It’s a historic moment for the Dogs as they make their long-awaited return to Finals.
Speaking ahead of the do-or-die clash with the Swans, Head Coach Tam Hyett spoke about the enthusiasm and excitement of the group for the opportunity ahead.
Here’s what she had to say:
On the feeling amongst the playing group:
“It’s exciting.
“A lot of players haven’t played a final, but we’ve also got some experienced girls who have.
“It’s a really exciting time for the Club.”
On leaning on some of the experienced players:
“I think Bull (Mikala Cann) was in the last final that the Bulldogs played against Collingwood.
“I think we’ve got some really experienced staff as well who have been involved in finals, which I think will help with the playing group as well.”
On turning player excitement into action:
“You’ve still got to enjoy the fact that we’ve got here.
“It’s a new season for us.
“The 12 rounds that have been, that validated that we are good enough to play finals and are deserving of finals.
“Now it’s about a new season.
“We’ve set a really good foundation, so lean into that, and that should give us some really good belief.”
On lessons from the final two games of the season:
“Finals pressure.
“That stood out last week. We had a few personnel out as well.
“We didn’t dig too deep into the review. There were some things that we weren’t happy with, but the pressure that they (Geelong) brought was finals-like, similar to Melbourne.
“I think the last three weeks have been a really good lead-up for our group and coming up against the opposition that you need to beat to win finals.”
On Pritchard and other returning Dogs:
“[Pritchard] is good. She’s out on track today, and I’m pretty sure I can say that she’ll play.
“Blackers will come in, Fitzy is probably another week away, although you wouldn’t think it by watching her out on track.
“I think Fitzy will be the only one who won’t get up for this week.
“Granty is good. She pulled up well from the weekend, so she’ll play too.”
On the journey and where Tam sees the group:
“We’re a pretty ambitious group.
“We put some things in place in 2024 that would take time, and I think that we’ve probably been really patient in the expectations of the group.
“This year, we were able to add layers that would see us compete more from a performance perspective.
“I don’t think we’re ahead of time; I think you always want to get there quicker. I like that the girls are getting rewarded for the work that they’ve put in over the last two years.”
On any personal reflections heading into finals:
“I think it’s something that the whole Club can be proud of.
“We were coming from a fair way back in 2023. Significant change, not just with the turnover of players: I think we had 12 new players into the Club.
“We had a significant turnover of staff.
“Things take time, and we feel like we’ve had some real stability with the playing group, being able to retain the players.
“I feel like we’ve had that with our off-field program as well. Our high-performance medical, which has been really important to have a full squad on track.
“That’s what allows you to be really competitive.
“Selection is tough. We haven’t even decided on the team yet.
“That’s what you want as a coach: you want to have some headaches come selection time.”
On the match-up against the Swans and lessons from earlier in the year:
“We can take heart that we competed really well.
“There were areas of our game that we weren’t happy with back then, and I know that they’ve probably got on a run as well.
“I think both teams are better than the Round 4 clash, and that tends to be what happens in the season.
“With such a short season, you tend to want to be ready to go come finals.
“I don’t think the game styles have changed too much.
“It’s going to be a really exciting game.”
On what she’s looking forward to:
“I just love the buzz of the week.
“It’s what you work for all year.
“That’s what we want the girls to enjoy the week. We don’t go away from what we’ve done from a process perspective.”
