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

VFL
Saturday, June 6, Casey Fields, 2pm
Casey Scorpions 10.12 (73) d Collingwood 9.14 (68)

“WE STARTED really slowly, which has been a common theme. Our games so far this year, we’ve found ourselves four or five goals down at quarter-time, and we were playing OK, but they put a lot of scoreboard pressure on and made the most of their opportunities. They kicked the first one after quarter-time, which really tested our mentality and mindset. They ended up 34 points in front at quarter-time, but from then on, to our boys’ credit, they stuck to what our plan was and our process, and slowly we got back into the game. We made the most of our opportunities and got the game back into our control. It was really up until the last 10 minutes of the game that we got ourselves back in front. Even down to the last minute, the game was still in the balance, but a couple of critical contests from our key players helped us get away with a five-point win. For three quarters, we were brilliant with our mindset to get back in the game. We didn’t panic and we certainly didn’t start going away from what we wanted to play. To the boys’ credit, it was a really strong win and they showed a lot of spirit and heart, so we were really happy with the result.” – Justin Plapp

Rohan Bail: I was really pleased for Rohan. He was a player that played senior footy and then came back. He played with a really professional outlook and his game on the day was really strong. He had 19 possessions as a high half-forward and he kicked two goals and could’ve kicked another two ones, so he should’ve had four for the day. His running ability and ball-winning ability and finishing off all had a bit of class about it. He played the role exactly as we wanted him to, so he just needs to keep backing up those performances to put him back in the picture.

Mark Jamar: Russian’s had an indifferent few weeks after coming back to VFL level. But he had by far the biggest impact he’s had for the Casey Scorpions since he came back from senior level. He had 20 disposals, which is a really good result from a ruckman. He’s not usually a high possession winner. But his work away from stoppage and around the ground was really good. He kicked a goal and kicked another one, which clearly was, but it was disallowed, so he should’ve had two goals. He marked the ball really well and he dominated clearances. He played his best game at VFL level and the challenge is to back that up and keep the pressure on the other ruckmen at the club

James Harmes: We were really happy with James. He played a high half-forward role and tackled well. He had five effective tackles, 20 possessions and played for a quarter down back. His work in and around the footy was good and he jumps at the footy well. He took a couple of contested marks. We’re starting to see some growth in him, particularly from the work of the development coaches. He’s just maturing each week and the challenge for James is to be consistent in the output he gives. He’s another good listener and a joy to coach.

Oscar McDonald: He continues to grow. Oscar is starting to play on the bigger forwards and we’ve done a lot of work with him. He’s really accepting his feedback well and he’s a good listener, and another joy to coach. There is no pressure on him at the moment – we just want him to work on a few areas, particularly his one-on-one contests, which have been a lot more aggressive and pleasing lately.

Jordie McKenzie: He keeps playing his role really well in the VFL. He tackled strongly and he had six effective tackles. His work around the footy and defensive mindset was really strong. He really leads the way in that part of the game. He’s performing well at VFL level.

Viv Michie: Viv was a real driving force that got us back into the game through his ball-winning ability. His decision-making was good. He went inside 50 seven times.

We played him on Sam Dwyer after quarter-time. Viv kept him quiet, as well as winning a lot of ball himself, so we were really pleased with his performance.

Alex Neal-Bullen: We thought he was our best player on the weekend. He played his best game for the club. He had 34 possessions, five effective tackles and 20 contested possessions. He won a lot of critical contests and his hands were really good. He brought a lot of players into the game. His performance on the weekend was as good as I’ve seen in any game I’ve seen this year. He’s had a really interrupted pre-season and he’s building really nicely, so it was a good effort by Alex.

Billy Stretch: Billy missed a couple weeks, after playing two AFL games. He was the carry over player in the AFL and then we had the bye. But he’s another impressive kid who is a good listener and he’s really compliant to the roles we give him. He’s a neat user and he’s just a joy to coach because he listens. He had 21 possessions and he had four effective tackles. It was a really solid contribution from Billy.

Jake Spencer: Big Jake came back from the AFL. It wasn’t his best performance, but he still had an impact when he was in and around the contest. He ended up having 26 hit outs and he had a really solid battle. We probably needed him to do a bit more around the ground and provide an option, when we were in those slow play situations. We can’t underestimate some of the challenges these players have coming back to the VFL after playing in the AFL, but we provide an environment where we support them. We try and work hard with those guys, like Spence, who are experienced. But we’re looking forward to him really bouncing back this week and providing the grunt we know he can show.

Dean Terlich: It was probably one of Dean’s better performances of the year. We had him playing a number of different roles. He played off half-back, went forward for a little bit and he won plenty of the ball with 29 possession. He had seven rebound 50s, so he gave us some real drive coming out of our defensive 50. So we’re really looking for Dean now to have some real consistency in his footy. His last two games have been at a level that we expect him to be at. So we’re looking for Dean to keep adding to those good performances.

Dom Tyson: Dom ended up having 33 possessions and four effective tackles. Dom was playing through the midfield and he was a little bit scrappy early, having had a couple of weeks off, but he built his game nicely. He played AFL footy at VFL level. He was really instrumental in us getting back into the game. He had some composure when he needed to. Some of his decisions really brought a lot of players into the game as well. So that run will top Dom off for senior selection this week. Also his professionalism meant he was a real role model, so we don’t take that lightly either. We were really happy with him.

Mitch White: Mitch continues to grow. He’s another one who’s been really good and a bit like Oscar McDonald, where he is starting to grow into the roles we’re asking them to play. Mitch to his credit is taking the most dangerous small forwards most weeks. He’s had some really challenging players this season and on the weekend, he ended up having 15 possessions and three rebound 50s. Some of his critical contests and one-on-one work was very good, where he had to beat his man. He’s heading in the right direction.

AFL Victoria Development League
Friday, June 5, Casey Fields, 7.15pm
Casey Scorpions 9.11 (65) d Sandringham 5.13 (43)

Jayden Hunt: Hunty missed the majority of the pre-season, so he’s still building. We haven’t got a lot of pressure on him at the moment – we just want to increase his game time. We’re adding things to his game and he’s got some great assets in his offensive side of his game. We’re encouraging him to take the game on, but we’re also refining a few things. Hunty’s on the right track and he continues to grow as well. He’s a good kid and listens as well.

Max King: Kingy put in another good performance – that’s five in a row. He’s been a bit stiff not to play senior VFL, because we’ve had Mark Jamar and Jake Spencer at VFL level. It’s probably made his opportunity limited at senior level. He played really well at development level, kicking another three goals. He also had another mark of the year contender – that’s about three in the past three weeks. It was a big, strong hanger, after launching at the footy. He’s put in a lot of hard work and his performances have made us take notice.