Development coach Greg Mellor provides his exclusive summary of how the Richmond-listed players performed at VFL level with Coburg in last Sunday’s loss against Werribee.

Ben Darrou
A very strong defensive game from Ben.  He shut down his opponent, through strong physical one-on-one accountability, which is something Ben has been working on over the past few weeks.  His ability to stay in the game for greater periods of time is also improving, and reflective of his maturing concentration.

Dave Astbury
Dave’s best game on return from injury.  His physical pressure and ability to stay in the contest has continued to improve.  His leadership and direction is invaluable for the young players in the side, and this was also a feature of his game.  He is using the ball quite well and his defensive starting points are getting better each week.

Gibson Turner
This was Gibson’s first game in the VFL seniors since the beginning of the year, and he started very well, kicking two great goals in the first quarter.  Unfortunately he suffered a compound fracture to his finger early in the second quarter and was taken to hospital.  He has since had surgery and will hopefully be back playing in three or four weeks.

Piva Wright
A quiet game from Piva on the weekend.  His game time was down on recent weeks, and as a result he wasn’t able to impact as much as he would have liked.  He showed glimpses of his run and carry, and his ball use was good.  Piva spent most of the last quarter in attack, unfortunately kicking two points, but showed he could be an option up forward when required.

Todd Elton
Todd really jumped hard at the footy and took five marks, but probably had his hands on another five or six which he could’ve taken.  He kicked two goals in the second quarter, and showed he is going to be a dangerous player in the future when he becomes more consistent.

Steve Verrier
Another solid game from Steve.  He played in a variety of positions, including forward, wing and half back, and showed his was able to adapt to all.  His work rate and ability to get to contest were excellent, but he tended to rush some of his possessions and this hindered his execution.

Andrew Browne
Playing the lone ruck role due to Angus Graham’s promotion to the Richmond side, Andrew excelled.  His work rate was terrific and his ruck work allowed the midfielders to get first hands on the ball.  Great chases and strong tackles complimented Andrew’s strong all-round game.

Jayden Post
A solid game from Jayden.  He looked like our most dangerous forward, though he always seemed to be jumping against a pack as we struggled to get him one-out. He helped Andrew Browne in the ruck and did very well, picking up 18 hitouts.


Match details (VFL seniors)

Werribee Tigers   2.6  6.11  10.14  16.19 (115)
Coburg Tigers   3.0  7.3  12.4  14.7 (91)

GOALS:
Werribee Tigers: McKinley 5, Warren 4, Castello 2, Speight, Lynch, Bolton, Sherlock, Daw
Coburg Tigers: Cartelli 3, Elton 2, Carnell 2, Turner 2, Robertella, Post, Thomas, Wheeler, Maric

BEST:
Werribee Tigers: Lynch, McKinley, Pedersen, Warren, Moloney, Bolton
Coburg Tigers: Wheeler, Cartelli, Browne, Carnell, Masters, Fahey