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

2017 Peter Jackson VFL
Sunday, May 7, 2pm

Werribee 13.8 (86) d Casey Demons 10.15 (75)

Hogans Road Reserve, Hoppers Crossing

From the coach …

“It was a disappointing outcome, but I was really proud of the way the players responded this week. We played the type of football we’re renowned for. From that part, we were pleased, but we ended up squandering opportunities. Our mid to forward connection, going inside 50, was average. We went inside 50 on 22 more occasions, so it was a pretty big reflection of us not finishing off our work. We kicked the ball to poor areas, despite having opportunities. It ultimately cost us, as it was a winnable game.” – Justin Plapp 

James Harmes: Harmesy started the game really well, but unfortunately got a kick in the face. He had quite a significant face wound, and that happened early in the third quarter. He had to get stitched up and he took no further part in the game. It was a nasty one around his eye, so he had to be pretty careful with it. Up until then, his presence on the ground was very good and it hurt us when he went off. He was finding the football and putting a lot of pressure on around the contest. He was quite a significant loss for us and he’ll be assessed during the week, but should be available.

Liam Hulett: Liam had 13 disposals, five marks and three tackles. It was a good response from Liam, after last week. He showed a lot more intensity and his aerial contest work was better. He involved in some important ball use at times from our back 50. He’s had a slow start since coming back from his injury, but there were some positive signs from him out of the weekend.

Dion Johnstone: He had 13 possessions, six inside 50s and kicked two goals. Johnno got some pretty good reward for his effort and his ability to play his role on the weekend. His two goals were opportunistic and from tight situations, which were highlights. Dion’s third quarter was quite significant, where he provided a lot of forward pressure and created a lot of opportunities for himself and the team.

Declan Keilty: He had 11 possessions, three marks, four tackles and 15 hit outs. Declan continues to build and improve. He’s playing forward and giving Mitch King a bit of relief from the ruck. Declan’s been able to provide us with some support in that area, which has been good. To respond after last week, when he left the field pretty early after copping a knock, was very good. He showed some good signs around the ground, particularly his aerial work. Declan continues to improve.

Ben Kennedy: Ben had 26 possessions, six inside 50s, four tackles and kicked 1.1. It was a good game from him. He put a lot of pressure around the ball and his contest work was really strong. Benny was able to play the right way for the majority of the four quarters, which was pleasing. He let himself down with a bit of ball use and just needs to be a little bit more composed at times. Overall, he was a solid contributor for us on the weekend.

Dean Kent: Dean had 18 possessions, seven tackles and kicked 1.1. It wasn’t the type of game where Kenty wasn’t able to show all of his strengths, because of the conditions. But the one pleasing thing out of Kenty’s game – that we were most pleased about – was his forward pressure. His ability to impact ground balls and put the opposition under pressure created opportunities for us. It’s been two weeks now that Kenty has played the way we want him to. He certainly puts his name up for AFL selection this week.

Mitch King: Mitch had 12 possessions, two tackles and 29 hit outs. It was a game of two halves for Mitch. He started the game really well and showed some real positive signs in the ruck, where he got his hands to the ball first. His follow-up work was really good. As the game went on, his inexperience showed. He started to get tired and had less of an impact on the game. The challenge for Kingy is to keep building on that. We want him to have more of an impact around the ground, particularly in marking contests. He was impressive early on.

Corey Maynard: Corey only lasted a quarter, before being concussed and being brought from the ground on a stretcher. Before that, he started the game really well. He was certainly getting his hands on the ball – he took two marks and laid two tackles. Corey was on track to have a good day. We really missed him when he went off the ground.

Jake Melksham: Melky had 32 possessions, six inside 50s, seven marks, 10 tackles and 1.4. Jake came back from the AFL and was given a strong role and he was able to do that really well. He was also able to help the team with his ability to win his own ball. I was super impressed by his attitude and he was real highlight on the ball. He really embraced his role that we needed him to play. The only downside to his game was that he kicked four behinds and really could’ve finished the day with a top game.

Billy Stretch: Billy had 25 possessions, five marks and four tackles. After being left out of the senior team, he started the game really well. The thing I was most happy about with his game was his ability to take the game on and send us forward. He continues to build his game around his contest and flexibility of roles. He contributed well.

Jack Trengove: Trenners had 22 possessions, five inside 50s and six tackles. I seem to say this most weeks about Jack, he continues to tick a lot of boxes. He’s selfless and plays team first football and gets similar results – week in, week out. Jack continues to do the small things that end up being big things for our team. He was very good.

Sam Weideman: Sammy had nine possessions, two marks, one tackle and kicked one behind. It was a tough day for Weids. He got to a lot of contests, but wasn’t able to execute his opportunities. He’s coming back from a couple of weeks off and he’d be the first to admit that it wasn’t one of his best performances. He’ll bounce back and I’m sure we’ll see some improvements out of him in the coming weeks.

Mitch White: Mitch had 21 possessions, six marks and two tackles. Whitey was impressive. He’s been building over the last few weeks. Mitch was consistent over four quarters, so the highlight for me was his four intercept marks from four opposition marks. That’s an area that’s been a focus for him. He also played under a bit of duress, after he copped a knock early in the game, so he was able to fight his way through that. Mitch was another player who featured for us and made a contribution.

2017 AFL Victoria Development League
Sunday, May 7, 11am

Casey Demons 14.8 (92) d Werribee 7.16 (58)
Hogans Road Reserve, Hoppers Crossing

Lochie Filipovic: He was very influential in the win. Lochie continues to play development football, where he can work on his craft. The pleasing thing about his game was that he was able to jump at the football and win a bit of his own ball, by following up. He keeps it pretty simple, Flip, but we love his attitude and intensity towards the game.