All Australian midfielder Caleb Serong joins the show!

well seven new faces in the all Australian team Marcus bondon P's the captain and the Eagles and the Dockers both got two players in and I think no surprise that our next guest had made it because he's had a stellar season and we'll be right up there I'm sure when all the big vote counts are being held Caleb s Wrong thanks for joining us and congratulations yes good morning guys thank you very much it's uh another great honor thank you all righty now straight to the hard questions because there's been a lot on social media we've had a few texts to us this morning the players from Sydney West Coast and freem manle none of them were wearing ties and everyone else was can you just tell us what the dress code was Caleb please dress code was cocktail so I don't know what cocktail is anymore I uh I assumed that was yeah less formal than formal um but yeah when I rocked up and uh probably didn't lend itself too well for us the fact that luk had white sneakers on either so that that didn't that wasn't too good for the Freo boys but it was uh I was chatting to arol Errol G and I were laughing up on stage actually looking around like far out there not we look a little bit underdressed here which was a bit flattening but I like to pride myself on dressing nice and dressing up but that's all right it's uh you're living your Le but yeah last year it was um it was black TI which made it a little bit easier this year it was a fair bit of variety in what of them around yeah that's right right and and to be honest and I had this Heen I had this discussion a bit earlier had so if the AFL had been absolutely across it they would have had a box full of ties like they have at the sand medal if you don't walk and the 200 Club function correct if you don't have a tie they go to a box of ties anyway that that that aside hey mate congratulations and where does it sit I know there's the still and you spoke last night about the disappointment of of where the season has ended up for Freo but but for yourself where does this season rate knowing that you're in the allstralia uh yeah it's a it's a tough one probably haven't had a h of time to reflect on the season as of yet because of um I guess our own mental head space and mindset was is a little bit scattered at the moment because um subconsciously I'm I'm still I've telling people I'm still in performance mode I haven't been ready for the season to finish yet um so I feel like I should be preparing to play a game this weekend or next weekend and doing to training tomorrow and what not so it's going to take me a little bit just to unwind from the season on that front um and probably reflect but yeah it's on a quick it's been quite a challenging year and from an individual point of view and lot of lot of different challenges this year that I probably didn't didn't have to have to deal with last year around getting a bit more attention and the tag and and dealing with that and learning to deal with that so from that point of view I'm kind of really proud of the way that I kind of work through that and um work through those challenges because um there's a lot of new ones this year that hadn't faced before and um I felt like I was still able to maintain a level of consistency and to be a really good teammate throughout all up and you became a goal kicker I think all FAL fans got excited I got excited when you're leading out of the goal Square just plucking it with a clean grab and you finished with 11 goals what was the Catalyst for that well you're looking at guys like Warner and gon and Heeney and looking at their numbers compared to freemount of that stage who not just yourself but all the midfielders were struggling to kick goals early in the season yeah part of it like you you kind of see it around the league and the mids going forward and kick goals and stuff but I never really thought that that was kind of my role I knew my role in the footy club and what it was valued as and that wasn't kicking goals at that stage and and for me that was around clearance and stoppage and getting the game played in our front half in that respect but the fact that um we could then go forward and add another string to our both both as a Midfield group um to kind of freshen this up but also like J's not going to do that unless it's having a good impact on the team and and it's working so the fact that we're able to kind of continue that for the second half of the year I think we really ke to practice it and train a little bit more because none of us had done that and we kind of went to it cold turkey in season to see how it would go um and I think you saw the growth in those mids going forward and the impact that they could have on games as the season went on but it was kind of like learning on the run a little bit so I'm really excited to kind of see where they can go when we uh are a bit more comfortable down there and and know those roles a little bit better and can play that a little bit more comfortable and more free which hopefully allows strength to come to the F which I'm really excited about Caleb can you talk us through your emotion and what you did on Game Day watching and and waiting for the result of Colton and S Kilda yeah it's a good question I think um I I watched a little bit of the doggies Giants game in the morning just was a really good game and um I was pretty aware of my own emotions and and understood that uh if I was buying into it or if I was get too wound up I just need to turn it off and I was able to watch it pretty pretty relaxed and kind of understand where it was all at and then um we're on the way to the game and Caron and ker just kind of started um so we didn't really know a heat by the time we got to the G it was quarter time it was pretty close and then as the game kind of kept going there was little Whispers because obviously pregame we can't have our phones at all um and there's no real screens or anything on so you don't really know unless you go ask someone that has a phone or whatever it is so there's few little conversations here