Q. Will Fletcher, Hird and Lloyd all play?
A. At this stage I think two might get up maybe three. It has been a week to week thing with these players. Hird was actually going to miss with another injury when he actually got hurt with his vein injury. At least it has helped him overcome another injury he had.
Q. Is there a reason Hird isn't training this afternoon?
A. I gave him a night off. I think he will get up for Sunday's match. I think he would be 95%.
Q. Is there a broader concern about Fletcher and Hird continually being on the injury list - are they getting to the end of their football life span considering they have been playing for over 10 years?
A. I have brought that to attention in some areas. I just feel that when you bring them in at 17 and 18 and they play a decade - there is not a hell of a lot of footy left. We have to get a gauge on that every couple of months.
Q. Does there need to be a rethink about how much football guys like Mercuri, Hird, Fletcher and Misiti have left?
A. If you had of said with 15 minutes to go on Friday night we were 15 points down and really clawed our way back into the game and then a silly error and an undisciplined act by one of our players - we might have been able to get another goal and then all of a sudden you are nine points down. Port Power is a very experienced side and probably one of the eldest and most experienced sides in the competition now compared to most. We don't have that experience there in the side and it loads up a lot on the senior group in the team. You would have to say without Ramanauskas, Hird, Lloyd and Fletcher in the side it puts an enormous amount of pressure on Mark Mercuri, Joe Misiti, Steve Alessio and Sean Wellman.
Q. How did Mark Mercuri recover from the knock he got?
A. He will train tonight and I am pretty sure he will play. The doctor thought he would early on the weekend, but things happen so we will have to wait and see.
Q. What is the update with Adam Ramanauskas - he seems to be still four weeks away?
A. I would say he will be playing in two weeks time. He has told me that he will be right in two weeks.
Q. Why has it taken so long for him to return?
A. He had major surgery and the most important is his health it is not worrying when he is going to come back.
Q. Has it gone not quite as well as thought?
A. No, I just think it is a bigger operation than most people would have known. He has to get strong again. Playing AFL is an elite sport - there is tackling - it is not living the normal day in the street, these guys need to be physical.
Q. Shane Harvey played well for the Bendigo Bombers yesterday?
A. I went up to Ballarat yesterday - we didn't play all that well but Harvey was okay. We had one or two players that will probably be considered for selection.
Q. Will Jobe Watson be considered?
A. No - Jobe is not ready yet.
Q. How is Aaron Henneman progressing?
A. Henneman comes back this week for the first time in about a year. That is a bonus for us because it gives us the opportunity to release players in other positions. He won't play seniors this weekend though.
Q. What is your view on the interstate teams dominating the competition at the moment?
A. It is exciting for football in terms of it being a national game. It has taken probably about a decade and a half. I suppose a lot of planning has gone into it. Six in the top eight is very imposing.
Q. Is it something that goes in cycles?
A. I think you look at some of the West Coast players that are playing good footy at the moment. We are going through a change period where we probably have nine guys that wouldn't have played 40 games. West Coast and Fremantle have done the hard yards over the last couple of years.
