Sydney Swans defender Jake Lloyd addressed the media ahead of training at Moore Park’s Lakeside Oval on Thursday morning.
Vibe among the squad
“It’s all very positive still. I walked in this morning, the music was going and the boys were singing and having a laugh. Although we’re one and five the boys are still positive and everyone’s in good spirits.”
Learning from growth of young Brisbane side
“The way they went about it was they played those kids and they’ve got plenty of games under their belts now. Guys like Jarrod Berry and Hugh McCluggage have played 30 or 40 games and are now good senior players. We’ve got a young group of guys coming in. We’ve got Aliir Aliir who’s a pretty high-profile player in the AFL world, but he’s only played 30-40 games of football. It’s still not a lot of experience but they’re playing key roles for us. I think with a young group it’s just about game time and playing together as a group that’s going to get us out of this.”
The leadership group
“They’re doing everything they can to help us turn our season around. It’s a big responsibility for our leaders to show the way for the younger guys, but they’re doing that as much as they can. Whether it’s in meetings, at training or whatever, they’re doing as much as they can to help us turn things around.”
Lloyd’s responsibility as an experienced Swan
“It’s a good opportunity for me to take my game to another level with those more experienced guys out of the team. I’m looking to step up, play my role and pass that on to the younger guys as well. It’s a good opportunity for middle-tier players like Harry Cunningham and myself to step up.”
Longmire around the young players
“He’s been really good. It’s obviously a tough situation and he’s copped a bit of flak in the media, but nothing changes for him. He’s got great relationships with the young guys and I think that’s built from the moment they first step into the football club. He’s able to have a laugh with them, he’s able to hit them up when they have to be and he’s really positive.”
The redeveloped Lakeside Oval
“We’re very fortunate to be out here training now. In an interrupted pre-season we travelled around a bit to find grounds to train on, but we’re extremely lucky to now be out here on a perfect ground to train.”
