What did you make of that? What were the disappointing areas for you?
Clearly the second quarter. Specifically in the whole game, the centre square bounce, our ability to defend it out of there. We’ve changed our system and I think we’ll have a good look at it. It’s hurt us two weeks in a row so probably doesn’t suit our lack of leg speed, the space creation. So we’ll have a good look at that. They’ve kicked 6.1 out of the middle, I think we’ve averaged 1.1 for the last four years, they kicked four in the first half from five entries. We’ll look at what the defenders are doing and what the midfield is doing so that’s not very pretty viewing there.

The ability to fend off turnover, I thought offensively we weren’t brilliant but we were certainly scoring. We could have done a little more damage but they just scored. The bottom line is they scored incredibly easily. I think they had 10 entries and kicked 7.3 in the second quarter. It’s really clear where we went wrong, so we have to have a good look at the changes we made and what we're trying to do and how we are defending. The second quarter, I liked their (Gold Coast) character, their effort, their intensity lifted. We kicked 3.6 in the last but that's what I make of it.

Contested possessions, clearances, inside 50, tackles, you were in front in all of those stats. Was it a case of skill beating will?
They are quick and skillful. I don’t think it’s about will. If you want to go to the numbers we were 29 tackles at half time to their 43. Maybe it was their will at half time.

Sun shines over Freo

Centre square setups Ross, you mentioned a change there, are you moving towards a more aggressive setup to try and get more decisive clearances?
It was a little bit of that. Last year we were number one defensively and top four offensively out of there. We tried for a bit more out of there, it hurt us early last week and it’s clearly hurt us again today. We may as well put it on the table… we need to look at it. I thought we fought on out of there. We allowed their speed and space and it hurt us a little bit. I hear the commentary, but I wouldn’t think so.

Aside of the centre square, what did you make of your own ball use?
We had 60 entries, 30 shots on goals, so that highlights that’s the right percentage. That’s 50 per cent score efficiency, that’s pretty healthy. And goals were 23 per cent, should be 30 per cent. The game was clearly won and lost in the second quarter, when we didn’t defend at all. That was the main issue really I think we won the other three quarters.

Was your ability to defend based upon the fact that you kicked at 56 per cent over the match or that you kicked poorly and caused turnovers that way?
There were some terrible decisions and skill execution. I’m not going to hang people… they don’t try to miss targets. There’s a little bit of decision making, trying to be too cute under pressure, but you have got to be careful, that everyone doesn’t fall to the commentary. At the end of the day you have to make good decisions and hit targets. There is only one rule that’s changed, that’s guarding the mark, which I had some input into anyway. If anything it is attitude to try catch Hawthorn and everyone trying to score more and open it up more. That’s the reality of it. We acknowledge Hawthorn have been the best kicking team probably in the history of the game. So therefore if you’re trying to play like that and you can’t kick and you cant retain it, you’ve got to be quick and if you’re not quick and you can't kick, it puts you under pressure.

Ross you kept faith with some key personel after the round one loss, do you need to make some changes to try get some more pace?
I think that’s a simplistic attitude. Langdon came in, Alex Pearce came in. I think four is pretty healthy and I could be wrong but I think we fought back really well. I really liked our second half and our first quarter. So sometimes if you are out of the wreck, you blow a quarter. It’s not my job to execute people, that is not what I’m about, I’m about possibility, creating opportunity, that’s what AFL footy is about. We’re 0-2, I’ve been in bigger holes than this. We’ll work through it… we won't be intimidated into what other people think, that’s not the way we roll.

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What did you make of your ruck experiment with Sandilands and Alex Pearce?
We liked it. Thought Pearce dominated the clearances really, centre square bounce was about defending them.

Any injuries?
None that I’m aware of. Pavlich came off with a hip pointer, which is just a knock and he’s fine. We sit here disappointed, we’re certainly not bowed, thought there was some good fight. I understand our members and fans are disappointed but no one is more disappointed than the senior coach and the senior players. I thought there was plenty of heart, 60 entries, kicked 100 points, probably something positive in there maybe. We’ll work through defending a bit better.

Is there any doubt on Pav next week?
I think there’s a doubt on everyone until you see them get to the line.

There’s a Carlton Draught Derby next week, it doesn’t get any easier, do you approach that differently?
We approach every game the same. There are no special games, there’s just round 1, round 2, round 3, next week is round 3. I’ve never called anything the Derby, I call it round 3. I’ve been in Grand Finals and call it round 26.