Q. Will you make many changes?
A. We will probably make a couple of changes. I didn't think we played that well last week - we had an opportunity to be ahead at half-time by more than what we were - which was disappointing. But I felt when the game was there to be won or lost, I felt that the Essendon players played good, hard, sensible, smart footy. There was the window of opportunity that has given us that positive feeling that you need when you are coming up to play a side like Brisbane. I think most people in football know that we have talent that could perform better and it might be this game that gives us that opportunity.
Q. What have you said to those guys that you know can perform better this week?
A. I am not an over critical coach. But I think in general, you have to give them confidence and get them to work hard on the training track and I don't think they are that far away. Many people criticised us for our loss in Western Australia but I thought we actually performed with a fair bit of credit over there. We have just seen a team go over there and get defeated by 12-goals - we got beaten by five goals. I just think people think that Essendon should always be up in the top four and I think Bomber fans feel that too, but sometimes it is very hard to stay there for five years in succession - I can assure you.
Q. Are you saying that because you think it will be difficult for the side to make the finals?
A. We are seventh now and the situation is that we have five matches to nail that position, so the ball is in our court. I would be in the position we are, rather than the teams outside the eight.
Q. What is James Hird's status at the moment and do you think that a knock like that might help him in the longer run?
A. He will play and probably so - not that you wish that on your player but you are going to get knocks in footy, that is the nature of the game. I think in many ways it will give him confidence that he can take any knock from anybody in the game. He actually didn't hurt where he had the operation, it was basically a concussion in the end.
Q. What about Dustin Fletcher?
A. He will give us a definite lift. Dustin said he actually hadn't lost 3kgs. I was pleased to hear that but then I immediately asked him afterwards - ""what weight were you when you first started?"" He said - I was 74kgs. He is about 90kg now, so even if he had lost 3kgs it wouldn't matter because he started his whole career at 74kgs - which is quite amazing performance from a skinny young boy at that stage.
Q. It is a must win game - if you do lose, is that the end of the season for you?
A. I wouldn't think so - we have four matches and we are quite capable of winning them and that gives us an opportunity to be in there with 12 and a half wins. We will try and chase every win possible. This is probably the first time Brisbane has had to come to Melbourne two weeks in a row. They have been in Melbourne three of the past four weeks. Don't forget they have to get past us yet.
