Congratulations Paul for this week’s Play of the Week. Can you talk us through the smother?
I had found myself up in the forward line, and had to run back hard and wanted to make sure I was goalside. I saw Aaron Davey receive a handball and didn’t want to give him an easy exit, and I was able to smother his kick and it went out of bounds to make it a fifty-fifty contest from there.
You did it right in front of the interchange bench - was it just to impress the coaching staff sitting down there? Do these things get highlighted after the game?
*laughs* no it wasn’t just for the coaching staff! We all want to do the team thing and these kinds of things get highlighted during the week. They can help spin the game on its head in close contests and it really gets the boys up and going and is good for momentum.
What impact has the loss of Waite and Jamison had on you in your development in the backline? You have taken a lot more responsibility in their absence.
We have had some really good players come in like Wiggo, Russell and Walker who can all play tall and who have done the job terrifically. T-Bird (Bret Thornton) and I have more support with those players in the team. Anything can happen on the field, injuries happen and we have to do the best we can and hopefully can have a settled line up leading in to the finals.
You love a bit of a run out of the backline. Are you under instructions to do that, or is it something you’ve always done?
A bit of both, it is part of my game and the coaches have really pushed it with us to take a few more risks and to run with the ball but be smart about it. It has really come off lately and a lot of the attacking moves into our forward line start out this way.
Adelaide beat us comfortably earlier in the year. What lessons did we learn that we can use in Saturday’s game?
The number one thing to come out of the game was that if we have too many players behind the ball, when we try to exit there isn’t much to kick to and we get caught out. We have addressed that and will play smarter this time against them.
What impact has your recent re-signing with the club for 2 years made? How much of a difference does it make knowing that you’ll have the same day job for the next couple of years?
I love the club and want to play for the club for the rest of my career. It was exciting to re-sign and know that I will be with the boys for another 2 years and to hopefully play in a successful side.
Not long ago we were sitting at 6 wins, 7 losses and looking like we would be scrapping for a finals place. We’ve since won another 7 games to book our finals spot. What do you put our turnaround in form down to?
It is a combination of a lot of things. Our defensive pressure has really increased and improved, and we have worked on our ability to take game on. We now run more and go through corridor to open the game up. This gives us more attacking options, and more forward 50 entries. As you know if we get it in quickly to the forward line it really helps Fev and others.
You must be excited about playing finals footy. Some of your team mates have been here for many years and this will also be their first campaign at Carlton. What's the mood like?
It is the first final we’ve been in for 8 years or so, and all the boys are looking forward to it. We know that where we finish in the final eight is up to us and we want to put in a good effort to get a home final. Once we get in anything can happen in the finals.
The Essendon v Hawthorn blockbuster starts a couple of hours before our game against Adelaide, and we'll play the winner if we beat Adelaide. Will the boys be keeping an eye on it or will they deliberately give it a wide berth until your game has finished?
Usually we don’t really take much notice of other games when we’re preparing for our own. We will obviously hear score after the game, but during the day we will just concentrate on Adelaide and focus on our plan for that game.
What will happen after the game on Saturday and Sunday? When will the players and coaching staff gather to plan out the week's activities in the lead up to your first final?
We play Saturday and then we will sit down and plan and see what we need to do in the next day or so after that. We’ll plan for who we are going to play, wherever the location will be, and just make sure that we are as well prepared as we can be.
Hadley is a big loss. Who can step up and do the inside work he's been doing in recent weeks?
It was really a disappointment to lose Richard. He has been awesome for us and is aggressive at the ball Grigg and Bentick can play a simlar role and they could come in and do a really good job for us. I’m whoever comes in will do well for the team.
We hear that Aisake O’hAilpin played in the Bullant’s Reserves last week…
That’s right, Aisake is back for a couple of months, and he came back for a run and played with them which was great.
More and more footy players sport a bit of ink on their arms these days. Do you have any plans to add any more?
Not as yet, I am just happy with the one on my arm. I might get another one in the future but will leave it alone for the time being. There are quite a few boys across the league who are getting them done though!
You tend to slip under the radar a bit. Tell us about your life outside of footy. Do you work or are you doing any study?
I am doing a Certificate 3 and 4 of Fitness. I’ve nearly finished Certificate 3 and when I finish my studies I will be able to take clients in Personal Training and have another interest outside of footy.
It is a really interesting field and I am learning a lot from it. It covers all aspects of fitness, training and nutrition and I am enjoying doing it. I’ve learned a lot from the club as well as we have got our own nutritionist, weights coach, and rehab coach and I can also take some of this knowledge and use it with my clients in the future.
Here’s your chance to pay out on some of your team mates. Anyone exfoliating too much, or fancy themselves with the ladies?
I think young Mitch Robinson is a bit loud and doesn’t know when to shut up! Nah, he is a good fellow but needs to calm down a bit sometimes. It has got nothing to do with him being Tasmanian, I think it is just part of his nature!
Paul Bower has taken some big strides since being drafted with pick 20 in the 2005 AFL draft. His speed, agility and endurance have seen him match up well against the likes of Lance Franklin, and his role in the team has become critical since the loss to injury of star defenders Waite and Jamison. The softly spoken Western Australian has so far delivered on his early promise, and he was rewarded with a contract extension that will see him remain a key defender with the club until at least the end of 2011.
Please Note: the views expressed in the above article are solely the opinion of the author and do not reflect the opinions of the Carlton Football Club or those employees of the Club. The Carlton Football Club would like to acknowledge the tireless work of those supporters who contribute to carltonfc.com.au.
