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CTV > Mick Malthouse's post-match press conference CTV > Post-match interview with Nathan Brown CTV > The boys sing the song in the Winners' CircleIT MAY have been scratchy as a spectacle at times, but Mick Malthouse was delighted with the way his youthful Collingwood side overran a more-experienced Fremantle unit at the MCG in Saturday’s season opener.
“They’re a good football side, that’s why I’m very happy that we got over the line and played good football to beat them in round one with a bit of heat in front of the first [big] crowd we’ve had for the year,” Malthouse said after the Pies turned a six-point lead at the final change into a 26-point victory.
“The bonus out of this is that we were able to steady at the right time, block off at the right time and, generally speaking, do the right thing and understand that it is round one when a lot of mistakes are going to be made.
“I thought we were better than what we were at three-quarter time.
“I think we were a goal in front, we mucked up two certainties and in the third quarter and we gave away two certainties [earlier].
“Technically, I would suggest that we were probably a lot better than one goal in front at three-quarter time. The scoreboard doesn’t say that, but that’s how I felt and I thought our players thought that as well.”
David Mundy, who is four months short of his 23rd birthday, was the youngest player in the mature Fremantle team on Saturday, which certainly was no surprise to Malthouse who had done his homework on the Western Australian outfit.
“I know it doesn’t sound much when you say it, but we gave away 63 years of experience today,” he said.
“They are 63 years, collectively, more experienced than us or older than us, then you put down the [match] experience and … it could be anywhere between 50 and 60 games [per player]; that’s highly significant, highly significant.
“For our young players to hold up and actually go away towards the end is fantastic because we’re drawing on youth, we’re drawing on that enthusiasm.
“Now will they last all year? Maybe not. That’s when [Chris] Dawes and [Jack] Anthony and these players will come into their own at the right time.”
First-gamer Nathan Brown was handed the highly undesirable task of manning up Fremantle game-breaker Matthew Pavlich and he won qualified praise from his coach after keeping his man to one goal.
“I still think Pavlich took 10 to 12 marks, but Browny held up and that’s what we want him to do and get as much experience as he can,” Malthouse said.
“He’s [been] trained up to play as a key back so when one retires and another one is injured then he’s already been trained up with 12 months in the system in the VFL as a good grounding.
“If he held his form he was going to come in and he was going to play as a key back.”
Anthony Rocca was the most damaging forward on the day with six goals and drove his side’s last-quarter charge with three late goals.
“The first game is always difficult for big players because they haven’t got the same touch generally,” Malthouse said of his spearhead.
“He mucked up one or two, so perhaps he could have kicked more, but he was handy put it that way; very handy.”
Malthouse would not be drawn on the prognosis for unlucky forward Sean Rusling, who was knocked out of the game after injuring the same shoulder he has previously had reconstructed, saying scans next week would reveal more.
