MIDFIELDER Dom Tyson, forward Dean Kent and utility James Harmes are pushing their claims for AFL selection after strong form for Casey last weekend.
Casey Demons coach Justin Plapp said the trio performed strongly in a VFL practice match against Williamstown at Casey Fields last Saturday, and were making their case for a round two call-up against Carlton at the MCG on Sunday.
“We thought those three players collectively were really solid contributors and performers. I think the practice match served a real purpose with what we needed them to do,” he told melbournefc.com.au.
With 2015 best and fairest winner Bernie Vince out for one match – after being suspended for striking St Kilda’s Nathan Wright at Etihad Stadium last Saturday – and debutant Joel Smith set to miss three to four months with a shoulder injury, Melbourne will be forced to make at least two changes for round two.
Plapp said Tyson, who played the last JLT Community Series match against West Coast Eagles, after injuring his knee pre-Christmas, was ready to go, if given the opportunity.
“Dom worked into the game really well on the weekend. He’s coming back from a bit of a layoff, so it was about building game time,” he said.
“He won his fair share of the ball and finished off with two goals, but he looked better as the game went on – from a conditioning point of view. His ability to get to contests, use numbers and bring other players into the game was a real highlight for me.
“He’s probably at a point now where he’s nearly back to his best, so we were really happy with him.”
Plapp said Harmes, who had a team-high 32 disposals, was the standout in Casey’s six-goal win.
“He was the highlight on the day,” he said.
“He showed a lot of intensity around the ball, and his running to create and defend was very good.
“We talk about bringing AFL habits back to Casey and Harmesy was able to do that. We were really pleased with his performance.”
Kent, who had a back injury in the pre-season, also impressed with three goals and 20 touches.
“Kenty is another player who has come back for game time. He was a solid contributor,” Plapp said.
“Offensively, he was able to generate a lot of opportunities for us. His speed and ability to be able to play the role that we needed him to play was positive. He’s still got a few things he’s working on defensively.”
Ruckman Jake Spencer, who impressed in the JLT Series and was an emergency in round one, continued to play his role, said Plapp.
“It was disappointing for Spence that he didn’t play in round one after some good pre-season form,” he said.
“The challenge for him was to come back and show a really good attitude and compete – and we felt he did that. For him, it’s about being ready and I think he was able to show that he is.”
Overall, Plapp said it was a good hit-out from his VFL team.
“We were really happy with the performance. We didn’t start well and we had to change things structurally to get ourselves back into game, as we were beaten around the ball,” he said.
“But once we got that part of the game under control, we played some really good football.
“We won by six goals, but it was the way that we were able to do it. Our game style and the way we want to play really stood out. There are a lot of improvements, but for a second practice match, we thought the intensity was there and the competitive spirit was there.”
