Development and VFL midfield coach, Xavier Clarke provides an exclusive summary of the AFL and VFL-listed players from Saturday’s Round 16 VFL match against Essendon.
AFL LISTED PLAYERS
Anthony Miles
35 disposals, seven marks, seven clearances, six tackles, one goal.
A dominant performance with great numbers in disposals, clearances, tackles, and a nice goal to finish off the game.
Oleg Markov
24 disposals, six marks, two tackles, one clearance.
Probably his best game at VFL level. Looked really strong after bouncing back from a knee complaint throughout the week. Looked very dangerous rebounding off the half back line.
Jake Batchelor
23 disposals, six marks, one tackle.
Awarded best on ground for the match. He was fantastic with his intercept marks, leadership down back, and his direction of the troops down there. Really set the game up for us across the half back line.
Ryan Garthwaite
21 disposals, six marks, five tackles.
Had a pretty solid game. Did win a lot of the footy in the end, and is continuing to work on his bodywork with Ryan Ferguson (VFL Development and Backline Coach). He’s still learning his craft as a defender, and is looking like a very strong player at the moment. Also had one of his best tackle counts for the season which was pleasing to see.
Steven Morris
20 disposals, five tackles, three clearances, two marks.
Had a real physical impact on the game, winning the contest and getting the ball going our way. He’s a great leader and example on the field for our developing players.
Taylor Hunt
19 disposals, four tackles, one mark, one clearance.
Had a tagging role on Essendon’s Craig Bird, and had a very solid, consistent four quarter effort. Kept Bird to 14 touches and two clearances, while still having a good game himself. Played a very selfless role for the side which went a long way in us winning.
Corey Ellis
18 disposals, five tackles, four marks, one goal.
Was quiet in the first half, didn’t have quite as much dominance as we would have liked. His third quarter definitely stood out, and was rewarded with a goal in the final quarter.
Ben Lennon
18 disposals, seven marks, two tackles, three goals.
Was good again for the four quarter. Worked well with the other forwards and got a couple of goals over the back, which he worked very hard for.
Tyson Stengle
11 disposals, two marks, two tackles, one goal.
Probably a little bit quieter than the past few weeks. Fumbled a little bit early in the game, but finished strongly and was rewarded with a goal.
Mabior Chol
10 disposals, five marks, two tackles, two goals.
A lot better this week. Looked very lively, took some fantastic marks in our forward fifty, backed himself in and was rewarded with a couple of goals. Kicked a great goal on the run and celebrated with the fans, which was a highlight for the game.
Jacob Townsend
Nine disposals, five tackles, three marks, two goals.
Jacob’s first half was terrific, he looked lively and light on his feet. He was taken off at half-time to be the carry-over for the seniors, but he was very dominant in that first half.
Ivan Soldo
Eight disposals, 17 hitouts, three tackles, two marks.
Spent more time forward as he continues to learn his craft as a tall forward. Still had good hitout numbers when he went into the ruck and also tackled well.
Ivan Maric
Seven disposals, 30 hitouts, two marks, two tackles.
Didn’t have a lot of the footy, but set us up well around the stoppages. Put on a bit of a masterclass with Anthony Miles and our other midfielders providing clean clearance work.
VFL LISTED PLAYERS
Jacob Ballard
21 disposals, six clearances, four marks, four tackles.
Captained us for the day in the absence of Sam Darley. He relished the opportunity and took the game on, finishing with great numbers in disposals, clearances and tackles. He’s a great player for the footy club and continues to lead from the front.
Brandon Wood
19 disposals, five marks, four clearances, two goals.
Didn’t have as much of the footy as he probably would have liked, but did finish the game with a couple of goals, which was pleasing to see.
Ryan Bathie
18 disposals, four marks, one goal.
Gives us a good option up forward. Finished with a single goal but also took away another tall defender and was strong in the air.
Hugh Beasley
16 disposals, two marks, once clearance, one tackle.
Hugh complements our backline well. He has great leadership, excellent bodywork, and our backline of himself, Garthwaite, Batchelor and Coffield are starting to be very dominant for us, which is pleasing to see.
Daniel Coffield
16 disposals, four marks, three tackles, one clearance.
Having an excellent year so far. He continues to press each game and grow as a player, he backs himself in aerial contests and one-on-ones, and provides great rebound from defence.
James Fletcher
15 disposals, three clearances, two marks, one tackle.
Was good on the wing and spent some time in the midfield. Probably wanted the footy in his hands a bit more but he always gives us a great effort every game, and is proving to be very reliable.
Derek Smith
13 disposals, three marks, one tackle.
Played his first game for the footy club and looked very lively. Defended really well, and looks like he’ll be a good player in the future if he continues to play the way he did.
Thomas Silvestro
12 disposals, three marks, three tackles, one clearance.
A little bit quieter than usual in disposals, but his tackling running effort, and the way he covers the ground sets us up really well defensively. He covers a lot of players with his work rate, and they’re thankful for that.
Jake Aarts
10 disposals, three marks, three tackles, one goal.
Looked dangerous up forward, and has a crack every time he plays.
Jayden Cass
Five disposals, one mark, one tackle, one inside-50.
Played his first game for the footy club. Probably didn’t have as big an impact as he would have liked, but certainly looked lively up forward when he had the opportunity.
