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

2017 Peter Jackson VFL
Saturday, September 9, 12:40pm
Semi-Final: Richmond 19.14 (128) d Casey Demons 15.11 (101)
Fortburn Stadium (North Port Oval), Port Melbourne

From the coach …

“We were really disappointed with the loss. At any level of football, you need to be unconditional and we needed to be consistent and we weren’t able to do that. We had two finals, where we’ve allowed the opposition to score eight-plus goals in two separate quarters – and that was an attitude and intensity issue, rather than talent point of view. We had 11 scoring shots to four by quarter-time and we only had a two-point lead. It put us on the backfoot a bit, but we were creating a lot of opportunities forward of the ball. We were competing well in the air, which created opportunities for our smalls, but in the second quarter, a couple of poor decisions resulted in turnover goals. That’s how they play their footy – they rely on the opposition to turn it over and they were really slick in that way and full credit to them. They kicked eight goals to our two and we’ve gone in at half-time 61 points down. We then got the players to think about the simple things and I challenged the players really strongly – probably more than what I ever have. We changed some things around and they came out and played an inspiring third quarter. We got back into the game and even had our chances in the final quarter, but we weren’t able to capitalise. We also lost Angus Brayshaw early in the match, which didn’t help and that’s been the story of our year – losing players early in the game. So, in all in all, we probably didn’t deserve to win the game, but we had moments where we were exceptional, but Richmond was a lot more consistent over the day. We probably finished where we should have. We were disappointed and we spoke to the players about it – the opportunities that come with finals and the fact that they’re not easy to win. I’ve got full admiration for our players – they showed great character to not let the game get out of control, after staring down a 100-point loss at one stage. To do what they did in the third quarter was pretty inspiring, but we’ve got to learn from that and hopefully individuals do. It’s a disappointing way to finish the season, but I think we should be pretty proud and content where we’ve finished – all things considered.” – Justin Plapp 

Angus Brayshaw: He didn’t have any impact on the game. Angus left the ground halfway through the first quarter with a neck problem and didn’t come back on the ground.

Tom Bugg: He had 16 disposals, six marks, four clearances, seven tackles and kicked three goals. Buggy played a pivotal role for us up forward. We lacked a bit of height up forward. We just had Sam Weideman and Bayley Fritsch being our taller options up forward. Buggy played a good role in creating some aerial contests for us. His finishing of goals, particularly after half-time, was very good. His tackling was a highlight – he worked hard to keep the ball inside 50. Buggy was one of our players who played an important role for us on the weekend.

Dion Johnstone: Dion had 15 disposals, including 10 contested possessions, three inside 50s, two behinds and three tackles. Johnno, through the middle part of the game, was probably at his strongest. He just has a real presence about his energy and his intensity around the ball. The one thing he needs to work on is his finishing in front of goal. He had two opportunities and they were easier opportunities, so he let himself down a bit there. But he’s been a massive win for us this year, as a first-year player. He’s grown, developed and should bounce into next year with some real confidence.

Declan Keilty: Declan had 12 disposals, six marks, kicked two goals and had one tackle. As a defender in the first half, he got led around a little bit by his opponent, but we threw him forward in the second half and he helped change the game. He took a couple of really strong contested marks and converted. Declan gave us a focal point up forward. We’ve seen some great improvements in him this year, but he was a player who took dug in during the second half, which was very good.

Ben Kennedy: He had 24 disposals, including 14 contested possessions, four inside 50s, four tackles and kicked one goal. I thought Benny was one of those players, after half-time, who got into the game. He used his physicality and he was inspiring in different patches, where his intensity impacted critical contests – and he was strong. Benny’s had a positive month of football to finish the year off. He’s come off being crook the week before, where he spent a bit of time in bed, so for him to get back to the level he played was a credit to him.

Jay Kennedy-Harris: Jay had 22 disposals, five marks, three clearances, five rebounds and seven tackles. His impact in the first half was scarce – he was in and out of the game. He wasn’t able to get easy possession for the role we needed him to play. Jay put on some good forward 50 pressure and we had to change the team around at half-time and we put him to half-back, where we wanted him to run and generate some offensive rebound and energy for us. He was able to do that and I thought he played a strong second half. He played the role well. Although he didn’t have a lot of impact in the first half, he was part of the reason why we got back into the game in the second half, which was good for him.

Mitch King: Mitch had four disposals and 10 hit outs. He has grown throughout the year, but he was shown up by the two AFL-listed ruckman, Shaun Hampson and Ivan Soldo. We wanted to see Kingy have a bit more impact around the ground. Mitch is developing and he’s learning, and that would’ve been good for him on the weekend.

Corey Maynard: Corey had 35 disposals, including 27 contested possessions, five marks, 18 clearances, nine inside 50s and five tackles. I can simply say that Corey’s game on the weekend was probably one of the best performances I’ve ever seen at VFL level – in any game. The way he willed himself to generate something from his team – and through critical contests – was outstanding. He also showed his ability to win the contested ball and get the ball going forward for us, highlighted by his clearance work. He had huge numbers – and he was huge for us. He’s a great young leader that’s finding his way. He dug in and did everything he could for his team. I thought he was best-on-ground by a mile.

Billy Stretch: Billy had 25 disposals, including 12 contested possessions, six clearances, six tackles and kicked 2.1. He had a very good game and played a number of different roles on the day. Billy’s impact on the game was more in the second half. He really played with a lot of speed and was able to drive his legs out of stoppage and contest, and take us forward. He finished two nice goals late in the game and it was probably one of the better VFL games I’ve seen Billy play. He was a real positive.

Jake Spencer: Jake had four disposals, 21 hit outs and one tackle. Although he competed strongly, we needed more of an impact from him around the ground and he was aware of that.

Jack Trengove: Jack had 30 disposals, including 15 contested possessions, five clearances and seven tackles. He played a small defender and went in and around the ball at times. His composure in tight situations was really positive. He was able to generate some good ball movement for us and he again played with a level or intensity and effort. He’s a player that could put his hand-up and say that he did everything possible to get the result. He wouldn’t have walked off the ground questioning his efforts. I thought he was outstanding on the weekend.

Josh Wagner: He had 20 disposals, including 13 contested possessions, two clearances, five inside 50s and kicked one goal. Wags was thrown around a bit on the weekend. He was half-back, played a bit around the ball and on the wing. His past two weeks have been really strong as well. He let himself down with some defensive efforts, through the middle part of the ground, late in the game, where we needed some of our leaders to stand-up. But he was able to get his hands on the ball and take us forward, when we needed to and he gave us good connection off half-back.

Sam Weideman: Sam had 10 disposals, three marks, two inside 50s and one tackle. He had moments. Sam took two really strong contested marks early in the game and was unable to convert. His impact on the game was pretty inconsistent after the first quarter. He’s another player who is going to gain great momentum after playing in finals. Sam’s still physically developing, so there is a level of patience with those younger kids as well.