That's a very different line-up, isn't it?

It is, yeah, lots of experience in there.

So, yeah, we welcome those guys in and obviously fills us with enormous belief that we can go out there and get the job done.

I just want to throw in, you got two kicks, so you played a bit.

And if you are to go on and win a grand

final, people that might miss out this week.

Yeah.

Yeah, there's going to be some unlucky boys that miss out.

Well played the other

night.

Dits.

Loz, Ru.

Well done.

Thank you.

Nah, it was very pleasing.

And if you are to go on and win a grand final, people that might miss out this week.

But he was, he was firmly sort of in the firing line from a, a media perspective, wasn't he? And then, uh, the outpouring of emotion, firstly from the crowd, uh, was amazing for the coach.

Yeah, I thought Nixie handled himself extremely well throughout the week.

Obviously, it's not, not great, um, copping it personally, but he probably did it in a manner that allowed all the boys just to go out and get the job done, Nick, and, um, I thought the, the group did an outstanding job Saturday night, um, in doing that.

So yeah, obviously not great to have that pressure on, on us as a footy club going into finals, but we're able to, you know, put it aside-

How, how did it feel walking off that ground for the last time?

Uh, when I walked off, it felt really weird, to be honest.

So throughout the game, they, as you know, you don't have time to think about it.

So, um, yeah, it's a little bit weird, but I think once I get further away from it, Nick, it, it'll become a little bit more evident that, uh, it was the last game.

Well played the other

night.

Dits.

Loz, Ru.

Well done.

Thank you.

Nah, it was very pleasing.

And if you are to go on and win a grand final, people that might miss out this week.

Well played the other

night.

Dits.

Loz, Ru.

Well done.

Thank you.

Nah, it was very pleasing.

And if you are to go on and win a grand final, people that might miss out this week.

Personally, you've had a massive few weeks, but another one this Saturday night.

Yeah, we're looking forward to it.

It's very exciting.

As we've said for a good two or three years now, this is what we want to play for.

And I feel like last year, obviously, it was disappointing.

And as a group and football club, we learned a lot about ourselves.

And I feel like we're in a great position to launch into a final series and have a swing and give it our best shot.

Who do you think you'll get?

Personally, you've had a massive few weeks, but another one this Saturday night.

Yeah, we're looking forward to it.

It's very exciting.

As we've said for a good two or three years now, this is what we want to play for.

And I feel like last year, obviously, it was disappointing.

And as a group and football club, we learned a lot about ourselves.

And I feel like we're in a great position to launch into a final series and have a swing and give it our best shot.

Who do you think you'll get?

Personally, you've had a massive few weeks, but another one this Saturday night.

Yeah, we're looking forward to it.

It's very exciting.

As we've said for a good two or three years now, this is what we want to play for.

And I feel like last year, obviously, it was disappointing.

And as a group and football club, we learned a lot about ourselves.

And I feel like we're in a great position to launch into a final series and have a swing and give it our best shot.

Who do you think you'll get?

This year it's totally different, isn't it? I guess, you know, my question would be, what have you learnt? How do you approach it, you know, so differently? 'Cause it's now knockout every final.

Yeah, we probably got to the line last year, um, pretty cooked, Dits, to be honest.

We, we had a lot of boys that were sore and tired, and I feel like this year we're, as a footy club, we've done it really smartly.

Um, that we've got to the line and we've got guys in great form, we're really starting to hit our straps.

Um, and as a group we've really connected quite well.

So we feel like we've given our best, bet ourselves the best opportunity to, you know, win the next four or five weeks in a row and see where it takes us.

Are you playing in a bit of a relaxed state? Like, has it changed the way you, you ran out the other night?

Uh, I think I've been playing like that the last probably five years, to be honest, Dits, that I've really enjoyed, you know, what was gonna be my last year or my last game and, and now it's, uh, just trying to lap up every single moment that I've got left.

This year it's totally different, isn't it? I guess, you know, my question would be, what have you learned? How do you approach it, you know, so differently? 'Cause it's now knockout every final.

Yeah.

