Sydney Swans AFLW senior coach Colin O'Riordan spoke to members of the media on Tuesday morning ahead of the team's Round 6 clash against Port Adelaide this Saturday afternoon.
On Sofia Hurley’s injury
“Yeah, tough scenes. She's a trooper though. She's going to have surgery today, and we'll know more post-surgery, and then obviously see a timeline after that but in typical self-fashion, she just wants to get on with it, get the surgery done and get back to playing.”
On replacing Hurley in the midfield
“Yeah, it'll be an interesting one. We have a few angles we can play. Obviously, we have a few who can rotate through the midfield, whether that's Darcy Moloney [or] Tanya Kennedy.”
“Obviously, having her play the last two games has been really important, and Lucy McEvoy played back at the weekend. It'll be interesting to see if we pull the lever to put her back inside this week. We have that option up our sleeve. Chloe obviously played a little bit over the weekend. So, we'll just have to wait and see what it looks like this week.”
On keeping the standards high despite injury woes
“The group is an incredibly resilient group. As a coach, I get up every day with immense pride and how they're showing up every single day. We have a big attitude where it's next person in. I talked about during the week that our system is what stacks up in big games, and it's not reliant on one or two big players. It's actually everyone buying in as a collective.”
“I think we've seen that over the past five weeks. It's really backing our system, and it's really disappointing to have the injuries. That doesn't diminish from any of the injuries, but we know as a collective group our system stacks up.”
On Matilda Scholz and Port Adelaide
“She's obviously a superstar in the competition. There's no other way of saying that. They're a really good stoppage team. They line up really well around stoppages and set up really well around stoppages. It's a good opportunity for our group to bounce back.”
On the team's versatility
“I think the beauty of our team at the minute is we have a lot of players that are really versatile and can play in numerous positions.”
“There's numerous players that just play their role, and the biggest thing for us every single week is just: are you willing to play your role and help your team out? It sounds so simple, but as a back line group this week, it's coming to the exact same message. It's are you willing to play your role, help your team out and then do whatever it takes to give us the ultimate chance of success. That's what I ask for every week, so it's not going to change this week.”
On Jas Grierson and Chloe Molloy playing their 75th AFLW game this weekend
“Chloe, it's an amazing achievement, what she's done for women in sport and for the AFLW as a whole. I think she's an incredible ambassador for everything that's good about sport and everything that's good about AFLW.”
“Jas is the exact same. She's come over from the cross-town rivals and took to our club like a duck to water. Again, just her ability and both of their ability to be resilient in everything they do is a credit to them and the kind of people they are.”
On the record crowd at Henson Park on the weekend
“I speak from the heart every single time, and I'm incredibly proud to represent this football club. The way our commercial team, the way everyone upstairs gets the crowds and the sponsors and everyone associated with our footy club, what they do to enhance AFLW in our state and New South Wales is a credit to every single person involved.”
“We understand as a coaching group and a playing group, we're the ones who put on the product, but a lot of work goes in behind the scenes, and we're just incredibly grateful. Our whole group are incredibly grateful for this footy club.”
On playing at Henson Park
“To be honest, I think you saw on the weekend with 7,500 people at the game; it's a great place to watch a game. Henson Park, when it's packed, is up there with one of the best atmospheres in New South Wales. It's just a really good spectacle, and hopefully it continues for years to come.”
On the season so far
“You're never happy as a coach. You're content, but you're never happy. I've talked about setbacks to the group all year, and how we have a next-person-in approach, and to be honest, that's why I'm happy. I'm happy because this group never say die. They stand up, and they're an incredibly connected group, and they want to be part of a team that's something that's bigger than themselves. That's why I'm happy.”
“The scoreboard is a scoreboard. The wins are the wins, but to be part of a group who want to succeed, want to drive each other, want to have really high standards, again, that's what makes me happy that the 4-1 record we have at the minute is the outcome of everything we're trying to do. So, yes, I'm happy with that.”
