WEBVTT - Andrew Russell - Defeated by the Blues 0:00:06.559 --> 0:00:08.640 Back game in the MCG where we beat Nolbur. That 0:00:08.760 --> 0:00:11.080 is the most phenomenal fifteen minutes I've ever had in 0:00:11.119 --> 0:00:15.360 mind life. Really, it was extraordinary walking off that ground, 0:00:15.560 --> 0:00:20.520 walking to Bossy and we're walking the crowd exhilaration. Yeah, extraordinary. 0:00:20.560 --> 0:00:22.600 Never felt anything like that at Hawthorne. 0:00:23.160 --> 0:00:25.040 I'm John Ralph and I'm Glenn McFarlane. 0:00:25.120 --> 0:00:28.320 Welcome to Sacked, a podcast that explores what really happens 0:00:28.360 --> 0:00:30.880 when the ax falls in the AFL world. We'll take 0:00:30.920 --> 0:00:32.640 you behind the scenes with some of the biggest names 0:00:32.640 --> 0:00:35.040 in football and find out how they found out their 0:00:35.080 --> 0:00:36.280 time was up and who. 0:00:36.120 --> 0:00:37.080 Pulled the trigger. 0:00:38.800 --> 0:00:42.080 Today defeated by the Blues. The second part of our 0:00:42.159 --> 0:00:46.720 chat with Andrew Russell. Players, yes, coaches definitely, but recruiting 0:00:46.760 --> 0:00:50.600 new high performance managers wouldn't usually get the fans excited. 0:00:50.880 --> 0:00:53.519 And yet when Andrew Russell made the shift from a 0:00:53.560 --> 0:00:57.080 four premiership winning stint at Hawthorne to Carlton, it was 0:00:57.160 --> 0:01:00.200 seen as joining the missing link holding the Blues back. 0:01:00.560 --> 0:01:03.680 So why five years later did the twenty six year 0:01:03.760 --> 0:01:07.400 AFL industry career of Andrew Russell and in disappointment? 0:01:07.880 --> 0:01:10.600 What happened? And how does Russell feel about his time 0:01:10.880 --> 0:01:11.600 and the Blues. 0:01:11.760 --> 0:01:15.600 Now, how did you get to Calton Paine Little brad Lloyd's. 0:01:15.959 --> 0:01:19.319 So it came out of nowhere, you know. I felt 0:01:19.360 --> 0:01:21.880 like the edge had gone out of Hawthorne. Felt like the. 0:01:21.800 --> 0:01:24.920 Players weren't you know, they weren't as in it as 0:01:24.959 --> 0:01:26.360 they were because they were very in it. 0:01:27.520 --> 0:01:30.440 I just felt like my time was up. And you said, 0:01:30.440 --> 0:01:32.760 of know, when you don't have the performance anymore, you know, 0:01:32.760 --> 0:01:33.480 and you need to know. 0:01:34.440 --> 0:01:35.880 So for me, I was just like, all right, we'll 0:01:35.880 --> 0:01:39.440 have a look at a at a different environment. So 0:01:39.440 --> 0:01:41.119 I walking to Carlton that's a different environment. 0:01:41.319 --> 0:01:42.200 How different was it? 0:01:42.360 --> 0:01:45.400 No? It's completely no, completely different, Yeah, no, it was 0:01:45.440 --> 0:01:49.920 completely different. It was it was it was, yeah, it was. 0:01:50.480 --> 0:01:52.760 You know, I thought the club was the club looked 0:01:52.760 --> 0:01:54.800 like it was being run well, you know, it looked 0:01:54.800 --> 0:01:56.840 like they had their finances in order and there's a 0:01:56.880 --> 0:01:59.600 lot of things. But you know, you're walking to a 0:01:59.680 --> 0:02:04.200 club with high talent that are losing and that had 0:02:04.200 --> 0:02:06.680 an impact on them, you know, like these guys learned 0:02:06.680 --> 0:02:07.320 how to lose. 0:02:07.640 --> 0:02:09.400 Can you have that culture? You've seen it before? 0:02:10.040 --> 0:02:10.880 Me, I don't understand that. 0:02:10.919 --> 0:02:14.359 Well they so you lose a lot used to losing, 0:02:14.480 --> 0:02:17.920 you feel comfortable with losing you you know, it's like 0:02:18.639 --> 0:02:19.840 that's how the mind works. 