You must be thrilled with the win, what were your thoughts on it.
It was a big step forward from last week. We won the contest early. I thought our method around the ball was good. I thought we moved the ball a lot better than we did last week. Players backed themselves a lot more, just to see it and hit it. Twenty-two marks inside 50 is something we clearly worked on during the week. We’ve got a bit of work to do with our finishing in front of goals, we left a few out there, but it’s a big step forward.

It seems remarkable that David Mundy is still doing it at his age, what do you make of it from the coach’s perspective?
He just adds so much calmness to the group. We’re pretty young through there, especially today. He’s like having a coach on the field. He obviously dominated with the ball and won his fair share and finished it really well. He’s been doing it since I’ve been here, literally as a player. He’s a marvel. He’s put in so much hard work, not only this pre-season but through his whole career to get better and better every year and today’s performance was outstanding.

Fyfe looked totally out of it after that hit, how is he?
He got concussed and we subbed him out, he’s good in the change rooms now. He’s up and about, getting around his teammates. But we subbed him out of the game, what that means for the next couple of weeks, I am not sure.

He’s got a history of concussion, do you have to tread a little bit more carefully?
We tread carefully with all concussions. He won’t be passed fit to play until he ticks every box with our doctors. That’s the same with every player and every situation. 

Did you see the incident?
I did but I don’t really want to comment on it. I haven’t watched it closely enough to comment either way.

Back on your ball movement and improved skill level, how important do you think it was for the guys to get it right today and almost kickstart your season?
It’s critical every week because the better you move the ball, the easier it makes your defence. It’s easier to defend your front half and your back half. Last week we didn’t connect well, we didn’t get it out of our back 50 well. I thought we did a bit better today which helps your defence and all of a sudden you get the game played in your front half. Our players know that our game plan doesn’t work in bits and pieces, it works as a collective and they got a lot right today.

We saw another step for Andrew Brayshaw today, he hit the scoreboard, becoming more of the attacking midfielder.
It’s something ‘Carry’ (Josh Carr) has pushed him on and Joel Corey has pushed him on in the pre-season, to make the post of his possession. It probably gets back to what I’ve spoken about during the week, is just to back himself. I thought all of our players backed themselves today and played with a bit more courage with ball in hand, he was no different.

What did you make as Fyfe as a permanent forward today?
I thought he created some opportunities. It probably took a little while to get into the game but then he started to feel a bit more comfortable, he started to mix up his positioning and started attacking the footy how we know he does. He got three shots on goal and set up another couple of shots in just over a half of footy, so before we put him on ball and he had a stint on ball late in the second quarter, I thought it was a positive step forward.

When he is ready to come back do you think that is the role that you will slot him back into initially again?
Where the team needs him. That’s something I have loved about Fyfey, he said to me wherever you need me to play and clearly he is one of the best midfielders in the comp. On a needs basis, we need him forward and he has really embraced that and accepted it. He gives his all.

ALL THE HIGHLIGHTS

How was your ruck combination?
I thought Lloyd (Meek) took a step forward and he was really good. I thought Sean (Darcy) looked as though he hadn’t really missed a beat. I think he got real tired late, Sean, but I think his performance today was due to the work he has put in over the time he has been injured. You guys don’t see it, but I rock up to work at seven o’clock and Sean’s out there doing extra touch, extra work and extra cross training sessions and that has been his motto through the whole injury. He has come back in better shape and to produce that with no games at all over the pre-season, and no WAFL game last week, was credit to the work he has put in.

Heath Chapman made his debut today, how did you see his game?
He probably took a little bit to get into it. I thought as the game wore on we started to see his strengths, we started to see his marks, he’s a great ground ball player and he’s not shy to take it on with the footy in hand. I thought that the backline took a massive step forward on last week, worked really well together and Heath was a vital part of that.

Josh Treacy is able to come back into the side is he a logical replacement up forward for Fyfe?
Potentially but I actually hadn’t thought of that, geez you move on quick. Hopefully ‘Sonny’ (Michael Walters) comes back too, he will be a decent replacement up forward as well. We will start getting some players back from injury now and that causes selection headaches but if we keep putting out those performances, we will keep giving guys opportunity.

The inaccuracy inside 50, is that a quick fix?
No, never say quick fix with accuracy. I don’t think it’s been a pattern, put it that way. So, I was really happy with the opportunities we created and the scoring shots we created. We will have to look to see whether there’s a pattern today, whether it’s on the run, snaps or set shots but it’s not a pattern yet and I haven’t seen that over the pre-season so fingers crossed we can turn it around quickly.

Brennan Cox looked really sore with that hit, how is he?
He just got a hip pointer and got the wind taken out of him, you come up pretty quick with those.

Back on Sonny, you said he was probably right to go. What does he have to do this week to get the tick?
Get on the plane, he has ticked most boxes. The way I saw him running yesterday afternoon, I don’t want to declare him fit, I will let the medical staff do that but he doesn’t have to do a lot I wouldn’t have thought, just get through main training.