In a game where Carlton’s inaccuracy in front of goal cost it dearly, Ryan Houlihan’s superb first quarter snap displayed the composure and accuracy that has been lacking in the Blues’ forward line over recent weeks. Mike and Dan spoke to the classy veteran about his return from injury, and how Carlton can bounce back from a disappointing fortnight in Sunday’s game against the Western Bulldogs.

Ryan well done on your brilliant left foot snap against Sydney. Can you talk us through the goal?

Firstly, the Mike and Dan Play of the Week is right up there in footy awards! With the goal I remember there was a stoppage on the wing, and I think I had come off the bench and hadn’t been on for too long. The ball got kicked from stoppage and Fev was in a contest. I got front and square and kicked it through with a left foot snap.

It might even have been my first touch. I had a couple of Swans bearing down on me, but the pockets are quite tight on the SCG so the goal was actually a bit easier than it looked!

Do the coaching staff back you to kick goals like that one? Are you allowed to have a crack on occasion and not just play the percentages?

I remember having a look inside before I grabbed the ball, but wasn’t anyone there, so I decided to have a shot myself. I guess when you play Half Forward, you don’t get many shots so when you get the chance you have to kick them.

I don’t get license from the club to kick goals from the boundary, but if you kick them the club doesn’t tell you it is the wrong thing to do. If it doesn’t come off it might be a different story!

We have had 2 disappointing games where we missed many opportunities. What happened in the second quarter on Saturday?

I just remember it was the first quarter where we were missing the goals, and then the second quarter was the same. The same thing has happened in the last two weeks where we haven’t converted early and it has cost us late in the game.

In the next couple of weeks we’ll need to put our early shots put through, otherwise it sucks the whole energy out of the team when you are working hard but missing the goals. We need to hit other teams early and put some more pressure on them.

You missed most of last year through injury. How would you say the 2009 Houlihan differs from the 2007 Houlihan?

The 2009 Houlihan is not a sore as he was, wakes up a lot better after games, seems to have his agility back and is not playing in as much pain! I had osteitis pubis for 3 or 4 years, but now it is all gone and there isn’t any pain.

I missed a lot of footy last year, and of course being out for so long you blow up in games when you are getting your fitness back. I’ve done a full pre season this year and am match-fit.

With your absence last year you are getting to know the playing styles of Grigg, Kreuzer, Joseph, Jacobs, and Armfield with whom you wouldn't have played much footy. How difficult is it to pick up the individual characteristics of other people's games?

I watched a lot of the boys from the sidelines for a while and then trained with them, and I also played a lot with Grigga the year before. You learn about their game styles at training and get a feel for how they play it.

I watched a lot of Carlton games last year and really noted how different the game style is under Ratts compared to Dennis Pagan, and learned a lot from it.

Tell us about your year this year. You started with 29 touches against the Tigers, but had around 10 on the weekend against Sydney. Was it a special role against the Swans or just a hard get to find the ball?

It was just the way Sydney play, and they really starve you of space and the ball. There was just no space on the Half Forward Flank at the SCG so my possessions got cut in half. I just couldn’t get my hands on the ball. I’ve never played well there, and I prefer being back at Docklands where there is more space to work in.

Fev nominated you as the player he'd most like to receive the ball from. Was that a suck job to get you to pass to him, or are the 2 veterans in the team sticking together?

*laughs* He always likes me kicking it to him and he has said it a few times. It is a nice compliment to get. We have played for so long together so there is a bit of chemistry there and I know where he is going to lead.

What is the focus of the fitness program at the moment? Are the coaching staff aiming for peak fitness towards the end of the season rather than right now?

I think last year we ran over the top of teams towards the end of the season which showed that we were a really fit side. I think this year we want to hit peak fitness at the start of the year and maintain it.

I am not sure if there will be a change at the half way mark of the season from the fitness staff at the club, but we are a very fit group, as shown by us running over teams in the last quarter in interstate games at the end of 2008.

What are your brothers (and former AFL footballers) Damian, Josh and Adam doing these days? Do you have the upper hand in family reunions because you're statistically the best Houlihan AFL player?

Damien has a family now, Adam has his own business, whilst Josh is personal trainer and builder. We actually don’t talk about footy when we get together. Our football careers have never been an issue – I’ve never compared stats with them and never will.

We haven't played a team expected to go top 4 yet. Are the players still confident going into the game against the Western Bulldogs who are expected to finish in the top bracket?

Yeah we are still confident as we should have won our last 2 games except for our inaccuracy, and we haven’t been doing too much wrong other than that. We just need to tweak our game a bit and we will be competitive against them.

We beat them last year and we do match up well against them. If we can beat them, it will give us more confidence for the next few games.

Setanta O’hAilpin is running around with blonde hair at the moment. Has that been inspired by you?

He did have the blonde in but it is back to black now. We have a thing here at the club where we have to roll the dice, and a few of the boys have gone blonde as a result. It wasn’t inspired by me, or at least I hope it wasn’t!

Anything interesting that the supporters might not know about some of your team mates?

Not sure if many of the supporters know this, but Jordan Bannister is a real metrosexual. He does spend a lot of time in front of the mirror, and thinks he is a hit with the ladies. He has a lot of these kinds of tendencies but despite this he is a good bloke, just a bit strange!

After an injury-plagued 2008 season which limited him to 5 senior games, Ryan Houlihan’s return is a welcome addition to a side brimming with talented but inexperienced youngsters. In an era where a premium is put on accurate kicking to counter rolling zones and other strategies, Houlihan’s pinpoint disposal and composure with the ball are highly valued skills which should see him quickly re-establish himself as a permanent fixture in the Blues team.