0:02:20.160 --> 0:02:22.320 You become very comfortable in the space that you're in 0:02:22.400 --> 0:02:26.120 and so it's almost like you expect it. And so 0:02:26.520 --> 0:02:27.920 there was a behavi as soon one as it did. 0:02:27.960 --> 0:02:29.960 It was just like wow, you know, there was a 0:02:30.040 --> 0:02:33.640 bit of work to my first day, a Saturday morning 0:02:33.680 --> 0:02:34.280 training session. 0:02:34.400 --> 0:02:37.120 I think six or seven players up late. It was 0:02:37.160 --> 0:02:40.880 just like, you know, I mean, what are you Is 0:02:40.919 --> 0:02:44.919 this the starting point? That's culture the lack of it. 0:02:44.960 --> 0:02:48.359 There was probably seven players that I had no idea 0:02:48.400 --> 0:02:49.720 whether I'm going to be able to train from one 0:02:49.800 --> 0:02:51.920 day the next I'd rock up and think, I have 0:02:52.000 --> 0:02:55.040 no idea whether you can actually be out there not, 0:02:55.080 --> 0:02:57.040 you know, because you get to know their partners like 0:02:57.280 --> 0:02:59.080 one day they can, the next day they can't, then 0:02:59.120 --> 0:03:00.920 they can't, then they can too sore or whatever. 0:03:01.040 --> 0:03:01.280 Whatever. 0:03:03.160 --> 0:03:06.960 So there was I felt it was. It was really challenging. 0:03:07.400 --> 0:03:08.880 It was really hard, and I had gone from a 0:03:08.880 --> 0:03:12.720 group is really tight group who wanted everything, and you know, 0:03:12.760 --> 0:03:15.680 the people around me were outstanding in Andrew Lambert and 0:03:15.880 --> 0:03:18.799 DC and medically and conditioning, and we were tired and 0:03:18.840 --> 0:03:20.760 we were prepared to go wherever we needed to go. 0:03:21.240 --> 0:03:23.840 So I came in with that same approach like whoa, whoa, 0:03:23.880 --> 0:03:26.400 this is a bit geez, that's a bit infronting. Yeah, well, 0:03:26.919 --> 0:03:29.799 what's confronting about it. This is a high performance. 0:03:32.120 --> 0:03:32.320 Yeah. 0:03:32.880 --> 0:03:35.920 But so what happened with is then and then the club. 0:03:36.240 --> 0:03:38.920 The thing the club, they serviced everyone outside of the 0:03:38.920 --> 0:03:42.000 club because they were losing, So players are going here there, 0:03:42.040 --> 0:03:45.000 and stuff were goings and and it was just like, wow, 0:03:45.040 --> 0:03:46.960 we never did any of it at Hawthorne. 0:03:47.520 --> 0:03:49.560 Terms of county members and outside. 0:03:49.240 --> 0:03:52.640 Influence, outside influence and all lots of stuff. And on 0:03:52.680 --> 0:03:56.120 the whole they are extremely supportive. There were there were 0:03:56.160 --> 0:03:58.280 elements that were challenging within that, but on the whole 0:03:58.560 --> 0:04:01.520 really really supportive. But it felt like a different you know, 0:04:01.600 --> 0:04:04.880 it just feels different. It felt different. You go back 0:04:04.880 --> 0:04:07.560 to Hawthorne and it feels like family. 0:04:08.280 --> 0:04:09.920 You go to and it does feel like business. But 0:04:10.400 --> 0:04:11.720 in all honesty, that should have. 0:04:12.000 --> 0:04:14.200 Not a huge effect on the football team because you 0:04:14.240 --> 0:04:16.440 surround yourself with a group of people and it's that 0:04:16.520 --> 0:04:18.760 group of people that have the direct influence. 0:04:18.800 --> 0:04:19.640 That outer layer. 0:04:20.360 --> 0:04:23.680 Look, it's there, it's part of the culture and that's 0:04:23.680 --> 0:04:26.080 still the challenges is to block it out because on 0:04:26.120 --> 0:04:26.680 the whole. 0:04:26.560 --> 0:04:30.000 Mostly it's supportive and when it's good, it's not just good, 0:04:30.080 --> 0:04:30.800 it is amazing. 