What is your first take on that?
We played a very good football team. I thought our endeavour was really strong, evidenced by the chasing on, I think it was (Charlie) Cameron, at the end by Lachie Weller, Connor Blakely and Lee Spurr winning the one-on-one. I thought our clearance work was really quite strong, around the ball, our contest, but our Achilles heal all year has been the ball use centre-back, we turned it over an enormous amount of times and got scored heavily against. Then we struggled to win some one-on-ones in defence as well.
 
Eight players under 22 games, we understand we’ve injected that youth and we’re working through that, we would have liked to have been a bit better but we didn’t stack the back line, I thought we took the game on and they just punished us every time (we turned the ball over).
 
I thought there was a bit to like, we played Lachie Weller down back. I thought we just showed we’re looking for that run and ability to hit a target coming out of there. We’ll continue with that. Alex Silvagni did his future no harm at all did he with the way he competed. So there were some signs I thought, but again the skill and the fumbling and indecision against quality really torched us, I thought.
 
Last quarter, half way it was four goals each, and eight entries each, but just that weight of numbers and the amount of errors really cruelled the team.
 
There’s one common thread with us, that’s been it all year.
 
Twenty-eight shots off turnover, we’ve certainly been a club that’s been able to average somewhere around 11 or 12. Good teams, that’s what they’ll keep you to and that’s what they kept us to, sort of seven goals (to) three. It’s clear what we need to work on but it’s going to take some time, as we’ve already put on the table, to work through that.
 
On that centre back kick. There was was a lot of times it was going into the corridor from the back line. Do you encourage that kick for what it can produce?
Certainly, there is only three ways you can go. In on the 45 (degree kick) on the switch and up the line. We knew coming in they really protect the 45 quite strongly. So we said we would need to switch or go up the line. Again, you can talk about it as much as you like. Clearly, we need to train in decision making.  But we are happy to be criticised for trying to come through the corridor. We would’ve liked to switch it and find the free (man) more than we did because it was suicide in some respects.  You can’t criticise when Hill kicks it into Sandilands and the sun gets in his eyes and drops it in the first one. We’d like to keep going with that in a real sense.
 
Sandilands didn’t see out the match. How is he?
It's not significant. But it was a minor gluteal strain that tightened. He did it early so it's not like a hamstring. It just tightened up. I said 'look it's your call, we're not going to push you through', but it's always that second up, he gave so much last week it was always going to be a bit of risk. Hopefully, he can come up next week but if not we'd love him for Pav's last game. So on that we won't play Matthew this week, we'll want to mitigate the risk a little bit. On those long travels we haven't taken him and so that should see him get to the line fit and healthy for his last game for the club. That should be an emotional day.
 
Any other injuries?
Not that I'm aware of.

Talking points from Adelaide clash
 
Hasn’t been a good news week for the club. You lose Steve Harris. What is your take on that?
That's a planned succession...that's been in the wings for awhile. There's no surprise with me, that's not a shock with anybody. We've got an incredibly strong board and Steve Harris was there when I was appointed and together I suppose we've seen four finals series, a couple of prelims here, and a Grand Final. He passes the baton over to Dale Alcock that is an exceptional business with what he's done. He's worked his way up. He's seen possibility and they're the fourth biggest home builder in Australia. I think we've had strong leadership and will continue to have strong leadership.
 
Could you clarify your comments on Ballantyne on Fox Footy?
As often is the case that I've been experiencing relatively recently, that pass the parcel a lot of things get lost. Barry Hall asked me about Ballantyne, I was really pleased that he asked because I said, 'just to clarify it's been reported and tweeted and Instagrammed that Hayden Ballantyne has come and asked me for a trade.' So to the best of my knowledge, I'm talking about all my dealings with Hayden (he) has never come in and directly asked me for a trade. In actual fact, there was a period, I don't know how long ago, we've got notes of it, we've got minutes and meetings notes, because that got to us, and we asked him in and we said do you want to be traded and he said 'no, I never thought about being traded. I love Fremantle. But clearly understand we're looking to rebuild and I'm 29, I've got a family to look after, and I'm looking for a three-year deal.' I said, 'well I can't help you with that. That's between the list manager and yourself and your manager.' So that was the last I heard. And up until then he'd been playing some good footy and our relationship had been identical to what it's been. And when I did my presser at the club on Friday when I was asked, that's the exact same situation. So that's how I responded and then people inferred that I lied about that, which I'm not thrilled about. And then people are claiming that he's come and told me on the track of all places. What I said on Fox Footy, that's never occurred but clearly in the background Hayden's manager has then late this week, and even as late as Friday gone and put some things forward to the club that we've now all become aware of. That's the exact situation.
 
What has he put forward?
Well clearly in relation to what the headlines have been. It has to have come from somewhere. Is that from Hayden's mouth? I don't know, I'm not aware of that.
 
Just to clarify that you're talking about a trade to West Coast?
They're the headlines, or a trade anywhere. I've heard GWS. I've heard Essendon.
 
