On Marcus Bontempelli’s contract extension:  

“I was never really in doubt.” 

“I didn’t lose any sleep over it because I knew he’d still be here.

“When Marcus walked through the doors, no one could’ve anticipated the person, the player, and the influence he’d have on our club and the code across the nation.

“As a young captain, asking him to step up—maybe a little before he was totally ready—he embraced it, led the charge, and grew in that leadership capacity.

“It’s great that the contract’s in place, but it was never a real concern that it wouldn’t happen.

On the Club’s 100-year gala celebrations:  

“We celebrated everyone that was there, but as you know, there are a number of gentlemen who are no longer with us on this earth. So it was great to have representatives from their families there to celebrate the men who’ve impacted our footy club.” 

“Chris Grant was a critical figure on the playing field, and through that journey, showed incredible loyalty. It would’ve been great to have him there, but it didn’t diminish the celebration.” 

“It’s fantastic to see Ellie Blackburn recognised, as she’s squeezed a hell of a lot into her journey at our football club over the last decade. So it’s tremendous to have her recognised as well.” 

On keeping the season alive heading towards finals: 

“Over my time, I’ve never really tried to project too far forward and talk about finals, but when you get a bit closer, the mathematics kick in.” 

“We’ve just been searching for growth. We’ve been searching for a better version of ourselves.” 

“That’s been our focus, specifically in training yesterday – to execute a number of things better against the Bombers this week.” 

“We’ve got to make sure we tap into our authentic selves and who we can be as a team without worrying too much about what might happen in five weeks.” 

On team defence being an area of improvement:  

“It’s interesting, and sometimes history lessons are important. The best defensive team on aggregate, conceding the least amount of points going into last year’s final series, was us.” 

“Has our philosophy, and my philosophy, and how we coach and teach the defensive system changed? Absolutely not.” 

“What happens is that you play against teams who are pretty good, and they can, by stealth, get the better of you on the scoreboard – and that’s what’s happened.” 

“As we’ve said, we weren’t the best offensive team last year, but we are this year, so that’s encouraging – but you always seek a really healthy blend. The high-achieving teams this year have been able to score too heavily.” 

“Essendon haven’t been one of those because they haven’t won the games like the teams that have gotten the better of us, but it doesn’t diminish the importance of us executing that phase of the game.”

On James O’Donnell and Laith Vandermeer: 

“They should be available.”

“James has made a really quick recovery.” 

“Vanders had just a really minor issue, so his availability wasn’t probably going to be in much question – but they’ll be available.”