How do you feel after that win?
Really proud. Really proud of the effort. Really proud of their ability to get back on task and get the game played our way, how we wanted it played. Clearly the first quarter wasn’t what we came in trying to do. We didn’t get it right, but the way they adjusted, the way they stuck to their task, to get us in front, and then when it was level again, our ability to execute and do the basics well, I couldn’t be any prouder.
What did you say at quarter time?
It’s a pretty basic game, footy. If you don’t get it done around the contest then there’s no real point discussing any other points of the game so we reinforced contest, changed a few things with our structure. Really, it was just about settling them down and making sure they knew what they needed to do to execute. What we went into the game with. Once we started winning the contest, and getting it played in our front half, A: we were really safe from them scoring and B: our forwards were able to go to work and put enormous pressure on create opportunities for ourselves so… it’s a pretty basic game sometimes.
Was the reason for Nat Fyfe staying in the goal square the entire second half injury management or tactical?
It was more tactical because clearly we lost (Sean) Darcy and we were short down there and they’ve got some good interceptors. Cleary Fyfe drags a good defender and he never loses a contest, and he is able to hit the scoreboard, and clearly we’ve got a lot of mids in our side at the moment so we were able to cover him in the midfield. I didn’t think, especially after quarter time, the midfield wasn’t the issues it was probably going to be whether we could generate enough scores so, he did his part.
Were you tempted to put him back in the middle that last quarter when the Saints were coming back?
Yes, you’re right. I still felt the centre-bounce wasn’t working for us most of the day but I felt like we were getting our hands on it, it was just a little bit of execution. Sonny kicking it the wrong way early, we fumbled, and the biggest thing with centre bounce was we gave away so many free kicks. We always knew we were going to be undersized, and that was the case, so I thought our mids toiled manfully all day. We’ve got a lot of mids in our team at the moment, it’s just how our list is shaped, so we were comfortable with Fyfey forward.
He wasn’t the main man but he still played an important role?
He understands he can impact the game wherever he is played. The issue probably for me and our coaching staff, and has probably been the issue for a while, we would love Nathan to play forward more but how we are we going to get it there enough to warrant him being forward. So I think today we showed that we can get him good supply when he’s forward and he can have an impact on the game for us down there and the other mids can get it done.
What did you learn about the team today?
It just reinforced that we’ve got real ticker. We’ve got a lot of players who just never give up. We’ve showed that pretty much all season but it was just reinforced today when our backs were against the wall at quarter time, we just never gave up.
Can you update us on the injuries?
(Hayden) Young looks like he has rolled his ankle, we will get it scanned and hopefully it’s not a bad one. We will see, it’s a bit hard to tell sometimes. Sean was just, well you saw what happened, he was rattled and the docs wouldn’t allow him to go back on so, make of that what you want to make of it.
Was he officially concussed?
I haven’t heard that officially but it’s not a good sign when the doctors say you can’t come back on. He seemed fined in the rooms just then, he’s not dazed or anything like that so if he was knocked out, he’s recovered pretty well.
Just back on Fyfe, is that something you’d like to go for longer stretches of games or is that just situational?
Well it’s situational, clearly. He’s still our best midfielder so we’ll keep playing around with what the balance of that looks like. We felt as a coaching staff that we were getting good supply, we were short down there with (Rory) Lobb having to go into the ruck. He gives us a bit more aerial presence, he never loses a contest down there and he was still our most likely to hit the scoreboard. Two goals and eighteen possessions playing mostly forward is a great result.
What happened with Brennan Cox?
He got through training and pulled up a bit sore. The physios were on the fence about playing him and decided it was too big of a risk to take. Give him another week to recover and he’ll be right for next week.
What about Sturt, is he a chance?
Yes he’s a chance, he rolled his ankle at training, he’s been a bit unlucky and when you do it two days before a game it doesn’t give you much time to get up. It would be nice for him to get up for this week and be available for selection.
Was it the same ankle he hurt previously?
No, it was a different ankle. It’s just one of those innocuous situations at training that happens sometimes in a contested situation, there wasn’t much to it but when you do it two days out it doesn’t give you a lot of time.
Do you have any more info on the other guys that are injured?
No, not at this stage. We just need to get back to Perth with Griff (Logue) and allow a little bit of time to see how it settles. It looks like (Jesse) Hogan might miss a couple of weeks.
How have the five weeks been up here?
We’ve loved it. It’s my first year of coaching this group so I’ve gotten to know them really well, a lot better than I would’ve at home. I’ve gotten to know our staff and couldn’t be more proud of the way the club has approached it. To get two wins to go home with, I think is just reward for effort and I’m really proud of the whole footy club.
It will be a good plane ride home now?
Yes, we didn’t come up here to win one game. We really set ourselves for St Kilda and we finally got there, the first quarter it looked like we were still packing our bags but after quarter time we really dug in and had a crack, so it was good.
What do you think the week is going to be like leading into the RAC Derby?
I don’t know yet, it’s going to be a bit different. Every week has been different this year, we haven’t had a normal week, we’re not going to have a normal week. I’ve just been really happy and proud of the way the club has embraced everything that’s been thrown at us. The next couple of weeks in quarantine is going to be no different but one thing I do know about our footy club is that we are really connected, we’re on the same page and everyone’s going in the right direction.
You don’t expect to go home and play against a team you’ve been living with, has the relationship changed with you and West Coast these past five weeks?
I’m not sure, I’m not sure what our players think or what our staff think. I’m probably a bit different to the rest of us because I’ve spent seven years at the footy club, so I’ve got some close relationships there and I learnt a lot working there. It’s going to be a unique week.
