Q. Heading into half-time you would have had a bit of confidence after the way you played in the second quarter?
A. That was the feeling at half-time. We were obviously pretty confident - we played well in the second quarter and our mid-field and forwards were good. We went into half-time with enormous confidence and weren't expecting to perform like we did in the second half.
Q. Sydney are a good side - how do you rate them?
A. They are a good side. They are well drilled and they are pretty even across the board. I saw them after the game with their arms around each other. Sometimes you see that and it is a bit fake but they are a very, very close team. I think Paul Roos has a lot to do with that - they are obviously enjoying their football and they seem like a close bunch.
Q. Without making excuses we still do have a number of quality players out and Sydney seem to have their best players on the park at the moment. Whilst that is happening they are going to be hard to beat at no matter where they play?
A. I suppose they have most of their players available but you can't make excuses. When you are missing a couple of your better players it doesn't help but I think the week before we were able to cover it pretty well. If we did it one week there is no reason why we can't do it the following week.
Q. Whilst we are going through this stage of introducing young blood because of the injuries - are we going to have to put up with this inconsistency problem?
A. It is frustrating not being able to put a few wins together in a row. I think the young guys that have come into the side have done tremendously well. I don't think they should shoulder the blame at all. They have put up their hand and been very, very good for us. I guess it is guys like myself and some of the senior players that have to lead the way and be consistent week in week out. If we aren't doing it you can't expect the younger guys to be playing well week in week out as well.
Q. Personally, were you pleased with your performance?
A. Pretty average. I played on O'Loughlin most of the night and although I didn't think he was that damaging, I didn't give the team a lot of drive. That is something I like to do - create a bit of play. It was a fairly defensive game. You set yourself a certain standard and you don't like to drop below a certain level and I thought I dropped below that against Sydney. It is always disappointing but that is what footy is like. You play on some good players and some days you are not going to beat your opponent and you are not going to win every week even though you would like to. You don't make excuses but you just have to persist with the things you are used to doing.
Q. Mark Johnson was clearly our best player for the game - he just continues to give 110%
A. He was fantastic and he has really relished playing in the mid-field. He has given us a lot of drive and he was probably one of the few guys who took the Swans on even in the dying minutes of the second half. He is a confident player and always takes the game up to the opposition. That is what he did against Sydney and he has been tremendous for us.
Q. The nine goal third quarter by the Swans and their mid-field had a lot to do with that. How do you rate the Swans speed?
A. They have some quick players but I think we have as well. When you are winning the ball and getting out and finding space a team is always going to look fairly quick. I don't think they have absolute blistering speed or one of the quickest teams in the competition. If you look at West Coast the week before in terms of pace I think they would match Sydney quite easily but we were actually getting in there and winning the football so it doesn't become a factor.
