Career
Debut: 2006
Career matches: 90
Career goals: 90
2011
Matches: 7
Goals: 4
Kicks: 42
Marks: 30
Handballs: 50
Disposals: 92 (13.14 average per match)
Tackles: 15
Todd Viney’s season assessment
He had a frustrating year and didn’t get many AFL opportunities, but his attitude towards playing in the VFL was outstanding. He was really consistent, and was a step above the competition at VFL level. Matthew started to play in the midfield in the VFL late in the year. He knocked down the door with 38 disposals for Casey in the game before the final AFL round. He then forced his way into the AFL as a big-bodied midfielder against Port Adelaide and did well. So, that might be another string to his bow, as well as being a forward.
Round-by-round assessment
Comments made by 2011 Melbourne coaching staff members Mark Williams, Brad Gotch and Kelly O’Donnell
AFL: Round 1 v Sydney Swans
Did not play (played in VFL practice match)
VFL: Round 1 v Geelong
Bater worked his butt off. It was a usual Bater performance. He had 21 touches as a key forward and was running up on the wing and back inside 50. He didn’t kick any goals, which was the only down part of his day. He deserved to kick some goals. Brad Gotch
VFL: Round 2 v Port Melbourne
Bater had a really quiet first half, but then he sparked us in the second half with 12 touches. He really made an impact and gave us a link across half-forward. He ran around and presented well. He also kicked a couple of goals. Brad Gotch
VFL: Round 3 v North Ballarat
Matthew was very good with 26 possessions and three goals. He also took nine marks. I thought he was one of our key players, due to his work-rate, especially up the ground. He was consistent over four quarters. He could’ve kicked a few more goals, as he booted three behinds. Brad Gotch
VFL: Round 4 - Bye
VFL: Round 5 v Frankston
Matthew was clearly our best player. He kicked six goals, had 11 marks and 25 disposals. It was an excellent game. His work-rate was outstanding. This put him right in the mix for Melbourne. Brad Gotch
AFL: Round 7 v Adelaide Crows
It was good to see Matty back in the side. He worked really hard and provided us with an outlet from the backline. His tackling pressure was fantastic, particularly the three tackles he executed to turn the ball over in the last minutes of the game. Mark Williams
AFL: Round 8 v North Melbourne (emergency)/VFL: Round 7 v Bendigo Bombers
Matthew dealt with the adversity of being dropped, but came back and made his usual impact. He took eight marks, playing as a hit-up target. He kicked a goal, but missed two. Bater put himself in the mix again for Melbourne. Brad Gotch
AFL: Round 9 v St Kilda
Matthew’s work-rate was very good. He presented in all the right areas. He needed to demand the ball more, and we needed to use him more. Mark Williams
AFL: Round 10 v Carlton
Matthew worked really hard and ran to some really good spots, but wasn’t used enough. He had 17 possessions and had four scoring involvements. Mark Williams
AFL: Round 11 v Essendon (emergency)/VFL: Round 10 v Sandringham
He was probably the difference in this game. It was the third time he had been put back from the senior side. Everyone would have accepted if he had a bad game, but he came back and kicked four. In those conditions, it was probably worth 10. It was an amazing game - just brilliant. He stuck at it and I think Fev (Brendan Fevola) helped him this week. Fev attracted the defenders to him, and Bater was able to find some more space in the forward line, because the defenders were more worried about Fev. Bater is so smart. He just kept popping up somewhere in that forward 50. It was another great attitude from a guy coming back, so it just showed that attitude is such an important thing. Brad Gotch
VFL: Round 11 v Collingwood
Bater had a cold and struggled early to have as much impact as we know he’d like. But then, in the second half he got his second wind, took eight marks, and did a lot of work up the ground. He didn’t kick any goals this week - did a lot of work up the ground - and ended up having a good game. Brad Gotch
VFL: Round 12 v Coburg Tigers
He had 28 possessions, which was a good job, playing forward or on the wing. He certainly tried hard, and kicked two goals. He was in our better three players, I thought. Brad Gotch
AFL: Round 14 v Richmond (emergency)
AFL: Round 15 v Western Bulldogs (emergency)/VFL: Round 14 v Werribee Tigers
He worked hard as usual, but he registered just one goal from his effort. He spent time on the wing, in the middle and was able to get his hands on the ball, which was pleasing. Brad Gotch
VFL: Round 15 v Box Hill Hawks
Matthew played forward and on the wing. We had him on the wing a little bit on the weekend. He had 22 possessions, and I rated him very good. He kicked two goals - we only got three goals in the first half, and he kicked two of them. Then, because we played a little bit higher, he didn’t have as much impact. But he was certainly a standout, especially with those goals in the first half. We only kicked three, and he got two of them. So, that was really good. He was a bit quiet in the last quarter, but he had a big first three quarters to set up the game. It was interesting that, in the last quarter, everyone else came into the game, because we kicked five goals in the last quarter, which doubled our score. Brad Gotch
AFL: Round 17 v Port Adelaide (emergency)
AFL: Round 18 v Hawthorn
Bater was pretty good. He worked hard up the ground and did the basics well. He played in front, took some strong marks and kicked well at goal when the opportunity arose. He continued to position well in the forward line and with his running patterns. Mark Williams
AFL: Round 19 v Geelong Cats
He came on after starting as the sub and had an impact. He ran around, chased and tackled and put himself in good spots to be used, but we were so far behind that he didn’t have a great impact. Mark Williams
AFL: Round 20 v Carlton
Matthew came on early after James Strauss’ injury. He presented well, but wasn’t used as often as he should have been. He was involved in several of our scores, but failed to hit the scoreboard with a major himself. Mark Williams
VFL: Round 20 v Coburg Tigers
Bater was very good. He had a slow start after he looked like he hurt a hamstring early. Came back though, which was fortunate, and gathered 25 possessions, eight marks, three goals and six team acts. I threw him in the midfield during the second half, so we could have a strong body in the mix. And he did well, too. Brad Gotch
VFL: Round 21 v Werribee Tigers
He was very good. Bater kicked two goals, had 24 touches and took nine marks. His leadership was outstanding. He went into the midfield halfway through the last quarter and made an immediate impact. Brad Gotch
VFL: Round 22 v Northern Bullants
Matthew spent more time in the midfield this match because Tom McNamara and Neville Jetta played in the seniors. He ended up with a season-high 38 touches, 13 marks and two goals, plus numerous involvements in our scoring chains. His ability to be clean and agile in tight was eye-catching. Brad Gotch
AFL: Round 24 v Port Adelaide
Matty had a really good game. He came into the side in great form and played several roles. He attacked the ball hard, won some good ground balls and was in-and-under at stoppage. Bater spent time up forward and in the midfield, and provided terrific attack away from stoppage. Mark Williams
VFL: Semi-final v Werribee Tigers
Matthew physically impacted the game and showed good signs with solid marking. His decision-making needed to improve on occasions, but he tried hard and competed for the whole day. Kelly O’Donnell
