AFL 2015: Hear from the coaches after Saturday’s Round 15 matches

ESSENDON, Western Bulldogs, North Melbourne and West Coast registered Round 15 wins on Saturday. See what the coaches had to say

Essendon v Melbourne Joe Daniher goal 3rd term Picture:Wayne Ludbey

ESSENDON has put a horror week behind them with a stirring win over Melbourne at the MCG.

Below is what the coaches had to say about the game.

ESSENDON 69 def MELBOURNE 60

ESSENDON coach James Hird has predicted Joe Daniher will be the best set-shot for goal in the AFL within 18 months after the young forward booted his team to a nine-point victory over Melbourne yesterday.

Hird said Daniher, who kicked 5.0, including the match-sealer in the final term, worked exceptionally hard on his goalkicking with former great Matthew Lloyd, and that he was starting to get rewards for his efforts.

Having been jittery with his set-shots in recent weeks, Daniher was outstanding yesterday, without a blemish, in stark contrast to a wasteful Melbourne side that scored 7.18 (60) to Essendon’s 10.9 (69).

“Joey was terrific ... (he) will have weeks when he will kick straight and weeks when he will kick poorly, probably over the next 18 months,” Hird said.

“But he is working so hard on his goalkicking. We all want him to kick 5.0 instead of one goal five, or 0.5.

“We know he can mark and we know he can compete. The difference between him being a good AFL player and an excellent AFL player is going to be his goalkicking. He is committed to doing that, and he and Lloydy and (assistant coach) Nathan Bassett are putting a lot of work into it.

“I am confident in 18 months he will be the best set-shot in the competition because he works so hard on his game.”

Hird and the Bombers were breathing a sigh of relief after ending a drought that stretched back to late May, having not won a game since defeating the Brisbane Lions in Round 8.

It came less than a week after a 110-point loss to St Kilda that put the club and the coach under intense pressure, but Hird said yesterday was just a small step in the right direction for his group.

“Everyone put their hands up and said this is unacceptable,” Hird said of an early week honesty session following last week’s thrashing by the Saints.

He would not reveal the details of the players/coaching meeting, saying it was too private, but admitted the group owned up to their feelings about the forthcoming appeal from WADA to the Court of Sports Arbitration.

“The guys have gone through a lot with WADA and ASADA, but we have to perform on the football field and we have to perform on the training track,” he said.

“We cleared the air a little bit but then recommitted to performing.”

Hird said he was delighted yesterday’s team had 12 players who had played under 40 games, and he said it was a good thing going forward, though not carried away with the result.

“Melbourne are not travelling great; we are not travelling great,” he said. “We didn’t the best team in the competition, and we are not shooting for premiership glory this year.

“Picking 12 guys under 40 games to go and play a game of AFL football is a little bit dangerous, I suppose. But one of the things that Kevin Sheedy taught me as a player and I talk to him a lot about coaching is that you shouldn’t be afraid to play young players. When you get an opportunity, give them a go, because they are not afraid to just get out and play.”

- Glenn McFarlane

MELBOURNE coach Paul Roos will consider using defender Tom McDonald in attack in the future after the ploy almost delivered the Demons victory at the MCG on Saturday.

The Demons forwards struggled and a 7.18 scorecard cost the club in its nine-point loss to Essendon.

McDonald was moved forward at three-quarter-time with the Demons down by 24 points.

He made an immediate impact as Melbourne got within two points 17 minutes into the final term, but again inaccuracy hurt with McDonald kicking 1.2 with one out on the full.

“He did make a contest,” Roos said.

“I think today was pretty simple. When we did get a contest we did well, when we didn’t we either missed goals or the ball came out.

“Still one of the biggest stats is goal kicking isn’t it?

“If you kick I think 7.18 it makes it really hard.”

Roos said he didn’t contemplate making the McDonald move earlier in the match.

“It was probably one of those things, we thought we were getting the ball in there we just weren’t able to compete,” he said.

