The Richmond VFL side suffered a 45-point loss against Footscray last Sunday afternoon at Marvel Stadium. Here’s how coach Jake Batchelor assessed the performance of each player.

Lachlan Wilson (30 disposals, eight tackles, seven clearances)
“Once again played as an inside bull, had 18 contested possessions and eight tackles. I think there’s an opportunity for him to continue to drive his legs with the ball in hand, he’s strong and tough, so we will look at getting that increased.” 

Lachlan Street (28 disposals, six tackles, four clearances, one goal)
“A good game as an inside mid, he was tough, he was composed and got the ball going forward for us really well.”

Harry Scott (27 disposals, seven marks, three tackles)
“Another great game, he spent the first three quarters on the wing, did what he needed to do. Then we needed a change in the last quarter and his ability to go inside and be a really big, physical presence, with a bloke who wants to run as well, was really noticeable for us.”

Jacob Blight (27 disposals, 14 marks, 12 intercept possessions)
“Really strong game again, five contested marks, 12 intercept possessions. He is doing it from really strong defensive positions and his ball use is becoming extremely consistent.”

Austin Johnson (26 disposals, six marks, three tackles)
“Played as a half-back, he gave us great run and drive from the backline, when the ball is in his hands we generally know that the ball is going to stay in our hands. A few defensive decisions to improve on still.”

Tylar Young (23 disposals, 10 intercept possessions, nine marks)
“A really strong game playing as a medium defender at the moment, his ability to win contest and drive his legs has been really noticeable and to win the ball back 10 times, really pleased with that.”

Liam George (23 disposals, five tackles, one goal)
“I thought he had a great game, best game for a while. His impact at the contest was great, his patterns off the ball were really strong and it was great to see him get reward with a goal.” 

Tom McKenzie (17 disposals, six clearances, five tackles)
“I thought he did well in the midfield, his contested possession numbers were good, his tackle rate was good. He stayed around the ball really well, there’s an opportunity when he wins the ball and drives his legs just to cut angles a little bit more and evade the opposition.” 

Jacob Koschitzke (17 disposals, nine intercept possessions, six marks)
“Strong game, he intercepted the ball really well for us. There are a couple of opportunities to just squeeze back up the ground and be a bit more assertive with his positioning. His aerial power was really strong.”

James Trezise (16 disposals, four marks, two tackles)
“Got involved in the play a bit, a bit of stuff to work on with defensive positioning but his contest work is really strong. His ability to step through tackles and drive his legs is becoming a real weapon.”

Mutaz El Nour (16 disposals, five marks, two tackles)
“He has continued his form over the last couple of weeks, made some defensive decisions that probably weren’t there in the previous weeks that we can look to sharpen up. However, when he gets the ball in his hands, he makes smart decisions and he’s reading the play quite well.”

Taj Hotton (14 disposals, three marks, two tackles)
“Great to see him out there, he showcased his strengths, his flair, his evasiveness around the contest, so awesome to see him get through.”

Maurice Rioli (13 disposals, seven tackles, four clearances)
“Provided elite pressure throughout the day, had seven tackles, nine contested possessions, and was really lively and alert on defence for us. He gave us a great look ahead of the ball.”

Nicholas Collier (12 disposals, two marks, 100% disposal efficiency)
“An in-between game for him, I thought his attack was good and he kept running really good patterns. But some of the defensive decisions we will look to sharpen up a little bit, he tried to impact the ball possibly too much at times, so we will reign that back in a little bit.”   

Sam Toner (nine disposals, four marks, two tackles)
“Great to get him back in, I think he started quite slow but then his ability to adapt and build into the game was extremely pleasing, so very happy for him.”

Massimo Raso (nine disposals, two tackles, one goal)
“Great pressure at the start of the game, I think that dropped off a little bit. We’ve got a bit of work to do with defensive understanding and compliance. But his desire to defend is really strong, we can just be a little bit sharper with how he does it and where he does it from. So, looking for another opportunity for him to get that going moving forward.”

Seth Macdonald (nine disposals, two marks, two tackles)
“Saw his strengths on show, he was running and jumping at the ball. He is a great learner and he wants to get better, he improved drastically from last week.”

Jacob Bauer (eight disposals, five marks, three behinds)
“He competed strongly in the air against some really powerful key-defenders from the Dogs, not quite his day with finishing his work but put himself in really strong positions to impact.”

Mykelti Lefau (seven disposals, four tackles, one goal)
“Elite pressure particularly in the forward 50, he really set the scene for us, his aerial power was strong and his alertness on defence was great. It looked like he took a really big step forward.”

Oliver Hayes-Brown (seven disposals, 24 hit-outs, three clearances)
“Had a good battle in the ruck, had some really good moments for us. An opportunity to keep spending time with the ball and drive his legs around the contest, but he’s improving.”

Mohammed Yassine (five disposals, four tackles, one tackle)
“Quiet game, still laid four tackles as a small forward which is good. We need to keep finding ways to get him involved and spending time around the ball and around the contest, so he can then use his speed.” 

Liam Fawcett (four disposals, one mark, two goals)
“Quieter game, he continued to present himself and put himself under high balls going inside-50, which is all we ask for.”

Mate Colina (two disposals, 14 hit-outs, one tackle)
“A pretty quiet game, he ran really hard and worked really hard for us. He competed in the contest, unfortunately he hurt his shoulder in the last quarter.”