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

2017 Peter Jackson VFL
Easter Monday, April 17, 2pm, Burbank Oval
Williamstown 12.11 (83) d Casey Demons 8.12 (60)

From the coach …

“It was a really disappointing start to the season. We felt we didn’t play our best football against Williamstown, but there were some patches of brilliance and some patches that really cost us. We gave up seven goals through fundamentals of the game, which was disappointing. We missed easy shots at goal and playing Williamstown on their home deck – they’re a really contested team and they’re hard to play against, so you don’t want to be giving up many opportunities. We were clearly beaten around the ball and at stoppages, which was disappointing. It was an honourable loss, but we were nowhere near our best on the weekend and we got what we deserved.”  – Justin Plapp 

Angus Brayshaw: Angus had 24 disposals, including 10 contested possessions, plus seven tackles and a goal. He continued to show signs of improvement after being left out of the AFL side. Angus is getting back to his best footy and being able to consistently do it over four quarters.

Michael Hibberd: Hibbo had 27 possessions, seven marks and five rebounds. He worked into the game really well. His ability to take the high ball was a real highlight. He’ll put a pretty strong case forward to be selected in the AFL.

Dion Johnstone: Dion had seven disposals, six tackles and three inside 50s. For a first-year player, he’s really learning his craft. He’s improving every week and he’s a work in progress.

Declan Keilty: He had 11 possessions, three tackles and 10 hit outs. He’s taken over our main ruck role, since Jake Spencer was promoted to the AFL. Declan’s made some real progress in that area of the game. He pushed forward and took some really good contested marks.

Ben Kennedy: He had 26 possessions, five tackles and five clearances. Ben’s eagerness was really strong. He worked well from contest to contest and was another one of our leading contributors on the day.

Jay Kennedy-Harris: Jay had 18 disposals, seven marks, four tackles and four inside 50s. It was his second week back after an injury layoff – where he sustained a broken arm in the pre-season. His running and ability to do it at a high level was a real highlight. Jay was very busy and he’ll be pushing for a recall to the AFL side.

Corey Maynard: He had 27 possessions, three tackles and four clearances. Corey’s in his first full season at the club. He’s showing really good signs of improvement – he improves each week. I love the way he goes about his football, with his fierce pressure on the ball and his competitive mindset.

Oscar McDonald: He had 19 possessions, eight marks and five rebounds. Oscar responded well after being left out of the AFL side. He competed really well and his aerial contest work was a highlight. It was a big improvement.

Cameron Pedersen: Cam had 32 disposals, 10 marks, nine hit outs and one goal. He played predominantly as a key forward, but gave Declan Keilty a chop-out in the ruck. It was a really solid game and he had some big numbers. His aerial part of his game was a highlight.

Tim Smith: He had 22 possessions, five marks and 11 tackles. It was a really strong response from Tim after he was left out of the AFL team. His ability to compete and put a lot of pressure around the ball was a real highlight.

Jack Trengove: Jack had 31 disposals, including 20 contested, plus five tackles and one goal. It was a strong performance from Jack – he was arguably our best player on the day. He had a team first attitude and was outstanding.

Mitch White: Mitch had 18 possessions, nine marks and six rebounds. It was his second week back after a pretty big layoff. He was increasing his game time, but a highlight for him was his intercept marking. We’re looking him to keep building over the next few weeks.

2017 AFL Victoria Development League
Easter Monday, April 17, 2pm, Burbank Oval
Casey Demons 12.10 (82) d Williamstown 10.11 (71)

Lochie Filipovic: He had 15 possessions, 37 hit outs and six marks. Lochie is a young, developing ruckman. He’s working hard at his craft and we were really pleased with his performance. Lochie’s going to take time, but he shows a lot of intensity. His second and third efforts have been real highlights.