“It was a bit at three-quarter time ‘nothing to lose, change the mix a bit’. But it certainly gives food for thought moving forward.”

Jeremy Howe could come under the scrutiny of the match review panel after his tackle on returning Bomber Alex Browne resulted in the nine-gamer being subbed out of the game after a concussion test.

While Essendon coach James Hird said he didn’t see the incident, Browne is unlikely to play next week.

“Whether he plays next week will be an issue for he and the doctor,” Hird said.

“I’d be hesitant to play a player if he got knocked out of concussed, if that’s what happened, next week because I don’t think people perform that well. I think they probably need at least 10 to 14 days to get over something like that.”

Roos said goal kicking practice would be on the agenda this week.

“It is hard because teams go through it,” he said.

“Some weeks it appears to work well as it did against Geelong, other weeks it falls apart.

“Really it’s just got to come down to practice … and executing under pressure and also being in that position too.

“Probably when you haven’t won a lot over the last 18 months, maybe the pressure mounts a little bit more as a team that’s won a bit more. It’s a combination of a lot of things.”

- Eliza Sewell

WESTERN BULLDOGS 95 def GOLD COAST 73

GOLD Coast coach Rodney Eade has freely admitted he was worried about fitness standards at the Suns when he first arrived at the club.

And those concerns came back to haunt Eade and the Suns last night as the Western Bulldogs stormed home in the fourth quarter to claim a stunning 22-point win at Cazalys Stadium in Cairns.

The Suns led by 37 points midway through the third term and by 26 points at the last change but the Doggies kicked 10 goals to two in the fourth quarter to blow the Gold Coast off the park.

The fast-finishing Bulldogs were flat and fumbly in the first two and half quarters but the Suns had no answer to their remarkable onslaught.

The Bulldogs kicked just four goals up to three quarter time but surged to their fourth-straight win to take a step closer to a finals berth.

Eade said the Suns were simply run off their feet.

“A little bit of that, there’s no doubt,’’ Eade said when asked if the loss could be put down to a fitness issue.

“I was surprised at their standards, surprised at their fitness levels a bit at the start of the year. We’ve improved a bit.’’

“You could tell the momentum swing, couldn’t you?

“We were just hanging on. Kicked the first three of the third quarter and thought that was enough buffer but you could just see it in the end. We just really couldn’t cover the ground.

“A few of the younger players started to get really fatigued but they’ve got to be able to dig deep and show some resilience.

“In the end we just got outrun by a side that can really run. They deserved to win.

“We were trying different things to stem the flow…but we just didn’t have any run.’’

The Suns could pay a heavy price for the loss on the injury front.

Charlie Dixon is set to miss a few weeks after aggravating an ankle injury. He was subbed out at quarter-time.

Davis Swallow copped a knock on his knee again while Michael Rischitelli (thigh) and Aaron Hall (groin) were also sore post-match.

But Eade said the walking wounded was “no excuse’’.

“It is a game that we could have, should have won,’’ he said.

“The good sides are able to find a little bit and cover for each other.’’

“We’ve got to learn from it.’’

Eade was happy with the brand of football that handed the Suns a commanding advantage.

Kade Kolodjashnij was the best for the Suns with 30 touches, skipper Gary Ablett also had 30 disposals. Tom Lynch battled hard all night along with Rischitelli, Nick Malceski and Touk Miller.

Liam Picken had 36 touches and nine tackles for the Bulldogs while Jack Macrae had 33 touches and 10 marks. Bontempelli, Matthew Boyd and skipper Bob Murphy were also influential.

Jack Redpath booted three goals for the Doggies

Bulldogs coach Luke Beveridge was full of praise for his troops.

“It was an interesting night,’’ he said.

“Out of a really ordinary opening, we turned it into a pretty significant night for the football club and for our team.

“For our players to continue to come on in that last quarter and do what we did was obviously outstanding.