Did you have a conversation with Hayden in the last couple of days?
No, that's not my role. But quite simply, even Nathan Fyfe's comments, where they were taken and extrapolated out to, if he had his time again he'd probably think would they run wild like that? But that suits the narrative at the moment. As always when there's ever an issue, whether it be an incident with a player, we always put it on the table and say this is bubbling around, this is what's occurring, let's get on with the job and we'll deal with it at the appropriate timeframe. So that's exactly what I said to the players. We're all contracted we're all in, let's keep digging in. but I can guarantee at the end of the year we'll sort it all out.

Crows power forward over Freo
 
As a coach, do you wanna keep Hayden Ballantyne?
It’s not my decision. Clearly we need to work on the next two games, front of mind focusses. We are playing a really formidable opponent at GWS and then we have Matthew’s going away game really, which will be emotional and something we’ll all want to be a part of.
So, it’s not something I concern myself with and I don’t do contracts. I just try, which I have been typically been able to do, create an environment that we can build to success.
 
What is the environment like at the club?
I think we have to put Peter’s (departure) in context. Peter (Sumich)...was moved to head of development, an opportunity. All the challenges, it was probably unlikely that Peter was going to be with us, to be truthful.
Some people say he was pushed, some say he has left. At the end of the day, it’s a mood point.
 
It’s a mood of 3/16, but when you play eight kids under 22 games, the enthusiasm of youth – they are not looking, an assistant coach has gone, or Ballantyne. They are clapping their hands and thinking geez, there is an opportunity for me, so we are just working hard to really improve our football.
 
No Matthew Pavlich next week. Does Matthew Taberner come back in?
Look, the feedback, we have a leading teams consultant – Ray McLean. The players gave us feedback. At the end of the day, the feedback is overwhelmingly that we haven’t been as demanding or as hard on effort, and intensity of effort and competition as we have been previously. In some respects the feedback is we have been too soft, so I hope that helps?
 
Do you give Taberner, or (Josh) Deluca the call up for next week?
Josh has a bit of work to do to be truthful. But certainly Taberner has played quite well. We thought Clarke, Zac, played his 100th, the week before he wasn’t brilliant in the ruck, but some of his effort and chases – for team balance we probably could have squeezed him out, but we wanted to reward, based on the feedback from the players, people who are giving great effort, rather than just go for team balance, as we have done in the past.
 
When the players gave you that feedback about being too soft. Were you surprised?
(About) hardening up?  No, because, I know that's how I've been. And I think there's some challenges -every time you pick a team you send a message. We've had some really loyal great warriors that are giving great effort in De Boer, Mzungu, and those type of guys. And Suban. Sometimes there's been some decisions this year that regardless of the effort, we've really needed to play Langdon and Weller and those guys.
 
That can become a difficult environment for those guys. That's the challenge - keeping your integrity of selection when you're really creating opportunities for young players. That's really what's going on with that.
 
Any other options, like Morabito?
I was thinking about the young players who haven't played - Harley Balic, like I said there hasn't been too much to smile about, but to see him train ... we've got eight (players) 22 games or under. I'm thinking of all the kids - who aren't we playing - and certainly Balic is a feature pick for us.
With Anthony, Anthony played ok the week before. And there was a bye this week. But again, I can't speak for the whole match committee. I understand the emotion wrapped around Anthony. But what I will say about Anthony - I think he's played two AFL games in six years. We've been an incredibly supportive club in the context since 2010. That's without question. That's what I would put on the table. Our emotional support for Anthony, our resources, our contracting opportunities - regardless of whether Anthony plays next week or the week after - has been first class, and I don't think anyone can dispute that.
 
A lot going on around the club. Is this one of your  most challenging periods as a coach?
I see it as a real opportunity. People talk about experience. I had 10 years as an assistant coach. I spent four years at Richmond, and I spent four years at Carlton. And there were some incredibly difficult years there. And you look around, and the time I've been in league footy, I've been since I was 16, so it's 34 years. And you look at clubs that are strong and work their way under pressure, and then those that held captive without strong leadership to individual agendas, and I think that's toxic. But I see it as a real opportunity to see those that dig in. And I was even speaking to Anthony Rock today about that - he comes from North Melbourne - nine prelims, three grand finals - he understands what digging in is. And it seemed really easy to identify those that don't want to dig in, and those that do.
That's the beauty of experience. I see this as an opportunity. There's always a loud minority, and there's always people prepared to listen to a loud minority.
But for me, I just want to continue to be the coach that Matthew Pavlich wanted his whole career. I'm pretty comfortable with that.
 
Do you feel like there's been a loud minority in the player group that's unsettling things?
I'm not sure. It's clearly some loud minorities around the traps.
 
What do you mean around the traps?
Well the media's reporting. So I don't think it's a majority.
 
But it is coming from somewhere within?
Well I'm not too sure. It's like what you said - I said something on Foxtel completely different to what you thought it was. So it's pass the parcel really.
 
Just back on Pav, did you say you were the coach he waited for?
Well that's what he wrote in his book didn't he. I'm the coach that he always hoped for. I'm pretty comfortable continuing in that vein. It's not a bad spot to be.