CASEY coach Justin Plapp reviews the Melbourne-listed players who played in the VFL

2016 Peter Jackson VFL

Saturday, August 6, 7pm, Casey Fields

Casey Scorpions 20.9 (129) d Essendon 6.7 (43)

From the coach …

“It was probably our most complete performance for 2016. We were able to sustain a level of performance, a level of effort and a level of playing our way for four quarters. We got some pretty good results individually and as a team. I really pleased for the players. Our first quarter set the game up and we put a lot of pressure on the opposition and created some real scoring opportunities. We went into the first break four goals up and had a lot of the ball inside our forward 50. We were able to set up behind the ball really well and the players were able to play their role accordingly. The players came with the right attitude and mindset, and they executed it really well. We’ve got another opponent this week and we’re not looking too far ahead. We’re continuing to challenge our Melbourne-listed players to push for the AFL team and our Casey-listed players to keep playing at a high standard, so they can remain in the VFL team. There is a lot of accountability around the place at the moment and they seem to be taking on that challenge really well.” – Justin Plapp 

Lynden Dunn: Dunny had 15 possessions, six marks, four rebound 50s and four tackles. He was a real rock for us in our back six on Saturday night. Lynden was able to control that area of the ground through his leadership and his ability to halve some really good contests in the air. He was also a really good link for us coming out of our defensive 50. But Dunny continues to impress with his leadership and buying into our alignment. He’s heading in the right direction.

Colin Garland: Col had 17 possessions, four marks, with four intercepts and four tackles. He was a really good contributor on the night. Some of his defensive acts to close out and halve one-on-one contests were as good as I’ve seen at VFL level, during the time he’s spent with us. He was able to use the ball really well and create some forward entries for us. Col has put together two solid games together and he’s another player who continues to push for AFL selection. We were delighted with his effort on Saturday night.

Jack Grimes: Jack had 34 disposals, 24 uncontested possessions, three clearances and kicked one goal. He continues to play at a really high level in the VFL. His past three weeks, in particular, since coming back from the AFL, have been outstanding. His work around the ball, his leadership and his will to win critical contests were again a highlight on Saturday night. He continues to push himself up for AFL selection.

Liam Hulett: He had 11 disposals, five marks, three inside 50s and kicked 3.2. It was a good game from Liam. He was instrumental in the first quarter and was very lively. He competed, attacked the ball strongly and took some strong contested marks. I really liked Liam’s game and he continues to bring a lot of effort and energy in the way he attacks the football. He’s gets better each week.

Matt Jones: Matty had 31 disposals, including 25 uncontested possessions, and he had six inside 50s. Jonesy came back from the AFL side and presented himself in a really good manner. He played with a lot of speed and played on the wing. Matty was able to provide a really good link from defence to attack for us. He was able to use the ball really well and he was able to gain a lot of metres, through his ability to cover a lot of the ground with his legs. His game was very good.

Ben Kennedy: Benny had 27 possessions, including 10 contested, seven inside 50s and had four tackles. He was pretty busy on the weekend. Like a lot of our other mid to high half-forward players, he was able to win a lot of ball and a lot of that was due to being around the contest a lot. He really showed some speed and was really intent to crack in and get the ball on the outside. Some kicking decisions let him down on the night, but his effort to compete and play the role that we needed him to play was exactly where we needed him to be.

Jay Kennedy-Harris: He had 24 disposals, seven marks, four tackles and kicked four goals. I was delighted with Jay on the weekend. He’s had a really frustrating year through soft-tissue injuries, and touch wood, we’re past that. Jay played with a lot of speed and he seemed to be covering the ground really well. He competed and was able to provide us with some real energy in our forward half. For him, each week is a bonus and our expectations are that he’ll only get better and improve week-by-week. It was a very, very good performance by Jay.

Viv Michie: Viv had 33 disposals, 24 uncontested possessions, nine inside 50s and five tackles. It was another dominant game from Viv. He continues to be a real barometre for us around the ground. His creativity and ability to bring other players into the game, with his hands and feet, was again critical. Viv’s had a fantastic year in the VFL and continues to push to play in the AFL.

Alex Neal-Bullen: He had 37 possessions, five clearances, eight tackles and kicked a goal. Alex was another prolific ball-winner for us on the night. We’ve played Alex through a number of different positions at the moment for his education and he’s really taken those challenges head-on. He’s a real ball-winner for us and he was a player who won critical contests for us on Saturday night. Alex used his hands and created a lot of contested possessions into uncontested chains. The challenge for Nibbler is to try and develop some of his conversion – he missed a couple of shots. But he continues to impress and has had an outstanding year at VFL level.

Christian Salem: Christian had 23 disposals, five clearances and kicked two goals. It was his third game back, after seven matches off, and he really showed some promising signs. He played with a lot more speed, was able to impact the contest and he was able to use the ball really well at critical contests. Christian was back to the level that we know he can get to and he’s heading in the right direction.

Joel Smith: He had 21 possessions, four rebound 50s and four tackles. I seem to say this most weeks about this kid, but he just gets better and better, and continues to impress. His attack on the ball was fantastic and he really takes the opposition on, when he wins the ball. Joel plays with real speed and courage, and Saturday night was another reflection of how he’s been the past few weeks. The expectations are that he will continue to improve week-by-week now, as he continues to build game-time and plays more football. He’s certainly playing with a smile on his face and he’s playing with a lot of energy, which we really value.

Dean Terlich: Dean had 16 possessions, three inside 50s, five tackles and kicked one goal. It was a little bit of a quieter week for Dean. He squandered some opportunities, after getting himself into some really good positions, particularly at the drop of ball inside our forward 50. He just wasn’t able to finish off a couple of opportunities. Dean continues to value the defensive side of his game, and he was one of the guys instrumental in the first quarter through his defensive pressure and ability to put the opposition under some heat.

Jack Trengove: Jack had 32 disposals, including 14 contested possessions, six clearances and 14 tackles. He continues to be a real bull around the contest and at stoppages. One particular contest really stuck in my mind, where he had to show a really good effort to get back in and help our defenders. He was able to courageously go back with the flight of the ball and halve a contest. It really helped us save a certain goal – and that sums Jack up. He plays for the team. Jack certainly puts his body on the line and he continues to maintain a really high level of football in the VFL.

Mitch White: He had 21 possessions, eight marks, including two intercepts, and kicked 1.1. Mitch came back from a week off – he was given a rest – after a couple of big weeks. He certainly played fresh and seemed to cover the ground a lot better. Mitch played with a lot more speed and we thought his defensive positioning behind the ball and ability to close out critical one-on-one contests was good. He was another player that created a link for us out of our defensive 50 to our forward half.

AFL Victoria Development League

Saturday, August 6, 11am, IKON Park

Casey Scorpions 11.9 (75) d Northern Blues 4.8 (32)

Max King: Kingy had 15 disposals, five marks, six inside 50s, two tackles and kicked three goals. It’s a bit of a challenging time for him, as he missed out on the VFL side. So the challenge for him over the past few weeks is to build some form and build some confidence around playing development football. We thought on the weekend that he made some big steps forward. He competed for longer and competed like we know he can. His game was clearly a lot better than it has been in previous weeks. He got his hands on the ball and was probably unlucky not to get on the end of a few more goals. Kingy is really clear about where he’s tracking and where he needs to keep improving. I thought the weekend was a step forward for him.