IT WAS A CLASH of just 13 players at Punt Road Oval on Sunday morning, but that gave some familiar faces the chance to put their hand up for selection.
In a practice match for those not selected in the senior side, Melbourne ran out 25-point winners over the Tigers.
“It was a pretty open game,” coach Matt Egan told Melbourne Media.
“We had four on four at each end and just one lot of wingers.
“So there was a lot of space for both teams to work in.
“Richmond kicked the first two or three goals really quickly … but apart from that, for the rest of the game we were pretty much all over them.”
Nathan Jones missed the clash due to general soreness, but there were some other senior names who impressed the coach.
“We had some experienced defenders like Neville [Jetta] and Josh Wagner who did a super job,” Egan said.
“Neville was outstanding down back – he was one of the best just with his leadership.
“He was in the right position all game, but he also joined in on offence and finished with 21 possessions.
“Oscar McDonald came on in the second half and was really solid, but we managed him, as he was an emergency for the AFL team.”
Of course, most Demons supporters want to hear how Harley Bennell is tracking, and Egan said he was impressed with the 27-year-old’s outing.
“He had really good balance in his game – offence and defence,” he said.
“He used the ball really well which he always does, and I think he finished with close to 35 possessions, so he was obviously around the ball a lot.
“He’s really calm and composed, and always makes the right choice. It was a really classy performance from him.”
If the Dees are looking to add a key forward to the mix this weekend, Sam Weideman would have to be considered.
“Weids was really, really good,” Egan said.
“His aerial stuff was quite dominant – he looked really strong in his contested marking and he finished with three goals, but gave a few off as well.
“And Browny (Mitch Brown) played the first half down back just because we needed him for a back rotation.
“He’s very natural down back, he gets good body on his man and also joins in on offence.
“Then he moved up forward and kicked a couple of goals, so he’s always reliable, Browny.”
In the middle, the Demons saw Braydon Preuss return from injury, while carry-over emergency Luke Jackson performed well before resting in the goal square after half-time.
“We had Preussy, Bradtke and Jacko all get some time in the ruck,” Egan said.
“It was Preussy’s first game back in a long time, so it was good to see him back out there and he’ll be better for the run.
“Alex Neal-Bullen was the other one I thought was outstanding.
“He finished with 27 touches playing as a high half-forward and an inside mid.”
With 33 players now in the Manly hub, it is unclear at this stage how the practice matches will look in the future.
