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

VFL
Sunday, August 22, Piranha Park, 2pm
Casey Scorpions 17.9 (111) d Coburg 14.10 (94)

“IT WAS a really important game and Coburg was pushing to play finals. Their opportunity to play finals was whether they beat us. We knew there was a fair bit on the line for both teams. If we won, it would consolidate our finals, but if Coburg won it gave them an opportunity. There was a fair bit riding on the game and we had nine Melbourne players available, which was the lowest we’ve had all year because of injuries so we felt little under the pump in terms of personnel. We started really well but our second quarter was disappointing and lacked discipline. After half time we played the brand of football that we know we can play and to the players’ credit, they fought back really well to win the game. Now that we have secured a finals berth, this week becomes really important in terms of keeping our players focused and competitive. The weekend was pleasing and we played three really good quarters of football.” – Justin Plapp

Mark Jamar: Russian had 13 possessions, 34 hit outs and kicked 3.1. He dominated the ruck once again and he responded really after last week when he dropped his standards a little bit. Coming into the game, he gave us first use of the ball and kicked two or three really important goals in the second half. He took some really strong contested marks so the balance of him playing ruck and then going forward and giving us a tall marking option was as well as I have seen him do at VFL level. His leadership was really strong and he led as we would expect him to do. Based on the back of that, I expect that it would put him into contention for senior selection for next week.

Matt Jones: Matt had 30 possessions and only one effective tackle. He started slow but he kicked a really classy goal where he broke through from stoppage to kick the ball from 60 to 70 metres out. There were a couple of undisciplined things in the first half that we needed to tick off but after half time, he had a massive influence on the game in regards to his running ability and his ability to give us some real decent outside run. Matt was one of our better players on the weekend and certainly played one of the better VFL games that I’ve seen him play this year. 

Jay Kennedy-Harris: Jay had nine possessions and seven tackles. Even though from Jay’s point of view, it wasn’t a high possession game for him, with his defensive pressure and his tackle pressure around the ball, he was very good on the weekend. We’re working with Jay to try and round his game off and get a balance of both but he’s working really hard at the moment. He’s not getting much reward for effort but he is certainly following instruction and trying to work on the things that we are encouraging him to do. At some stage, he’s going to have to try and get the balance of both but it’s certainly not through lack of effort. We’ve played him a little bit on ball over the past few weeks and he’s given us some real intensity around the ball. He’s a work in progress but he’s certainly heading in the right direction.

Dean Kent: Dean played his first game after another four week layoff. He had ten weeks off, played a game and then another four weeks off. He had 11 possessions and he had 6 effective tackles. He played that high half forward role and he went inside 50 four times. He was certainly a bit rusty as was expected but as the game went on he showed his assets to his game, which is his speed and power and lot of intensity and hardness around the footy. Dean is going to be building over the next couple of weeks and our expectations were to get him through the game so next week we will probably increase his game time. We’ll be looking for a lot more output as we go but we were pleased with his first game back.

Oscar McDonald: Oscar had 11 possessions and three effective tackles. He played on the key forward and defensively he was really strong. Offensively, he got on the end of our some of offensive chains, which is one of his strengths. His ball use was a lot better than it has been in previous weeks so for Oscar it was a really well rounded game both offensively and defensively.

Jordie McKenzie: Jordie ended up having 12 possessions and four effective tackles. He played a run-with role on one of Coburg’s key midfielders and kept him to a really moderate output in the game. Jordie received a bit of an injury during the game, which meant that he had to come off the ground, which freed up Uysal so he certainly played a really valuable role for the team while he was on the ground. He also kicked a goal so we’re happy with the role that he played. Jordie is very coachable and plays for the team.

Aidan Riley: Aidan had 24 possessions, 13 clearances and led our tackles with 8 effective tackles. His ability at VFL level to win the contested ball and compete and win critical contest is outstanding so to have him back in the team to give us first use and that balling ability around the footy was fantastic. To his own disappointment, he was a bit undisciplined throughout the game, which he rectified. From a Melbourne point of view, he was challenged strongly at half time and he responded in a really positive manner. Overall, we’re really happy with Aidan’s performance.

Jake Spencer: Jake had 19 possessions, took 12 marks and had 30 hit outs so he was probably our best player on the day. I was really happy for Jake because over his last four or five weeks he’s just been there about but certainly hasn’t impacted the game like he did this week. His ability to be able to play a role in the ruck and have some real dominance there and then go forward and kick four goals as well was really pleasing. He played his best game of VFL football in a long time so I couldn’t have been happier for him. The challenge for him now is to try and back that up.

Dean Terlich: Dean had 31 possessions, no tackles and took 10 marks. He certainly has a lot of offensive strengths in his game and kicks the ball really well. Defensively, we’re still working really hard with Dean to get that balance in his game but he was one of our better players. He had a super second half where he really impacted the game and took the game on. Dean was probably a part of the reason why we got back into the game and played the footy that we did. 

Mitch White: Mitch had15 possessions and one effective tackle.Once again he was probably one of our better defenders on the day. Offensively, he turned the ball over a few times at critical stages in the game. Moving forward, he needs to get a better balance there and be more effective in choosing the right option at the right time. However in terms of what he is in the team for, he certainly played his role and ticked those boxes. Mitch is another first year player who continues to improve. He is learning really quickly and he is a good listener.

AFL Victoria Development League
Sunday, August 22, Piranha Park, 11am
Casey Scorpions 12.10 (82) d Casey 19.16 (130)

No Melbourne-listed players featured in the Development League