How do you respond?

Yeah, it was disappointing from start to finish there were parts there, we might have showed a bit of a fight in the second quarter, but overall, not what we've been training and playing and trying to put out. And Carlton were ruthless, and they put the foot on the throat and made us pay.

You've gained some respect this year, by fighting through adversity, do you feel you have lost a lot of respect today?

I'm not sure. I mean, we clearly under manned at the moment, but we've found a way to stay competitive, but we haven't been winning. So, you know, there's a fine line with that. There's reality about it and then there's what we're chasing what we expect, and what we didn't deliver tonight. So whether we've lost respect, that's for you guys to work through.

A nine goal forward out there and also a dominant midfield, where did you feel like it's most exposed?

Everywhere really, the weaknesses we had with personnel were exposed from the very early on. And, you know, we've been really trying hard to compete around the contest and stoppages and contested possessions and ground balls, those things, we value, and we got exposed, you know, for most of the night. The biggest stat was probably contested marks. We couldn't take one and they took plenty. I think it was minus 12. So, there's a bit of a bit of personnel with that. But there's also just not good enough.

With the Curnow match up, what were you working through?

He's a tough player to match up on the best of times and we're undersized. So it was probably more about up the ground and what we could do to deny the easy supply. And we got worked over and transition, and then we started to fall off the ball a little bit. They used the ball better than us and the floodgates open in the last quarter. We did throw the magnets around and tried some guys in different positions. We'll look at that and see what we can take from it. But you know, there's more than just our backs that we had to deal with today.

it seemed like Rotham was deflated. How much do you feel for Rotham?

Yeah, look it's a job we wanted him to do. We can never isolate one particular player. And collectively, we let each other down. So for the most part this year, there's been a quarter here a quarter there. But we've found some resilience about the group, in particular since the Fremantle game. And we've got tipped over today. But that's, that's going to happen. Unfortunately, for where we are at in the moment. That's going to happen, we don't accept it and we want to respond as quick as we can, but we got we got touched up today.

Where to from here in terms of confidence and availability?

Well, there isn't a lot coming back in the next three or four weeks. So we just got to stay resilient, you know, accept the criticism, understand individually and collectively we weren't good enough tonight. And we got beat by a side that was pretty hungry and ruthless. We've had four really tough opponents in the last four weeks and tonight we were nowhere near good enough. So yeah, we'll review the game but we'll get on with the next week as quick as we can and can't give them the confidence all we can do is keep chasing the things we've been chasing all year, and hopefully we can perform better next week.

Have you got a sense from the players postgame about whether they felt they came up short?

I don't think there's much depth to it. What you saw out there and what you're saying now is what we saw as well, so and inability to stop it was it was a challenge for us up and up in the box and the players as well. So yeah, we don't have to dig too deep on this one, we were out hunted, they moved the ball better, they look like they ran out of the ground a bit better than us. And their talent got got the rewards. So that's as simple as that.

Was there anything during the week that pointed that this might have been coming?

We can't train at the moment, we've got 26 training. So that's not an excuse, but we can't do anything that's outside of, you know, some fundamentals and we're working on our running. And we'll keep doing that because you know, we won't have much back next week. But that's really not an excuse. So mindsets really important. So how will you respond and we've been dealing with this for a long time, especially our leaders. So, you know, we had three or four leaders, out of our leadership group that played tonight. And, you know, we need to galvanise and stay as strong as we can, and criticism will be there. And that's our industry. So we're not hiding away from it. So, it's all about next week now.

Is that something that the AFL could sort of step in with allowing you to have extra players when you've only got 26?

No, that's on us. So, we have been knocked around a little bit last couple of years. But we own that. So that's, that's the way it is. We'll keep working through it. We're not asking for anything. We were really disappointed tonight, and we want to get better. So that just means we need to get back to work.

Can you talk us through the decision to have Rhett Bazzo starting as the sub because obviously, body frame and size. Was he just under done?

He's a little under done and significant trauma pre-season. So, he missed several weeks, he was coming up for stress related injury, and he hadn't played a full game of WAFL. We can't just go "you start on Curnow". So and then he got to head knock tonight, unfortunately, he'll be unavailable next week. So yeah, unfortunate for him, but it's a little bit unfair to to point the finger at our first- and second-year players. I mean, they're doing everything they can and they're really holding up as best they can. And we're going to try and get through without breaking them down. And that's our next challenge. Because obviously there's not much we can lean on. But that's just the way it is.

How long have you had on effort all year, only 150 uncontested possessions and they took 137 marks, and you got less tackles than them. Did you feel that the effort dropped off and some players may have been overwhelmed or in a way given up?

I don't think we'd ever say that we gave up, but we got out worked today. And I mean, the contested possessions and ground balls, they weren't miles away. But they transition a lot better. And the system and method was better than ours. And we collapse back in on some of the things we were doing in the past. So, I'm disappointed, not surprised. But you know, the way the game blew out was really disappointing. But you know, we've been hanging in there and fighting for quarters here and there. And our next goal is to fight for four quarters and deliver us a win. And we took a step backwards today.

You're on the bottom of the ladder now, with your list the way that it is at moment are you concerned that you will stay there?

Look, that’s just where we're at you know, we've got 17 eight unavailable at the moment. So the list is pretty hard to judge at the moment, wouldn’t you think?

Are you concerned because you can't get those players back?

No, we'll get him back just not the next couple of weeks. We will just deal with reality really, so not what might happen, just what's happening.

What's it like for you where what you're coaching, you're just kind of handcuffed at the moment because what you're coaching with the availability that you've got just can't shine through. What is it like to be that person?

I think we've taken steps forward. I really do and today is not a great time to say that but we know what our good looks like we've got an identity which we're chasing that's not there today. But when we see it we are rewarded and when we don't see it we critique it and we get better so that's what happened today and unacceptable, not good enough, not happy, we need to be better. But we are aware of the big picture as well.

I think it's just a significant corky so we're hoping he might be okay. I don't think anyone else is presenting is as too bad at the moment. I think Shannon Hurn might have a bit of whiplash, but he was fine with that mark he took outside of that I don't think we're too bad.

Is there a leg injury for Sam Petrevski-Seton?

And Bazzo?

He'll be out next week, I don't think he passed the test so he will be unavailable.

What's the like having someone like Shannon Hurn come back into the side? He put his body on the line like that, you know, he's a veteran of your club has been around for so long and he's still out there doing that.

He's a special person, Shannon. So obviously he sees what's going on at the moment and he's trying his best to help us. We obviously appreciate him for who he is and what he's done for us. But he never gives up. And he prepares the same way every week. He recovers the same way every week, and he's unflappable. So, he'll be fine. And he'll give us everything next week.

When you're 26 this week and you've lost more tonight and you have a WAFL game tomorrow, how do you make sure you've got number next week?

That's a good question. Dom might be available next week. So that that that might be a bonus for us. So, we'll take that, but you know, we get a few back and next few weeks and they're the kids that are coming back and be available and we'll keep exposing them as best we can. And you know, we'll look to get better at what we did tonight like, unacceptable tonight.

Will you pull people for tomorrow?

I don't think there's anyone to pull. We've got a couple young rucks playing and Zane Trew. So, I think they need to play.