We probably got to the line last year, um, pretty cooked, Dits, to be honest.

We, we had a lot of boys that were sore and tired, and I feel like this year we're, as a footy club, we've done it really smartly, um, that we've got to the line and we've got guys in great form.

We're really starting to hit our straps.

Um, and as a group we've really connected quite well.

So we feel like we've given our best, bet ourselves the best opportunity to, you know, win the next four or five weeks in a row and see where it takes us.

Are you playing in a bit of a relaxed state? Like, has it changed the way you, you ran out the other night?

Kicked a nice goal.

He's good.

He's a caller, we call him.

King of WA.

He keeps calling himself.

That was self...

Self-nicknamed.

broken hill reptiles i'm trying to keep away from a few of them including your old man but i've never seen so many people in the rooms here and today 52 and a half thousand here basically all to see you so what does that mean to you this footy club

Would you say you have a good relationship with Chris Dittmar?

Oh, yeah.

We have a great relationship.

I'm a fit, good-looking professional athlete.

It's a real opposites attract type setup.

Wouldn't you say your relationship has been strained after you've pranked him 15 times in the last 10 years?

Uh, no, Mr. Acuto.

It's been just a bit of fun.

Yeah.

It was good to be around the boys and, um, watch them play some really, really good footy.

I thought the boys were outstanding on the weekend.

Obviously, we didn't get the result that we wanted to, but, um, we spoke yesterday, and it was back to, you know, the, the way we wanted to play.

And we'd probably walk out of that game with, oh, I don't know, there'd be 10 to 12 guys that put their hand up and go, "Nah, I wanna be better." And, and we're, what, three goals away from the best team, so.

James Borlade's dad.

Dad, yes.

James Borlade's dad.

why you travelled over there with

the team.

Yeah, so the plan was always not to play the Perth game.

And I get the noise around me going to Perth.

Nixie and I had a good conversation about staying around the group.

Obviously, after the week that I had retiring and it was quite an emotional week, I was really keen to get away and get out of Adelaide just to take a big, deep breath and hang around the boys.

I don't know how many more I'll have of those.

It would have been exhausting no matter what you did.

Tell us about the plan, why you didn't play and why you travelled over there with

the team.

Yeah, so the plan was always not to play the Perth game.

And I get the noise around me going to Perth.

Nixie and I had a good conversation about staying around the group.

Obviously after the week that I had retiring and it was quite an emotional week, I was really keen to get away and get out of Adelaide just to take a big deep breath and hang around the boys.

I don't know how many more I'll have of those.

Or in the car with the kids for a few hours, everyone's, you know, like it would have been exhausting no matter what you did.

Wouldn't you say your relationship has been strained after you've pranked him 15 times in the last 10 years?

No, Mr. Rusciuto.

It's been just a bit of fun.

He's an easy target.

I would never, ever hurt him.

I know he thinks I spiked his coffee with certain things like laxatives, but I reckon anyone who drinks that much Sablonk is going to have poor bowel movements, Roo.

Okay, so is that something you've thought about? Surely you'd want to finally join the team that's number one?

Once or twice.

Wouldn't you say your relationship has been strained after you've pranked him 15 times in the last 10 years?

No, Mr Rusciuto.

It's been just a bit of fun.

He's an easy target.

I would never, ever hurt him.

I know he thinks I spiked his coffee with certain things like laxatives, but I reckon anyone who drinks that much Sablonk is going to have poor bowel movements, Roo.

Okay, so is that something you've thought about? Surely you'd want to finally join the team that's number one.

Once or twice.

Mm.

Um, on...

I wanted to tell her face to face when she got down here, but I had to ring her and tell her.

But, um, yeah, oh, yeah, it's hard, Dits.

I, I didn't wanna, I didn't want my dream to end, but, um, as we know, all good things do come to an end at some stage.

And I'd had some really good conversations with the footy club, um, early last week and, um, yeah, just got to a point where I, for me and Ellie and, and the footy club as well, we, we knew that the, the time was right.

So, um, yeah, I thought it was, uh, the right decision to make.

