Winning and losing coaches have their say on Round 7 action

BRENDON Bolton isn’t getting carried away after three straight wins and Adam Simpson says he might have to drop Lewis Jetta. See what all the coaches said on Saturday

Carlton coach Brendon Bolton. Picture: AAP

BRENDAN Bolton isn’t getting carried away after Carlton’s third straight win, Nathan Buckley laments Collingwood’s lack of improvement and Chris Scott says the Cats are living up to the pre-season hype.

Read on to see what all the coaches had to say on a Super Saturday of AFL.

CARLTON 99 def COLLINGWOOD 84

HE GOT the sense from his club’s fans that beating Collingwood might mean just that little bit more.

But Carlton coach Brendan Bolton was refusing to get carried away after his side secured a momentous 15-point win against its arch rival at the MCG.

“It’s hard to understand (the rivalry) when you’ve been in the job for six or seven months,” Bolton said.

“I like that our players are singing the song with enthusiasm and gusto, hopefully that grows in time.

“But most of our members should be able to see spirit, unity, application and again another little step.

“We can’t get too high and we can’t get too low, we’re not in a position to do that as a club.

“I did (get the sense of the rivalry) from our supporters coming along to our open training session.

“Internally we’re very process driven, but ‘all the best this week’ was said with a little bit more vigour. So that gives you a sense of it.”

The result snapped a run of six-straight Magpie wins in matches between the two sides.

Brendon Bolton gives Blues fans the thumbs up after defeating Collingwood.

Carlton has now strung together three wins in a row for the first time since midway through 2013.

It plays fellow bottom-10 side Port Adelaide at Etihad Stadium next Sunday as it seeks to win four in a row for the first time since rounds 18-21 of 2011.

“Our expectations are not about win and loss,” Bolton said.

“We’ll take win and loss, but our expectations are about being unified, about creating a learning environment, about having an ‘us’ not ‘me’ mentality both on and off the field.

“We’re making inroads there, but we’ve still got a long, long way to go.”

Although Patrick Cripps (29 possessions) and Sam Docherty (24) were standouts, Bolton paid tribute to his side’s senior stars for the role they played in the win.

Bryce Gibbs was best on ground, while Kade Simpson and Marc Murphy (24 touches and a goal) were also key.

“I think we should acknowledge a few of our leaders,” he said.

“Simpson, 31 touches, some of his moves up through the middle of the ground were a positive on our ball movement.

“Gibbs kicked three goals and had 30 (disposals), Cripps as well.

“So our leaders, by-and-large, are standing up and that’s important for this group. They understand the importance of that as well.”

— Matt Windley

Nathan Buckley searches for inspiration. Picture: Wayne Ludbey

COLLINGWOOD coach Nathan Buckley says his Magpies are making little progress this season after another abysmal loss to last year’s wooden-spoon side Carlton.

Buckley said the players and coaches have had tough conversations in recent weeks but have failed to execute the defensive system — which he believed was similar in design to the top teams — that the coaching staff had laid out.

And the injury-hit Pies’ medical problems have only worsened with Ben Reid (shoulder), Tim Broomhead (ankle) and VFL forward Travis Cloke (back) in doubt for Saturday night’s clash against Brisbane Lions at the Gabba.

Buckley said the club needed its experienced players, such as vice-captain Nathan Brown and Cloke, to improve their output and admitted new midfield recruit James Aish was struggling to make the grade after just another two first-half possessions in the 15-point loss to the Blues.

Buckley said it was fair to question whether the Pies were making ground after slumping below Carlton on the ladder, with only two wins from their first seven games.

“At times it feels like you are not (making progress),” Buckley said.

“At times it feels like you are sort of on the treadmill and treading water a little bit.

“We were pretty banged-up and we had some boys that were pretty sore and that impacts your ability to contribute, and in some ways we would like to be selecting a more experienced 22.

“But once again our inability to hold the ball in our forward line, when we work so hard to get it in there and just the ease with which it came out (was disappointing).”

— Jay Clark

GEELONG 123 def WEST COAST 79

GEELONG coach Chris Scott believes the pre-season hype surrounding his team now has some justification as the Cats brushed aside another flag contender and prepares to take on another one this Friday night.

The Cats, who finished 10th last season, were widely tipped to finish in the top four after an off-season recruiting drive snared several key players, including star midfielder Patrick Dangerfield.

And after easily accounting for last year’s Grand Finalist West Coast at Simonds Stadium, Scott said six wins from the first seven rounds showed some of that confidence may not have been misplaced.

“We’re striving for consistency, but I think it’s not well understood that consistency is hard to get primarily because there’s really good teams in the competition,” Scott said after the 44-point win over the Eagles.

