Richmond’s VFL coach Tim Clarke continues his special off-season look at the young Tigers who played under him at Coburg this year.  Today, he assesses the 2013 form and future prospects of defender Matt Dea.
 

Matt Dea profile

Born:  13/10/91

Height:  186cm

Weight:  87kg

Recruited from:  North Ballarat Rebels TAC Cup team

Draft history:  Selected by Richmond at pick 44 overall in the 2009 National Draft

AFL debut:  Round 4, 2010 v Melbourne, MCG

AFL games:  24

Goals:  0

Tim Clarke says:  “Matty’s a star.

He got told before the season that we wanted his main focus to be improving his offensive game, and he went on to average 24-25 touches per game this year off half-back.

He consistently beat his opponent, he did everything he had to do, he just couldn’t get into the back six in our Richmond side.

When he did, he played a good game against West Coast over there (in WA), but he got injured and then missed two or three weeks.

So, he struggled with continuity at senior (AFL) level this year, but the improvement he showed with his football was terrific.

I can really see Matty playing a lot of senior footy in the next couple of years.”