Richmond VFL coach Steve Morris provides a summary of how the Tigers’ players performed in last Sunday's Round 7 loss against Footscray at the Swinburne Centre. 

Kane McAuliffe (25 disposals, 15 contested possessions, four rebound-50s, four inside-50s, 10 tackles, seven clearances, two goals)

“Kane had a big impact on the game offensively and he also had a game-high 10 tackles. He still has a few things standing out in his game that he needs to work on, but he's a really professional kid who's made a great start to life at Tigerland and will certainly get to work at doing so.”

Kamdyn McIntosh (21 disposals, 13 contested possessions, three marks, four inside-50s, four tackles, eight clearances)

“Kamdyn started on a wing and had a huge influence on the match. He stepped into the midfield in the second half and was outstanding. He had a game-high eight clearances and his physicality really stood out.”

Tom McCarthy (20 disposals, three inside-50s, five tackles, four clearances)

“In just his second game at the footy club, Tom is already having a really big impact around the footy. He probably wasn't as clean as he was the week before, but he's looking more and more comfortable at VFL level.”

James Trezise (16 disposals, 75% disposal efficiency, four marks, five rebound-50s, three inside-50s, three tackles)

“It’s been great to see James back over the last couple of weeks. He got himself into fantastic positions on the weekend and was solid in defence. He was a little bit rusty with his hands at ground level which is a real strength of his, but I'm looking forward to him getting better and better each week in the coming month.”

Austin Johnson (16 disposals, seven contested possessions, four rebound-50s)

“I thought Austin was again outstanding. He had a few efforts that really typified what we want to achieve and typified our DNA. He knows our system back-to-front and is in really good form.”

Lachlan Wilson (16 disposals, 12 contested possessions, three inside-50s, six tackles, four clearances)

“Whilst he didn't have huge numbers on the weekend, Lachlan’s impact on the game was substantial. His ability to go from offence to defence quicker than anyone else on the field is a real highlight and he's just hungry to learn at every opportunity.”

Thomas Brindley (15 disposals, 93% disposal efficiency, six marks, three rebound-50s)

“Thomas has had a couple of huge tasks over the last couple of weeks and is in really good form. He impacted in the air and it's great to see him helping our offense with his ability to cover the ground as well.”

Sam Davidson (14 disposals, 86% disposal efficiency, five marks, three inside-50s, two goals)

“Sam hit the scoreboard with two goals, and I thought his influence on the match was profound. His running ability for his size is unmatched, and he could have easily had an even bigger impact on the scoreboard. He's developing really nicely.”

Kaleb Smith (13 disposals, four marks, seven rebound-50s)

“Kaleb had a solid game again on the weekend and he continues to get better. This is a player that is really only in his first season of footy, and he's showing some fantastic signs.”

Chad Harris (12 disposals, 83% disposal efficiency, four marks, five tackles)

“I felt as though Chad struggled to get into the game on the weekend. We played him a little bit on the wing, and at half-back, but we know that he is capable of tearing games apart, and hopefully, that's just around the corner after recovering from some back issues that have been causing him problems.”

Cam Olden (12 disposals, eight contested possessions, 75% disposal efficiency, seven tackles, three clearances)

“Cam played mostly forward, and a little bit of midfield. His endeavour was certainly there with seven tackles and probably could have had a bigger impact on the game than he did. With Lachlan Street out now, he's going to have to really step up, and I'm confident he will do so.”

Jacob Bauer (11 disposals, 82% disposal efficiency, three marks, eight rebound-50s)

“It was fantastic to see Jacob back out on the field. Offensively, I thought he was a standout. He looked strong in the air and I think with a little bit of continuity, he'll start to make more consistent decisions that are going to help him in the contest. It's an exciting time for him as he's just scratching the surface of his potential.”

Matthew Coulthard (10 disposals, three marks, four tackles, one goal)

“I think Matthew's progressing really nicely. His run and ability to use the football is really strong, and he consistently helps us out on defence but then can help equalize forward of the footy on offence. He's in some good form at the moment.”

Jacob Koschitzke (nine disposals, six contested possessions, four marks, four hit-outs, two goals)

“Jacob had four or five shots on goal on the day and he did a great job to stay out on the field as he was pretty sore. He wanted to put the team first which is a real credit to him. I don't think the ankle injury is very serious at all, and he's confident he'll be right to play this week.”

Jed Feneley (eight disposals, three rebound-50s)

“I think it was a really good learning lesson for Jed on the weekend. He came up against some seriously good opposition and was outsized, but these are the sorts of opportunities that can really help young players like him grow. He's a player with immense talent that can learn from this experience against a really good Footscray side.”

Lachlan Street (seven disposals, 86% disposal efficiency)

“Just absolutely shattering news to hear about Lachlan’s ACL. He was having an outstanding season for us and was playing some of the best footy of his career down back, so we're going to have to find a different way and lean on some other players for the leadership. But I know there are a few of the others that are up for that challenge. We wish our skipper all the best in his recovery. We love you mate.”

Joel Garner (seven disposals, three inside-50s, five tackles)

“Joel by his own admission didn't have his best day at the office. What I can say is he is bringing others along in their development journey in a wonderful way, and I'm really proud of the way he's approaching his footy at the moment. He's a super player and his on-field performance will come if he keeps leading into the growth of others as well.”

Steely Green (seven disposals, six contested possessions, three inside-50s, 10 tackles, three clearances)

“Steely tried his absolute backside off. Whilst he didn't get used offensively as often as we would have liked, I thought he still had a very big impact on the game. He led the team, with an equal game-high 10 tackles, and when we did use him, I thought he was really effective for us. Hopefully, he gets used more often in his role, and hopefully, he's not too far off an AFL debut.”

Liam George (seven disposals, five contested possessions, 86% disposal efficiency, three goals)

“Liam was a late in with the withdrawal of Archie May, and I thought he was fantastic. To see Liam's growth in his understanding of our game plan and structures over the last couple of weeks has been really pleasing. He's a lovable kid that we are so lucky to have a part of our program. He showed his immense talent in front of goals on the weekend, and I think he's only going to get better.”

Nick Collier (six disposals, three tackles, one goal)

“Nick didn't have a huge amount of the footy on the stat sheet, but I'm loving what he's bringing to our program at the moment. He's a great runner who is hell-bent on running the patterns that are going to help the team, and I think he's gaining a better understanding of what's required of him each and every week. He's another young kid that will never shirk a contest and is very team orientated.”

Nick Guiney (six disposals, three rebound-50s, three tackles)

“Nick was ever reliable behind the footy, but I feel as though we can probably utilize his offensive power more than we are at the moment. It's probably upon us as coaches to ensure that we get him involved to the level that we know he can because he is a very good player and we want him up and firing on offence as well as doing a fantastic job on defence.”

Samson Ryan (five disposals, three contested possessions, five tackles, 43 hit-outs, one goal)

“I thought Samson was huge in the ruck. It was a great opportunity for him to battle up against a couple of very good ruck opponents. I think he can have a bigger influence on the game away from the ruck work around the ground, and he probably didn't have that influence on the weekend, but he's in good form at the moment.”

Sam Naismith (four disposals, four contested possessions, 20 hit-outs)

“I thought Sam was huge in the first half for us in halving contests where he was one against two and one against three. His game was a lot better than the stat sheet suggests, and I really appreciate the fact that he had to work through some adversity with his body on the day. He's always keen to put the team first, and his leadership is really important for our young group. We're lucky to have Sam out there modelling the behaviours and values that we want to see in our young team.”