Coach Post Match – Todd Curley Round 20

WHAT South Fremantle coach Todd Curley had to say following the Round 20 WAFL victory against West Perth at HBF Arena and looking ahead to the opening of the finals series this Saturday with the Bulldogs hosting Claremont at Fremantle Community Bank Oval.

QUESTION: How did you come away feeling after that win over West Perth?
ANSWER: We always thought that they would come out and be super competitive. We were a bit scrappy in that first half and probably didn’t take our chances or advantage of some of our opportunity by kicking poorly. But really to the 20-minute mark of the last quarter we were pretty good when the game was there to be won. Sometimes it’s hard for you when you know you are definitely playing next week and we’re trying to manage a few sore blokes. We ran out of gas a little bit and they were always going to keep coming and go super attacking at the end. They kicked a couple of goals late but I thought early in the last quarter when it was really on the line that we were pretty good.

Q: Given you were playing a team that had to win and threw everything at you, was that just the preparation for finals you were hoping for?
A: It’s definitely better preparation in terms of the games than we had last year. I think last year our last couple of games were against teams that were down the bottom. But now we’ve had a couple of really competitive hit outs and even Peel the week before, they just beat Perth this week so they were a well structured team who are hard to beat. It’s great that we got a win, we finish second and now we move on to the finals and it’s a new season. This is why you really spend the time all year trying to qualify. We’re really happy with where we are sitting.

Q: Mason Shaw didn’t quick get the Bernie Naylor Medal but six goals shows he’s in good touch entering the finals?
A: He got some score on the board for us obviously but he has been really good for us all the way through. The last few weeks he has played a bit of a different role for us but has still contributed really well to our score while not kicking those big bags individually. He’s had a great year and he got the reward this week with some score for himself but he is pretty clear that he’s not too fussed about individual awards. It would have been great if he got a part of the leading goalkicker, but he’s pretty focused on what’s ahead anyway.

Q: Was it good to get a game into Brock Higgins and Jacob Dragovich again before the finals too?
A: Yeah absolutely. Dragovich had been crook for a week and it was only really a week, but just through timing it cost him two games. He was a bit scratchy early but I thought after the first 15 or 20 minutes he was pretty good. And Brock was the same. His second half was probably much better than the first and it’s important to be fit and available. It was good to have them back.

Q: Pressure on for spots too with some players unlucky to miss out and playing well in the reserves meaning you probably have 28 or 30 players who could play next week?
A: We’ve probably played about 35 players all year and we’ve had some young guys play this week, and experienced guys so we have a bit more availability now than we had through the middle of the year. It’s always tough to select teams and leave blokes out, and it’s a little bit tougher when it’s finals time because everyone wants to play. But we are about the team and not the individual, and the 22 that we pick everyone will support and get around them. Hopefully they do that job for that week and then you pick another team the week after to win that game. The strength of your squad is always important.

Q: Thought on taking on Claremont in the qualifying final?
A: We know we are going to play them and we’ll play them at home again. My initial thoughts were about thinking well done to the boys for what they’ve done to this point and then recover and we’ll see you Monday night when we’ll start looking towards that game.

Q: Four straight years of finishing in second spot on the ladder, that’s something you deserve to be proud of?
A: It’s a good reward for the players I think. It’s a completely new group probably this year compared to what we’ve had in the past so that has made it pleasing that we’ve been able to bring in some young guys that have been in our program for a couple of years without playing a lot of league footy. We lost a lot of experienced guys which has made the second tier have to stand up. We are a different group and we’re looking forward to this finals campaign. It has been pleasing what we’ve done for four years now but our focus is on what’s ahead.

Q: You know Darren Harris very well obviously, do you look forward to butting heads with him in a final now?
A: I know Harro well, I know Geoff Valentine well too. We’ll always be mates and former teammates and all that sort of stuff, but you more worry about the team and the players. It’s not about what the coaches do to be honest. By the time you get to this time of year, 99 per cent of your preparation is done. We’ll get our boys as fit and ready to go as we can, and I’m sure they will put out a really good account of themselves.