and there but then we warmed up and everything and uh just before the game just before we ran out I was about to speak to the boys inside and um we found out that our season was alive through pretty much the whole crowd outside cheering and erup it was very similar to uh when the matildas kicked the goal um and we're playing West Coast in the the Derby last year and the whole crowd erupted to nothing to do with what was happening on the football field so that was um quite a quite a unique experience but yeah we we had did a lot of work during the week on preparing either way and understanding that we want to put a a pro product out there on on game day that was going to be um representative of the way we wanted to play as a football club no matter what the outcome or scenario we're playing in and I felt like we're able to do that and unfortunately didn't result in a win but yeah we still went out there and played our way okay so let's not back too far over that let's go to the Future then now and let's just cut to the chase the season's over for Richmond the season is over so they they've got players who have asked for trades one is Shay Bolton one is Liam Baker one is Jack Graham Jack Graham looks like he's going to West Coast blue blah blue h a system right here Caleb which which of those two blocks Baker and Balton or both would you like at the football club and and is the club making genuine noises to you that they're chasing after those guys uh again with the the end of the season been so quickly we haven't really had too many of those individual conversations with wall in jail which I'm I'm sure will come over the next couple of weeks and doing some work around hopefully meeting a couple of those guys and kind of going through it from a players point of view what that looks like because we're super excited about bringing talent in at the moment and from a playing group and a leadership group where we've got the picks there um and we can be really specific with what we want now um feel we got a lot of Talent on the four walls got a lot of talent that's committed and a lot of characters in the four walls that are going to hold us in really good stad for a long time um and hopefully allow us to compete for a long time at a really high level so that that lends itself to being able to be really specific at what we need and part of that match when is in the fun half and uh I'd be super excited about having either of those guys but hopefully both of them um up there because both Premiership players dual Premiership players and they know what it takes on those big stages and those big moments so to have that kind of experience walking your four walls would be could only have massive impact in a positive way so I'm I'm finger toes everything cross that can bring some of those guys in because um I'd be very excited to play foot with them they're two of them what about casay picket do you think you could bring those two in Bolton and pick it that means no more fall forward for Caleb song yeah I know B wants to come inside up in the Midfield a little switch a and I'll play five minutes down there run around that be work but um again CO's one of those guys that is just so dangerous in the front half and he's he's a nightmare match up to we know when we we come up against we have to scout for him we have to same with the other two guys have to scout for those individuals and to have players in your team that have require that is always a a massive benefit because you know how much of an impact that can have on another team if you let him on let him off so um I think Brandon Walker would be excited if they all came to us because he's he would have to match up on them all but um it be it' be very exciting and we're just St I guess what always happens in the trade period is there's a lot of those link to different and then naturally some don't go through but if we can get a few of those guys to to wear purple next year that'd be really exciting no doubt so you're there last night with the amazing The Pick of the crop and even the 22 that don't get picked out of the squad of 44 a remarkable group of players what's your Vibe with the final series are is it too raw to predict the winner or who do you think as a team from here on in can win the flag yeah it's I got asked yesterday and it's it's tough on to kind of pick because of how as we all how close it is and all it takes is one team to get on a little bit of a run and there's a few teams like the the Giants have had a really good last couple of months of um saw Port out last week we ran into a really hot team last week and I I still think the doggies are the best team in it at the moment um with the the way that they match up across the field and what theyve kind of mix and match throughout the year Ed Richard going on Ball and then you got Lobby going down back those kind of Moves In season have worked really well for him and put there in a really good space to to shake it up but they've also come up against a pretty informed team in h next week so I think that's going to be a cracker um but yeah I'm intrigued to see how I go over the next couple weeks watching I'm I'm not sure how I'm going to go this uh this soon on this raw if I can uh bring myself to watch some watch some footy but I think come PR in final weekend I'll be ready to watch it again and really appreciate the greatness of what what happens around that time no doubt hey mate congratulations getting another Blazer absolutely outstanding work by you yourself and Luke and and all the others selected but uh freem met having five players nominated for all Australian and of course the two of you getting it is a wonderful achievement for a team that sadly didn't make the finals have a safe trip back mate enjoy family time whatever you do next and and uh we look forward to seeing what happens over the next couple of weeks in regards to other awards for Caleb are wrong not that you're there for those but at the same time you do need just reward for your outstanding work thanks for joining us always appreciate the time guys thank you