HEAD of development Brett Allison reviews the Melbourne-listed players who played in the VFL and AFL Victoria Development League at Casey Fields on Sunday 

VFL: Sandringham 14.13 (97) d Casey 5.9 (39)

Dom Barry: Dom played half-forward, wing and half-back. He had 12 disposals and worked quite hard during the game, but needs to tidy up his running patterns to make sure he’s getting to the right spots, so he can get more involved in the play and have more impact.

Sam Blease: Sam played wing and half-forward and had 16 possessions. Sam’s focus has been to gain more possessions in the forward half of the ground. He did that the previous week, but was unable to back it up this week. Defensively, he had some major lapses during the game and we know he’s much better than that.

Mitch Clisby: Mitch played half-back and wing. He had 18 possessions and had another positive week, defending strongly, as has been his focus in the previous three weeks. He used the ball quite well, and for the second week in a row played AFL-type football.

Michael Evans: Michael played on ball and half-back, and had 20 possessions. He needs to be cleaner with his disposal and at ground level, and needs to work on punishing the opposition when he has the ball.

Jack Fitzpatrick: Jack played ruck and key forward. He had 15 possessions and 17 hit outs. I thought he looked far stronger in the ruck this week than he has at times this season, so that was pleasing to see, because it’s a role he’s going to need to play. The other area for Jack to work on is the consistency of his marking contests. When he gets that right, he either marks the ball or brings the ball to ground, giving the crumbing players a chance to work their magic.

Colin Garland: Col had five possessions and was looking pretty solid defensively, but unfortunately he had a corked knee and couldn’t take any further part in the match. He only played about 40 per cent of the game and it happened before half-time. We’re hoping he’ll get up in time to play this week, and it may interrupt his preparation to get back to AFL level.

Max Gawn: Max played ruck and key forward. He had 18 disposals and 44 hit outs. Max rucked well and looked much freer in his movement around the ground. He gave the mids first use of the ball and continued to build his fitness in his push for senior selection.

James Harmes: James played half-forward and on ball. He had 10 possessions and had good impact while he was on the ground. James took some nice marks as a forward, but received a heavy knock, just before half-time to the ribs. He was unable to take any further part in the game, due to a punctured lung.

Jayden Hunt: Jayden played half-back/back-pocket. He only had four possessions. When he gave his opponent three or four metres of space, he was unable to have influence on the play. He needs to continue to give himself the best chance of contesting or forcing as many contests as he can. When he does it, he looks good, but he’s a first-year player and that’s not unusual. He’s still finding his way.

Jordie McKenzie: Jordie played on ball. He had 29 disposals and played a solid game. He worked hard in the midfield and gave the side some drive. Jordie just needs to keep working on his disposal by foot to make sure that we’re getting full value from his possessions.

Daniel Nicholson: Daniel played half-back/wing. He had 23 disposals and worked hard. He ran strongly when in possession of the ball. He could’ve used his hands on occasions, with first give handballs. Otherwise, his effort has been consistent for two or three weeks now.

Aidan Riley: Aidan played on ball and had 18 possessions. He had a good battle in a run-with role with his opponent. He probably broke even on the day, but got lost defensively at times and struggled to find his man quickly enough.

James Strauss: James played half-back and wing. He had 14 possessions and had an impact, but we’re looking for more, because we know that James has got more talent and ability than what he’s showing us at the moment.

Luke Tapscott: Tappy played half-forward and on ball. It was his first game back from a hamstring injury. He got through his restricted game time without further injury, which was the main goal for Luke – and he has pulled up well. He will be ready to continue playing more game time in the coming week.

Jimmy Toumpas: Jimmy played half-back/wing and had 16 possessions. He’s trying really hard here to do what the coaches are asking of him, but he probably tried too hard at times, rather than just relaxing and playing footy. The other area for Jimmy to focus on is his ball use. We need to get more value from his disposals than we are at the moment.  

AFL Victoria Development League: Casey 9.10 (64) d Sandringham 11.8 (74) 

Maia Westrupp: Maia played as a defender. He had 12 possessions and it was his most promising game this season. He had a particularly strong second quarter, where he won six possessions and used the ball very well. We’re looking forward to seeing more of that in the weeks to come from Westy.