The returning Sam Simpson spoke to Channel Seven after the game...

Q:Great to see you back playing at senior level. It’s been a while,603 days.
A:I just heard that number before. Sure has been a while. It was good to be out there,a part of things again.

Q:Tell us about what has happened since the qualifying final in 2021.
A:Yeah,little bit. Just had some concussion stuff,won’t bore you with the details. It sort of just lingered for a while. Yeah,much more than I would have hoped. Yeah,just a lot of dizziness and stuff. A bit of a slow progression back into footy which probably cost me all last season. Yeah,but all good now. Very fortunate,lucky that the club was a great support through that time. Yeah,just glad to be back out running around,trying to get a kick.

Q:The feeling out there tonight,can you talk to us about how it was running out there and then being back playing AFL at the home stadium?
A:Well,first and foremost it was great to get amongst the home crowd again,hear a bit of
noise out there for us. Yeah,no,it was just...it was great fun.

Q:You get emotional?
A:I try and just... You have to stay in the moment a bit. I know that sounds cliched. I sort of said to myself before,“If I kick a goal,I’m going to play it cool.” Then I carried on like a pork chop. It does get the better of you at times,as you guys know.

Q:Sam,we loved every bit of it. Your dad Sean,a great player for Geelong. Families feel it intensely,particularly when out of the game so long. How was it? Did you have conversations with your dad about it through that time? I’m sure they’re the happiest people in Geelong at the moment.
A:Definitely. I think even in the build-up to this week and stuff,getting selected again,it’s great for your family and stuff like that. You know,as player,it’s a foot at the start line. It is awesome they can enjoy it,be along for the ride. Yeah,we sort of get to work as a player.

Q:Was there a time when you thought you wouldn’t play again at this level?
A:Yeah,yeah,if I’m being completely candid. Yeah,there was a couple of bleak days there was a couple of bleak days there,just wanted to get back to normal every day life. Yeah,that was gone for a little bit. Footy sort of took a bit of a back page. Yeah,I’m very glad to be back,that’s for sure.

Q:You can see the joy of your teammates,genuine affection. Chris Scott spoke pre-game.
Pre-game he was touching on your story,how wonderful they all felt,the whole club,to have you back out there. Must have been a great feeling for you.
A:Yeah,been unbelievable,you know. This is my seventh year now,so I spent a lot of time with the boys. It was just great to be out there,put the hoops on again.

Q:Jeremy Cameron can play.
A:Not too bad,is he?

Q:Unbelievable,how casual he is,how easy he makes the difficult look.
A:It is unbelievable. At times you’d get the front seat when out there. So,yeah,him and Hawk,he was unbelievable tonight. Another fantastic servant of the club. I was very lucky to have a front row seat to them.

Jeremy Cameron spoke to Channel Seven after the game...

Q:You’re on track right now to do something that’s a long way from home,but you’re averaging the right number to kick 100.
A:Yeah,well,if I’m being totally honest,I don’t really think that far ahead. That’s the easy answer really,isn’t it? It’s obviously nice to get on the end of it and like I’ve said time and time again,my job,Hawkins’ job and the other forwards that finish off the really good work,as you can see,the boys are delivering it lace out to me. The least I can do is kick it through the middle.

Q:Tonight it must have been really pleasing for the style in which you played. It was a really dominant powerful performance. Thought it started around the ball,but defensively it felt like there was a real appetite to close space quickly and create really good turnovers.
A:Yeah. You know,that’s the way we like to play. We’ve been working on it,you know. It’s sort of been mentioned a little bit,but even in the losses that we’ve had early in the season,we actually at times played really good. We know they’re really good teams that we come up against. We wanted to keep chipping away at it. It is awesome to be back at home,we wanted to take the space away,put them under the pump,make it easy for the backs so we can rebound.

Q:Have you ever been more relaxed playing football than you are now?
A:Probably not. Probably not. Yeah,they look after us down here,that’s for sure,you know. It’s nice to just be 15 minutes from the club,but plenty of...you know,it’s unique. It is really unique,just before I come in here,I was riding around on the quad bike. It is a little bit strange.

Q:You moving cows?
A:I wasn’t,I was just making sure they were all still there. Yeah,that’s just me and then you make your way in and you’re at the ground,be nice if we could finish off that far end (grandstand) there,but it’s a relaxed environment. It has been since the moment I’ve walked in here. It helps me play my best football.

Geelong captain Patrick Dangerfield spoke to Channel Seven after the game...

Q:How good was that tonight?
A:Really pleasing. Probably the first game we’ve put together four quarters,which is nice,to be back on the home deck,there’s no place like it. To unfurl the flag in front of the faithful,they’re the reason we exist as a club.

Q:From your own perspective,you were just outstanding tonight. It feels like you’ve been building. Was it a case of a delayed start to pre-season or a case of doing a heavy training load? What got your body rolling a bit?
A:I think a myriad of different things. Age doesn’t help but it’s nice. It does take a bit of time to get into that rhythm of the season,starting to get rid of a bit of that general soreness that happens at the start. It’s harder to get over as the years tick by. We’re a mature group,really. It was always going to take us a little bit of time. There were moments in the first three weeks where the games could have gone either way. We didn’t execute the way we would like. It’s never going as bad as you think,never going as well,so there is pleasing parts of the game starting to build.

Q:You with the captaincy,have you noticed anything different you’ve had to do or simply go out and do what you did tonight,play your best footy?
A:It is still focussed on first and foremost getting the job done individually and collectively if everyone has that attitude,plays their role,that’s what culminates ... We have so many mature leaders within the group,that makes the job very easy.

Mark Blicavs spoke to Channel Seven after the game...

Q:You came into this game,Jonathon Ceglar comes out as a late withdrawal,you get the tap on the shoulder,“Go play in the ruck for us.” Is that how it happened?
A:Pretty much. Put the shin guard on. Had to blow the cobwebs off,haven’t used it for a bit. Awesome being back here,the ground is in such good nick and really special occasion. Obviously Anzac Day approaching. Successful night.

Q:I know obviously the grand final last year was very,very special against this team. How were you able to replicate that again against such a quality team like the Swans?
A:We know if we don’t replicate that,they’re going to beat us all over the ground,an unbelievable team. We come in with the right attitude,we prepped really well,as we do every game. They’ve got really good contested players. We’re happy to defend them,try and get it forward.

Q:How good is it when you look up and you’ve got Jeremy Cameron and Tom Hawkins up there?
A:It’s awesome. They do their thing,they’re amazing. They’re in great form. It’s good for us. Good bail-out options. Just kick it up in the air,they work their magic.