The Richmond VFL side suffered a close loss in Round 8 last Sunday afternoon. Here’s how coach Jake Batchelor assessed the performance of each player.

Tyler Sonsie (37 disposals, nine clearances, seven tackles, one goal)
“Another strong game where he played well above the level. His inside work coupled with his outside run and drive is really noticeable. It was great to see him get on the scoreboard, but his attitude has just been unwavering.”

Tom McCarthy (24 disposals, four marks, four tackles, three clearances)
“Great game, his run from behind was really strong and he stepped through tackles. He also had elite hands, so it was another step forward for him.”

James Trezise (23 disposals, six marks, six tackles, seven intercept possessions)
“He played on the wing for the first three quarters and half-back in the last quarter. He gave us immense drive out of the backline and looked really dangerous with ball in hand as well, so great for Trigga to have a good performance after being the carry over emergency at AFL level.”

Jacob Blight (23 disposals, seven marks, seven intercept possessions)
“Consistent game, he took some good intercept marks particularly in the last quarter and gave us drive out of the backline with some smart decisions by foot.”

Harry Scott (21 disposals, eight tackles, six clearances, three marks)
“Great game, he’s been playing wing all year but to go back as an inside mid and have eight tackles, nine contested possessions and six clearances, it was huge and he had a fair say in our ability to get back into the game.”

Judson Clarke (20 disposals, five marks, two tackles, one goal)
“He is improving each week, his run is getting better and his understanding of our game plan is getting stronger. He kicked a nice goal in the last quarter to bring us back within two points.”

Nicholas Collier (19 disposals, six marks, two tackles)
“He’s starting to understand the half-back role really well with when to defend and when to attack. He’s just really tough as well and he doesn’t lose too many contests, so that was a great game from him.”

Ollie Hayes-Brown (18 disposals, 31 hit-outs, 14 contested possessions, five clearances)
“Best game for the year and possibly since being at the football club. He had a lot of hit-outs and his follow-up work around the ground was really strong. He had 14 contested possessions (second most for Richmond) and just competed really strongly, it was a great game.”

Lachlan Street (17 disposals, three marks, three tackles)
“Great to see him back in the team, his leadership was great and he got around the ball. He’ll be much better for the run so we’re looking forward to seeing his improvement this week.”

Lachlan Wilson (17 disposals, 13 uncontested possessions, seven tackles)
“Another classic Lachie Wilson game, his inside work was really strong but his run and drive on the outside was also quite strong. I think he can still be a bit more aggressive with his ball use and use his hands a little bit more.”

Jacob Koschitzke (17 disposals, 12 intercept possessions, one mark)
“There were some aerial contests where he looked really strong and moved his opposition player out of the way really easily. We will keep looking to make him the aerial beast that he is.”

Mutaz El Nour (16 disposals, four marks, eight intercept possessions)
“Great game, his best game for the year. He defended really strongly and impacted in the air to support his teammates and also contributed to our team attack.”

Maurice Rioli (14 disposals, two marks, three tackles)
“Played his role really well in the first three quarters as a high half-forward despite not getting too much of the ball. Then we unleashed him in the last quarter, and he almost single-handedly got us the win with his run, drive, power and explosion.”

Liam Fawcett (14 disposals, 12 hit-outs, two marks, two clearances)
“Played as our second ruck and we were really pleased with his output, his physicality, his aggression and his follow-up so it might be something that we look at continuing going forward.”

Campbell Gray (14 disposals, three marks, three tackles, one goal)
“Tough preparation with him heading out to the AFL and then coming back 30 minutes prior to the game, he started a little bit slow and off the pace. He built into the game well going forward in the last quarter and provided a different look for us. He kicked the first goal of the last quarter and competed really well.”

Massimo Raso (12 disposals, two marks, one tackle)
“Didn’t quite have the scoreboard impact that he would’ve liked, but he got up the ground really well for us. The way that we played probably didn’t help him too much but his attitude to get up and defend was really noticeable.”

Nicholas Guiney (10 disposals, five marks, five intercept possessions) 
“Had some really important intercepts for us, he plays that strong team defence and we set up really well with him in the team.”

Jasper Alger (10 disposals, four marks, three tackles, one goal)
“Didn’t impact the scoreboard as he would’ve liked, but he competed well and he’s stepping in for his tackles. He’s improving each week for us so he’s going to get a lick of the ice-cream really soon.”

Sam Toner (nine disposals, four marks, three tackles)
“I thought it was a slow first half but he built into the game a lot better, and his physicality and aggression really stepped up, with us recognising that throughout the week.”

Mykelti Lefau (eight disposals, three marks, three tackles, one goal)
“Awesome to see Kelts back out there, within the first 45 seconds he put two blokes on the ground, and we all play a little bit taller and stronger with him out there.”

Liam George (seven disposals, one tackle, one clearance)
“Little bit rusty at times just with his general fundamentals, but his leadership and voice was so noticeable watching the tape back, which is why he’s in the team as well as what he can do ahead of the ball.”

Mohammed Yassine (five disposals, three tackles, two goals)
“He didn’t have many statistics but his pressure was high and his buzz around the ball was good. He kicked two goals for us, we just need to keep finding ways to get the ball in his hands because he makes great decisions and impacts when he does.”

Jacob Bauer (three disposals, two marks, two tackles, one goal)
“Played against a really strong defence and struggled in the first half, but I was really proud of his effort in the second half to keep bringing the ball to ground and fight when things weren’t going his way. It was a big reason as to how we got back into the game.”