ON THE back of a 19-point victory against the Bulldogs, Senior Coach Mathew Buck was pleased with the contest and connection that his side showed at Whitten Oval.
Celebrating the individual performances as well as the team performance, Buck had lots of praise to share in his post-match press conference.
Here's what he had to say.
On the Bulldogs and the game as a whole:
"They had a pretty tough start to the season but we focused on us all year and we continue to do that this game. Contest is what we went after again, that’s where we put our eggs at the moment and really proud of the team tonight, they were strong in that area."
On the inside 50s:
"We want to play a front half game and we did. It would be nice to cash in a bit more on those but we’ve got plenty to work on as well. A front-half game with high pressure sounds pretty good."
On Mua Laloifi:
"She got a hit late in the third, it was a little bit sore but she played out the game so we’ll get that assessed and see where that ends up, but we’re pretty confident that she’s fine."
On the ruck duo of Brea Moody and Jess Good:
"Yeah, the 'Good Mood'. "Jess Good I think is a great ruck, and she showed that tonight. [Alice] Edmonds is a terrific ruck in her own right as well, so it was always going to be a great contest.
"Jess is a real pro, she does her research during the week and hones her craft really well with Aastar, our ruck coach. It was a credit to Jess and the way she went about it. At the moment, she’s complimented when Moods comes into the ruck, which is a great weapon to have in our arsenal. It’s kind of scary when Moods is ruck No.2, but that’s the way it is now because Jess has been so good."
On Abbie Mckay:
"She's a clearance animal, she’s really good in tight and terrific with her hands. I thought we had some really great hands early on in the game and got the ball onto the outside, which looked promising from there, and that’s usually on the back of 'Abs'.
"She can sneak some good games on you when you look back, we’re really proud of Abs and the way she’s going about her footy at the moment."
On having eight individual goal kickers:
"I’m happy if one kicks eight but it was great. The mids hit the board today and Daisy Walker kicked her first goal, Lily Goss kicked a goal, Abbie went forward and got one, it's just to play your role and take your turn when it's there.
"[Darcy] Vescio is happy to kick a goal if they can, but they’ll equally celebrate if Lily Goss kicks one, so we’re more about the team and whoever kicks them, kicks them. I think it’s important that the mids hit the board as well, that’s been a bit of a focus on our pre-season and it was pleasing to see it tonight."
On Jess Dal Pos and Mimi Hill in the absence of Kerryn Peterson:
"They’re a great paring, Jess with her experience and Mimi as the up-and-coming leader. They bounce off each other really well and they lead our group really well which is great.
"That happens if 'Kez' is there or if 'Kez' isn’t there, but I thought Jess Dal Pos really stood up for us tonight and she has great relationships within our group and probably lifts the likes of Keeley Skepper as well. I’m proud of both of those girls for the way they go about their leadership and their football."
On Gab Pound:
"Gab is coming into form now, which is terrific. That gives us a really good bounce off half back and has a penetrating kick. I think the way we want to play suits Gab’s style and I thought we saw that tonight."
On Kerryn Peterson:
"Kez we’ll assess during the week. We’ve got a longer break now so we’re hopeful for Collingwood but we’ll have to wait and see."
