Demons coach Simon Goodwin spoke to the media post game.
You must be pleased with how they looked overall?
It was a genuine arm wrestle. That’s what we expect to play Geelong. We have teams will structure defensively, and that’s what the game becomes, especially with conditions being slippery. It became a genuine arm wrestle. You have to take your opportunities when you get them. Clearly there were times in the game when both teams didn’t take the opportunities and times when they did. Really please defensively with how we played. They are a high-quality side. In terms of how they move the ball but defensively, we were really sound.
Rhys Stanley of the Cats and Max Gawn of the Demons.Credit: AFL Photos
Did you look at having the arm wrestle and playing that way?
It’s the way we play. There aren’t any games we play that isn’t an arm wrestle. We value defence and contest at a high level and we chip away at the way we work the ball and out fence and is getting better, but when you play Melbourne this genuinely what you get. We like to be involved in our muscles and make it hard for the opposition. We knew that was going to be important coming against Geelong. They test you in all three phases. Phase especially.
The forward line when the game was there to be one. They get ahead at three-quarter time. But just the way you looked forward of the ball in the last quarter, your thoughts on that?
That looked a lot cleaner and just a lot more system. It has been evolving for a while. Greg Stafford has done a great job with our forwards. They are still quite young in terms of Harrison Petty, Jacob van Rooyen and Turner, Kossie as well. They are evolving and understanding is getting better, the connection is getting better, the connection is getting better. They moving in a way that is quite dynamic and hard to play against. Our efficiency is starting to improve and looking more dangerous, against a really high quality stable defence that Geelong have setagainst you.
There were 14 straight behinds during that middle period. We are concerned it was going to come back to bite you?
I think any time where you have dominance and he kicked 2.7, you worry that you have opportunities and we know the type of team we are playing and we gave up goals from our forward 50 in transition. That place on your mind a little bit but we have spoken a lot about staying present and staying in the now. Going back to what we know and living in the moment. That’s what we did tonight, challenged heavily and we were able to respond and that was pleasing. I thought our leaders were brilliant on the night. I’m really proud of them.
Speaking of leaders, what is going through your mind when Max was on the ground in that third quarter. He has a lower leg to the head in a ruck contest?
He clearly is a warrior, he cops a lot of treatment. You worry when your captain is down. Great to see him back up, he had an enormous influence on the game not only around the ball but in general play. It is unbelievable in leadership and his captaincy is outstanding.
Did you have to look at him at three-quarter time?
No, he was fine.
Viney was down for a long time to come an issue with his ribs are easy good?
He is OK, he gets the odd stinger in his shoulder, he has had it for a few years now. Probably, the first time it has popped up this year. It comes good after a minute he tells me so I am happy to roll with that.