Well, no

Is that why your mum was in the rooms after the game?

No, she was always coming down for the Richmond game.

I had to actually convince her to stay a little bit longer because she was going home Sunday to then drive to Melbourne to see my auntie and uncle, stay with them for a week in Melbourne, but I had to convince her to stay.

I wanted to tell her face to face when she got down here, but I had to ring her and tell her, but...

Yeah, it's hard, Dits.

I didn't want my dream to end.

But as we know, all good things do come to an end at some stage.

Tell us about your friend Jacob Milbank.

was in the rooms after the game?

No, she was always coming down for the Richmond game.

I had to actually convince her to stay a little bit longer because she was going home Sunday to then drive to Melbourne to see my auntie and uncle and stay with them for a week in Melbourne.

But I had to convince her to stay.

I wanted to tell her face to face when she got down here, but I had to ring her and tell her.

But...

Yeah, it's hard, Dits.

Tell us about your friend Jacob Milbank.

It's, um, one thing to talk about going, going away and, and beating a team that, you know, is probably, um-

um-It's been a challenging year for Essendon.

Oh, but I, I was impressed with, with them in the fact that, um, sometimes when you play a side that has had a challenging year, teams can go and kick six, seven, eight, nine, 10 goals in a row, and they can roll over in a way, but they didn't whatever.

They...

We kicked three or four in a row, they'd come back, kick a couple.

Um, we'd do it again, they'd kick a coup- So they kept fighting all the way, um, to the end of the game.

So, um, they're certainly on the right path, but, um, our boys were really good at...

Was there something different about training this year?

I think that's what you needed to go out and do.

Yeah, it's one thing to talk about going away and beating a team that, you know, is probably...

It's been a challenging year for Essendon, albeit I was impressed with them in the fact that sometimes when you play a side that has had a challenging year, teams can go and kick six, seven, eight, nine, ten goals in a row and they can... roll over in a way, but they didn't whatever.

We kicked three or four in a row, they'd come back, kick a couple, would do it again, they'd kick a couple.

So they kept fighting all the way to the end of the game.

So they're certainly on the right path, but our boys were really good at it.

We got to see a few young kids debut.

Oh, we had the big Texan on today talking all things footy.

... what you needed to go out and do.

Yeah, it's, um, one thing to talk about going, going away and, and beating a team that, you know, is probably, um...

It's been a challenging year for Essendon.

Albe- I, I was impressed with, with them, in the fact that, um, sometimes when you play a side that has had a challenging year, teams can go and kick six, seven, eight, nine, 10 goals in a row, and they can roll over in a way, but they didn't whatever.

They...

We kicked three or four in a row, they'd come back, kick a couple.

Um, we'd do it again, they'd kick a couple.

Was there something different about training this year?

I think that's what you needed to go out and do.

Yeah, it's one thing to talk about going away and beating a team that, you know, is probably...

It's been a challenging year for Essendon, albeit I was impressed with them in the fact that sometimes when you play a side that has had a challenging year, teams can go and kick six, seven, eight, nine, ten goals in a row and they can... roll over in a way, but they didn't whatever.

We kicked three or four in a row, they'd come back, kick a couple, would do it again, they'd kick a couple.

So they kept fighting all the way to the end of the game.

So they're certainly on the right path, but our boys were really good at it.

We got to see a few young kids debut.

worried last week, I told you that.

Strong

words.

You respect people's opinions, especially Mick, who has been around the traps.

He's been quite successful for football teams, but I don't fully agree with what he says based on seven days before that year up in Sydney and we're able to... grit out a win where you do win your contests and your pressure's up.

And they're a quality side.

They're sitting second on the ladder for a good reason.

So, yeah, unfortunately we weren't able to do it for the four quarters, which, you know, there's been some times throughout the year which has been the case.

His theory is that the weight of expectation on the Crows, you as players and maybe the club, he said if you look back over time, when that massive expectation has been there, it's been hard to deliver as opposed to when there isn't that huge massive expectation so i suppose the question is from graham and to all of you yeah as a player as a team walking around this town does it weigh heavily on you is it hard