CASEY coach Justin Plapp reviews the Melbourne-listed players who played in the VFL

2016 Peter Jackson VFL

Saturday, May 21, 7pm, Casey Fields

Casey Scorpions 12.11 (83) d Box Hill Hawks 11.10 (76)

“It was a fantastic win. It’s definitely the best win that I’ve been involved in since I’ve been at the club. We came up against a team that’s really well respected and well coached, and they’ve been a very good team in the VFL for a long time. I spoke last week against measuring ourselves against good teams and programs and we did that really well on Saturday night. Considering we went into the first break 10 points down, we were then able to take control of the game in the second and third quarters. Box Hill got itself back in the game, which we always knew would happen, as we knew they were a quality team. But our players produced the style of football we’ve been encouraging them to play and they were able to do it at the backend of the game. It was a good game to watch and it was a really contested game. It was pretty high-scoring, so we were pretty rapt after the game to get that one in the bag. We’ve got the bye this week, so it’s probably come at a good time, with some our boys, particularly our Casey boys needing a rest. It’ll also be good for our first and second year AFL players to have a rest, if they’re not selected for Melbourne this weekend. Overall, they’re going pretty well at the moment, which is good.” – Justin Plapp

Chris Dawes: Dawesy had 22 possessions, five marks, four inside 50s and kicked 3.2. It was his third game back from injury for Dawesy and he really made some big strides with his performance. His game time increased and he contested really well. He also moved really well. Dawesy was able to get himself in the game with some pretty strong work rate. His defensive pressure and ability to stay in the contest, when the ball was on the ground was also something that was also a highlight for him. He’s in pretty good shape at the moment and heading in the right direction to get himself back playing in the AFL soon.

Sam Frost: Frosty had 14 possessions, four marks and had six rebounds. It was a really pleasing effort from Sam. The week before he only completed a quarter and a bit, due to a slight injury, but playing in a different position on the weekend, he was able to defend really strongly. He was able to give us some real offensive run from our backline. Frosty also used the ball really well and his aerial contest work was also a strong point of his game.

Jack Grimes: Arguably our best player on the night, Jack had 35 possessions, seven marks, 11 tackles and five inside 50s. He played through the middle of the ground and was able to provide us with a bigger body. Grimesy also involved himself in the game with his contested work and won a lot of critical contests and used the ball really well. He was a real leader around stoppages and his ability to be able to organise and get everyone set-up was fantastic.

Liam Hulett: Liam had nine possessions, three marks and kicked 1.1. He continues to impress and add layers to his game. Liam’s been really consistent with his strong marking, contested work and ability to bring the ball to ground. The things that he’s starting to add to his game, like his second and third efforts have been something that he continues to improve in. Without having a big night possession wise, he still had a big impact on the game, particularly his aerial contests and defensive pressure.

Max King: Max had eight possessions, four marks, 12 hit outs and one goal. He played ruck/forward and competed well for the majority of the game, but the challenge for Max is to try and sustain this area of his game for longer. He looked really dangerous forward, but was unable to finish off some opportunities in front of goal.

Christian Salem: I was really, really pleased for Christian, as he was left out of the AFL team. He had to come back and work on some areas of his game that he needed to – and he did that really well. He ended up having 28 possessions, five tackles and nine clearances. Christian played through the middle of the ground and was able to win some pretty critical contests. His stoppage work was also fantastic, and he was able to get a fair bit of ball from playing that midfield role. It was something that had been lacking in the AFL, so it was pleasing to see him get his hands on the footy and see his work rate around the ground, which was also strong.                    

Joel Smith: Joel continues to impress. This kid keeps growing each week. His cleanness and speed to make really strong defensive and offensive decisions was very good. He rebounds off our half-back line and he plays with a lot of energy. I’m full of praise for this kid, because he’s just taken his opportunity by the scruff of the neck. He’s listening and following instruction really well. He had 11 possessions, five tackles and went inside 50 five times, so it was really pleasing for him.

Jake Spencer: He had a big impact with 32 hit outs and also pushed forward to kick a goal. Jake gave us a really big body around stoppages and he provided our midfield with first possession. We ended up winning the clearances by two, which became a really important part of the game. He had a really important say in that. He’s travelling well at the moment, considering his start to the season was interrupted by injury.

Dean Terlich: Dean had 15 possessions, six tackles, six inside 50s and kicked 1.3. We played Dean in a different role on Saturday night – as a high half-forward. We were really pleased with the way he embraced himself in that role. He was influential with some of his ability to come forward and put the opposition under pressure. He got some really good rewards out of that – and the team also benefitted greatly. I was really pleased for Dean to have such an impact on the game.

Jack Trengove: Trenners had 30 possessions, six tackles, seven clearances and four inside 50s. It’s been well reported that he’s in good form and continues to build and improve. He’s a bigger body around the ground and wins critical contests. His stoppage work was a highlight, as was his leadership qualities, which were fantastic. It was another quality display from Jack.

Aaron vandenBerg: Vanders had a good return to football after missing five weeks through injury. He had 18 disposals, seven effective tackles, four clearances and four inside 50s. Aaron played limited game time, but was still able to have a real influence. His contested methods and work around the stoppages was able to bring other people into the game. He also won his own ball and used his hands well. Aaron brings real energy to the team with his tackling pressure and his hunt mentality on the opposition.

Sam Weideman: Sam didn’t have his best performance for the year. For a night where some of our other big forwards had an impact on the game, Sam still played his role – even though he didn’t have a lot of possessions on the night. He still did what we needed him to do and competed really strongly, but he’s a first year player still learning his craft.

Mitch White: He’s another player who continues to improve and impress. Mitch is in really good form at the moment. He ended up with 26 possessions, five tackles, four clearances and five inside 50s. It was a pretty solid game overall. The stuff we need him to work on and concentrate on – he’s ticking a lot of boxes. His intercept marking was a highlight. Mitch also provided us with some effective ball use from half-back.

AFL Victoria Development League

Saturday, May 21, 4pm, Casey Fields

Sandringham 10.5 (65) d Box Hill Hawks 11.11 (77)

No Melbourne-listed players featured in the Development League