Sydney Swans AFL senior coach Dean Cox spoke to the media on Thursday, ahead of Sydney's Qualifying Final against Brisbane at the SCG on Saturday afternoon.
On the team's preparations for the Qualifying Final
"It's been different. I think one thing that I was really proud of all the players in the club and people involved was the way we performed against North Melbourne. We were able then to have a few days, the players certainly, to have a few days off leading into this qualifying final and then to come back and regroup and to spend the week and the weekend together and get ready as normal for a really good football team and hopefully a great encounter on Saturday afternoon."
On the team's belief they can win
"I think the players certainly understand that the leadership of the footy club, whether it's the Chairman, the CEO, myself, have as much belief in this group to achieve what we want to achieve. I think for the majority of the year we've shown that the brand of footy, the style of footy that we play has put us in a position to have a big impact and earn a qualifying final. They're focused on what they've got to do against Brisbane and the opportunity that presents itself."
On the support from members and fans
They love the support our supporters give us.
I think there's no greater stadium when (9:47) you have almost 45,000 of your own cheering and the passion that they've shown. They've stood by us through some tough times and we want to repay that faith as well."
On whether the side is embracing the "underdog" tag
"I think certainly there's still an expectation. You're hosting a qualifying final at home with a chance to go into a prelim. There's still a hell of a lot at stake for our football club as well, not just Brisbane.That's one thing that I want to make sure our players are aware of is the magnitude of this game for our football club and what we've spent so long trying to get to. We get this opportunity now. We've dived into Brisbane and their strengths and everything about that football club because they're a great football team."
On what he expects from Errol Gulden
"He's had games where he's gotten attention. I don't want Errol to do anything more than what he's been doing. I think that's one thing that you can't fall into the trap of is being a senior player expecting that you've got to do more than what your role is for the football team. They've shown when they've done that and done it really well, then our team performs well. So yeah, it's not do anything different. It's about trying to play what's in front of you and do it to the best of your ability."
On what changes will be made this week
"One thing that we've looked at is the opportunity through the bye for our VFL program. Obviously, Lewis Melican, Hayden McLean, Ned Bowman, Patrick Snell and the like all played and did well throughout that period as well. We're not fixed yet on what the 23 looks like, but we're really excited to have those names available."
On Joel AmarteyÂ
"We've still got to get the right mix. I think also, we're weighing up the time that he hasn't played for (since the injury in round 16)... We're looking into all the metrics and what the best dynamic looks like, as well as what we need against Brisbane."
On what the team took from losses to top six teams this season
"That's one thing that you look at closely, all those games that you're in. I think when you talk about it, at Fremantle we let ourselves down in a quarter, but for two and a half, three quarters of that, we're in front of three quarters of time. We're doing a lot of things right. Through Brisbane, the opportunity that we had at the start of the year compared to the one round 16, we understand they're different teams and the way we've got to play. I think one thing we've been doing since the start is to build a system that no matter who plays in it, they can understand their role. Last week, against North Melbourne, they've done it, and they've got to do the same against a really quality outfit in Brisbane."
