Development and VFL midfield coach, Xavier Clarke provides an exclusive summary of the AFL and VFL-listed players from Sunday’s Round 15 VFL win over North Ballarat.
AFL LISTED PLAYERS
Jack Graham
33 disposals, 15 contested possessions, five marks, three clearances, nine inside 50’s.
Had a pretty solid game and after having the week off with an ankle injury it didn’t look like he missed a beat. He was dominant throughout the whole game, his number of contested possessions show a good balance of an inside and outside game.
Jayden Short
27 disposals, ten marks, six inside 50’s, seven rebound 50’s, one goal one behind.
Came back from AFL level and played above VFL level. Looked elite with his ball use of half-back and snuck forward during the third quarter to kick a goal. It was good to see him play good footy for the day.
Jacob Townsend
25 disposals, 15 contested possessions, seven marks, nine clearances, eight tackles.
He’s in really good form performing consistently each week, the biggest highlight for him was his number of tackles and clearances.
Oleg Markov
20 disposals, six contested possessions, three marks, three tackles, four inside 50’s.
Again he was really solid across half-back and looked strong in the contest. He had some really good aerial contests but his run and dash is his strength off half-back.
Taylor Hunt
17 disposals, four contested possessions, two tackles, two marks.
Played a little bit of wing, midfield, and went back at times. When he gets his game up and going he’s really good with his ball use, he probably didn’t have a massive impact on the day but once he got back to his defensive game he was really good for us.
Connor Menadue
17 disposals, four marks, two tackles.
Didn’t get a lot of the footy but structurally he sets up really well for the team. We’d like to see him get a little bit more of the footy in his hands to use his pace and his skills, but when he did get the footy he used it really well to set up his teammates and put them in better spots.
Tyson Stengle
17 disposals, seven contested possessions, six marks, two clearances, three goals one behind.
Looked lively, crafty, and makes things happen every time he gets the footy.
Jake Batchelor
16 disposals, seven marks, eight tackles, one goal.
Was solid again in defense and plays a vital role for us down back. He went forward in the second half and became a good target kicking one goal, he’s in really good form at the moment.
Callum Moore
16 disposals, five marks, four inside 50’s, two behinds.
Competing really well in the air, his contested marking is becoming a feature of his game and he had three or four efforts that set up a goal. He has been spending a little bit of time in the ruck at centre square bounces, he’s starting to add this to his game as he continues to grow with confidence and is competing really well at the moment.
Ivan Maric
13 disposals, nine contested possessions, four marks, 23 hitouts, one goal.
Was certainly one of his best games this season; he took the game on, looked lively around the ground, and kicked a really nice goal from the pocket. It is great to see him really enjoying his footy and getting some reward for the effort that he’s put in.
Todd Elton
11 disposals, three marks, one goal one behind.
Played forward and took a really nice contested mark late in the game. He provides a target for us down the line and his work rate up and down the ground is something we value. We’d like to see him hit the scoreboard a bit more but he has an impact and plays a role for us really well.
Mabior Chol
Ten disposals, four marks, ten hitouts.
Played down back at the start of the game and went in to the ruck looking lively and promising with his second and third efforts. He took some really nice contested marks throughout the game.
Ben Lennon
Ten disposals, five marks, four tackles, three goals one behind.
Provides a really good target in the air or on the ground. His ability to get up and down the ground along with his smarts in the forward line when getting off his opponent, is something opposition players struggle with.
Ryan Garthwaite
Seven disposals, four contested possessions, two tackles, four rebound 50’s.
Huge GPS numbers, he ran about 16km for the game. He probably didn’t get the match up he would have liked as North Ballarat went with a pretty small forward line, however, this kid continues to turn up and give it his all.
VFL LISTED
Jacob Ballard
28 disposals, nine contested possessions, five marks, one goal one behind.
Has been one of our most consistent VFL players, he didn’t have a massive impact in terms of disposals but continues to show great leadership.
Jake Aarts
18 disposals, seven contested possessions, three marks, seven inside 50’s.
We love what he brings with his forward pressure and playing his role. He sets the scene for us with his second and third efforts and probably doesn’t get the reward on the scoreboard, but his pressure and ability to chase and tackle is a real feature of this game.
Brandon Wood
18 disposals, eight contested possessions, three marks, one goal.
Was a little bit quiet in terms of disposals this week, he snuck forward and kicked a goal, he’s a contested ball bull who continues to play a really valuable role in the midfield.
James Fletcher
17 disposals, five contested possessions, two tackles, five marks, four inside 50’s.
Was really good for us, he’s playing good footy on the wing at the moment and looks like one of those players who can play an important role and have an impact at this level.
Ryan Bathie
16 disposals, eight marks, one goal one behind.
He’s a really good tall for us up forward; he provides another great option and can also spend time in the ruck. A really crafty player that helps the other forwards out and is playing really good footy for us at the moment.
Tyson Kruse
14 disposals, six contested possessions, two clearances, three tackles, three inside 50’s.
Came in and did a tagging role keeping his opponent to ten disposals. He’s a really good role player for us.
Daniel Coffield
13 disposals, five contested possessions, three marks.
Solid down back and we can always rely on him. He compliments our backline really well with his intercept marks and uses the ball well when he gets the opportunity.
Sam Darley
12 disposals, seven marks, three tackles, three rebound 50’s.
Played his first game back from a foot injury, he used the ball well when he got it in his hands and set us up from half-back. He shows great leadership and he’ll be better off for the run and the bye next week. We’re looking forward to him having a big impact in the back end of the season.
Shaun Mannagh
Seven disposals, two marks, three tackles, one goal two behinds.
Went forward and had four shots on goal as a small forward, which is a great effort. He didn’t get a lot of possessions but his work around the ground in terms of getting the ball inside our forward 50, applying pressure, and having scoring opportunities is something we value.
