How did you analyse the match today?

Look the game was what you saw, we got obliterated in the first quarter, out pressured, outhunted, and it hurt us on the scoreboard. I think our inside 50s weren’t too dissimilar, but their efficiency and pressure overwhelmed us. And then we got into action for the last three quarters, and all of our stats ended up looking okay, but you can’t concede that many goals.

Why were they so efficient?

The first quarter, we conceded too many broken tackles, scores from stoppages really hurt us, and their efficiency in their front half was too high, I think inside 50s weren’t too dissimilar, but their efficiency and our turnovers with some easy possessions, and then our inability to stick a tackle, really hurt us in that first quarter, and this has been a theme for a long period of time this year. Unfortunately, we concede when it’s a run on and momentum’s lost, we’re conceding too many goals. To be honest, after quarter-time, I thought we were pretty brave, but the damage was done.

Fifty-five inside 50s to 40 was an interesting statistic for a losing team, what did you make of that?

I thought they hung in there, I thought Fremantle all day were playing really good footy, playing at their best. And the third quarter was probably the biggest discrepancy, I think there was 22 to five, and what did we kick in that quarter? Two goals or three goals? Normally that’s a really good sign for us, we’re going to be quite good on the scoreboard, so missed our opportunity to grab the game back. I think the goal just before three quarter time hurt but like I said, the damage was done well and truly in the first quarter.

Your players looked like they truly believed after Alex Witherden’s goal?

Oh absolutely, if you look at the stats after quarter time, they’ll be in our favour I would’ve thought. But you can’t take away the first quarter, it’s a four-quarter game and mindset wasn’t where it needed to be, and then at quarter-time we addressed. It doesn’t always measure out as success, but the tackle efficiency after quarter time, compared to the first quarter, was a lot different and we managed to slow them down and get the game played in our half. But like I said, the first quarter, and it’s happened too many times this year, and we’re aware, we are, of that reason. We can’t stop momentum, and play a better brand when we’re under the pump.

How are you feeling about finals?

You deserve everything you get in this game, it’s a great leveller. We’re still fighting, we’re still alive I think, so we’ve got to find a way to get around the boys and have a swing. But, we’re where we are because of games like today.

How’s Tim Kelly?

He’s got a medial on his other knee, that he hurt earlier in the year, so I’m pretty sure he won’t be available.

What’s your message to the playing group now?

We’ll it will be the same, we can’t worry about what the opposition and other games do, we need to get ourselves organised, so we need four quarters, we’re playing a top four side over the last couple of years, in Brisbane, on their home deck, they looked really good last week. So, we’ll lick our wounds, we’ll review the game, in particular the first quarter obviously. But there was resilience in the last three quarters, and the game was up for grabs there. We probably just spent too much in the final three quarters, and by the time the game was on the line, we just looked like we didn’t have enough energy. We need to get back on the bike, really, and have another swing this week.

You mentioned the first quarter was a mindset issue?

There’s two parts to that, one was how good Fremantle were, so we have to tip our hat to the pressure they brought, played to their strengths, did some things that we knew they would do and we couldn’t stop it. I thought their forwards were on top the first quarter, and the supply was good, so they were too good for us in the first quarter, but to concede eight goals, that’s unacceptable.

Have you put thought into playing Willie Rioli next week?

He’ll be a conversation early in the week, he’s done nothing but impress us and the players, about how he’s gone about it, so we’ll have to weigh it all up and see how we go. But he’s training well and he’s had a really good block of fitness, so we’ll see how we go.

How’s Josh Kennedy’s injury?

There was some sore guys tonight, and Josh will be one of them, there was some pretty special efforts to come back on with a few of our guys. But I don’t know, I don’t know how they are. But they finished the game off, and there’s a few sore boys.

Jamie Cripps another one that came back on?

I’m not sure how many teeth he’s got left, but he’s lost a couple.

He actually did lose a couple, did he?

I think the end result will be, he might have a few teeth missing.

Did he have a mouthguard in at the time?

I don’t know, different issues, other issues going on, whether ‘Crippa’ wore a mouthguard. I hope he did. But I can’t tell you.

Are you expecting to play at the Gabba on Saturday night?

We don’t know where or when or how, or what’s happening, that’s the common theme, which we all totally respect and understand, so the AFL will give us some guidance early in the week. It does change day by day, so we’re used to that. By the sounds of it, at the moment, if nothing changes, we’ll be in Queensland next week.

If you make the eight, would you expect to stay away?

I’ve got no idea, you’ll have to talk to Craig (Vozzo) or Trevor (Nisbett) about that.

Just on the Caleb Serong goal in the final quarter, the ball was taken out of bounds beforehand. As a coach, what goes through your mind?

It’s umpired by humans, so there’s going to be errors that are blatant, and I’m not critical of the umpires for that at all. But we probably should’ve got him out of bounds, there were three or four opportunities, it’s hard to be critical of umpires in that situation, you don’t know what they see. The last three quarters was a really good game of footy for us, the first quarter was the problem.

Fremantle were the youngest team in the competition this week, a loss like that, does it have any impact on the way you assess your list?

No, we know where we’re at, we know what’s in front of us, we know what we need to do. So, we’re working hard behind the scenes on what the next phase looks like for us, and it’s not on the basis of the last five weeks, or today, there’s a lot of planning in place, so we know what we need to do going forward, and we need to dig a bit deeper about what’s going on with our momentums shifts. But the list profile will change, just like it has a few years ago. We think we’ve got some good kids coming through, we’ve given some games to some young talent, and we need to hit the draft, so that hasn’t changed.

Will there be a significant shake-up this summer?

No. Not in my mind. I’m not here to talk about our list management strategy to you guys, but we know everything you’re talking about, we know.