The game – Geelong 20.14 (134) d Essendon 11.4 (70) at Docklands, Rd 10, 2009 Toyota AFL Premiership Season
The stats – 15 kicks, 22 handballs, seven marks, three tackles, eight clearances and two goals
What did you do this morning?
I actually had the house to myself this morning because my housemates went back home to Bendigo. I slept in a bit and woke up at 9am. Then I just read the papers and started getting ready.
What was your goal today from a team and personal perspective?
As a team, we wanted to start each quarter well and bar the last quarter, we did that. Personally, I wanted to lay a few more tackles than I had in previous weeks.
Can you describe the role you were designated?
It was a bit different today. I was going to play on Jobe Watson early, but then it ended up that Brent Stanton would run with Gary Ablett. It got a little bit mixed up and didn’t work out our way. But in the end, it worked in our favour because we were kicking lots of goals, so we stuck with it.
You must have been thrilled with your first kick for the game – the opening goal to the Cats.
It did help. It certainly got the ball rolling.
What did Mark Thompson say at half time?
Basically he wanted us to keep playing the same way we did in the first half. We wanted to attack the footy, get it down to our forwards quickly and let them finish off the job, which they did. It worked out really well.
Can you talk us through your second goal in the third quarter?
I wasn’t even supposed to be at the stoppage. I saw a bit of space open up and I took it off the pack. Even though I’m not blessed with leg speed, I somehow got away from there. I always wanted to hand it off because I wasn’t confident from that angle. But in the end, I squeezed it through.
How are you and Max Rooke feeling after you clashed heads in the third quarter?
Yeah, I think I came off a little bit better than Maxy. I saw him lying on the ground for a while. He might be still a bit crook at the moment.
You had a massive 37 possessions. Did you realise how well you were actually going out there?
Not really. I just kept doing my role for the side, trying to beat my opponents one-on-one and filling in those gaps. You have those days where it works out really well and the ball bounces your way, then you have the opposite days where it’s running away from you. You take the days when the ball is coming to you.
How is the confidence within the group, especially after watching the likes of Steve Johnson and Ablett running amok?
You are always confident you are going to win. You want to win and there is a will to win within the group. You go out and set little goals throughout the game that you want to achieve. I think we achieved those goals pretty well today.
What are your plans for after the match and recovery tomorrow?
Tonight I’ll jump in the ice bath and get the body cooled down. Tomorrow I might have a little run and then head to the pool for a swimming session.
