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Mark Thompson on Geelong's form:
"We've had great patches. We haven't played our best footy and we're learning to cope with what the opposition are throwing at us on a weekly basis. Football's changed, and it's changed from last year."
Mark Thompson on how the game has changed since last year:
"Teams are certainly defending with more method and certainly attacking the games quicker and more goals are being scored. There's more forward entries. We just have to sit down, learn from it and work out ways to be better at what we do."
Mark Thompson on a poor opening term:
"Our big focus all week was to try to have a good start and we certainly didn't. It was one of our worst quarters of footy for a while I think."
Mark Thompson on what they did to turn it around after quarter time:
"Just a few players and our structures basically. I think after quarter-time we just reset and went back to the sort of game that we want to be known for. To be able to play that footy for the last three quarters was a real positive in our eyes."
Jamie Charman on playing without Simon Black:
"He's a sensational player and a great ball-getter. In the last quarter, he's always working hard so it would have been great to have him for that. We really got beaten in clearances at midfield. They got away with about 10 compared to our two in the last quarter, and that hurt us and put our defence under a lot of pressure."
Jamie Charman on Geelong's game plan:
"Their structures are so good around the ball. They might lose a quarter, but they're pretty strong in their set ups. When you come to the last quarter, it ends up wearing teams down. They hold it all game, and their persistence pays off and it seems to break open for them."
Leigh Matthews on playing without Simon Black and Jonathan Brown:
"It was a big task. It's easy to emotionally give it away. I think this team has a belief that if it does the right things they can compete against anybody. This same group of players, two years ago, would have got smashed down here. There's been a lot of growth in players that aren't household names."
Leigh Matthews on slowing down in the last quarter:
"We had an extremely hot Sunday afternoon last week and a short break. That might have been a factor. It just might have been that Geelong can play high tempo for longer than our group can at this stage of their development. We looked more fatigued than they did in the end and they got us in the last ten minutes."
Leigh Matthews on Jared Brennan's game:
"We've always thought that Jared's late twenties would be better than his early twenties. That's why we were very keen to keep him last summer when Essendon tried to recruit him. Some players are at their peak after two or three years, he's taken a lot of years but he's now playing in a manner that is consistent. Today's probably one of his better games."
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