Bombers coach Brad Scott spoke to the media post game.

What were you most pleased with tonight, Brad?

I think, clearly, the response to a poor performance last week. That’s important. I think you – when things are going well for you, get positive reinforcement of what’s working but I’ve always been a believer that you learn the most from your losses. I was pleased with the work our coaching group did. One, to rectify last week in a few areas but coming up against a midfield that contains Liberatore, Bontempelli, Treloar, really good players and to respond like we did particularly in centre bounce was really important for us. I thought our rucks were important in that part of the game as well. I think the overwhelming thing I was most pleased with is just the response because when things are going well, things are a lot easier. I think the real measure is how you respond.

It seemed like they would roll over you after half-time, it happened the other way around. Is this the sort of win that can set up a season?

All I keep thinking and I keep hearing other coaches and players about it, it is just a brutal competition. We were really good at stoppage, centre bounce areas for the first three weeks, then we got taught a lesson in three quarters or two quarters. You just can’t take anything for granted. I thought it was a solid performance from our guys today. That’s great for round five but doesn’t mean anything for round six. You look around the competition, it’s just tight. Even the really good teams are a little bit off. They’re vulnerable. We’re in a position where we’re trying to assert ourselves in game against good opposition and we’ve clearly got a long way to go in that space. Things that you can control…the effort, the intensity, is that the challenge now compared to last week, to maintain the consistency?

The first four games, you were pretty consistent…

I get it looks like really poor effort and it’s difficult for me to say last week, I didn’t identify effort as the issue. But when you are losing by 10 goals, it looks like a lack of effort. I’ll analyse our GPS numbers later tonight and I’m pretty sure they will look pretty similar to last week. There’s effort and there’s execution. I think when the game is on the line, the contest is on the line, it is the ability to hold your feet in the contest, to win a crucial contest like Jye Caldwell did in the middle of the ground. That’s the difference to get the game on your terms. The game, from my vantage point, always appears on a knife’s edge every week. It is the way the AFL wanted

The Dogs midfield, Libba, Bontempelli, how proud were you of the younger players tonight?

It is a big call to say that…we’ve got some good experienced players but the big roles went to Durham and Caldwell. You learn a lot from those opportunities but I thought they stood up really well. They were really important for us, both of them. I feel like an under 12s coach but it was a good team effort tonight. I could go through all the players, a lot of roles, some will be recognised externally, some will be recognised externally, some won’t but all will be recognised internally.

One is the effort of Todd Goldstein. One of the in-form ruckmen, one of your best players tonight.

He was terrific. He set us up early. It is the combination with Draper. We’re keen to get going. They were…they’re proud competitors and they were disappointed with their performance last week. I thought both Draper and Goldstein were influential. English is an All Australian for a very good reason. He is a really good player. I thought we got the ascendancy in there.