Richmond VFL coach Steve Morris provides a summary of how the Tigers’ players performed in last Sunday’s loss to Sandringham at the Swinburne Centre.

Jacob Blight (32 disposals, 16 intercept possessions, 75% disposal efficiency, 13 marks, 11 intercept marks, 13 rebound-50s)

“Jacob Blight was outstanding on the day with 16 intercept possessions. When he was in contest, he absolutely dominated the game. A couple of things that we are working on include trying to fast-track his understanding of our game plan, but really pleased with the progress he's making.”

Tyler Sonsie (27 disposals, six rebound-50s, four inside-50s, three tackles, six clearances)

“Tyler found the ball regularly throughout the day with 27 disposals and six clearances, however, I would love to see him be a little more damaging with ball in hand moving forward.”

Jack Ross (27 disposals, four marks, six inside-50s, three tackles, three clearances)

“Jack Ross had an enormous impact on the game after coming on at quarter time. He's missed a lot of footy this season. It's great to see Jack back out on the field and having a huge impact. The only knock on his game was not making the most of a couple of opportunities in front of goal, but an outstanding return from a player who led really well on the day.” 

Jagga Smith (24 disposals, 17 contested possessions, three rebound-50s, seven clearances)

“It was great to have young Jagga Smith in Richmond colours over the past few weeks. It was the first time we got to see him in great conditions, and I thought he led the way around the contest with 17 contested possessions and seven clearances. He's got a bright future ahead of him.”

Austin Johnson (18 disposals, eight marks, three rebound-50s, one goal)

“I thought Aussie played his role really well on the day. I probably would have liked him to use the ball a little bit better on the day as that's usually a standout in his game, but he's continued on his good form.”

Joel Garner (17 disposals, 88% disposal efficiency, four inside-50s, eight tackles, five clearances, three hit-outs)

“Very disappointed to see that Joel will miss this coming game with suspension. Having said that, he's been a huge part of the reason we find ourselves in a position to fight for finals this year, and once again on the weekend, he was a dependable player for us.”

Thomas Brindley (16 disposals, 75% disposal efficiency, four marks, six tackles, six hit-outs)

“Bit of a tale of two halves for Tom. I thought he really did help us with our offensive ball movement, and he definitely added something around the footy in the last quarter, but I was a little bit disappointed with his defensive efforts on the day. It's something that's been a real standout in his game throughout the year, and I'm looking forward to him bouncing back and showing why he's been one of the best defensive players in the competition this week.”

Liam George (16 disposals, 81% disposal efficiency, five marks, three inside-50s, three tackles)

“Liam played his role well on the weekend out on the wing. He is a player that's continued to grow as the season's gone on, and he always looks as though he's got more time than he has. Looking forward to seeing him stand up when the going gets tough over the next couple of weeks.”

Sam Davidson (16 disposals, 88% disposal efficiency, three marks, three inside-50s, four tackles)

“Whilst he didn't hit the scoreboard on the weekend, I thought he looked extremely dangerous forward of the footy. He's got a huge tank, and his work rate was on show. We just probably didn't utilise him as often as we would have liked on the weekend, and that hurt our ability to score in front of goals.”

Noah Cumberland (16 disposals, eight contested possessions, three marks, three inside-50s)

“Noah found the ball fairly regularly on the day but just was unable to make the most of his opportunities. He has the ability to create for his teammates, and it was just the finishing touch that was missing on the weekend. We know that we need a fit and firing ‘Cumbo’ that's full of confidence. I’m looking forward to seeing that version of him this week.”

Matthew Coulthard (14 disposals, 79% disposal efficiency, six marks, three inside-50s)

“I thought he had another really good game. He is a player that we know will continue to run the patterns that are asked of him and do what's asked of him in our structure, and he understands our game plan like the back of his hand. I think we're still looking for him to have a greater impact on the game, as we know he's got the ability to do so. But the wide-open spaces of IKON should suit him, should he not be required at AFL level.”