0:04:31.160 --> 0:04:34.720 Calvin gave me some of the greatest days of my 0:04:34.880 --> 0:04:36.479 life professionally. 0:04:37.160 --> 0:04:39.760 That that that gave me the mcg where we beat 0:04:40.320 --> 0:04:43.800 beat Melbourne, Melbourne, that is the most phenomenal fifteen minutes 0:04:43.839 --> 0:04:45.240 I've ever had in my life. 0:04:46.760 --> 0:04:50.600 Down final. 0:04:50.960 --> 0:04:53.800 Can you believe it? 0:04:53.800 --> 0:04:57.880 It was extraordinary walking off that ground, walking with Bossy 0:04:57.960 --> 0:05:02.960 and we're walking the crowd exillar extraordinary. Never felt anything 0:05:03.040 --> 0:05:05.560 like that at Hawthorne and even you know, even the 0:05:05.640 --> 0:05:09.320 challenges that I think that's the best period I've ever 0:05:09.320 --> 0:05:11.680 had in the game of wins and losses. Thought equal 0:05:11.720 --> 0:05:14.360 to Port Adelaide and some of the greatest teams have 0:05:14.440 --> 0:05:18.160 worked with. That period of twenty three is almost as 0:05:18.160 --> 0:05:20.640 good a block as I've ever seen or been involved in. 0:05:20.720 --> 0:05:23.560 Yeah, it was extraordinary. Now we felt like we're under 0:05:23.600 --> 0:05:25.360 pressure the whole time, so we couldn't enjoy it. 0:05:25.560 --> 0:05:28.160 Yeah, that was going to say you wouldn't enjoy that place. 0:05:29.040 --> 0:05:32.120 It wasn't enjoyable until the end and then the. 0:05:32.120 --> 0:05:34.240 Prevue final was it was. I mean, it was bizarre 0:05:34.279 --> 0:05:36.760 and it felt like a home game. Yeah and crazy 0:05:36.839 --> 0:05:39.600 You're in Brisbane and the crowd. 0:05:39.360 --> 0:05:42.240 And a fume you were there early. 0:05:42.320 --> 0:05:45.440 Wow, it wasn't that experience at a home game at 0:05:45.440 --> 0:05:46.240 the Gabba. 0:05:47.640 --> 0:05:51.240 And then, you know, I honestly believe that's as that 0:05:51.440 --> 0:05:54.960 is as equal, that is as equal. We gave that 0:05:55.040 --> 0:05:57.920 group as equal opportunity to win as any group I've 0:05:57.960 --> 0:06:01.039 ever worked with, and they didn't take it, and that 0:06:01.120 --> 0:06:01.919 was really disappointing. 0:06:02.320 --> 0:06:05.560 Fitness wise, they had the space and partly because we've 0:06:05.560 --> 0:06:07.400 had some issues during the year that we were fresh. 0:06:08.080 --> 0:06:09.480 So it's just like, oh my god, we're going to 0:06:09.520 --> 0:06:11.920 make the most of this being fresh. We're fresh, We 0:06:12.000 --> 0:06:15.000 were in good shape. But I don't think we dealt 0:06:15.040 --> 0:06:16.920 with the moment well at all. 0:06:17.640 --> 0:06:20.960 In the moment, down by two points at halftime, it 0:06:21.040 --> 0:06:22.360 felt like we were down by ten guys. 0:06:22.400 --> 0:06:24.479 Really you felt that. 0:06:24.520 --> 0:06:26.640 You can feel that. It felt like we were down 0:06:26.680 --> 0:06:29.600 and I'm thinking, what is going on here? We are 0:06:29.640 --> 0:06:31.760 in a position to play, you know, and in a 0:06:31.760 --> 0:06:33.719 really good position, and then we actually came back late, 0:06:34.520 --> 0:06:35.000 you know what I mean. 0:06:36.040 --> 0:06:37.760 Yeah, you only didn't get beaten by much in the 0:06:37.880 --> 0:06:39.080 end and then we get. 0:06:39.040 --> 0:06:43.000 Cheered off, like with one phenomenal so that I come 0:06:43.040 --> 0:06:46.640 out of a prelim final. Every prelim final involved in gutted. 