On the Players Mentality at Hall of Fame Dinner
(Timestamp: 2:18 – 4:28)
Meg McDonald: “It was so lovely to see, we had 11 of the current men’s team that were granted life membership as part of the evening.
They would have had a tough Friday night, but it is great to see them in celebratory spirits.
We can think that sometimes when we don't see them that maybe they're away wallowing, but their ability to reset and be positive and to celebrate their past success is exciting.
Cameron Ling: "It is a really important message, I think.
If you claim to be a club that is all about consistently trying to improve, trying to give yourself the best opportunity to achieve everything, to grow leadership amongst both programs, you can't just do that when things are going well and the team is winning.
You have to live that when things aren't going so well and the fact that they were there and they were genuinely excited, shows that this is a club that when there are good times it is great, but also through harder times we are going to stick together and work it out.”
On the Cats Young Midfielders & Carlton Game Review
(Timestamp: 7:02 – 14:52 )
Cameron Ling: “It's about growing that next level, take someone like a Jhye Clark.
He is getting great game time and he is certainly finding the footy, he is doing plenty of the hard stuff.
Yes he is a little rushed with his disposals and occasionally turns it over, but you show me any player in their 13th game who doesn't get a little bit rushed.
That is the nature of getting games into young players in the middle of the ground, eventually by game 30 and 50, the game will slow down in his mind and he has all those other elements, he will start seeing targets better and better.”
Meg McDonald: “His first centre bounce that he attended, he won a holding the ball free kick.
There is so much to like there, I would love to see how many times our starting midfield has actually played together.
We haven't had that consistency this year, I would love to see them all at full health getting in sync together.”
On the Importance of Local Football Ahead of the Country Game
(Timestamp: 21:47 – 27:30)
Cameron Ling: "It is incredibly important the relationship between local and top level football.
It is the most crucial thing, we don't have high school programs that roll into multi billion dollar college environments like American sports.
Our local football and netball clubs are so crucial, they rely on wonderful and incredible volunteers who put their hands up to turn up to training, to manage the games, to make it safe.
Across all regional clubs right across Australia, they are the ones producing the next generation of champions for both men's and women's programs.
I know more needs to be done, they need more financial support and they need greater support from the AFL, which the AFL has committed to.
But I love the fact that we are recognising it and celebrating it, because there are some people who put so many hours and years into making clubs work.
On the Essendon Game this weekend
(Timestamp: 27:38 – 36:25)
Cameron Ling: "The game has to be won in the middle of the ground, to open up our attacking options.
Essendon have different phases and different modes they can go into, they are really well coached by Brad Scott.
They can go fast when it is there, they can also go into a controlled mindset which signals to me their maturity and growth.
If we are constantly being forced to attack from deep in our defence, then we will occasionally turn the ball over and we will get scored against which naturally makes us a little more reactive.
If the ball is there all the time then we are going to get scored against, I think that has been a problem for us.
If we can breakeven in the middle of the ground and we launch more of our attack from the middle, even if it's not a goal immediately then our forward pressure can go to work.
That creates opportunities for us through quick turnovers, quick scores and right now we are trying to attack from too far back.
