The game: Hawthorn 18.13 (121) d Collingwood 10.11 (76) at the MCG, Rd 16, 2009 Toyota AFL Premiership Season
The stats: 18 kicks, 16 handballs, six tackles, five clearances and three goals
What did you do during the day to relax the nerves?
I went out and actually did a bit of gardening for a couple of hours, then I relaxed on the couch and played at home with my son.
With the recent focus on finals aspirations, what was the atmosphere like in the rooms before the match?
We haven’t thought about the finals much. We knew Collingwood had been in outstanding form and we knew if we could continue on the teamwork from last week, we were going to be a chance. We knew if we got in there and won the hard ball then anything was possible.
Can you describe your role today?
It was a little bit in-and-under in the middle. Try to win the contested ball while at the same time try to get a bit of outside football as well.
How did you deal with the constant revolving door of direct opponents?
I guess in the midfield you have many opponents. One moment it’s O’Bree, then it’s Swan and other times you find yourself standing next to a guy like Pendlebury. You just have to try and change up with your teammates as much as possible to make sure your opponents don’t get any easy kicks.
What were you thinking in the third-quarter, when the Hawks kicked seven goals and kept the Pies to two behinds?
I just thought we ran the ball pretty hard and played as a team. We know we are capable of playing good footy if we use each other, run hard and break the lines. It was probably an entertaining quarter for people watching because we moved the ball so well.
What did Alastair Clarkson say to you at the half-time break?
Take a few risks and make sure we backed ourselves with our kicking and try and break the lines.
It must have been great to have the best seat in the house as Lance Franklin kicked those five spectacular goals.
If we move the ball as fast as we did tonight it gives Buddy a one-on-one chance down forward. He is a very hard man to stop when he is in the form he showed tonight.
How did you rate your game from a personal perspective?
I thought my performance was a bit more consistent than what it has been over the season so far. I guess my ability to win the in-and-under ball was more than it had been in the past. It was also good to push down and sneak a few goals.
The views in this article are those of the author and not necessarily those of the clubs or the AFL.
