Challenging year. Happy?
Certainly been a challenging year and it has been for a number of reasons, you’re right. We don’t sweep it under the carpet – a lot of lessons to learn and a big period of change and transition.
As someone said to me once, the only constant in AFL football is change. Clearly there will be some more change to come over the next period of time, as we establish our full list. So we understand that. In the near term, the focus… we’re not here to talk about that.

In the near term, it’s really important. It’s psychologically a really difficult round for teams out of the final to play that last round. Human nature would dictate that sometimes your response and your effort when there isn’t much of a goal there.
I was really pleased, the emotional hook for Matthew  was really important for us. We come off a bad 30-40 minutes against a team that is going to a super team, that is a super team in GWS. We acknowledged it, it was a flat meeting early in the week, but they wanted, they committed, they the players, wanted to come and play and committed to play with passion and hardness at the ball for four quarters. Six players under 20 games, that’s not always achievable to the end.

But I thought we executed that really well; not we, the players executed that really well.

To send Matthew off, obviously he played good footy, he could have executed in front of goals, would have been nice. A few more snags for him. It was great for Matthew. I really want to acknowledge the Dockers members and supporter base, that got here today, when Matthew ran through the banner and that roar, reminded me of finals really.

Anthony Rock said, we can get up and about can’t we. I said that’s what it has been like for four years here.

So, out of the wreck, six players under 20 games to play in that game; I thought they were significant at times. Weller, Blakely, Yarran, Apeness is showing a bit. I could name them all, but with that out and the quality of Fyfe, Bennell, Pearce and Johnson and hopefully we can execute things in the off season. We have plenty of work to do, but the competition is really even and we have identified some things that we feel we shifted in our play today. It was evident to us, it might not be evident to you, but we can take that onto the summer with a little bit more belief than we may have had otherwise. So it was pleasing in a number of fronts.. You guys eulogise him and rightly so and I think over time the legend will only grow wont it? He goes out with petrol in the tank, which is the way it should be. He has carried himself exceptionally well and he has been a wonderful leader. It’s a nice way to finish.

Brad Lloyd was in town last week? How quickly do you make decisions on players?
No we've got a bit of time really. Fortunately Peel are in the finals and they'll play in a cut throat final this week. I think we play East Perth, which are aligned with West Coast. That will be down at Peel, down at Mandurah, so we're looking forward to that. Those guys have a full week. But in the fullness of time we'll get to all that.
 
Do you start the talks and meetings this week?
No it's been an ongoing process. We give it plenty of time. There's no urgency on anything. Our players come in 12 o'clock Monday, we'll have 20 that continue on with Peel Thunder and they're really committed and they're enthusiastic, they had a really good win yesterday, coached by Cam Shepherd. We're thrilled with that. They'll have a normal week, normal review. The other guys that will start their annual leave we'll have them in Monday, Tuesday. There's protocols that you need to adhere to. There'll be no review. But it will be the CBA, you need to put them through medicals and off-season programs and get all their gear back and send them away and start their break. I think it's a 10-week break and with a mindset of a program to relax but make sure you come back in good condition. Look, high performance sport, elite level sport, there is no finish line. There's just different phases that you go through. And the best teams handle those phases the best. So we've certainly got an understanding of what's required.
 
Can you share with us what you think it will look like in terms of numbers?
You can ask the question. I'm not being facetious, I'm not being critical, I'm not hitting back, you can ask the question 10 different ways but I feel like I've answered and I'm not going to indulge.
 
In terms of medical are you able to elaborate on any guys having surgery?
It would be remiss of me at the minute. We need to firm it up. There's nothing obvious. Tanner Smith tore his hamstring tendon yesterday, so he's a bit flat. But we’ve had most of our surgeries done. It hasn't been insignificant. I think there'll be some bits and pieces, there always is but we'll clarify that at the right time.

Talking points from Bulldogs clash

What's the message to the group that is coming back as to what you expect on day one pre-season?
I haven't got to that. It's self evident. It's self evident. Professional athletes have a rest and recuperation period and then they get into a maintenance phase and a basic conditioning phase. Anyone thinks they can go and have 10 weeks off and sit on a cabana anddrink Sailor Jerry and dry and day and eat hamburgers, that's not the way it works. But we know, we've got a good group, they lead. We want them to refresh and renew. They'll disperse around the world or disperse around Perth. We don't really care but they're always representing themselves, their family and their club and our members. So that's the context. There's plenty of challenges out there for a young group. But if they carry themselves like Matthew Pavlich has for the last 17 years we'll be in good shape.
 
We are thrilled with empowerment and delegation. We have identified some things and the biggest issue has been our ball use. We saw some really good growth today against an elite defensive team. We probably should have kicked a lot more goals today. We just slaughtered the ball a bit at critical times. We will take that into the summer. We’ve identified that in the last three weeks. It hasn’t always been evident. But it was certainly evident today. We will take that momentum in. I’ve got to get to it and firm it all up. I would rather tell the players before you.
 
What is the overriding feeling from the season?
It’s pretty obvious that it hasn’t been great. To be honest I haven’t turned my mind to it. I will enjoy the time with Matthew and the players, to see them bubbly and happy. Victorious and exhausted. It’s about building your mental toughness and responding to change. We acknowledge… I think Hawthorn won by a point. The competition is so open. If that point was the other way, they would have gone to seventh. The Bulldogs, once they knew that it was probably a bit harder. I am not sure who they play next week. There are continuing challenges and don’t have my head around them all just yet.
 
Has anyone else announced retirement?
No.