“There was a lot of things that weren’t going right in this game so for our players to stay in a positive mindset and persist like they did, it’s obviously a very impressive win.’’

Koby Stevens was subbed out of the game in the second term and taken to hospital where scans revealed he suffered a bruised lung.

- Greg Davis

WESTERN Bulldogs coach Luke Beveridge says the remarkable 22-point comeback victory over the Gold Coast in Cairns was a “pretty significant night for the football club and for our team.’’

The Doggies looked shot to pieces midway through the third term at Cazalys Stadium last night when they trailed by 37 points.

But they stormed home with 10 goals to two in the fourth quarter to claim their fourth-straight win and a 9-5 record that suggests a finals berth is well and truly in the offing.

The Suns simply had no answer to the onslaught.

The Bulldogs had kicked just four goals up to three quarter time but everything clicked after the last change and they blew the Gold Coast away.

Beveridge was full of praise for his troops.

“It was an interesting night,’’ he said.

“Out of a really ordinary opening, we turned it into a pretty significant night for the football club and for our team.

“For our players to continue to come on in that last quarter and do what we did was obviously outstanding.

“There was a lot of things that weren’t going right in this game so for our players to stay in a positive mindset and persist like they did, it’s obviously a very impressive win.’’

Koby Stevens was subbed out of the game in the second term and taken to hospital where scans revealed he suffered a bruised lung.

Liam Picken had 36 touches and nine tackles for the Bulldogs while Jack Macrae had 33 touches and 10 marks. Marcus Bontempelli, Matthew Boyd and skipper Bob Murphy were also highly influential.

Jack Redpath booted three goals for the Doggies who dominated a large chunk of the third term but could only cash-in with one goal to Luke Dahlhaus.

“We were good in the second half. We didn’t capitalise on our third quarter though, and I was just worried at three-quarter-time we’d used up all our ammunition,’’ he said.

“It was really frustrating.

“It really felt like we were using up our tickets and we weren’t going to get the reward for our intent and energy.

“As the quarter ticks by you become a little bit more concerned and frustrated trying to stay positive because we knew things had turned our way.

“For them to come and do what we did in the last quarter is a real credit to our players.’’

Beveridge said the fumbly and flat first half would ensure nobody at the Bulldogs was getting carried away.

“I just felt like Gold Coast’s pressure around the ball and their midfield had got on top early,’’ he said.

“Our backline was a bit disjointed and the cohesion that’s been there all year just wasn’t quite there.

“We were out of kilter across our lines and we needed to make some changes.

“Gold Coast was good but we needed to make sure we stayed in the moment, stayed in the game, stayed positive and to our players credit... some of them adjusted to new roles and did extraordinarily well.’’

- Greg Davis

NORTH MELBOURNE 120 def GEELONG 79

GEELONG coach Chris Scott is steadfast in his belief that skipper Joel Selwood will not have a case to answer for his arm-pulling tackle on North Melbourne’s Sam Wright.

Late in the second quarter, Selwood pulled back the right arm of a prone Wright, prompting several North players to remonstrate.

“I had a look at it at the time,’’ Scott said. “The TV were replaying it regularly and the answer is ‘no, I don’t think he’ll have a problem with it, at all’.

“He pinned an arm in the tackle, it happens all the time. In fact the players are coached to do that. That was a very minor incident.

“I think most people that watch a bit of footy would acknowledge that pinning one arm in the tackle is good technique, because the way the game is adjudicated now, if you pin one arm – unless the player can kick it – the umpires are paying the free kick.’’

Scott said he was not interested in looking at the season in the context of ladder position, rather he was more intent on making sure the Cats constantly improved.

“The last couple of (matches) for us have been really disappointing, so that’s the important part for us to turn around rather than lamenting theopportunity to move up into the eight with eight games to go,’’ Scott said.

He took some encouragement from the match, but felt “we defended (as a team) tonight as poorly as I can remember’’.