Chad Harris (14 disposals, 79% disposal efficiency, three rebound-50s, six tackles)

“It was nice to see Chad back out on the ground after a month off. He was really strong in the contest and stood up down back with six tackles and used the ball well on the day. I'm looking forward to seeing him build on that performance this weekend.”

Archie May (13 disposals, 85% disposal efficiency, six marks, four inside-50s, three goals)

“He's missed nine weeks of footy, and it certainly didn't look like that was the case. I thought he looked really dangerous up forward. He is a young developing tall that we have a lot of time for and think that there are big things in order for him in the future. It was great to see him take another step forward in his development as a player.”

Tom McCarthy (12 disposals, 83% disposal efficiency, five marks, three rebound-50s)

“I think he really adds something to us down back with his speed. We probably didn't see quite enough of his run and daring dash from behind the footy, but we'll certainly be encouraging that of him over the coming weeks as he can help with our rebound out of our defence greatly.”

Finn O’Sullivan (12 disposals, 83% disposal efficiency, two goals)

“I was really excited by Finn's game. He looked a class above the level. The really impressive thing from Finn was the fact that he probably could have thrown the towel in after a really heavy knock in the first quarter that reduced his time up the ground and around the footy, but he put his hand up to stay out on the field for the team and just looked really classy with ball in hand, made some really good decisions, and showed his lateral movement and strength in contest. Really exciting to see him step up and match it with senior players at VFL level.”

Mutaz El Nour (11 disposals, 91% disposal efficiency, three marks, three rebound-50s)

“Mutaz is a player that we absolutely love having in our team, and he's had a couple of weeks back now after injury. I'm really looking forward to seeing Mutaz take that next step forward. We know that he can be a dominant player at this level, and we're probably yet to see it since his return from injury. But now's the time for him to show his leadership.”

Maurice Rioli Jr. (11 disposals, 82% disposal efficiency, three marks, five tackles)

“Another step forward in Maurice’s return back to AFL level. I think he looks really dangerous, and I love what he does playing his role for the team. He's got to continue to lean into this, and I'm sure that AFL footy is not too far away for ‘MJ’.”

Nick Guiney (10 disposals, 80% disposal efficiency, three marks, three inside-50s, three tackles)

“Thought Nick was really solid in defence but still didn't have the impact that I'd like him to have offensively. We know that his best at this level is outstanding and can really help us become a better team, so just looking for a little bit more offensive input from him in the coming weeks.”

Mohammad Yassine (eight disposals, 75% disposal efficiency, two goals)

“Mohammed Yassine looked extremely lively ahead of the footy, and I think he can bring his teammates into the game a little bit more using that first option. But whenever he is around the footy, it looks as though something's going to happen.”

Ry Cantwell (seven disposals, 86% disposal efficiency, one goal)

“Defensively, Ry is really solid, and he's got some serious offensive weapons. We're just not seeing them often enough at the moment. He is a really exciting player for the future, and we saw a beautiful finish from him from outside-50 to kick his first goal in the Yellow and Black.”

Liam Fawcett (five disposals, 80% disposal efficiency, two marks, one goal)

“This kid really excites me. He's got a huge tank and has developed a frame this year that he wouldn't have been able to develop had he not been out injured. He looks like a big key forward who will succeed at AFL level in time, and he's just a great kid. It’s really exciting for Tigers fans to see him back out on the field and eager to witness the next steps in his development.”

Oliver Hayes-Brown (four disposals, 75% disposal efficiency, three clearances, 14 hit-outs)

“A really tough matchup for Ollie on the weekend coming up against a really seasoned AFL ruckman in Tom Campbell. Unfortunately, Tom got the better of Ollie, but there were many lessons to be learnt from Sunday's game. I'm sure that Ollie, as he has done all year, will continue to work at his craft with Ivan Maric and develop and grow his game.”

Cam Olden (two disposals, one inside-50)

“Unfortunately, Cam went down with a hamstring injury early in the first quarter and was unable to play any further part. We wish Cam a speedy recovery and hope to have him back available for finals footy in September.”