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

VFL
Sunday, July 26, Victoria Park, 12 pm
Collingwood 12.11 (83) d Casey Scorpions 9.6 (60)

“WE got rolled and were quite disappointed in the weekend’s result. We felt that what was up for grabs – and that was a top four spot – was the most opportunity we’ve had for the year to climb up the ladder and play finals football. So the result was really disappointing. We started the first half really well and didn’t make the most of opportunities with the wind in the first quarter. In turn, they hit the scoreboard really well and in the last quarter, we had to kick a decent score against the wind to try and pinch the game. For 80 per cent of the game, we played the style of footy and brand of footy we’ve ingrained into the players. But for 20 per cent of the game, we had a lapse and allowed them to score pretty heavily. At the end of the day, it really cost us and it was that third quarter, where we had a 10 or 15-minute lapse. So we’ll go back to the drawing board and regroup and go again.” – Justin Plapp

Rohan Bail: Rohan had 30 disposals and nine effective tackles. From an output point of view, he was very busy and he tackled really well and broke the lines well, when he got the footy. He created some forward entries for us and he played in that inside midfield role. There was stuff in his game, which was really positive, and some stuff that needs to be a bit more accountable. His defensive transition is something we’ve clearly kept working on with Rohan.

Jack Fitzpatrick: Fitzy went off the ground just after half-time with a foot injury. Up until that stage, he had a couple of goals kicked on him. He probably wasn’t having his best day and he was beaten in a couple of one-on-one situations – more than what we would’ve liked. There was another time where his opponent got goal side and just lost body on him, so it wasn’t a great day for Fitzy in the end.

Jayden Hunt: Jayden kicked two goals on the weekend. He had 11 disposals and two effective tackles and looked really dangerous. He created some opportunities in our forward 50 with his pressure. His running ability really broke the game open and he looked dangerous. He finished with 2.1, but he could’ve kicked three or four goals. His past four weeks have been really solid.

Mark Jamar: Russian had 16 possessions, four effective tackles and 48 hit outs. He clearly dominated around the ground stoppages and centre bounces. He gave our players first use and it certainly makes it easier for our midfielders to be able to set-up and create a structure that allows us to use that dominance. His past six or seven weeks have been really solid and we’re really working hard with Russian to keep putting his name up and keep backing up his performances. He was very solid once again.

Jay Kennedy-Harris: It wasn’t a great day for Jay. At times, he looked really dangerous and he created some opportunities for us inside 50, with some second efforts, chasing and pressure. He played that high half-forward/wing role, but we’re looking for a lot more four quarter performances from Jay. He seems to drift in and out of games, so we’re working hard with him to try and get some output on both sides of the ball – from his offensive and defence. He seems to go missing at times, so he’s got some work to do moving forward.

Max King: Kingy was really good on the weekend. He had 13 possessions, two effective tackles and kicked two goals. His ability to compete and bring the ball to ground was good. He took two or three really good contested marks in awkward positions. He created another two or three goals, just off those efforts alone. I was really pleased for Kingy on the weekend, as he certainly played his role really, really well. He finished his work off, which was good.

Oscar McDonald: Oscar had 17 possessions and he’s kicked a really good goal from outside 50, where he broke the line and got the ball out the back of the opposition and went through for a 60 or 70-metre goal. He did some great things with as third man up and dropped off a couple of times. He also took some really courageous marks, but got beaten a couple of times in one-on-one contests, so we’re really working hard with him on those. We understand that’ll come with maturity. But he’s giving us what we expect from him at the moment, without trying to put too much pressure on him either.

Jordie McKenzie: Jordie was one of our better players on the weekend. He had 30 possessions and one effective tackle. He kicked a really classy goal, where he cleaned up a ground ball inside forward 50 and finished on his left foot. His work in-and-around the contest, with his body was good. He’s a very courageous player and someone we respect, so he led from the weekend and we were really, really pleased with his performance.

Alex Neal-Bullen: Alex had a bit of a day out on the weekend. He had 40 disposals and eight effective tackles, which is a pretty good day. A lot of his work in-and-around the footy, like his contested ball, was a real highlight. He had a few fumbles in his game that we still need to keep working on, but we felt he came back from AFL footy with a really strong attitude and a really strong will to compete. He really got his hands dirty and went to work, so it was a pretty solid performance.

Ben Newton: He ended up having 24 possessions, five effective tackles and kicked a goal. We felt it was his most productive game since coming back to VFL footy. He certainly gave us some really good ball use – it was a highlight. He played wing/inside mid and we thought it was probably his most solid or consistent four quarter performance playing VFL footy, which was pleasing. Now we hope to get some consistency in his game and push for senior selection again.

Aidan Riley: The conditions probably suited Riles on the weekend. They were heavy, wet conditions and he ended up having 21 possessions and six effective tackles. His tried to take on the opposition a bit too much at times, instead of giving the first give and getting yardage. We felt he could’ve been a bit better in that area, but on the flipside, he gave us hardness around the contest and he’s the type of bloke who thrives on those conditions. It was a good performance. 

Christian Salem: Coming back from injury, Christian had eight possessions two effective tackles. He only played a little bit of game time, but he certainly looked like he’d missed several weeks, because he fumbled a bit early in the game. As the match went on, he got into the game and looked a lot more comfortable. He’ll look to increase his game time this week, keep building and putting his name up for AFL selection. Without being too critical, we were really pleased that he got through the game.

Jake Spencer: Spence had nine disposals, four effective tackles and 20 hit outs. He spent more time forward and gave Mark Jamar a chop out in the ruck. He dropped four or five gettable marks on the weekend, which we expected Spence to take, so we were a little disappointed he didn’t finish his work. He got himself into some really good positions and competed well, as we would expect him to do, as a big bloke. He brought the ball to ground, but his ability to finish off his work was disappointing on the weekend, so we’re expecting him to bounce back and keep working on that area of his game.

Dean Terlich: Terls ended up having 25 possessions and three tackles. Defensively, he was good for most of the game. There were a couple of times where his man got off him, but early in the game in particular, his ability to close out his opponent and limit his opposition was really strong. He impacted the contest two or three times, which we really encourage our players to do. We thought he led the way in that area of the game for our whole team on the weekend. His offensive part of the game – he gave us some real drive with his ball use. I also thought he played the conditions really well and beat his opponent on the day.

Jimmy Toumpas: Unfortunately Toump got a head knock, which didn’t allow him to come back on the ground. He copped and errant elbow from a teammate, which left him with a pretty bruised eye socket. He came off the ground and didn’t take any further part in the game. Up until that point, I thought that Toump was one of our leading players in regards to ball-winning and giving us some real link to our forwards. He was running across the ground really well, so it was disappointing, as he was starting to break the game open with that area of his game. In his time on the ground, he ended up having 12 disposals and laid a few big tackles, so he was on track to have a pretty good day.

Mitch White: I thought Mitch was probably our best player on the day. He was really solid in the conditions. They weren’t going to be easy conditions to play in. He ended up having 17 possessions, four tackles and kicked two goals from half-back, when he worked down the ground. He was really proactive, competed well and beat his opponent. I felt that it was his best game for the club so far, which is a credit to the kid. He keeps improving each week, so I was really pleased with Mitch.

AFL Victoria Development League

Casey had a bye