Richmond’s VFL side went down by 28 points against a strong Southport Sharks outfit last Saturday afternoon. Here’s how coach Jake Batchelor assessed the performance of each player.

Harry Scott (26 disposals, eight marks, five clearances, one goal)
“Played a very strong midfield role, came up against a quality outfit and I think he proved his ability to win the ball on the inside and outside as well. It was great to see him get some scoring shots ahead of the ball.”

Jacob Blight (25 disposals, 16 marks, 11 intercept possessions)
“Strong aerial presence for majority of the day, he took some great intercept marks. There were a couple of decisions to spoil versus mark that he can tighten up, but I thought he prioritised defence really well.” 

Lachlan Street (24 disposals, four clearances, one goal)
“Played as a mid and even as a key-forward for a little bit to give us some height ahead of the ball. He’s really smart around the ball, there’s an opportunity to just keep working on his hands in traffic, driving his legs and using his big frame as an inside-mid.”

Lachlan Wilson (22 disposals, three clearances, two tackles)
“Strong on the inside, got absolutely hammered at one point. I thought we were going to lose him but he just got up like he does. He’s a bull and his first half in particular went a long way to us having a strong lead at half-time.”

Kaleb Smith (22 disposals, three marks, one clearance)
“He’s working on some in tight hands, stepping through tackles and driving away from the pressure. We saw that in spades on the weekend, there’s some stoppage positioning in defence and best position compliance to work through still.”

Mutaz El Nour (22 disposals, 14 intercept possessions, six marks)
“Another step in the right direction with his ability to intercept and give us drive out of the backline. He got some close attention from opposition forwards which is a good acknowledgement for how he is going.”

Massimo Raso (19 disposals, four tackles, one clearance)
“I think he’s building his form back that we saw in the front half of the season. He's not necessarily impacting on the scoreboard but he’s getting involved more around the ball forward of centre. His defensive intent is elite at the moment.” 

Noah Balta (18 disposals, eight intercept possessions, six marks)
“I really enjoyed his game, there are a couple of aerial moments that he would’ve liked his time again. However for the most part he was marshalling his troops and I think he made some strong decisions for us defensively.”

Oliver Hayes-Brown (17 disposals, 33 hit-outs, 10 clearances)
“Great battle against Crossley, he’s the premier ruck in the comp and I thought he held his own very proudly in the contest. His follow-up and his ability to get on the spilled ball, drive his legs and use his long limbs to get it out to teammates was really pleasing.”

Tom McKenzie (16 disposals, three clearances, two tackles)
“Played as an inside mid/full-forward at times, he tightened up a little bit in the second half in the groins, but his power and speed through the contest was extremely noticeable.”

Austin Johnson (13 disposals, three marks, one clearance)
“A bit of a slow start - heading into the game, he was a little bit sore. He pushed through remarkably well for us and I'm grateful for him to finish that off as a winger.”

Liam George (13 disposals, four marks, two tackles)
“Some really good moments for us on the wing with his chase, pressure and desperation. I think there is still an opportunity for him to keep getting in on his opposition when we are attacking to take away any outlets.”

Joshua Pollocks (12 disposals, six marks, two goals)
“Started like a house of fire, he kicked two great set shots and presented really well. It was his first game for the year as a key forward, big tick.” 

Steely Green (12 disposals, six tackles, three goals)
“His attitude was great once again, his desperation and intent to finish with six tackles as a small forward was elite. I think it gave the rest of his teammates a spark.”

Reuben Hanson (nine disposals, three contested marks, one goal)
“First game for the club, extremely proud moment for him and his family. He competed extremely strongly in the air, it was great to see him get a goal, a nice inside out torpedo on his left foot from 40, you can’t teach that stuff. I was really pleased with his effort and well done to him.”

Nicholas Girolami (nine disposals, five marks, three goals)
“Five shots at goal from a full back who has never played forward before was outstanding. He simplified his game, got to contests and brought the ball to ground. He just does not get beaten in the air, so big tick.”

Nicholas Collier (nine disposals, five tackles, one mark)
“I thought his defence and his contest was back to the best it’s been, that’s the type of player he is. I’m really glad he’s showing his strengths there.” 

Mohammed Yassine (seven disposals, six tackles, two marks)
“Quieter game but his six tackles showed that his defensive intent was elite for us as a small forward. He even tried to tackle Crossley, didn’t go to plan but love the intent.”

Sam Toner (seven disposals, four marks, one goal)
“Low stats but I thought he had an impact on the game. His ability to rotate defensively and support his defenders is becoming a trademark of his game, the next step is to be able to challenge his opponent back the other way. There’s a couple of opportunities for ground balls and stepping in for tackles that we will work on.”

Josh Gibcus (seven disposals, four intercept possessions, two marks)
“Great to see him get through another game, his reaction time and his foot work is really good. I’m looking forward to him progressing his minutes in the next couple of weeks.”

Tom Ferguson (six disposals, one mark, one tackle)
“First game for the club and almost kicked a goal with his first possession, he’s very smart and a great footballer. We will just keep getting him used to our system and refining his game, but I thought he showed enough.”

Nicholas Guiney (five disposals, one mark, one tackle)
“Not many touches which is okay because his ability to take out his opponents was really strong. I think he used his physicality a bit more this week to defend rather than covering dangerous space and reading the ball.”

Jhett Haeata (one disposal)
“Quiet game in his return game, so we will be looking for him to keep getting continuity into his game, whilst still learning our system.”