“We’re sure we can improve, but we’ve built a bit of momentum ourselves. At least we’ve got a bit of a platform now, where the optimism we had pre-season seems to be reasonably well founded.”

Scott said Friday night’s clash against Adelaide represented another significant challenge, and not just because it will be Patrick Dangerfield’s much-hyped return to take on his old side at the Adelaide Oval.

“Paddy is a pro and we aspire to be a really professional club,” Scott said. “So we certainly won’t be trying to manage the situation too much because we understand there will be great theatre in his return for the fans in particular and probably the bigger factor in our mind is how well Adelaide are playing and how hard they are to beat at home.”

“Paddy will be up for it, but he will just go about his business, I suspect. Adelaide players obviously know him well but sometimes you can needle opposition players and it only spurs them on, but you have to be quite selective when you start booing players.”

The Cats coach said he would likely tap into Dangerfield’s intimate knowledge of his teammates, though admits that the Crows have added new things to their game under new coach Don Pyke.

“(Dangerfield) is a very astute football brain, (but) it is counterbalanced a little bit by the fact they (Adelaide) have had a few coaches even in the last 12 months,” he said.

“There would be some significant shifts in the way they played and we have seen a little bit of that already. He will help with individuals ... but we have a pretty competent coaching staff, so I think Paddy will let us do our jobs and he’ll get to work on doing his.”

Rhys Stanley was reported for making contact with Eagle Brad Sheppard in the second term, but Scott is confident the report will be thrown out.

“We’re not worried about it all, (we) had the benefit, unlike the umpire in the moment, of stopping and looking at the vision,” he said. “Our view, and I am sure it will be shared by the MRP, is that there was no head contact and he will be fine.”

The Cats looked to be in serious trouble with manpower by quarter-time when Nakia Cockatoo (calf) and Lincoln McCarthy (ankle) were rushed down in the rooms. Cockatoo returned to the match and kicked a final term goal, but McCarthy did not, and will almost certainly miss the Crows’ match.

— Glenn McFarlane

Patrick Dangerfield powers away against West Coast. Picture: Colleen Petch

PRIZED West Coast recruit Lewis Jetta is facing the prospect of being dropped to the WAFL after another ineffective performance in the Eagles’ 44-point loss to Geelong.

Jetta had just nine disposals, failed to lay a tackle and kicked a junk-time goal in the defeat, continuing an underwhelming start to his Eagles career.

The 2012 Sydney premiership player has averaged little more than 12 touches in six outings with his new club.

West Coast coach Adam Simpson has preached patience with Jetta, but must now decide whether a stint at WAFL affiliate East Perth will help the 27-year-old rediscover some much-needed form and confidence.

“He was quiet today,” Simpson said of Jetta after the Cats loss.

“We tried to move him to half-back. So we’ve got to look at that this week and try and get him into some form.

“We’re still patient with him, but there’s some things we need to work on with not only Jetts, but four or five players who have been inconsistent this year.”

When asked whether a WAFL stint was a possibility, Simpson said: “I haven’t even thought about that sort of stuff yet. I’ll have a look at the vision and see what comes from it.”

Jetta was not the sole Eagle below his best yesterday, with the visitors paying a heavy price for committing basic turnovers, often through the middle of the ground.

Simpson said being shown up by the likes of power duo Joel Selwood and Patrick Dangerfield in the midfield continued a trend from West Coast’s three interstate losses this season.

“Contested ball wasn’t too much of a difference, but the way we got it was always after a little fumble or bobble around,” he said.

“They were just too clean and too strong around the ball.

“Around the contest, I think it’s fair to say the teams we’ve played have been a bit bigger and stronger and we haven’t matched them around the ball.”

Simpson said he was expecting his side’s road woes to again be highlighted this week after a sixth straight trip without a win — West Coast’s worst such run since 2009.

“I can’t hide away from it. We’ve got to address the fact that we haven’t really come close in the three games,” he said.

“We think we’ve got a style of play that will stand up anywhere. The disappointing thing for us is we’re not playing at our best.

“Winning and losing happens, but to stay in the moment and in the contest for four quarters is our challenge every week. We just seem to do it better at home.”

— Chris Robinson

SYDNEY 135 def ESSENDON 54

“Isaac was really good all game. He was terrific for four quarters,” Swans coach John Longmire said.

“Lance just got better as the game went. They are smart players. They work well together.”

It was Heeney, who has also spent time in midfield this season, who sparked an otherwise lacklustre Swans side in the first half. Heeney finished with 22 touches, nine marks, 11 contested possessions and three score assists.

“We’re happy with (Heeney’s) season to date and it’s not just about kicking the goals — he competes so hard,” Longmire said.

