Richmond’s VFL coach Tim Clarke provides an exclusive summary of the AFL-listed players who featured in last Saturday’s match against Werribee.
Nathan Gordon
21 disposals, five marks
Followed up his impressive form from the previous match with a solid, capable VFL performance. Had a bit more time through the midfield, which was good for him. Ended up having a few inside-50 entries and a couple of shots for goal. But still need him to show more in the critical contests and apply more defensive pressure, so he can push harder for senior selection.
Matt McDonough
21 disposals, 12 contested possessions, six clearances
Had a good return for an inside midfielder, as his statistics show – six clearances, five tackles and 12 contested possessions. Our midfield, however, was well beaten by their Werribee counterparts and, unfortunately, we never got going inside. He needs to play better in order to strengthen his claims for a return to the senior side.
Sam Lloyd
16 disposals, four marks, three goals
Was our best forward on the day, finishing with three goals. Continues to win one-on-one contests, but would like to see him applying a little bit more forward pressure, to be able to take that up to AFL level.
Chris Newman
16 disposals, five marks
Returned from several weeks on the sidelines with injury and played three quarters. Used the ball extremely well and helped set up our defenders. It was really good to have him playing at VFL level to show our younger players how thorough they need to be in their match-day preparation.
VFL Round 8: Newman highlights
Matt Arnot
14 disposals, four inside-50s, four tackles
Was fairly average on the day. Didn’t fire a shot inside, winning only one contested possession. He did lay four tackles, and put on some defensive pressure, but we expect better from him in the coming weeks.
Matt Thomas
14 disposals, six contested possessions, five tackles
Had a down day, finishing with quite low numbers for a midfielder. Was well beaten inside by the Werribee ‘mids’, but we expect him to bounce back strongly from that performance.
Todd Elton
13 disposals, seven contested possessions, seven marks
Had a big game of critical contests, with more than 20 of them. Competed well in the air, taking five contested marks, but also was beaten in a handful of contests, which resulted in opposition goals. Being a strong competitor, he’s bound to be fired up to play better footy after the bye.
Jayden Short
11 disposals, six contested possessions, three tackles
Was slightly down on previous weeks, but still had some good energy inside 50, although he didn’t have any shots for goal. Had a few tackles and applied some forward-half pressure. Overall, however, we expect more from him.
Ben Lennon
10 disposals, three marks
Was going okay in the first half until he hurt his calf. Hopefully, it’ll be right in the next couple of weeks, so he can continue his push for a return to senior ranks. Hit the scoreboard twice and took some good grabs in his time out there.
Reece McKenzie
Eight disposals, four marks
Struggled to get going in the first half, but he did take a couple of strong grabs, which showed what he’s capable of. Didn’t hit the scoreboard, though, in what was a pretty tough day for forwards. We expect improvement from him in the second half of the season.
Liam McBean
Eight disposals, nine hit-outs, one goal
Had a tough day. Was well beaten by his close-checking opponent, who didn’t give him much room to move. He did kick a nice goal, however, and won a couple of hit-outs when he went into the ruck, but we expect better from him after his return from senior football.
Ivan Soldo
Six disposals, three marks, four hit-outs
Really pleasing to see him playing his first game in the VFL. Took some good marks, used the ball well, and his ruckwork was good, too. He just needs to keep learning how to play the game. The second half of the season will provide an opportunity for him to receive some good game-day education.
