General thoughts
I'm really proud. Personally, I don't really know what to say or feel out there other than really proud and privileged to be part of it. The dust settling little bit, I'm starting to think about next week.
A whole heap of hard work since last November when training started, a cumulation of work over a long period of time. Some blokes have been preparing for that moment their whole career or life. The connection held us together out there when we had those tough moments and had to defend a lot.
The defence
I think our goal-line defence has been very good for a good period of time now. There's a lot of trust and belief, everyone is calm and relaxed and doing their job mostly. We had a few near misses but that's what it is. It's not going to look perfect all the time, but we found a way to get there and keep it off the line.
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I wasn't at all worried, it's just part of the game. There's a belief in the group we'll find our way through it and we did. We defended our line a lot, we wouldn't usually go for goal at that point but I felt at that point we needed the break more than Wigan so we took the two and I think everyone felt pretty good going in at 4-2.
Jarrod O'Connor's try
Very (important). But the play before where Zane buried his nose and ran hard and played the ball rapidly, that created the try really. But Jarrod leads Zane on to the play. The play the ball was as good as the try.
Bateman's red card
It seemed like a late tackle live. I caught it out of the corner of my eye as I was watching where the ball went off the foot.
Selection decisions for Grand Final
I take every decision every week seriously and calculated as best I can. It's hard leaving players out that have earned the right to be there but that's the nature of being a coach and having to make the decisions. I welcome those sleepless nights, not knowing quite what to do. They're great and awfully difficult at the same time.
Did he think this was possible
At that point (first game in charge) I hadn't thought about that and that's honest. I came not knowing but knew enough that there was a good group of players and people. But I came thinking about Salford and then Wakefield and it's been like that all the way through. This week we detailed Wigan and how we thought we needed to play but we didn't talk about Old Trafford. I'm sure there are chats about that within the group, what's at stake, but as a whole, we spoke about Wigan rather than trying to build the occasion up too much. It's very nice to be in this position, but I hadn't thought about whether it was possible.
I think there's always a long-term perspective to big decisions but certainly publicly and to you guys, all my chats have been about this game and this week. There are decisions that have to consider the future as well but I've been very much about the current and present. It's always going to be a long-term thing, we're in a great position for next week but that doesn't change the importance of next year or two years' time. It's very much about the game ahead and I think the fans have got behind that as well, people are always saying 'well done, on to the next one.'
His phone call caught on Sky
I called my wife. We have three kids and one is a baby so they watched from the comfort of the lounge. I just wanted to share it with her, without her support I'm not here right now. We're very much a team.
Mikolaj Oledzki injury update
He'll be sore. I'm not sure how close to not playing, he was running around yesterday like nothing happened but he went through some pain in the week. He's played every game and plays every week, he wasn't going to miss it if he could get out there. We'll see how he pulls up and if he can go again next week.
Harry Newman
He won't play next week.
Ringing family (Brian and Tony Smith) for advice on Grand Final week
I don't know, I haven't thought about it. They've been there and done that, all sorts of different things. I pretty much know what we've been doing as a group and we feel comfortable with it so I don't think I need to be different myself and I won't be asking my players to do anything different, just treat it as another game. It's the last one of the year so it's a pretty special one.
His journey from coaching North Devils to a Grand Final within months
The last game I coached I think there might have been 300 there. Someone asked me about it yesterday, the difference between that and this. It's really hard to articulate, only when the crowd are going like that at the end, there are no words you can put to that. But during the week, my passion to do what I could for Norths to win was exactly the same. The fans take it to the next level of appreciation. I don't do it for that, I do it to be part of a team and to do something that means a lot to a lot of people, that's why I like to be a part of it.
There are a lot of special moments I've had, I had four years at Norths with people who aren't family but I would consider to be brothers. To win a Premiership with them meant a lot. I don't like to list or rank things, that's a special moment out there, the way the fans have shown me respect. Most of them wouldn't have had a clue who I was other than Tony's nephew or Brian's son. That they've taken me in and given me a shot at it I respect it a lot.
Ash Handley and David Fusitu'a
If I had to say now I'd say they're probably not playing.
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