“He’s very versatile. That’s probably where he’s leapt ahead of where I thought he’d be.”

Sydney garnered 40 more contested possessions, 12 more clearances and had 21 more inside 50 entries.

“Our intensity and the way we played the game in the first half was just about as good as we’ve played all year, so that was really promising,” Worsfold said.

“The guys were upbeat at halftime and ready for the contest, but Sydney to their credit took away any opportunity we had to continue to play that way.”

Essendon coach John Worsfold said two six-day breaks had taken their toll.

“That was always going to be a challenge,” he said.

“That’s why we chose to rest a couple of young players but some of our top-up players, our older new players, they are obviously feeling the pinch from that as well.

“Our management of our group throughout the course of the year is a challenge and in that second half it was very tough.”

Worsfold said he thought the intensity in the first half was as good as the Dons had displayed all year before falling away badly after halftime.

“A lot of the time we are playing the way we want them to play and we are not seeing the benefits of that because of some skill errors, which is really about where our group is at,” Worsfold said.

“We make more errors than other teams in the competition and we don’t compete and match other clubs on contested ball because of the make-up of our group at the moment.”

The Bombers weren’t helped by the loss of Jonathan Simpkin to a hamstring injury.

MELBOURNE coach Paul Roos says the Demons are no longer competition lightweights and with Max Gawn providing a presence, can finally match it with any side.

The Demons blew the Gold Coast Suns off Metricon Stadium in the second half to record a 73-point win — their largest victory since 2011.

“I think they’re confident if they play their best, they can beat most teams,” Roos said.

“Equally they still know we need to bring our best, we don’t have a lot of margin for error, we saw that last week. I thought St Kilda played a really good game of footy, we were a bit off, there’s the result.

“Against Essendon, I thought they played particularly well the Bombers, we were a bit off.

We had 17 or 18 good players tonight. If we get that we’re going to be a good team. Last week I think we had five or six, so there’s still an understanding from our group that they all have to come and play well and if they do that we generally get a positive result.”

Once again the Dees midfield brigade of Jack Viney, Nathan Jones and Bernie Vince dominated, but they were again given a free ride by Gawn, whose ruckwork is winning rave reviews.

“His tap work was first class and pushing forward, I think he troubles teams,” Roos said.

“He kicked 2.3, had five shots at goal, but around the contest he was really good. He gives our mids real confidence when he gets his hand on the ball and allows you to be more aggressive with your setups around stoppages.”

The loss by Gold Coast followed last week’s 120-point loss against Geelong at Simonds Stadium.

Gold Coast faces the very real prospect of dropping to a 3-9 record by its Round 13 bye with Greater Western Sydney (away), Adelaide (home), West Coast (away), Sydney (home) and Richmond (away) ahead.

But Suns coach Rodney Eade said: “I wouldn’t throw the baby out with the bathwater.

“I think people can get emotional on a couple of performances, and those couple of performances might be repeated in the next couple of weeks, you never know.

Eade said it was not time to re-evaluate his expectations. Although he admitted there may be more pain to come in the coming weeks until some troops started to return, he though the second half of the year could still be productive.

“But we did OK the last ten weeks last year so we just have to come back to that fighting mentality and hang in there until the tide turns. And it will turn.’’

WESTERN BULLDOGS 123 def ADELAIDE 108

STUNG by narrow losses to Hawthorn and North Melbourne, Luke Beveridge said the Western Bulldogs took a step in the right direction with a tense win over Adelaide.

Beveridge credited the success to a changed mindset, as the Dogs reverted to type, reprising their attacking style.

“I’m ecstatic, it was a brilliant win,” Beveridge said.

“It was high pressure, we’ve had a couple of games — against Hawthorn, against North Melbourne — where we’ve been right in the thick of it and we felt like we got a bit anxious, maybe wanted it a bit too much.

“It’s an outstanding win, a big night for our side.

“(It was) just a change in mindset that we worked on earlier in the week.

“We are asking our players to branch out and explore their attacking game a little bit more.

“Some of the boys who have gone out of the side (Bob Murphy, Matt Suckling, Jason Johannisen) are known for that part of their armoury, the arrow in their quiver.

“We were bolder, found teammates in open space, so a real step in the right direction.

“So we’ve still got a long way to go — the skill element is only part of the way there — but I was much happier with the decision making tonight.”

Delighted with the performance of Jake Stringer and Marcus Bontempelli, Beveridge also praised veteran defenders Matthew Boyd, Dale Morris and Jed Adcock.

He also defended the enigmatic Stringer.

“Jake had a really rounded and balanced game tonight,” he said.

“He came up with the footy, he shared it with his teammates and he got reward on the scoreboard, he showed all his skills.

