The game – St Kilda 14.7 (91) defeated Geelong 13.7 (85) at Docklands, Rd 14, 2009 Toyota AFL Premiership Season.
The stats – seven kicks, four handballs, six marks, five tackles, two inside 50m and one goal.
What was your pre-match routine after you arrived at the ground?
I try to be relaxed as much as possible. I have a chat with the boys, make sure I get what I need to be taped and have some physio. I try to keep it low-key.
I actually got here to the ground an hour before I had to be because I didn’t realise the game started at the later time (3:10pm). At least I was here early ...
What was the atmosphere like in the rooms before the match?
With the big build-up, you could tell it was a different game to normal. The guys were up for it; even I felt more nervous than normal. I guess it was because it was a really good challenge against a St Kilda side going really well.
We knew it was going to be a tough game – everyone was upbeat and looking forward to the challenge.
Describe your designated role today.
The first quarter I was playing a normal role as a forward, and then Sam Fisher had a lot of the ball in the term. In the second quarter, they tried to send me to him to stop his impact off half-back. When I went to him, the Saints started to play a few games with us, as Fisher tried to go to a few of our other forwards to lose the match-up.
What was your approach towards nullifying Fisher’s influence?
Basically, I tried to stop his rebound because he is such a good user of the ball. They rely on him to set-up their attack off half-back, so my aim was to keep him out of the game, out of the centre corridor and try and hurt him the other way.
How was the intensity out there - did the match have a finals feel about it?
It did. The crowd was so loud, especially in that last quarter. You could barely hear anything it was that loud. It was amazing. It was pretty exciting for everybody.
How did you feel after the Saints kicked the first five goals?
It was a bit of a surprise. We didn’t panic, but it didn’t help us having a start like that. I’m not sure what happened, but we gradually clawed our way back into the contest.
What was the message from Mark Thompson at quarter-time?
He was focused on the last 15 minutes of the quarter and building on that. We didn’t spend any time talking about the first 10 minutes. He was really positive, which was good.
What was running through your mind in the final quarter, with the Saints kicking away and then the Cats clawing their way back?
They played really well in the first half, but in the second half it felt like we had the momentum. The crowd was amazing; it was that loud. One time we had a free kick in the forward 50m in the last quarter and the umpires called advantage, but we didn’t even know it was a free kick. We could not hear a thing.
I keep thinking about that play in the forward pocket. We should have stopped, but I saw the ball and kept going. I didn’t hear a whistle or anything.
It was disappointing to lose – we have some areas to work on.
Such as?
We have to get better and improve in all of our areas because St Kilda showed they are a better team than us at the moment.
On numerous occasions you threw yourself at the man and the ball in the forward 50m to lock the ball in. What’s running through your mind in those circumstances?
I think it’s a bit of instinct. Once my adrenalin gets pumping, I don’t black out, but I just go into instinct mode and go for it. Sometimes it can hurt you, but it’s just in my blood.
What are your feelings now?
Obviously I hate losing, but at the same time we see it as a challenge now. We have to get better. As good as we have been over the last couple of years, we are not the best team at the moment.
How did you rate your own game?
I was a bit up and down. There were a few times I didn’t make the most of my chances. There were things I was happy with, such as my forward-line pressure and nullifying the influence of Fisher across half-back. But there are definitely some things I can improve on.