0:06:47.920 --> 0:06:50.800 This one was. And I'm thinking, what is what aren't 0:06:50.800 --> 0:06:51.520 they seeing here? 0:06:52.000 --> 0:06:54.480 Is that the crowd is that's a moment, This is 0:06:54.520 --> 0:06:57.840 a moment lost and not many people were saying that 0:06:58.000 --> 0:07:02.520 I was seeing excitement into the future, and I get that, is. 0:07:02.480 --> 0:07:06.039 It been comfortable and mediocrity. Explain explain that phenomena. 0:07:06.240 --> 0:07:07.039 I don't think it's that. 0:07:07.560 --> 0:07:11.120 I just think they'd come from so far and you know, 0:07:11.480 --> 0:07:13.360 and even within the year, it comes from so far 0:07:13.400 --> 0:07:16.440 that everyone's feeling like, wow, that was pretty special and 0:07:16.560 --> 0:07:19.120 it was to you know, to get there, and it 0:07:19.280 --> 0:07:22.680 was like that group did a phenomenal job to get 0:07:22.680 --> 0:07:25.560 to that point, that playing group and the way that 0:07:25.600 --> 0:07:27.880 they played and the hunger they played with, and like 0:07:27.960 --> 0:07:29.480 it was pretty good to watch. 0:07:29.520 --> 0:07:30.760 You go through that period where. 0:07:32.120 --> 0:07:34.200 Six out of seven weeks I think we won by 0:07:34.240 --> 0:07:37.679 sixty points on average, six out of seven after the bye. 0:07:38.000 --> 0:07:41.760 I've never seen a team, Yeah, teens have done that, 0:07:41.840 --> 0:07:44.720 so you know, and then we had you know, while 0:07:44.760 --> 0:07:46.440 she comes back in and he's fresh, so he wins 0:07:46.440 --> 0:07:48.520 a final player series final. 0:07:48.600 --> 0:07:51.840 You know, oh, there was so much it was, it 0:07:51.920 --> 0:07:52.520 was there, you know. 0:07:52.840 --> 0:07:54.800 It was the one that got away in a sense 0:07:54.800 --> 0:07:56.440 that you think you thought that you could have you 0:07:56.440 --> 0:07:57.920 thought you could have Beaten Colling it the next week 0:07:57.920 --> 0:07:59.200 because a very even group. 0:07:59.760 --> 0:08:01.840 Well yeah, absolutely. 0:08:01.440 --> 0:08:02.280 Like the margins of this. 0:08:02.680 --> 0:08:05.320 Absolutely, And in the end the story gets told and 0:08:05.360 --> 0:08:07.200 they're the winners and they're amazing and they're no good 0:08:07.200 --> 0:08:07.600 and whatever. 0:08:07.680 --> 0:08:09.120 But the reality when you're that. 0:08:09.120 --> 0:08:12.680 Close to it is, you know, how how the margins 0:08:12.680 --> 0:08:16.280 of this And we know the moments in games. 0:08:15.960 --> 0:08:17.160 And you know, and I can go back to that 0:08:17.200 --> 0:08:20.160 game and so you know what, there are really big 0:08:20.200 --> 0:08:21.080 moments in games. 0:08:21.240 --> 0:08:23.880 So describe the feelings, Say, for the Hawthorn blokes, should 0:08:23.880 --> 0:08:26.320 be two points down at halftime and like we're about 0:08:26.360 --> 0:08:29.120 to challenge here, and what happened to Carlton for those 0:08:29.120 --> 0:08:30.360 blokes not to seize that moment? 0:08:30.480 --> 0:08:32.640 Maybe maybe it's back to where you know seven and 0:08:32.720 --> 0:08:34.800 Hawthorn was like that and they hadn't been there for 0:08:34.840 --> 0:08:38.040 so long, so they got you know, they were beating 0:08:38.120 --> 0:08:40.480 Adelaide in seven at Marble. 0:08:40.559 --> 0:08:42.840 It's one of the great games that day. 0:08:43.559 --> 0:08:44.920 I was writing in color, and I was thinking, what 0:08:44.880 --> 0:08:47.440 will I write about members of my game? 0:08:47.520 --> 0:08:51.679 That game was phenomenal, and because they hadn't been there 0:08:51.720 --> 0:08:54.520 for so long, had they sort of felt like they 0:08:54.520 --> 0:08:55.640 felt pretty good. 0:08:56.520 --> 0:08:58.400 I didn't have that. It's not like until you're there 0:08:58.440 --> 0:09:01.120 and you're close and you miss. There's not many teams 0:09:01.120 --> 0:09:01.760 that have done that. 0:09:03.360 --> 0:09:05.600 And even Hawthorne really was a very rare example of 0:09:05.640 --> 0:09:08.200 going from the bottom the bottom when we got there 0:09:08.240 --> 0:09:11.400 to the top within four years, that's pretty that's pretty rare. 0:09:11.440 --> 0:09:13.080 Are I should have got to do your time. 0:09:13.800 --> 0:09:16.880 And so I don't feel like it's that much different, 0:09:16.960 --> 0:09:18.240 But the game's harder. 