While the last three weeks have been terrific, it's so vital that we get over to Perth and put in a really good performance against Fremantle as it is a very dangerous side.
Many parts of our game have contributed to the overall improvement in recent weeks, but one of the main features has been that we are getting back to playing the pressure football that generally typifies our good form.
Young players have stepped into the side and added new dimensions as well as a great deal of enthusiasm, while certain senior players have lifted.
This week is a big challenge against a very hard running, daring side, and we really need to pay them the full respect as they have pushed a lot of teams this year to the final minutes in games. We need to win to have a chance of top four finish and hopefully a double chance, but also go into September with winning momentum and confidence.
When we travel it is a great chance to see the boys in a bit of a different light and we have a lot of fun as a group. We enjoy the challenge of the home crowds really getting stuck into us, and I think the interstate experience often brings out the best in our group, which our good recent interstate record shows.
As a team we are known widely to have a very even side with no real superstar, and over the past weeks we have demonstrated a real evenness and preparedness to work for one another.
It is paying off and we are getting a great contribution across the board, with every player really accepting the challenge to pressure and do whatever we have to do to get the four points.
John McCarthy and Chris Dawes have been super for the team coming in and playing with so much confidence that is really encouraging, and they will no doubt be long term players of the footy club. Their performances thus far show that they are not afraid to take the game on and have a crack.
With Johnny I have found he is such a good user of the footy and very hard it when it's his time to go. He is defensively very smart and always reduces his opponent's output.
Big Dawesy is just a flat out competitor. He loves to bang and crash but is also has class and is usually a good decision maker. Those features of his game will only continue to improve the more he plays senior footy, and while he is yet to kick a big bag of goals it's only a matter of time with the amount of pressure he applies and the work rate he has.
Leon Davis, Dane Swan, Josh Fraser and Shane O'Bree have been fantastic over the last three weeks with their leadership and performance. I think a big part of leadership is what you display on the ground as those four blokes have really lifted another level and that's been central to our improvement, while Nick Maxwell, Tarkyn Lockyer and the captain Scott Burns always set the perfect example for the rest of the group and continue to lead the way.
There are exciting times ahead, and while it wasn't looking good a month or so ago, the boys have really turned things around, and a polished performance in against the Dockers on Friday night will give us the ideal platform with which to launch our finals campaign.