“As I’ve said over the previous weeks, he’s learning all the time.

“He’s still a young player and gets a lot of attention.

“It’s really important that we support him in the right way, he doesn’t need direct and harsh feedback at times.

“Some times it’s a little subliminal and indirect at times.”

Asked to describe his feelings as the Crows moved to within range of an unlikely victory, Beveridge said: “It wasn’t a sinking feeling but maybe a hint of deja vu., but we managed to compose ourselves and our players responded ... and we held them off.

“They didn’t lose their nerve against a really quality side in Adelaide.”

- Leo Schlink

ADELAIDE coach Don Pyke will ask for an official please explain from AFL headquarters over the 23-11 free gap that cruelled his men against Western Bulldogs at Etihad Stadium.

Boom forward Josh Jenkins almost stole the points with a pinnacle eight-goal effort but his one-man show couldn’t override the Bulldogs or cover their run of the green with officials.

Skipper Taylor Walker spoke to umpires at three quarter time with an out of bounds call on Eddie Betts heading a raft of dodgy decision that sabotaged Adelaide in a 15-point loss.

Coaches as are loathe to blame officiating for results but normally reserved nice guy Pyke won’t be pulling any punches in the game review.

“You guys know your footy. It was pretty frustrating for our fans and players. We will address that with the umpiring department during the week. We will seek some understanding,” said Pyke.

Having endured a barren effort last week against Fremantle, Walker managed one major last night. Pyke continued to back his skipper despite persistent concern over his return from a foot injury.

“Tex was a nearly game, he got his hands on half a dozen (marks) and is on the way back up,” said Pyke of Walker with 12 goals this campaign.

Adelaide will also rue an error prone performance and flat midfield contribution as much as any umpiring malaise.

Adelaide has made a habit of overcoming limited inside 50 entries with clinical scoring this season. However the Crows couldn’t hope to overcome a 68-37 inside 50 deficit in addition to losing clearances 41-24.

“It was a lack of supply, didn’t create enough opportunity for our forwards,” said Pyke.

“Eight is a great game and Josh got on the end of a few.

“Our efficiency clearly kept us in the game for a long time and that has been a strength all year but we need to generate more opportunities for our forwards.”

Adelaide now faces/faced a slip from the 4-2 draw defying start to the season to 4-4 with a home loss in Patrick Dangerfield’s return with second ranked Geelong.

— Richard Earle

GWS 95 def FREMANTLE 77

FREMANTLE coach Ross Lyon said the club’s members and fans would have been happy with his winless team for “having a go’’, as the Dockers slumped to a seventh straight defeat with an 18-point loss to Greater Western Sydney.

Fremantle’s 0-7 start to the season was reflected in the crowd of just 28,201 at Subiaco Oval, the club’s second lowest for a home game since Lyon became coach in 2012.

The Dockers set a new membership record on the eve of the season of more than 51,000.

Inclement weather during the day and the fact the Giants lack a support base in WA also contributed to the poor turnout.

Fremantle has now lost five games in a row at Subiaco for the first time since 2009.

“It’s already a tough year. I heard them roaring tonight,’’ Lyon said.

“All I know is when you sit in the seats, you know who is having a go and who isn’t. And if we’re having a go, I reckon they walk away, our members, saying ‘they had a go’.

“We whacked away. I don’t think anyone walked out of the ground saying we turned it up. We had more entries (49-45), almost equal shots (22-25), but just at times when you need to be composed and use the ball well we didn’t do it.

“I don’t like losing and it’s never going to sit comfortable, but we understand the things we need to improve in our game.’’

In a further blow for the Dockers, Anthony Morabito suffered a hamstring injury while playing for Peel on Saturday and is likely to miss several weeks.

Lyon said it didn’t matter when the club’s first win came, ahead of a nightmare trip to Tasmania to face Hawthorn and a 15-year hoodoo next Saturday.

Fremantle’s last away win against the Hawks came in round 18, 2001 at the then Colonial Stadium under caretaker coach Ben Allan.

Fremantle has never beaten the Hawks in Tasmania, losing all eight meetings at Launceston’s Aurora Stadium.

Having begun last season at 9-0, the Dockers are staring at a 0-8 start to 2016.

“What better place to grow? Stress under load equals growth,’’ Lyon said.

“There will be plenty of stress and plenty of load (in Launceston), so let’s hope there’s plenty of growth.’’

Giants coach Leon Cameron said it was important to finally notch the club’s first win in Perth.

“There are always going to be firsts for us because we’re a new club,” Cameron said.

“To win on the road against Fremantle — ask me at the start of the year to take that, and I would have taken that straight away.”

— Braden Quartermaine

Originally published as Winning and losing coaches have their say on Round 7 action