Q. What was the most disappointing part of losing against the Kangaroos?
A. Naturally losing the four points. We played pretty well Friday night and a lot of people tend to forget that because of the last 10 minutes when we lost the game. That shouldn't destroy the good football we did play up until that 110 minute mark. Some poor decisions and some missed goals cost us dearly at a vital stage. I don't think we should rip the heart out of your team when you are that close. We played two and a half good games over the last three matches and we have only won four points - that is how tough it is this year. It is a very tight year and we just have to keep winning games to keep our season alive.
Q. Do you think you have had the right balance of young and old this season?
A. We have never really had the perfect balance, but that is the situation that happens sometimes. Even bringing Fletcher and Ramanauskas in was terrific but it just didn't get us over the line. It was really pleasing to see our VFL side have a good win against Port yesterday. A lot of the young players played really well together for the first time this year. At least having players back from injury allowed both teams to play well but we didn't get the points in the AFL side.
Q. After the break will you try and push more of the young players up?
A. If their form warrants it. I had a meeting with all the under 22 year players in the club about playing consistency well so they can gain selection and put pressure on the senior squad. They did exactly that on Sunday, which was pleasing from that point of view.
Q. Are you feeling the pressure of the competition being so tight this season?
A. I think all the coaches would be. I was talking to Denis Pagan the other day and we were saying it is probably the hardest year you have ever worked for the least amount of wins. Except for the first four or five teams, say from the Kangaroos up, I think everyone would be feeling that. The way the game is at the moment you are probably four injuries off your best side. All of a sudden you have seen how Brisbane has coped with that. We have nearly had that all year and we are still there with an outside chance.
Q. With Hird coming back after the bye you will nearly have a full list to choose from?
A. That will be the first time we will have that for some time. We have given our senior players a good break because they have been really carrying the side in the absence of Hird, Ramanauskas and Fletcher.
Q. How far below your potential are you playing at the moment?
A. It depends really on what people consider our potential is. We are still trying to find that a bit in many ways. Some weeks we are playing terrific footy. It is really our inconsistency, which is annoying, and I think the players are frustrated with that. I think this two weeks between the games will really give us a good opportunity to sit down and analyse and make a very important commitment for each other.
Q. What do you put that inconsistency down to?
A. Various team changes. Probably in some areas where we have made a lot of structural changes to the side. A lot of people feel that we have been slow in the mid-field for a couple of years. We have made a couple of important decisions to get that right - bringing in Mark Johnson, Rioli, Solomon and young Bullen into that area. These are players that probably haven't played much in the mid-field so they have to get used to being that sort of fit and that sort of footy smart around stoppages. We naturally would have loved to win a couple more games but we haven't. So while we are making these changes to the structure of our side, hopefully we will get the wins on the board as soon as possible.
Q. You find yourself in a position half-way through the season that you are not normally in. How does that change your approach to the second half of the season?
A. Well it doesn't. We are out there against Geelong next game and we have to make sure we try and win the game. We are probably somewhere around that 1998 time where we are going to have to try and get 13 wins. 1998 did put us on a good launching pad for the next three to four years. We are probably in that five year change over period and we have been doing that every five years for the last 25 years - so it is pretty good planning really.
Q. What are your players doing over the bye week?
A. We will rest a few of them. In general it won't be a hard slogging week this week apart from a few of the players. Most of them will be given three to four days off.
