The aggression you saw in the first Test was all part of our plan to put England under pressure from ball one. We said coming into the series that the way Mitchell Johnson bowls was always going to be hard work for their batsmen, especially on a bouncy wicket, and we hope it stays that way for the rest of the series.
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Peter Siddle and I had to build pressure from the other end so Mitch could rough them up with some short balls, and that's what our bowling coach ''Billy'' McDermott said to us at the lunch break on day two. We'd bowled OK but our lengths were a bit short, so Billy just wanted to make sure they played at as many balls as possible.
We obviously have plans for all their batsman and with Mitch bowling nearly 150 km/h an hour, I'd say he is definitely at the forefront of their thinking. Then you've got Sidds and I up the other end. We're not quite that quick but we're not far away so they can't relax. We know if we put them under enough pressure, they'll make a mistake.
There has been lot of talk about sledging after what happened between Michael Clarke and Jimmy Anderson, but that happens all the time. I don't think Michael was making a deliberate attempt to be more ruthless. At the end there, he was sticking up for his teammate.
Our team respects Jimmy - he is one of the world's best bowlers - but we also play the game hard and in a big series like the Ashes, sometimes things will push the boundaries.
You want to put fear into someone when they're batting so you can get the bloke out, but you're not actually wishing physical harm on him. We have the utmost respect for the England team, but we are also going to stand up for our teammates. It all makes for a tough hard affair and has all the fans buzzing about what's to come in the series.
On a personal note, it's such a big bonus for me to have bowled only 34 overs in this Test. I still feel a bit stiff but it was nice to be able to put our feet up at the end of the second day after bowling England out cheaply.
It means I can be fresh and ready to go again for Adelaide, which is a big change from England where we didn't have much rest and it took a toll with James Pattinson getting injured.
I saw a report this morning on the news about me possibly being rested but that has never been discussed between me and Darren Lehmann or the other selectors. We know the pitch will be flat in Adelaide and we'll reassess where I'm at after that, but I still want to play all five Tests. I know Darren said in the media that if I'm 100 per cent fit I'll play and that's great news for me. Ultimately, my aim is to be part of this team as much as I can, helping my country win Test matches.
The feeling after Mitch got that last wicket, when we came off the field and sang the song, was what you play cricket for. Nathan Lyon made his debut as songmaster and he had been waiting a long time for that moment.
It's been way too long, and the song was extra special because George [Bailey] was playing his first Test and a couple of other guys were singing it for the first time. As we said at the end of it, we hope to be singing it three or four more times before the end of the summer.
