PORT ADELAIDE assistant coach Josh Carr says his side’s statistical dominance in the loss to Melbourne amplified its inability to make the most of its opportunities.
The Power lost by seven points in a hotly contested game but led most of the key statistics including finishing 52-37 ahead in the clearances and going inside 50 21 more times than the Demons.
Speaking at a press conference on Monday, Carr said the review highlighted the way Melbourne better handled the pressure late in the game, and how his side could have been better.
Carr also discussed Willem Drew’s terrific start to the season, how close Jason Horne-Francis is to returning from a hamstring injury and this week’s AFL Gather Round in Adelaide.
Josh Carr on how the coaches have reviewed Saturday night’s loss:
“We've reviewed it as coaches and had enough time to reflect and watch the game. There were moments where Melbourne stood up under the pressure and we could have been better. In big moments through the game, especially in the last quarter, when the game needs to be won, we didn't quite deliver. It's round three and we feel like it's feedback to improve and get better. And we feel there's a lot of room for improvement in our game.
“We gave ourselves an opportunity, no doubt I guess if you look at the numbers, but I guess at the end, with the numbers being obviously in our favor, it just amplified the fact that we didn't finish off our work and we need to be better.”
Josh Carr on how he rates Melbourne after the result:
“It's a hard one. I guess it's a hard one to answer at this time of the year. It's round three. You know, we played Richmond last week, and a lot of people only spoke about that game and said they're not much chop and they beat Sydney so the competition is so even I guess you can’t underestimate any team or overestimate and in some ways with Melbourne, they seem to be a really good side but we don't get that feedback until the latter end of the year.”
Josh Carr on Willam Drew’s season so far:
“He's just so reliable as a player and you know, week in week out what he's going to deliver. It doesn't matter whether it's against a really good team or teams down the bottom, he's going to deliver the same result.”
Josh Carr on Ivan Soldo’s efforts in the ruck against Melbourne’s Max Gawn on Saturday night:
“I think Ivan has been very good in the three games that we've had. He was obviously competitive against Gawn in the in the ruck and if you look at the stoppage numbers as far as the clearances go, obviously, we did a pretty good job. They managed to score a lot better than what we did in there and then obviously, Max had a big impact around the ground. Did we, as a team, help Ivan, I'm not sure what we did and I thought Melbourne did a really good job to block in advance as well.”
Josh Carr on how close Jason Horne-Francis is to resuming after a minor hamstring complaint:
“We felt that it was still there going into the weekend. He had a really good training session yesterday, we’ve still got a fair bit to go before we are given the all clear for this weekend, but he's definitely a chance for this weekend.
“He should be back training with the main group this week. I'll be trying to pick him but I think you're going to be I guess a little bit more cautious being the first one and we don't want it to be there for more than this last couple of weeks. That's up for the medical team and the high performance team to get right and we have a lot of trust in those guys.”
Josh Carr on this week’s AFL Gather Round in Adelaide:
“I think it's exciting aspect of the game that the AFL is all here in Adelaide and we're lucky because we're one of the home teams and we get a game here and I guess the buzz around the week. I remember last year driving around seeing all the different colors was quite exciting to be a part of. We’ve got a Friday night game so that's pretty exciting.”
Josh Carr on Dan Houston as he approaches his 150th AFL game:
“I've only had a year with Dan but I’ve been super impressed with obviously the player that he is now. I haven’t seen where he came from but you know, I think he started on the rookie list to where he is now as is a pretty good effort from him. He's a very good player and I’m lucky to be coaching him.”
