Richmond VFL and development coach, Craig McRae, provides an exclusive summary of the AFL and VFL-listed players from Saturday’s Round 7 VFL match against Werribee.
AFL LISTED PLAYERS
Anthony Miles
34 disposals, 10 marks, seven tackles, four clearances
Continues his great form at VFL level. Ended up with great numbers in disposals and tackles, and added more uncontested possessions to his game, which shows he’s getting great spread in his game.
Corey Ellis
30 disposals, 12 marks, five tackles, one goal
Probably his best game for the football club, maybe even at both levels. He certainly looked above the level for major parts of the game, and his ball use was a real feature.
Oleg Markov
26 disposals, six marks, two clearances, two tackles
Two games in a row where he’s proven to be above the level. Played off half-back and looked like an AFL player. A pleasing return to form for him.
Jacob Townsend
25 disposals, seven marks, seven clearances, five tackles
Was tough on the inside and very competitive. He had a great percentage of his disposals going inside-50, and is another one playing above the level.
Nathan Broad
21 disposals, six marks, six tackles, one clearance
It was good to see Nathan return from injury after he missed eight weeks through a shoulder injury. Looked like he hadn’t missed a beat with his performance off half-back, providing plenty of run up the ground and making good decisions with ball in hand.
Jake Batchelor
16 disposals, four marks, three tackles, one clearance
Played at half-back, but we shifted him forward after a few injuries to our keys. Tried to get something going in our forward line, but unfortunately didn’t make an impact in that part of the game. Still looks above the level, particularly when he’s a defender.
Ben Lennon
16 disposals, eight marks, four tackles, four goals
Our most effective forward, and was the only one who looked really dangerous in the air. Took some good marks on the day, tackled well, and provided a solid performance. Looks above the level at the moment.
Tyson Stengle
16 disposals, three marks, three tackles
Competed okay, had moments of quality football and then had some quiet patches. He’s playing at the level at the moment, and not far off a breakout game for us. I think he goes into the bye as a young player looking to refresh himself, and it’ll be interesting to see how he goes after that.
Ivan Maric
14 disposals, 21 hitouts, five marks, four clearances
Had to ruck the entire last quarter with Soldo down, and was instrumental in trying to get us over the line and win the game. Really pleased with his performance.
Ryan Garthwaite
Six disposals, three marks, two tackles
Showed glimpses of his marking ability with good numbers in that department. Provided good pressure with his tackling in the defensive half.
Mabior Chol
Five disposals, two marks, two tackles, one goal
Had many opportunities in the aerial contest which he didn’t quite complete. A real challenge for him is to find that consistency of effort.
Todd Elton
Four disposals, two marks, one tackle
Started the game slowly, and didn’t quite bring his A-game. We were hoping for more influence in the air early, which we didn’t get, and unfortunately he injured his shoulder later in the game.
Ivan Soldo
Four disposals, eight hitouts, two marks, one tackle
Played as the second ruckman. Another one who got injured early in the third and didn’t return from there.
VFL LISTED PLAYERS
Jacob Ballard
30 disposals, six marks, four tackles, one goal
Another great performance with 30+ in disposals. It was his will to win in the last quarter which really stood out. His aggression in the contest and attempts to get the ball forward was a real feature.
Brandon Wood
19 disposals, six marks, four clearances, three tackles
Played through the midfield and occasionally went forward. Had moments where he really looked to show his strengths, and had a few chances to win the game late, which he unfortunately didn’t take, but a solid performance from him.
Sam Darley
18 disposals, two marks, one tackle, one goal
Returned from state duties. Played on the wing and half-back, and continues to be an important leader behind the ball for us.
Thomas Silvestro
18 disposals, five marks, four tackles, two clearances
Played in the midfield, but it wasn’t until we moved him to the wing in the third quarter where his running ability seemed to change the game, particularly in getting a number of inside-50s from his hard work. Lesson learned there from the coaches - play him on the wing.
Jayden Cass
15 disposals, two marks, two tackles, one goal
Played his second game for us. Last week he was reasonably quiet, but it was good to see his numbers get up this week. Kicked his first goal for the footy club as well. As a guy who’s played a lot of VFL footy, it was good to see him get back to playing at that level.
Derek Smith
15 disposals, six marks, one clearance
Also his second game for us. Another guy that looks very capable of playing at this level. Just needs a little more composure with the ball in hand late in the game.
Jake Aarts
14 disposals, five tackles, one mark
Comes from Beaconsfield, so it was a home game for him. Worked hard, tackled well, but didn’t manage to impact the scoreboard, which is something we aim for him to do.
James Fletcher
13 disposals, two marks, two tackles
Played on the wing. We’re looking for a bit more from him at the moment, he’s playing his role but he can add some layers to his strengths. He’s a great ball user and a quality runner, so we’re looking for some improvement there.
Hugh Beasley
10 disposals three spoils, one mark
Played on Majak Daw, who kicked a couple of goals. Hugh still managed to limit his influence on the game, and was an integral part of our defence.
Daniel Coffield
Eight disposals, four tackles, one mark, one clearance
Wasn’t as dominant with ball in hand in in this game as he has been in some previous. He was still very solid and hard to play on down back.
