Q. From a coaches perspective - what was the most disappointing aspect of the loss to Richmond?
A. The fact that we kicked five goals for the game. The amount of times we couldn't win the contested ball or in fact win the ball at stoppages was the most disappointing part of the game - which left us out of control of the game.
Q. By half time the Richmond midfield was averaging around 15 possessions each - clearly they were winning in that area. From a coaching point of view, how do you plan on addressing that problem?
A. On top of that Richmond's centre clearances were 8 compared to our two. Unfortunately they were winning the ball out of that area which is a very important part of the game. We tried to change our mid-field - Joe Misiti and Damien Peverill both spent time on the bench. We introduced Joel Reynolds, Mark Johnson and Mark McVeigh at times, but whatever we tried we couldn't get the balance right. Whenever Richmond got that four or five goals up they just controlled the tempo of the game. They were happy to bottle it up and after that you just have stoppage after stoppage. That is how the game turned out and we just couldn't get a clear break at all.
Q. Do we panic at the selection table or do we stick with the same side?
A. Well we made five changes last week - so whether you can go and do that again. At some stage you have to settle the guys down and particularly when you are introducing young guys it is not really fair to give them only one go. The senior guys have to understand how they play and also how the team plays at that level. There will be a couple of changes - we may get Dustin Fletcher and Damian Cupido back this week. When you look at your stats and 10of your players have had under 10 possessions - you definitely need to consider making some changes.
Q. Is Adam McPhee a chance to play in the centre?
A. He was there for a period of the game. With all the rotation these days - a number of players play through the middle. He has been playing on the wing or centre half back for us on most occasions.
Q. When Hird left the ground early in the match with the calf injury - we seemed to lack leadership out on the ground. Is this something you will be addressing this week?
A. Yes we will be looking at that this week with the players and coaching staff. But we haven't got a lot of senior guys available at the moment - most of them are out injured. Therefore you need a lift in the inner sanctum from the guys that are playing. That is what we will be asking of the playing group this week when they go out there on Friday night.
Q. Do you think the club will be under the microscope this week?
A. Our playing list always responds when they are under this kind of pressure. They have for the last four or five years. I believe we can still do it with our playing list. When you see what happens over the weekend and you are only a game away from third or fourth position - there is a lot at stake this Friday night.
Q. Did the players get a bake after the game. Sometimes you think do they need to be jolted out of some sort of lethargy or is it a confidence thing that giving them a bake doesn't serve any purpose. Which way did we go?
A. Kevin was fairly positive after the game. We will have a number of meetings over the next few days and we will discuss things. I think that is how you go about things these days rather than ranting and raving and drilling the players. They only have a minimum time to get up and the pressure of this level and how close the competition is you can't afford to go too over the top with that.
