Coach Post Match – Todd Curley Round 21

WHAT South Fremantle coach Todd Curley had to say following the Round 21 WAFL victory against East Fremantle and looking ahead to the start of the finals this Saturday against West Perth at Fremantle Community Bank Oval.

QUESTION: It was a game in a lot of ways where you didn’t have a lot to gain but you would have taken a lot out of it in the end?
ANSWER: We were really pleased with the way we played, with our intensity and I thought the way our guys attacked the game they worked really hard and got the rewards. It was great for another two debutants so it was good to have a look at those guys and some guys that have had a bit of a taste for league footy but not cemented their spots. They certainly played well and that puts us in a good position with just about everyone available which is what we want.

Q: Did you challenge the group before the game to not take the game lightly even though there might have been not a lot on the line apart from positions in the team?
A: You're a week out from finals and there are five or six guys not playing who come straight back in so it's pretty self-evident that you have to play well if you want to hold your spot for next week. There was that and we still obviously had quite a number of senior players playing who are driven and that comes from within, which is the most powerful thing. We didn’t have to say too much, it was more about we think we've improved our footy the last six to eight weeks. We progressed that and the intensity of the game was nowhere near what it's going to be next week so we will have to rise for that, but you can only play against the opposition that's in front of you. We were pleased to get through and get a really good run into a lot of guys and not have any injuries. That's a positive.

Q: Two more debutants and Blair Della Franca is someone who has come from a long way back to get a chance while Regan Spooner has an enormous future?
A: It was good for Blair and it helps coming into a team with a lot of experienced mids around him but we thought it was important for him to come in so the rest of our structure could stay how we would like it to be for them to keep practicing. He certainly held his own. Regan is a great young fella who is really keen to keep taking on new challenges. He played colts footy, played State 18s and then stepped up to reserves level and looked pretty comfortable. He looked pretty comfortable out there too and I think when you are in the frame of mind of wanting to take on challenges, generally you are in a really good space and a clear mind. He made good decisions and we were really pleased with him.

Q: You mentioned last week Mason Shaw was happy the sun was out and now he's kicked 12 goals in two weeks and got some help with five goals from Dylan Main?
A: With Mase especially, his work rate has been enormous the past few weeks and when he's working hard good things obviously happen. And Dylan is obviously a pretty good player one-on-one and has missed a little bit of training so he played a bit forward but we know he's an exceptional midfielder for us as well. It's good that he has that flexibility to go forward too.

Q: Would you expect Pickett, Hams, Dell'Olio, Cook, Higgins and Donaldson to all come straight back in next week?
A: They will all be available so it will be a long selection meeting during the week. They will all definitely be right to play which is exciting but it's going to be some tough decisions because there were some boys who played pretty well out there this week.

Q: It looks like Ben Saunders is the only player you won't have available because of his knee?
A: He's probably unlikely but we really won't know for a couple of weeks. He's got to be in the brace for a couple of weeks and then they'll have another look at it and assess it again. Until we see how that goes after the first two weeks we can't worry about the next stage of progression. We'll give him every chance.

Q: A month ago you went into a bye after disappointing losses to Subiaco and Peel, but the four weeks since have been some of your best football of the season which is how you want to head into finals?
A: It's always good because you're in the finals and at the start of the year you just want to qualify, and we've done that. Once you qualify you aim for a double chance and we can tick that off. Now all of a sudden it's a new tournament in the finals and what we've done the last 18 rounds doesn’t mean a lot other than hopefully got better by practicing the way we want to play over the next month. We've got a really tough game coming up but we feel like we've prepared as well as we can, and we look forward to that challenge.

Q: A good record against West Perth for a long time now but the two games this year have been close. What are you expecting from them on Saturday?
A: The thing they are this year is they are really well organised playing really selfless footy. They have probably gone back to basing themselves around defence and they've been a really good defensive team. Then they have some really talented forwards with Keitel and Strijk who will share the goalkicking. Knott has bobbed up too and there's guys like Chalmers so they have a lot of guys that can score but two real key forward targets. They defend really well as well and make it hard for you to score so we've had two good battles this year and I'm sure this week will be the same.

Q: Do you get a sense that the whole group after reaching the last two preliminary finals really want to make the most of the chance this year?
A: I think they are just excited to be back in the finals to have another go. When you lose finals, some teams fall away and our guys have shown some real resilience to work hard to again to give themselves another opportunity. That's all you can do and the more chances you give yourself and the more times you qualify, the more chances you have of being successful. We think we've got better and hopefully over the next month we can prove that.