On Hawthorn...  

“As far as the ladder goes, they’ve gone better than us and that’s the way we’ll treat it. 

"We have a healthy respect for what they can do at their best and what they’ve achieved. 

“You’re always wary when a club’s been under the microscope a bit, and the way they galvanise and prepare for their next game. 

“We need to be ready for their intensity – it might be more explosive than we’re typically used to. That’s the challenge for us.” 

On Hawthorn’s tackling pressure... 

“I don’t think any club - or any team - starts with a tackle-first, accumulate-that-statistic approach, because it means you haven’t got the ball, for one. And two, it’s more of an effectiveness focus normally - definitely here.

“If you’re going to tackle, do it well; it’s not necessarily a quantitative thing. 

“We dealt with a different level of pressure against Geelong and didn’t handle it so well at time, so when (the Hawks’) pressure comes, we’re going to be at our best to secure the footy but also be able to distribute it.”

On the Hawks’ make-up...  

“It’s an unknown. James (Sicily) has been such an influential player for them for a long period of time. I think any team is going to miss the presence of their appointed leader, but we’re not sure what to expect, really. 

“It’s important that we channel our focus and thought processes into what our real strengths are and believe that they can take care of a lot of their methodology.”

On Adam Treloar...

“Adam’s a different proposition for us now.

“We don’t expect him to have game-to-game continuity. He might not play more than three or four games in a row - that will be based on how he recovers from games and how his training week goes. It’s a very different approach for Adam’s career at the moment.  

“Considering he played down in Ballarat weeks ago and hasn’t played since, his training has been spasmodic but his cross-training has been consistent. 

“He’s such an influential and esteemed player.”

On Sam Darcy and spreading the load... 

“It seems like Sam will probably be available next week. He’s trained with the group and got through most of the sessions over the last two weeks.  

“I think fans have probably gotten used to Adam’s performances because he’s played at such a high level for a long time... but Sam has really exploded this year with his growth and impact on the competition. 

“Our fan base has been impressed with what he’s done and are really looking forward to seeing him play again. Obviously, so are we. 

“It’s a credit to the players and coaches for adjusting direction and spreading the load -especially the scoring load – recently without Sam. When he comes back, it’s a new challenge to stay unpredictable and make the most of his presence.

“Sam’s professionalism in his recovery has been outstanding. Once he had clear direction from our medical staff and a rehab program from the high-performance crew, he just got to work.”

On the mid-season draftees..

“Young Zac has come to us and is currently in concussion protocol...so he won’t be playing for a week or two.

“Michael trained with us on Monday and got through the session fully, which is a fair accomplishment.

“He’s been playing football for Peel (Thunder) in the WAFL, so he’ll play on Saturday against Coburg (VFL). We’re looking forward to seeing him run out...he’ll be playing in our backline.

“Overall, we’re excited to see how our two new recruits go.”