0:09:19.640 --> 0:09:22.200 More even you talk about that level of acceptance of 0:09:22.240 --> 0:09:24.320 when you're coming off, you know, there were people obviously 0:09:24.320 --> 0:09:27.720 half celebrating you're losing your preliminary final. Is that the players? 0:09:27.800 --> 0:09:30.679 Is that the supporters? Is it the administration? I mean 0:09:31.120 --> 0:09:32.679 mainly supporters, Yeah. 0:09:32.480 --> 0:09:35.240 But the club was feeling pretty good about it. Yeah. 0:09:35.360 --> 0:09:39.320 I don't know, you know, you just feel the players 0:09:39.320 --> 0:09:42.200 are disappointed. But I feel like the players, so you know, where, 0:09:42.240 --> 0:09:43.360 this is our time and we'll. 0:09:43.240 --> 0:09:44.840 Go on, you know, we'll go on. 0:09:44.960 --> 0:09:47.400 Yeah, and then and that's probably a good. 0:09:47.200 --> 0:09:47.680 Place to be. 0:09:48.920 --> 0:09:51.600 But you know, I've been part of groups have been 0:09:51.720 --> 0:09:56.040 absolutely distraught, gutted. You don't want to leave their house, 0:09:56.640 --> 0:10:00.040 you know what I mean, after that type of loss. 0:10:01.040 --> 0:10:02.839 And I think that happens though the longer you. 0:10:02.800 --> 0:10:05.200 Go, the more you're involved, and if you miss one 0:10:05.280 --> 0:10:07.480 and then you miss two, and then that's when it 0:10:07.520 --> 0:10:08.959 really really hurts because you. 0:10:08.960 --> 0:10:11.599 Know how much work it takes to get there. It 0:10:11.679 --> 0:10:13.080 takes a lot of work and a lot it's got 0:10:13.120 --> 0:10:13.320 to go. 0:10:13.600 --> 0:10:15.839 There's a lot of a lot of things that go 0:10:15.920 --> 0:10:16.360 to align. 0:10:16.520 --> 0:10:18.240 So what went wrong in your last year so you 0:10:18.280 --> 0:10:20.559 didn't have full autonomy for the program? 0:10:20.800 --> 0:10:21.480 What does that mean? 0:10:22.480 --> 0:10:26.200 Well, look pretty simple. There was a leadership structure set up. 0:10:26.320 --> 0:10:27.199 There was a different. 0:10:26.960 --> 0:10:32.360 Leadership structure, and I my position was different to what it. 0:10:32.320 --> 0:10:34.680 Was only in that last year or well it sort 0:10:34.679 --> 0:10:36.640 of evolved to that, you know, I have a last 0:10:36.720 --> 0:10:39.000 two It sort of evolved to that. 0:10:40.120 --> 0:10:42.880 There were lots of views within the fully department. 0:10:43.720 --> 0:10:47.200 You know, the leadership structure was quite flat. 0:10:47.520 --> 0:10:48.760 I wouldn't set it up like that. 0:10:49.440 --> 0:10:51.439 You know, that's where I wasn't at my best, and 0:10:51.920 --> 0:10:53.880 you know there was there was you know, after the review, 0:10:53.880 --> 0:10:54.559 the review didn't. 0:10:54.920 --> 0:10:56.760 The review didn't do good things for lots of people 0:10:56.760 --> 0:10:59.520 at the football club. Lots of people went to self 0:11:00.040 --> 0:11:02.480 after that review. Self preservation, self preservation. 