we played six of last years top eight. Adelaide twice, West Coast twice, you’ve got Carlton on the rise.
At the end of the day, you look after your own performance.
It’s all garbage to be honest.
Watch Kevin Sheedy's post-match comments on Fremantle.
How close was Garrick Ibbotson to playing?
Yeah we thought he would play. Our doctor said he was fantastic early in the week but he got to training on Friday and really just couldn’t get going, so it’s a bit niggly that Achilles. We were surprised that he wasn’t available so hopefully he will be next week.
Does playing the three bottom teams in the last four rounds of the season give you an advantage leading into finals?
No I think you like hard-edged competition.
What we do know is we played Melbourne here last year in round 22 and we were uncompromising in a manner like today. Weknew when we looked at the footage that we didn’t take any short cuts and we played in the right way. Everyone was dismissive of that (approach) and we rolled into our first final, and played in exactly the same manner. So for us, the scoreboard and opposition are irrelevant.
If we play the way we want to play, it doesn’t matter.
Chris Mayne had 11 tackles today and 38 pressure acts in his 100th game, how important a player is he to your side?
He is critical. He’s one of our leaders and a 100-game player. It was an emotional day, he’s really close to his family, he had his parents, grandparents, aunty and uncle and close mate in pre-game to present him his jumper, and one of the players spoke. It was terrific that he didn’t just try and fill his boots, he still prided himself on the hard things. It’s a real credit to him and the way he goes about his footy.
There are players that make their teammates better and their team better, and he is one of them.
Is Lachie Neale playing his way to a permanent spot in the side?
At the minute he keeps picking himself. He performed really well again today. He’s getting rewarded.
He didn’t have a great summer, he didn’t come back in great shape and then he had an injury, so he has worked reallyhard to get into great shape and stay hungry and now he is grabbing his opportunity. He’s learnt some valuable lessons this year.
How important was it for Matthew Pavlich to get another game under his belt and what do you expect from him over the next three weeks?
I think we all know, it’s self-evident, that he needs to continue. That’s his first one (game back). In a perfect world he will play the remaining three before the finals so we expect him, like Aaron, to get better and better.
I thought he was exceptional really with the amount of footy he has missed.
It’s a credit to himself and his preparation.
Is it a case of both Pavlich getting better and the team getting used to having him back there?
Yeah I think so. We had a look into the future didn’t we with no Sandilands, no Pavlich, and we were still able to win enough games, so that breeds some confidence.
That chemistry will come in time I’m sure.
