Richmond VFL coach Steve Morris provides a summary of how the Tigers’ players performed in last Wednesday’s Round 5 win over Casey at the Swinburne Centre. 

Tyler Sonsie (32 disposals, 19 contested possessions, 10 clearances, seven inside-50s, five marks, one goal)

“An outstanding game from Tyler. I was particularly pleased with his attitude and the damage that he had from his possessions. He had a huge impact on the game with 19 contested possessions, and I thought that he got the ball in dangerous spaces consistently throughout the game.”

Chad Harris (26 disposals, 12 marks, five rebound-50s, three inside-50s)

“Chad’s been a huge inclusion for us since rejoining the Tigers. His leadership down back is really showing, and he is part of an extremely strong back six.”

Lachlan Street (26 disposals, 77% disposal efficiency, eight marks, seven rebound-50s)

“He’s had a really good start to the season in the midfield, but went down back and put in one of the better performances I've seen in his career. He won the ball back for us 10 times which is a very high number, and he played his best footy when the game was on the line in the last quarter.”

Joel Garner (22 disposals, 77% disposal efficiency, six marks, four inside-50s, three clearances)

“After a match off due to concussion protocols, Joel was a standout in our midfield. He worked tirelessly and his pressure and physicality around the footy was very noticeable.”

Lachlan Wilson (22 disposals, 12 contested possessions, four tackles, three clearances)

“He’s made a fantastic start to his time at Tigerland. He is in-and-around the footy, putting pressure on and winning the ball at will for us around the ground. His work-rate is something that really stands out.”

Austin Johnson (21 disposals, 76% disposal efficiency, four marks, five rebound-50s, one goal)

“He's in super form at the moment, he’s such a reliable player for our team. He knows exactly the way we want to play football and he runs great patterns as a result of this. He’s strong in the contest and continues to be a big reason as to why we've started the season in good form.”

Kaleb Smith (21 disposals, 76% disposal efficiency, three marks, six rebound-50s, six inside-50s)

“Really proud of Kaleb. He has put a power of work into growing his game over the past 12 months and is certainly reaping the rewards of that hard work. His cleanliness and ball use by foot has really stood out and he is stringing together a great month of football.”

Steely Green (17 disposals, 10 contested possessions, 76% disposal efficiency, five marks, four inside-50s, three clearances, one goal)

“Steely has been working towards a breakout game like this. His work rate and team-first mentality were on show right throughout the day, and it’s great to see him have a big impact on the game.”

Cam Olden (17 disposals, 82% disposal efficiency, four marks, three inside-50s, three tackles)

“Cam played mainly up forward but also through the midfield and had an influence wherever we put him. I still feel as though he is scratching the surface this season, and I’m looking forward to him growing his game further in 2024.”

Mutaz El Nour (14 disposals, 100% disposal efficiency, eight marks, three rebound-50s, one goal)

“For the second week in a row, Mutaz went at 100% disposal efficiency and kicked a fantastic goal that was created on the back of his great defence. Really pleased with the way he is progressing as a footballer and a leader.”

Liam George (14 disposals, 71% disposal efficiency)

“Liam played primarily on a wing, and once again, had a good influence on the match. He is a young kid with incredible enthusiasm for his footy and has a great team-first mentality. He is having a big impact as a very young player.”

Jacob Koschitzke (14 disposals, 71% disposal efficiency, six marks, nine hit-outs, four goals)

“It was really pleasing to see him come back to VFL-level and dominate, getting some reward for the hard work that he’s been putting in both up forward and in the ruck.” 

Matthew Coulthard (13 disposals, three marks, three goals)

“It’s quite extraordinary to see the work rate and the numbers that he’s putting up from a GPS point of view each and every week. We really benefitted from his run up and down the wings at different stages. He played team-first footy, but also hit the scoreboard heavily with three goals.”

Thomas Brindley (11 disposals, 82% disposal efficiency, four marks, three tackles)

“’Brindles’ did a fantastic job down back keeping Casey's Ben Brown very quiet. He’s a player that we know we can put anywhere on the ground and he’s going to have an impact.”

Noah Cumberland (11 disposals, eight contested possessions, three inside-50s, six tackles, one goal)

“Felt I was a tad disappointed with his first half, but we gave Noah a job of taking Casey's Marty Hore out of the game in the second half, and he could not have done that to any better effect. He reduced Hore’s impact on the game, but also hit the scoreboard and brought his defensive side to his game. It was a really mature performance from Noah.”

Samson Ryan (11 disposals, nine contested possessions, 82% disposal efficiency, seven marks, 5 contested marks, 39 hit-outs, one goal)

“Samson’s in really good form. He played a lot of ruck time against Casey and took five contested marks and a few really important ones at that. Samson’s progressing really nicely.”

Nick Guiney (nine disposals, 89% disposal efficiency, two marks) 

“He is an extremely reliable defender who is a key component of a back-six that’s in ripping form at the moment. Whilst his numbers may not set the stats sheet alight, he is a very valuable member of our team, and I’m really proud of the way he’s bounced back from a very significant injury this year.” 

Archie May (nine disposals, eight marks, three inside-50s, one goal)

“He’s put together two really impressive performances, Archie. He continuously competed against two and three players in the air and took two really impressive contested marks. He probably should’ve ended up with three or four goals, but he’s a beautiful kick of the footy, so I’ve got no doubt that will come.”

Sam Davidson (eight disposals, four contested possessions, four marks, one goal)

“Anyone that watched the game would have seen Sam’s work rate. He is a really tricky matchup because he’s got the height and marking ability, but he covers the ground better than anyone else on the field. Great to see some real growth in his game playing in our system in only his second game.”

Jed Feneley (eight disposals, 75% disposal efficiency, three marks, three tackles)

“Defensively, Jed has been outstanding all year, it’s really pleasing to see him grow his game offensively. Although, I still feel as if there’s a lot to come in that space for Jed, and he’s progressing really nicely.” 

Will Bravo (five disposals, three contested possessions, two clearances)

“Absolutely shattered to see Will go down with a season-ending knee injury. It was a freak accident that unfortunately puts his year to a halt. He is an extremely professional kid who will get to work and come back bigger and stronger in 2025.”

Harrison White (five disposals, 80% disposal efficiency, two inside-50s)

“Harry, by his own admission, didn’t have his greatest day. But what is really important is that when the game was on the line he had a couple of really crucial, moments for us and helped us get over the line in the last quarter.”

Liam Thomas (three disposals, 100% disposal efficiency)

“Played his first game in Richmond colours. He is a really raw, exciting tall prospect who we feel has a real future. It was a great learning curve for him playing on some of Casey’s better defensive players.”