VFL and development coach Craig McRae provides a summary of how the Tigers’ players performed in last Sunday's Round 16 win over Box Hill.
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Patrick Naish
33 disposals, 18 handball receives, nine marks, one goal & four inside-50s
“Returned to really good form. Went back through the wing this round and was back to some of his best form in terms of possession gains, ball use, kicking goals and setting them up. His 33 disposals was a real feature.”
Derek Eggmolesse-Smith
26 disposals, nine marks, five tackles & 10 contested possessions
“A player off half-back that really sets the game up for us well. After playing two AFL games and coming back, he looked like an AFL player. It’s really pleasing to see those guys go up and then come back and play AFL footy at VFL level and he did that with 26 disposals and five tackles. I was really pleased with the contested possession part of his game.”
Connor Menadue
19 disposals, six marks, two goals & four inside-50s
“Played a bit of mid/forward, playing a different role than he has previously. When he drives his legs and gets into space, he can really set the game up for us. His 19 disposals and two goals was really important.”
Luke English
18 disposals, four clearances & four inside-50s
“Continues to develop himself as a midfield/on-baller who has the ability to run with an opponent. He continues to learn his craft, he had 18 disposals and had two shots on goal. He’s improving every week.”
Josh Caddy
18 disposals, six marks, two tackles & two clearances
“Played three quarters on a wing and a little bit of inside mid(field). He looked a class above at times, particularly with his ball use and hard contest. With 18 disposals in three quarters, he was one of our better players.”
Jacob Townsend
18 disposals, one goal, three tackles, six clearances & nine inside-50s
“Always tough, always hard to play on. Thirteen of his 18 disposals were contested and he kicked a nice goal. He had the most inside-50s for the team with nine, including seven clearances. Another solid performance from ‘Towner’.”
Ryan Garthwaite
16 disposals, six marks, nine spoils & five rebound-50s
“Hard to play on as always, with nine spoils, 16 disposals and five rebound-50s. He’s in good form, Ryan.”
Dan Butler
16 disposals, six tackles, two goals & five inside-50s
“Played mainly forward, kicked a couple of really classy goals and did a few tricky kicks off the ground. He had 16 disposals and two goals. He’s playing great footy, just waiting for (AFL) opportunity.”
Noah Balta
15 disposals, eight handball receives, six marks, four tackles & four rebound-50s
“Played back, learning to play the role that the team requires of him. He’s a work in progress but he’s got a lot of upside so we’ll continue to develop him and get him to be the best he can be.”
Callum Coleman-Jones
14 disposals, four marks, four tackles, 12 hit-outs, three clearances & one goal
“Played mainly forward early and looked really dangerous. When Toby (Nankervis) went off, he had to be the main guy up against two really experienced campaigners at this level, probably the best ruck duo in the competition, and he held his own. He kicked a really nice goal, he's in great form.”
Oleg Markov
14 disposals, four goals, four marks & two tackles
“Played as a forward for the third week in a row and kicked four goals, looking really dynamic and dangerous. He gets out the back and he can mark the ball and his pressure is also a feature. He’s someone that we’ve gained in the last three weeks playing a different role.”
Riley Collier-Dawkins
14 disposals, nine tackles, seven clearances, four marks & four inside-50s
“He was tough, with seven clearances, nine contested possessions of his 14 disposals. He was really strong at the ball, I’ve really liked his last few weeks. He’s developing and he’s going to be a nice player for us.”
Ben Miller
10 disposals, five marks & three rebound-50s
“Played back, he looks like he’s improving every week coming back from injury. He was forced to go forward late in the game and is becoming flexible in his role every week. We like his game.”
Toby Nankervis
Eight disposals, 13 hit-outs, one goal & three tackles
“Played the first half and had eight disposals, 13 hit-outs, three clearances and a goal. But it was his tackling that was a feature, particularly in the first quarter where he really set the scene for the team and kicked a goal on the siren, which we all loved to see.”
Blake Grewar
20 disposals, seven tackles, one goal & four inside-50s
“Played a little bit more through the midfield this week and it was really pleasing to see him get his hands on the ball with 20 disposals. It was probably the most he’s had for a number of weeks and he kicked a nice goal too in the last quarter which was critical. It was a really good performance from Blake.”
Steve Morris
17 disposals, four tackles & three inside-50s
“As always, hard to play on, his toughness to come forward and his pressure around the ball was a real feature.”
Lachlan Street
13 disposals, two marks & one inside-50
“Played a few different roles, played back and looks really at home at this level. He’s a good decision-maker and a hard contest player, with nine of his 13 disposals as contested. He’s a nice player, hopefully he can play with us for a number of years.”
Jake Aarts
12 disposals, three marks & two tackles
“A tough player again, had 12 disposals. He didn’t impact the scoreboard but his work-rate to win the ball back is a real feature for us. His stalking in his defence is something that we really value from him.”
Tom Silvestro
11 disposals, three marks, one goal & three tackles
“Tough as always on the wing and he kicked a nice goal. He’s a player that everyone loves playing with and today was no exception.”
Dan Coffield
Nine disposals, five marks & one tackle
“Always plays down back, always plays our system, comes forward to defend really well…a really important player for us.”
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Luke Nelson
Eight disposals, five handball receives & two tackles
“Came back into the team as a small forward and was dangerous. His ability to get to contests was a real growth for him in the role he played and the minutes he was on the ground.”
Lewis Diggins
Seven disposals, four handball receives & two spoils
“Our 23rd player, he’ll learn a lot and will grow from the game. We’ll keep supporting him, he’s a tough player and will get more opportunities to play like he did on Sunday.”
Billy Coates
Six disposals, two marks & two spoils
“Played as a second ruck/forward and we really value what he has. It wasn’t his best game for the year but he’s an important player for us.”
