Sydney forward Sam Reid was one of the best on ground, and he spoke to Channel Seven after the game...

Q: How has your body been? It’s been your body that’s let you down over your career?
A: It’s been pretty good. I mentioned before I’m feeling better the older I get. I’m training more than I ever have. I’ve been able to get plenty of work in during the week and got a full pre-season in. It’s been good, feeling good.

Q: How big a focus was it tonight to make sure you competed so strongly in the air, on the ground or taking marks like you you did?
A: We have such a dangerous forward line with the smalls, Tom Papley and Will Hayward who can play big or small, they put on really good heat. The big boys’ job down there is bring the ball to ground or mark it. I think our big boys tonight, all three keys were pretty good at doing that.

Q: The key is Melbourne’s strength, when there’s a slow play, their ability to win the footy back. You were able to stop that. You got stoppages all the way down the line.
A: Their down-the-line players are really strong. They bring it to ground and scrimmage the game. We have to halve it and be the very best and we were.

Q: Thirty-six points down against the Tigers and 27 down tonight. Is there a feeling you’re in trouble or it just waivers?
A: It’s not ideal to get in those situations. We have a lot of belief in this group. The confidence that the guys like Justin McInerney bring to the team. There’s massive efforts. Errol Gulden, Mills, no matter what situation we are in, we will get the win.

Q: You play with one of the greatest players of all time (Lance Franklin). He was out tonight. Do you find when he’s not there, do you find you used the right options, your decision making and the way you got inside 50 and isolated was superb.
A: It’s always nice to have ‘Bud’ there...

Q: I’m not saying you are better without Bud. You tend to look for the right option when he is not there, you tend to go to him when you shouldn’t.
A: He has a 7m wing span. He draws a lot of ball, Bud. Sometimes you have to find another way when he is not out there, and we did that tonight.

Q: Your record at the MCG is remarkable. Your record against the Demons I think is 15 wins of the last 19.
A: Last year we pushed them pretty close. We were within a goal I think or two goals and we felt like we probably could have just about won that game. We had a lot of belief coming in tonight as we do every week. If we do our job correctly and everyone does their role correctly, we should win.