Coach Post Match – Todd Curley Round 7

WHAT South Fremantle coach Todd Curley had to say following the nail-biting one-point win against East Perth at Fremantle Community Bank Oval leading into the WA Day Foundation Derby against East Fremantle on Monday.

QUESTION: Great advertisement of WAFL football but for you, must be just happy to come away with the win?
ANSWER: I guess they always look better when you win, but I thought they played pretty well. They were pretty consistent and obviously came here with a plan, and they used the ball quite well. We didn’t defend very well but found a way to win when we probably weren’t at our best. We had a lot of guys probably down in the first half but they dug in and bounced back. We'll certainly take the four points and move on.

Q: How are you left feeling as a coach when you win a game by a point and you do it with the last kick of the game?
A: We're much happier obviously that we won than if we lost. There were a couple of key things for us to work on which we take out of it. We had another debutant, Zane Sumich had a look and knows now what senior footy is about. We still had a heap of young blokes out there. It was obviously a different challenge for us this week after beating Subi last week and having to back up against a completely different team. It was another opportunity for us to learn and grow about how to prepare, but I thought you couldn’t knock East Perth. Their effort and pressure, and way they played was pretty good. We probably think we could have played a bit better though.

Q: There were a few times throughout the game you looked like you could breakaway, but you just couldn’t shake them?
A: To their credit they just kept coming. It looked like a day where our mindset might have wandered at times. But we found a way to win so we'll take it.

Q: Losing Marlion Pickett obviously had an impact and terrible timing for him?
A: We lost him early so it certainly hurt our rotations but he's just such a fantastic person. To see him injured again with the possibilities that are in front of him this close, is obviously disappointing. But he's been fantastic for us and he's a fantastic teammate. For him to be sitting on the bench with a big smile on his face supporting his teammates when he's going through a pretty tough disappointing time for himself just shows what a fantastic teammate he is. We'll support him and wrap our arms around him, and he'll be back.

Q: The same finger so you would think AFL clubs might be a little weary in the Mid-Season Rookie Draft?
A: You would think so. In the mid-season draft I think you are looking for a short-term fix and it looks like he has broken his finger again. Hopefully they are looking at a longer-term view and he still gets an opportunity. But that's out of our hands.

Q: Do you try to talk to him about that and how there could still be a chance for him or how do you approach it with him? 
A: At the moment you probably couldn’t really talk to him to be honest. I got down to catch up with him and there weren’t a lot of words that were coming out at the time. He's just such a fantastic person and it would be great to see him get that opportunity, but he'll be back. He is a resilient guy there's no doubt about that and we'll support him as best we can.

Q: What are your thoughts on the mid-season draft?
A: The mid-season draft is what it is. It's not great for the clubs that lose their players and I think the AFL is a big enough system with enough people working there that if you can't get your list right with how it was set up before, then I think you need to look at what you're doing with your list management. Every club has been through injuries before and it's pretty hard on the players too to get taken out in the middle of a season and you haven’t been through the same preparation as the rest of the AFL players. And the gulf between this level and the next level is getting bigger all the time. It might also provide the opportunity to give someone a career but I think that will end up being less and more. I imagine the ones that go up and stay up will be quite few, but they can also pick them in November and December, and if they can't work out their list then I don’t see why they need a mid-season draft as well. A mid-season trade period would make more sense so guys can move within the AFL because there are plenty of guys who can't get a game at one club who might benefit from changing clubs.

Q: Mason Shaw has now kicked 17 goals in the last four games?
A: He has been fantastic as a leader too. He kicked a couple of really important goals again at critical times when we were struggling a bit. He has been great for us.

Q: What does that mean for Zac Strom to kick the winning goal like that?
A: He works super hard, is selfless and a great teammate, and does everything right. He is a fantastic player for us and we love him, and the way he goes about it. It was good that he slotted that one for us today.

Q: Zane Sumich would have learned a lot from his debut but it's a first game he'll remember?
A: You always remember your debut and he would have learned a lot. You talk about the difference between WAFL footy and AFL footy, and the gulf from reserves to league is also getting bigger. It's a great opportunity for him and he earned the right. He would have learned a lot as would have the other younger guys in the team like Chris Ah Siu, Zac Dent, Brandon Donaldson, Jake Florenca, Noah Strom, Chad Pearson and Kyle Russell. They are all still really young in their careers but that's exciting too. We'll take the win and move on.

Q: You'd have to be happy with the way you are travelling now seven rounds into the season to be 7-1 and playing so well?
A: Compared to other years I don’t know, it's a completely different group, but we think we've got better and are continuing to improve in more areas. We were horrible in Round 1 and then slowly we've got a bit better. We weren’t at our best today but we've got a lot of youth in the team and there has been a lot of change. We think we'll keep getting better in the second half of the year than we have been in the front half. It's exciting and a good place to be, and if you enjoy being here then I think that's half the battle.

Q: Nine days now until you take on East Fremantle?
A: They have always been really good opponents and they are completely different again with a new coach and a lot of new players playing. We'll have to get our head around that and prepare the best we can, and hopefully there'll be a few people there and they get to watch a good game.
 

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