On adjusting to Darwin’s climate…
“It’ll be a bit of a contrast from Melbourne at the moment and playing in Ballarat. We haven’t got a training session up there other than a Captain’s Run on the Friday, so we’ve just got to stay hydrated.
“The boys have been covering the ground pretty well, but it’s going to be tough for both sides. We’ll just have to weather it.”
On JJ and how to replace him…
“It’s disappointing for him. He was wishing and hoping it was just going to be a 2-3 weeker, so for it to be another lengthy out for him is disappointing. He’s dealt with it before – he’ll apply himself in rehab and hopefully we’ll get him back near the end of the year and can still have an impact.
“There’s a couple of ways we can look at (replacing him). We’d like it to be like-for-like – JJ has found his acceleration and over time his position has evolved. Crozier could be an option for us.
“Laith’s another option – he played some time there against Werribee, and we’ve been gearing up for him to fill a role from a needs point of view, if there’s not a role as a small to medium forward. He’s another consideration.”
On Adam Treloar’s return…
“He’ll train again today. He’ll probably do a fair bit of the session, but is most likely not going to play this week. I won’t close the door on it though – we’ll see how he goes today.
On Caleb Daniel’s on-field role…
“Due to the late preparation and stop-and-start nature of Adam and Bailey (Smith) this preseason, we had some contingencies in place. Caleb was one of the main ones we were preparing to play through that midfield.
“Ideally we can keep him there (in the middle), but this week there is a consideration around whether or not he does go and play half-back. We like our blend and numbers through the midfield, and how they’re working together.
“He’s probably unlikely to go back, but that’s not to say he won’t.”