“We had a few good players tonight, which sounds like a strange thing to say when you lose by 40 points. Some individuals coming back, some young players looked OK, so there were some positives to draw on and we’ll focus on them as much as we can.

“But overall it was a poor performance and we’re not going to run away from that. We had way too many players who were down.’’

He said North scored too many easy goals whereas Geelong was hurt by its failure to convert its opportunities.

While at pains to point out that it was in no way the reason for the loss, Scott said he had an issue with a disallowed Andrew Mackie goal when the Cats were rallying in the third quarter.

Mackie’s snap was marked by North defender Robbie Tarrant as he crossed the goal line. Goal Umpire Chelsea Roffey believed the mark was in play and a video replay proved inconclusive.

“It looked like goal,’’ Scott said. “Now I’m happy to be proven wrong and I understand that the way the rules are unless it can be categorically proven that there’s a mistake they go with the umpire’s call.

“I thought the umpire had a poor view and I thought it was a goal.’’

He also said he regarded the 20-day break between as more positive than negative.

- Warwick Green

NORTH Melbourne coach Brad Scott was pleased with his side’s performance against Geelong.

Returning from a four-week forced break following surgery on his back, Scott made a statement pre-game naming Brent Harvey as the substitute.

“Boomer, probably by his own admission, probably hasn’t performed the role that we’ve asked him to play on a few occasions this year,” Scott said.

“We had a pretty honest and frank conversation ... and while being the sub wasn’t a punishment, he needed to know that if he’s not going to listen to my words then he might listen to my actions.”

But it mattered little to the ability of he and his side to get the job done, as a seven-goal to one second term set up North’s seventh victory of the season.

Scott said the experience of standing while coaching from the box was a “weird” one.

“I was a bit nervous tonight ... the few weeks away, I was really jittery,” he said.

“I felt all right during the game, but you come in after the game and everyone’s slapping you on the back and it makes you feel terrible.

“So a loss might be better for the back, but a win is better for the mentality.”

- Matt Windley

WEST COAST 147 def ADELAIDE 91

INTERIM Crows coach Scott Camporeale emerged from an emotionally charged Adelaide changeroom at Subiaco Oval last night to declare: “I could not be prouder.”

But the reality of how raw the pain is with the Crows players – seen on national television by the tears of lead ruckman Sam Jacobs after the 56-point loss to West Coast in Perth – also tells of the massive job Camporeale and his team face in the aftermath of senior coach Phil Walsh’s death.

“That is the million-dollar question,” Camporeale said. “We have 45 guys who have had different relationships with Phil. They have different emotions. And we have strong support mechanisms (for the players).

“But I can’t tell you how much time we will need to move on ….”

West Coast coach Adam Simpson praised the Crows for being “first class” in the way they played their first game since losing Walsh. Brownlow Medallist and Eagles midfielder Matt Priddis described the Crows as “very spirited” in their approach to a game that clearly tested more than their football prowess.

Adelaide, after a spirited fightback in the first quarter, was beaten by West Coast’s eight-goal second term. Camporeale opted to remain in the “football mode” in his half-time address when players, as key defender Daniel Talia noted, had their “minds wander”.

“We had a ‘man conversation” at half-time,” said Camporeale referring to a Walsh expression. “And it was simple – it was about getting our hands on the ball.”

The strain on the Crows was obvious at the end of the game – when Adelaide’s win-loss column was left at 7-6 ahead of Sunday’s Showdown with Port Adelaide at Adelaide Oval. At the start, Camporeale sensed his players were ready to compete against an AFL pacesetter.

“I could not be prouder of them for their preparation – and they did play some good footy in patches,” Camporeale said. “We have now gone through some firsts – first training session, first pre-match, first game. We have gone through a lot.

“The players were keen to get out there. And I could not be prouder of them.”

- Michelangelo Rucci

Originally published as AFL 2015: Hear from the coaches after Saturday’s Round 15 matches