0:11:02.679 --> 0:11:04.960 So any time we'll challenge people went to sell from 0:11:05.000 --> 0:11:06.960 that point in time. And then you had a group 0:11:06.960 --> 0:11:08.040 that had nothing to do with it. So it was 0:11:08.080 --> 0:11:11.000 quite bizarre, you know, that came in the coaches, coaches 0:11:11.040 --> 0:11:14.880 came in. Everyone else was the same, So I think 0:11:15.280 --> 0:11:17.960 you know that. And so in the end, it's just 0:11:18.000 --> 0:11:21.400 like someone's gonna make the call and and the and 0:11:21.440 --> 0:11:26.000 the responsibility was diffused across across many, many different voices 0:11:26.040 --> 0:11:27.319 about what should have been done. 0:11:27.320 --> 0:11:30.439 And I worked really hard. I worked really. 0:11:30.200 --> 0:11:32.640 Hard to do I did an internal review and everything 0:11:32.640 --> 0:11:35.240 we were doing, and I was robust. I was robust, 0:11:35.240 --> 0:11:37.880 and everyone else I was robust and everything you know, 0:11:37.920 --> 0:11:40.160 and you know, and the long year in the game, 0:11:40.200 --> 0:11:42.559 I tapped into different areas, so I would challenge people 0:11:42.559 --> 0:11:45.760 within around what are we doing with recruiting and what 0:11:45.800 --> 0:11:46.280 are we doing? 0:11:46.600 --> 0:11:47.960 What we're playing? Well, what do we do? You know, 0:11:48.280 --> 0:11:50.640 like this is what I'm saying around I've seen a 0:11:50.679 --> 0:11:53.600 lot and some people didn't enjoy that. 0:11:54.000 --> 0:11:56.600 Some people didn't like too robust with your criticisms, with 0:11:56.640 --> 0:11:57.680 your accountability. 0:11:57.640 --> 0:11:58.559 Yeah, some people didn't. 0:11:58.800 --> 0:12:01.880 Some people didn't enjoy that, and so that's that's fine, 0:12:02.200 --> 0:12:04.880 But that's an environment that you know. 0:12:04.840 --> 0:12:05.160 It was. 0:12:05.640 --> 0:12:08.800 It was, it was the the program was the had 0:12:09.320 --> 0:12:11.480 the least amount of me in it than ever. 0:12:11.640 --> 0:12:14.600 In the last year. And so both you know, I 0:12:14.640 --> 0:12:15.480 was you know, you. 0:12:15.520 --> 0:12:17.400 Told to stay in your lane. The president says, you 0:12:17.440 --> 0:12:19.400 walk off. The grand says Jackie, staying in your lane. 0:12:19.400 --> 0:12:22.840 It's well, guess what, you know, it's almost it's like 0:12:23.960 --> 0:12:28.200 it's like saying to the coach or the coach, but 0:12:29.120 --> 0:12:30.559 you have no control over stoppages. 0:12:31.240 --> 0:12:32.640 Yeah, it's got to work on other stuff. 0:12:32.920 --> 0:12:34.280 Stay in your lane, and you can't. 0:12:34.320 --> 0:12:36.520 So for me, and I've been what I have been 0:12:36.559 --> 0:12:40.880 fortunate is that my role, you know, prior and prior 0:12:40.880 --> 0:12:44.959 to that, I was very fortunate that I had people 0:12:45.000 --> 0:12:47.680 back me in and I could go where I needed 0:12:47.679 --> 0:12:50.720 to go within the football program. And that had a 0:12:50.720 --> 0:12:53.920 lot more than just conditioning involved, and that's what it was. 0:12:53.960 --> 0:12:57.200 And people were comfortable with that. People become uncomfortable with that. 0:12:58.120 --> 0:12:59.880 At the time of which we had a few issues 0:13:00.040 --> 0:13:03.040 that were challenging, issues of which you know, They were 0:13:03.080 --> 0:13:06.800 simple as in, as in the guys that didn't hadn't 0:13:06.840 --> 0:13:07.800 done the work, broke down. 0:13:08.040 --> 0:13:09.360 There was nothing complex about this. 0:13:09.679 --> 0:13:11.880 You know, the average percent preseason is a very strong 0:13:11.920 --> 0:13:15.920 relationship between percent preseason and robustness. Of all those guys 0:13:16.000 --> 0:13:18.520 that struggled, the average percent preseason was fifty eight percent 0:13:18.559 --> 0:13:21.719 of that group. So they just they didn't weren't even 0:13:21.760 --> 0:13:23.840 in the program, you know, hardly in the program. So 0:13:24.320 --> 0:13:26.160 it was not complex. Share was probably the challenging one 0:13:26.200 --> 0:13:27.960 because he done what he was the only one outside 0:13:28.000 --> 0:13:30.560 that and you know, and and they've done some great work, 0:13:30.920 --> 0:13:32.880 you know, they've really done. The group there now has 0:13:32.920 --> 0:13:35.959 done some amazing work with error to get him back 0:13:36.000 --> 0:13:39.640 up and running. But you know, so then it became 0:13:39.760 --> 0:13:43.280 pretty much you know, really the Geelong game. We after 0:13:43.320 --> 0:13:46.599 the Geelong game last year, I said every year and 0:13:46.600 --> 0:13:51.000 then after that, you know, I felt that had that 0:13:51.000 --> 0:13:53.640 conversation go with it was fine. You know, look we 0:13:53.679 --> 0:13:55.480 had you know, we got on really well. You know, 0:13:55.520 --> 0:13:59.839 we got really well. But there's getting on really well and. 0:13:59.800 --> 0:14:03.360 Then there's you know, and then there's there there's another level. 0:14:03.880 --> 0:14:06.600 And so for me it's it's like, well, you know, 0:14:07.200 --> 0:14:10.080 that's a program that is comfortable. 0:14:09.760 --> 0:14:11.600 Doing what it's doing. I'm okay with that. 0:14:12.280 --> 0:14:16.480 It's not that's you know, I'm pretty comfortable in going 0:14:16.520 --> 0:14:17.359 and doing. 0:14:17.080 --> 0:14:17.800 Something else now. 0:14:17.840 --> 0:14:19.960 So basically, when they got injured, you didn't have any 0:14:19.960 --> 0:14:20.960 responsibility for them. 0:14:21.160 --> 0:14:22.840 Look, you know, I played my role in it. You know, 0:14:22.960 --> 0:14:24.960 I played my role in that, and some guys couldn't 0:14:24.960 --> 0:14:27.240 get the work done. So I'm I'm in that. Don't 0:14:27.240 --> 0:14:29.600 worry about that. Yeah, I'm in that. But it's probably 0:14:29.600 --> 0:14:32.400 more once a get injured, like well, we got this. 0:14:33.880 --> 0:14:39.560 Suggestions you know, weren't too interested in hearing perspective on it. 0:14:39.720 --> 0:14:42.080 The final, Like I said, the final, a lot of 0:14:42.120 --> 0:14:45.400 blokes injured, risks Dougherty, Like Dougherty was a risk. So 0:14:45.480 --> 0:14:48.960 take us through that final given that, I think most 0:14:49.000 --> 0:14:51.320 of us would have felt sick if you'd done it again. 0:14:51.400 --> 0:14:53.560 But you guys felt he was ready. Yeah. 0:14:53.600 --> 0:14:56.680 Well, and so just see to go about even within 0:14:56.720 --> 0:14:58.960 all those challenges, and you know what's I running. I 0:14:59.040 --> 0:15:01.560 believe that we could win it last year, and you 0:15:01.600 --> 0:15:04.680 know what, we got back into that game against Brisbane 0:15:04.720 --> 0:15:07.160 and so we're one game away. And that's that's where 0:15:07.160 --> 0:15:09.600 people don't realize we were one game away. 0:15:09.360 --> 0:15:11.200 Or one quarter away from clicking in the. 0:15:11.200 --> 0:15:13.680 Gear as a group last year, that's and we actually 0:15:13.680 --> 0:15:16.760 did click, but too many guys had missed too much, 0:15:16.800 --> 0:15:20.120 too much connection, lack of belief just because you can't 0:15:20.160 --> 0:15:24.480 do it unless you're doing it. But if that game 0:15:24.560 --> 0:15:27.400 goes differently and we can control the dammage early, I 0:15:27.480 --> 0:15:31.960 still believe that we could do and and people who 0:15:32.000 --> 0:15:35.000 in the game understand that that. That's how fine line