The key talking points from senior coach Luke Beveridge’s round three post-match press conference.

Result

It was a pretty frantic game. We lacked a bit of composure and played on and went a bit quick at times when we shouldn’t have. You hope you haven’t exhausted your opportunities, but I felt like we lost our way a little bit again in the third quarter – we let the ball over the back and that created some scores and looks for Sydney. By and large, we were more consistent with our output. It’s encouraging – we’d had elements of that in the first couple of rounds but not for long enough.

Team performance

It was great to see some different players really influence the outcome as the course of the game went on. Historically we’ve probably relied on two, three or four usual suspects, but some of the lesser likes stood up and really helped us get over the line.

We needed to be better in the aerial contest with our backs today, and it’s just so pleasing to see someone like Ryan Gardner play the type of game that he did – he’s played some really important games for us, but I think none more important than tonight.

Josh Dunkley

To have 11 tackles and that much of the ball, and be a real staple in there with our midfield was really important tonight. Ultimately, statistically we won the day but I don’t think we were all on top of our games. Josh was a mainstay and a really terrific contributor.

Tim English

Tim’s had some games where he’s had tremendous influence, but I thought he was dominant tonight. That’s important for him and us – when you think about the two main score origins in turnover and stoppage, he’s been playing the turnover game pretty well for us and defensively. He’s searching for his presence around the source and gave us stability. He won the hit-out count which is terrific, and had a big influence on the game.

We’ve got faith and trust that Tim is emerging and evolving as a player - he’s still learning a little bit even though he’s heading towards his mid-20s, There’s some influential ruckmen in the game, but not all of them play the turnover game that well. They don’t all use the ball that well, and they’re not all as highly skilled as Tim. The more Tim can be dour and physical, the more he’s going to help us.

Recent form/contested possession

We’ve played a lot of good sides in recent times. We’ve been frustrated with things like ball use, and have been discouraged by the lack of consistency in a couple of areas – contested footy being one of them. I don’t talk about it very often, but it’s a crucial starting point for anyone. If you’re not very good at contested ball, you aren’t going to be a challenger at the end of the day. We lost it the last two weeks, but it’s a good example of what we’re capable of against a pretty dour Sydney team who have been impressive. We’ll bank the four points, but we’ll feel pretty good about beating a Sydney Swans team who are going to make it really difficult for a lot of teams this year.

Marcus Bontempelli

The message came through that it was one of those stingers, and hopefully that’s all it is. They can still hang around for a little while, but his courage at different times was great. That big spoil in the last quarter – if he doesn’t come across, potentially they’re kicking a goal. On the stats sheet he didn’t blow it up, but the quality of his game and how crucial his involvements were was just insane. He’ll be okay, but I don’t think it’s anything too serious.

Lachie Hunter

I was really happy with his game tonight – I thought his first half in particular was extremely influential. To go to the next level as a club and as a team, we want all of our players who have been prolific at different stages and been a staple in our team to find new ways to make us better. Tonight was an example of how Lachie can influence games, and what he is capable of with his work ethic and his skillset playing that wing role. He was important in the outcome.

Forward duo/Jamarra Ugle-Hagan

Jamarra played a really important role for us. The great thing about ‘Marra and Naughts is that they just fought their backsides off for the team. They had their looks – we just need to capitalise on more of those set shots. It’s encouraging for the future and important for the now we that we get a really solid contribution from ‘Marra, and I thought tonight he really gave that.