Des Hasler spoke with the media on Friday morning to discuss a number of issues ahead of the Bulldogs elimination final with the Panthers on Sunday afternoon.
Read more quotes from Thursday morning’s press conference below.
on Sam Kasiano’s return…
He has certainly freshened up and he is looking forward to the game.
on the recent incidents involving shoulder charges…
I haven’t paid too much attention to it, but it needs to be addressed.
on the similarities to now and 2014…
Everybody knows that the finals are an entirely different ball game and I think that games have a lot of meaning. You just need to handle the moment the best way you possibly can and that’s what players, clubs and staff have been rehearsing for the previous 26 rounds. The players are the ones at the end of the day, have to go out there and perform.
on coming into the finals off the back of three losses…
We loss three, but three games that have been pretty intense games – so our preparation has been pretty intense coming into the finals. Those games mean really little now and the stakes are much higher. Everything rides on these upcoming games.
on winning the premiership this year…
It’s always a plan with any of the sides that are vying for it and you’ve just got to keep performing and keep winning.
on the Panthers…
They’ve been great. You just need to look at their form over the last couple of weeks. They’ve been outstanding and the brand of footy Anthony has got them playing is really good. They have strong players who can create plenty of opportunities.
on experience vs youth…
You can talk about it, but that’s what these big games come down. It’s about the sides who perform best that will take care of most of the situations that arise. There’s no perfect game plan or no perfect script. You just wait to see what eventuates and how sides react to various stages and various parts of the game.
