Richmond’s VFL season came to an end last Saturday afternoon, bowing out to the Brisbane Lions by 20 points at Brighton Homes Arena. For the last time this season, here’s how coach Jake Batchelor assessed the performance of each player.

Kaleb Smith (24 disposals, six intercept possessions, three inside-50s)
“Showed some great drive out of the back half, used his feet really well and was our leading disposal winner.”

Harry Scott (20 disposals, six tackles, four marks)
“A bit of a mixed game, he won the ball on the inside and outside, six tackles, so stats look good. I thought there will be some good learning from him around body work and positioning at stoppage from some big inside mids at Brisbane.”

Austin Johnson (20 disposals, four marks, three tackles)
“Built into the game quite nicely as a half back, used his run, drive and his kicking as a weapon. We saw a great goal from his kick in.”

Liam George (17 disposals, five inside-50s, three tackles)
“Won contested ball more than normal, he stepped through some tackles and showed his ability to take on the tackler. He rolled his ankle in the second half of the game which diminished his output towards the end.”

Mutaz El Nour (17 disposals, six tackles, three marks)
“Had a really strong game, he laid some really crucial tackles for us when Brisbane seemed out. He won the ball back for us really well.”

Nicholas Collier (17 disposals, six tackles, four marks)
“Played as an inside mid for the first time this year, and there was great proof that we can look at doing that more next year. His toughness and grunt was there for all to see.”

Jacob Blight (16 disposals, nine intercept possessions, five marks)
“Nine spoils and nine intercept possessions, I thought he competed well in the air.”

Lachlan Wilson (15 disposals, seven tackles, one goal)
“Played as a high half forward and inside mid at times for us. A real grunt role for us, controlled the corridor well at times and good to see him get on the scoreboard.”

Massimo Raso (14 disposals, nine tackles, three clearances)
“Played as an inside mid, had nine tackles and his fast feet around the contest was noticeable.”

Sam Toner (13 disposals, four marks, one goal)
“I think he has had a strong year, finished with one goal as a winger. He has shown some great growth with his ability to get up and down the ground.”

Samson Ryan (13 disposals, 30 hit-outs, six tackles)
“I thought he battled quite manfully versus Oscar McInerney in his second game back after a long lay-off. Looking forward to a big pre-season from him.”

Joel Garner (12 disposals, five tackles, three clearances)
“A bit of a quieter game relative to normal high standards, he was a bit sore towards the backend of the year, so really proud of his efforts to fight through.”

Mykelti Lefau (11 disposals, two marks, one goal)
“Great to see him back out there, his hunt and his tackle pressure was just great to see. It was great to see him hit the scoreboard as well, we are a better team with him out there.” 

Jacob Koschitzke (11 disposals, four marks, three goals)
“Three shots at goal when he played forward, went back for us at times but gave us a really strong aerial pressure.”

Nicholas Girolami (11 disposals, four marks, three inside-50s)
“Played as a key forward, didn’t hit the scoreboard but his aerial power was really strong. There are a few opportunities to make quicker decisions with our team attack that no doubt after eight games aren’t engrained yet. But he is a tremendous player and has tremendous potential for us going forward.” 

Liam Fawcett (11 disposals, four marks, one goal)
“Had some great opportunities, he played like a big man. He didn’t quite kick straight but I think there has been some great growth from him over the last couple of weeks.”

Jasper Alger (11 disposals, five tackles, two goals)
“Great to see him get some scoreboard reward, played as a high half forward and a bit on the wing. He just looked more a part of our attack this week.”

Mohammed Yassine (10 disposals, four tackles, one goal)
“I thought he had some really strong moments, he got front and centre really well. He made his opponent defend him for longer periods in defensive 50 and four tackles is a great outcome.”

Sam Phillips (10 disposals, four intercept possessions, one mark)
“Thought he came on and had some really good moments with the ball in hand. Refining his craft as a small defender inside our defensive 50 will be a good focus for him.”

Tom McKenzie (nine disposals, three clearances, two tackles)
“Played as a half back for us, probably didn’t get the run and the drive that we are used to or expecting. But he has had a great year and looking forward to seeing him progress next year.”

Tom Ferguson (seven disposals, one mark)
“Low impact game but I really like him as a player, he’s got fast feet, he is really clean and makes good decisions with the ball.”

Jed Feneley (seven disposals, seven intercept possessions, two marks)
“Great to see him get a game after being really unlucky this year with selection. He competed well in the air and played on talls and smalls.”

Oliver Hayes-Brown (three disposals, nine hit-outs)
“Struggled to make a full impact against Oscar McInerney, but he kept trying his backside off the whole game when the going was getting tough.”