DEVELOPMENT coach Brad Miller reviews the Melbourne-listed players who played in the VFL at Queen Elizabeth Oval on Saturday

IT WAS really pleasing to win a game after a number of losses. The boys were trailing for the majority of the day but held on and found a way to win, which was really pleasing and showed good character. We still feel we’re a fair way from our best, but a win in such close circumstances at Bendigo’s home ground will hopefully give the boys a real spark and boost of confidence. We’ve got a few areas we need to work on, but the mood of the boys is much more positive this week after getting the ‘W’.

VFL: Casey Scorpions 12.14 (86) d Bendigo Gold 12.12 (84)

Dom Barry: Dom had nine disposals, zero tackles, zero missed tackles and zero fumbles. He played on the wing and also high half-forward. Dom didn’t have a specific run-with role, like he’s had over the past few games for Casey. We decided this week to let Dom free himself up a little bit, while still playing his role effectively. He was able to get forward and kick three goals, which was really pleasing for him. We feel with Dom’s run and ability to cover the ground he’s getting to a lot of contests. However, the next step for Dom in his development is once he gets to the contest, he needs to impact by winning more of his own ball or by making a tackle.

Sam Blease: Bleasey had 26 disposals. He had seven tackles, four missed tackles and one fumble. Again, he continued to build on his game from last week. He played on the wing and the high half-forward role for the majority of the day. Bleasey again took the game on with his leg speed, run and carry and was quite damaging with his disposal. The thing most pleasing about Sam’s game on the weekend was that he had seven tackles. His willingness to put pressure on the opposition really made a big difference to us on the day. He finished the game with two goals, which is a nice result and it means that he’s getting the majority of his ball in an attacking manner in the right spots on the ground.

Mitch Clisby: Mitch had 29 disposals, four tackles, one missed tackle and zero fumbles. He started on the wing and spent most of the day there with brief stints in the forward line. We spoke to Mitch after last week’s game about where he was getting his possessions. We felt he was going sideways a little too often and this week we thought he rectified it, because he started getting the ball in some really dangerous positions – he had seven inside 50s. He also started to attack the game a lot more with his run and carry. Mitch turned the ball over by foot a couple of times, which is something we’ll continue to work with him on, but we definitely thought he made significant improvement on last week’s performance.

Jack Fitzpatrick: Fitzy had 15 disposals. He’s taken 11 marks, had three tackles, one missed tackle and he had one fumble. On Queen Elizabeth Oval, there is quite a lot of space and we were crying out for a forward, who was prepared to lead up at the ball, as we needed to link our run and carry, provided by our half-backs/wings – and I thought Fitzy did it really well on the day. He continued to work hard as a forward and lead at the ball carrier, which made a huge difference, taking a lot of marks, across the half-forward line. His work in the ruck was much-improved from last week. When the ball hit the ground, he continued to follow up and get involved again, rather than standing still or walking like he did last week. He used his speed on occasion to run away from the contest and provide a marking option as well, which was very pleasing. He finished the game with two goals, three behinds and if he had have kicked straight – it could’ve been a big day for Fitzy, which was great to see from the big fella.

Alex Georgiou: Alex had 13 disposals, zero tackles and one missed tackle. He also had seven spoils and zero fumbles. Alex played on the opposition’s best forward, which he has done for several weeks, playing for Casey. Alex again competed, but we thought he was slightly off the level he’s set for himself over the past month. He gave away a couple of free kicks, with technique errors, holding his opponent. We also felt there were times when he could have gone with more intensity to join in a contest and win his own ball or make a tackle. Alex offers organisation and leadership in the backline, as he has a lot of experience playing down there, and he’s been good for our defenders.