is. 0:15:35.040 --> 0:15:37.200 We had fresh guys who'd actually done a lot of work. 0:15:38.480 --> 0:15:41.240 That's why I say it was still robust. So that's 0:15:41.280 --> 0:15:43.520 why I was really I was really disappointed because I 0:15:43.520 --> 0:15:44.640 still felt like we could win it. 0:15:44.960 --> 0:15:46.320 I genuinely believe that I thought it was. 0:15:46.680 --> 0:15:48.400 I didn't think we would, and I didn't think it was, 0:15:48.680 --> 0:15:51.400 but I thought that, you know, you just do enough and. 0:15:51.400 --> 0:15:54.240 You can get going. And you know that was my belief. 0:15:55.800 --> 0:15:58.120 So Doc, Yeah, just it wasn't it wasn't enough of 0:15:58.520 --> 0:16:00.680 a risk for you guys, well, you know, it wasn't 0:16:00.680 --> 0:16:01.520 too much for ask. 0:16:01.360 --> 0:16:05.000 The player himself. Well, the issue for us was a 0:16:05.040 --> 0:16:06.080 performance issue. 0:16:06.400 --> 0:16:08.080 Can he do what he needs to do under the 0:16:08.080 --> 0:16:09.920 bright lights without being under that pressure? 0:16:10.080 --> 0:16:12.880 That was the physical side is less the game. 0:16:13.600 --> 0:16:15.440 The game is at its slowest at the end of 0:16:15.480 --> 0:16:18.960 the year, so the best time to bring players back 0:16:19.000 --> 0:16:21.480 into play is probably rounds. 0:16:23.520 --> 0:16:23.680 Three. 0:16:23.680 --> 0:16:26.360 That's when everyone's out there fatigued motivations at the lowest 0:16:26.360 --> 0:16:27.920 because you're rather done for the year or you're trying 0:16:27.960 --> 0:16:31.040 to preserve a little bit for finals. It's the game 0:16:31.960 --> 0:16:35.520 is generally not at its highest. So I've always been 0:16:35.520 --> 0:16:38.280 comfortableing blogs back into that's on me. That game is 0:16:38.280 --> 0:16:41.040 an you know that. Yeah, look it was a risk, 0:16:41.160 --> 0:16:47.280 but the player was very robust. He's i meanways done 0:16:47.280 --> 0:16:50.160 his career, how he's dealt with said, I mean, he's 0:16:50.200 --> 0:16:53.400 an extraordinary character, and what and his ability to perform 0:16:53.720 --> 0:16:55.560 in the past. So we go back and say can 0:16:55.640 --> 0:16:57.600 he perform and in the past he's been able to. 0:16:58.120 --> 0:17:01.840 It's like we have a history of him performing physically. 0:17:01.440 --> 0:17:04.320 When you're using great shape, there's got to be a 0:17:04.359 --> 0:17:06.520 little bit of an element of him versus someone else 0:17:06.600 --> 0:17:09.560 from a coaching point of view. So I don't know, 0:17:10.280 --> 0:17:13.720 but obviously they're saying we think unless you you got 0:17:13.760 --> 0:17:15.720 to think we're happy for him to do the job 0:17:15.760 --> 0:17:18.879 than someone else. Otherwise, you know, a plan because it's 0:17:18.880 --> 0:17:21.720 an easy one to leave out. It doesn't matter if Dockety 0:17:21.760 --> 0:17:24.440 wants to play or not, don't want to plane. 0:17:25.520 --> 0:17:28.719 There's that bit in it. And then and now he's 0:17:28.760 --> 0:17:29.720 gone on and planing the year. 0:17:30.359 --> 0:17:34.000 I think you could argue and if you're going to 0:17:34.040 --> 0:17:35.359 win it and you're going to go, well, said have 0:17:35.400 --> 0:17:37.399 got a plane because you got to get him in 0:17:37.400 --> 0:17:37.640 the team. 0:17:37.720 --> 0:17:39.560 He took the risk on Cyril and he's not Cyril. 0:17:39.640 --> 0:17:42.600 But the look, I think it was a I think 0:17:42.600 --> 0:17:44.159 it was a reason we're all on board together. 0:17:44.240 --> 0:17:46.000 Everyone was on the same page. Everyone was in it. 0:17:46.000 --> 0:17:49.480