Richmond’s VFL coach Tim Clarke provides an exclusive summary of the AFL-listed players who featured in last Saturday’s 24-point victory over the Northern Blues.
Matt Thomas
27 disposals, 11 tackles, nine clearances
Continues his rich vein of form. He continues to lead from the front. His decision making has been terrific. He’s really pushing hard for senior selection.
Ben Lennon
25 disposals, nine marks
Continues to play his role through the midfield. He’s really starting to get hold of the wing position, and is starting to play good, AFL standard football. He’s pushing hard for senior selection this week.
Matt McDonough
23 disposals, 11 tackles, one goal
Played a good mix of midfield and forward. Impacted the game in both positions. We were really impressed with his intensity around the contest, and the tackle pressure he put on. He’s playing some good footy, and is pushing hard for senior selection.
WATCH: the best VFL highlights from Round 13
Chris Knights
17 disposals, four tackles, one goal
Really good involvement for three quarters. He’s a smart player as a half forward. He gets involved, and had three shots at goal. We expect him to continue his form over the next two or three weeks.
David Astbury
14 disposals, two goals
Was very good in the contest, and is playing really good, AFL standard footy. Whether he’s playing forward or back, he’s impacting the game well. He did a really good job on Liam Jones, then moved forward and kicked two critical goals late in the game.
Matt Arnot
11 disposals, four tackles
Is developing as a small back at the moment. Continues to get the job done defensively. We’re still looking at getting him more involved offensively, and that’s his challenge over the next few weeks.
Liam McBean
Two goals, eight disposals
Struggled early in the game to get split on his opposition players. Didn’t really impact as a key forward. He gave us some assistance in the ruck, then played deep forward. In the last quarter he started to impact, kicking two critical goals late.
WATCH: highlights of Matt Thomas' performance against the Northern Blues
Reece McKenzie
One goal, eight disposals, 15 hitouts
Continues to impact well in the critical contests. He wants to kick more goals, but his focus has been on providing us with a good target up the ground. He continues to do that. We’re really happy with his development.
Connor Menadue
Seven disposals, three tackles
Continues to play down back, and is still learning the role. We expect him to get more offensive involvement, and that’s the challenge for him. Defensively he’s been really good, and he’s playing his role well for the side.
Ivan Soldo
Six disposals, 10 hitouts
Played his second game of VFL footy. He rucked most of the second half, and showed he’s going to be a solid ruckman for us in the future. He’s still developing, and we’re really excited to see him play another game for us this weekend.
Richmond's VFL team takes on Port Melbourne in Round 14, this Sunday at 1pm at the ME Centre, before the AFL match between the Tigers and Saints, which kicks off at 4.40pm at Etihad Stadium.
