Q. Rodney Eade retired from coaching the Sydney Swans earlier today - what is your reaction to that news?
A. Probably one of disappointment. I am never really happy seeing coaches go in the middle of the year - I just think it is wrong. I suppose if he has resigned on his own behalf because he felt it was the right thing to do for Sydney and so forth, rather than getting cut, well that is a different set of circumstances. He is a very good coach and I am not quite sure what you have to do in regards to coaching. It is a very difficult job and I think it will be interesting to see who replaces him. He is a very experienced coach who got to a Grand Final. He is probably having a bit of a downer year, so you find out generally in these kinds of years how good your club is. We all know in football that Rodney Eade is a good coach.
Q. Do you think someone from the AFL Coach's Association needs to step in and offer Eade advice?
A. Well I hope so - I know on the odd occasion I have spoken to other coaches off my own bat. At one stage I remember Damien Drum was having a bad patch losing games and I lost five of my first six - so you do get to know how you feel about being in that situation. It is a close fraternity the coaching fraternity, so it is probably about time we get a little bit closer together to help coaches in the future.
Q. Tony Lockett also retired today - what are you thoughts?
A. Full-forward is a very difficult position to play. We wish him good luck - he is still the greatest full-forward of all time. We asked Paul Salmon to come back and contribute at Essendon because we had a deficiency in the ruck area with only two ruckman. We are perhaps lucky that Salmon is still there and available for us and helped us win three games. In Tony Lockett's case - we just think you are a legend Tony and thanks for being a great part of our great game!
Q. With all the talk of Wayne Carey returning to footy next year - have you discussed the possibility of him playing at Essendon?
A. I think the media will tick off every club in the alphabet, which will give them about 15 or 16 weeks of news. So Brisbane are gone - ""E"" is Essendon. We haven't discussed it at the moment and we won't until late in the year. If anything ever did come up it would be to our senior players and the board. As a selection group and a coaching group we have never even discussed it - not even at board level.
Q. Are you interested?
A. It would be a small might but I would hate to see Carey never play footy again. That would be something I would never like to see the game do to a player who made an error of judgement in his life. You could probably look back at the President of America and you can look back at Prince Charles and you can look at Wayne Carey - I think at some point along the way, people should be forgiven and able to get back on with their lives. Whether he came to Essendon or he didn't - whatever club he goes to - let the family move on.
Q. James Hird and Matthew Lloyd both trained tonight - are either of them a chance to play this weekend?
A. I am pretty sure they won't come into the side this weekend. We need a clearance from the specialist in that area and I am almost concerned about being a coach. You see coaches in other sports being challenged and sued over selection and training drills. I think that is one good thing about the coaches association - we should really sit down and have a good look at what we can and can't do. I know with concussion we can't override the medical fraternity and I don't particular think we should after operations either.
Q. If the specialist turned around and said Hird could play this weekend, would you consider him for selection?
A. Most definitely I would.
Q. Have you spoken to them recently?
A. They haven't told us he is available this weekend. We think it will be the next or the one after. I suppose I can always make another call. If I keep ringing up the specialist every week I will drive him nuts!