Max Gawn: Max had 25 disposals. He had three tackles, zero missed tackles and two fumbles. Max played in the ruck and forward line. He is focussing on developing his game in the forward line, but he didn’t have a significant impact when playing there on the weekend. He was really dominant, when in the ruck, having 87 hit outs for the day, playing on a much smaller ruckman. We found while Max’s ruck work was dominant, we weren’t getting a huge advantage due to our mids and Max not being on the same page with the hit calls. It’s something we’ll continue to work on with him. Max worked really hard throughout the day and followed up his ruckwork really well. He was important for us on the day.

James Harmes: Harmesy had 32 disposals, three tackles, zero missed tackles and one fumble. He started on the bench and when he came on, he played inside mid. Harmesy’s a natural ball-winner, when he’s in the midfield. His work around the stoppage was impressive at times. The area of Harmesy’s game we’ve been working on with him has been his defensive accountability. Again, he was inconsistent on the weekend and there were times he did it really well and when he did, he often won the ball. But there were times he got lost in congestion and he forgot to play his role. These are the areas that we’ll continue to work with him. What we’ve found with James is that he’s a really good contested player and when he gives himself a chance by starting in the right spots, with the right mindset, often he wins the ball for us.

Jay Kennedy-Harris: Jay had 24 disposals, one tackle, one missed tackle and four fumbles for the day. Jay wasn’t as influential as he was last week, however, we thought Jay provided some real spark around the contest. He won a lot of 50/50 ground balls and looked really energetic around the contest. Jay often won the ball, but at times, tried to do too much with it, when he should have given the first give. He has improved a lot in this area but can still get better. He was efficient with the ball and is in pretty good form.

Viv Michie: Viv had 29 disposals. He had six tackles, one missed tackle and one fumble. He played inside mid for a large portion of the day and went forward at times to give him a rest. Viv was quite influential around the contest this week and his stoppage work was really good. The area that has let Viv down in the past has been his defensive transition and we thought he improved in this area, which is a real positive for Viv. He looked energetic around the stoppage and was solid in transitioning away from the contest, which was very pleasing. He had nine inside 50s for the day, which means he’s getting the ball in damaging spots as well. He was effective with his disposal and was a key reason we got over the line in the last quarter.

Daniel Nicholson: Daniel had 25 disposals. He had two tackles, zero missed tackles and no fumbles. Again, Nicho’s dash stood out on the day. He’s an elite runner and he can cover the ground really well. The area of Nicho’s game that let him down was his ability to defend his man effectively. It’s normally a strength of Nicho’s game, but unfortunately his man was able to lead up on him on a number of occasions and take marks inside the defensive 50.  

James Strauss: James had it 25 times. He had two tackles, one missed tackle and zero fumbles. Straussy played the majority of the game across half-back and continued to build on his game from last week. What we liked about James’ game was his ability to run and carry, and break the lines with his speed from half-back. He often received the ball in the defensive half and continued to run and link up on a number of occasions. The area of Straussy’s game we’re working with him on is his attention to detail with his closing out. He can often trail in behind his opponent through a lack of concentration.

Maia Westrupp: Maia had eight disposals, three tackles, zero missed tackles and one fumble. It was Maia’s first game in the seniors and he played the majority of the game in the backline. It was really pleasing to see Maia get his first run for the year and he didn’t look out of place. His first kick in senior VFL footy could’ve quite easily been a goal, as he pushed down the field with his man and took a nice mark, 35 metres out. But unfortunately, his kick was touched on the line and he didn’t get the goal. What we liked about Maia’s game was his athleticism and his ability to break away from congestion with his speed and agility. The area of Maia’s game that we’ll continue to work on with him is his ability to close out an opponent and spoil the ball. When he gives himself a chance by being right up on his man, he will often spoil and win the ball due to his athleticism. When he doesn’t, his man can take an easy mark, so we’ll continue to work with him on his defensive positioning and reading of the game.

AFL Victoria Development League: Port Melbourne 10.14 (74) d Casey Scorpions 9.12 (66), North Port Oval 

No Melbourne-listed players featured in the AFL Victoria Development League this round