Q. How close is Hird to returning - is he a chance this week?
A. To me it is the specialists decision and I say that probably from alegal point of view and a coaches point of view these days.
. How did you rate the VFL sides hit-out yesterday?
A. It was important from our point of view in regard to getting players onthe ground and playing full matches. Some of the boys that played in theseconds yesterday - Marcus Bullen, Cory McGrath - haven't played a lot offooty this year. Gary Moorcroft didn't play the week before because he wasill and he has already missed four weeks, Rioli has been out for threeweeks, so this is the fourth week - so it was a good opportunity to givethe players that have been in the seniors a run - Alessio probably actuallywon the game for us because he improved as the game went on because he wason the ground for the majority of the match and David Hille was the same.Mark Mercuri we wanted to play back in the backline because we areconsidering him for the most of the rest of the year as a half-backflanker, as well as a forward line option.
Is it his form that has caused this move?
A. A little bit. Sometimes you live on a half-forward flank for eight ornine years and I have seen it happen to players in the past. Glen Hawkerplayed wing / half-forward for the first six or seven years and as soon aswe put him at half-back he ended up winning a best and fairest for us. MarkHarvey was the same - he went from an injury prone half-forward flanker atone stage and as soon as he went back, he won a best and fairest at centrehalf back. Gavin Wanganeen is the same - played the first half of hiscareer in the backline and now he is playing forward. So Mercuri may be theopposite to that - we are giving him a different angle on the game.
It is a reflection of where he is at by moving him back?
A. We would like to have that flexibility in his game anyway. He can comeforward anytime he likes. With the rotation these days, you can spend 20minutes on the wing, 20 minutes on half-forward flank and 20 minutes on theball and that is your first half. It is not a matter of whether you aregoing to put a person in a new position, it is making them all aware thatyou want to keep a very flexible side then they all have to have time backthere. At the moment, Andrew Welsh is playing back there, maybe next yearhe might be ruck roving or a half forward flanker. The coaches need toteach their playersto be able to be flexible enough to be able to cope with playing indifferent positions in a match - that is where the game is going. Once upona time there was probably a move for a player to go to the backline for aquarter or a game or two to the wing, but now it is in the course of thegame. It is totally different and it is very challenging to have theplayers to have the capacity to do that.
Do you think we need extra players on the bench?
A. Not really - I think where footy is at the moment is right. We have 18on the ground and four on the bench. We tried to get an extra two on thebench for about five years and we are paying the players to play in theseconds anyway, so you may as well pick them in the firsts - so we got anextra two. I think it is pretty good at the moment, I don't think any teamwould have lost a match due to injury, so I am not quite sure that we needsix on the bench yet.
