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

VFL

Port Melbourne 10.15 (75) d Casey Scorpions 7.10 (52)

North Port Oval

“OUR competitive nature and mentality was really strong and that part of it was one of the highlights of our day. We just really struggled to hit the scoreboard early and once again, for two weeks in a row, we didn’t kick any goals in the first quarter. To put a bit of scoreboard pressure on against a really good standalone club was a really important part of what we focused on – and we couldn’t do it. We went in at quarter-time a couple of goals down and we had to fight and scrap to get ourselves back into the game. The way they play their footy down at Port – the ground was pretty soft – and we had to dig in. We got the game back on our terms, but then late in the last quarter we turned the footy over a couple of times, where it was really costly for us and they kicked three really quick goals and that was basically the game in a nutshell. But for three and a half quarters, we competed and we scrapped and our effort was at a level, where we were really, really proud of the players.” – Justin Plapp

Jack Fitzpatrick: Fitzy played the first 10 minutes of the game and then unfortunately got a knock to the head. Fortunately, it wasn't serious and he should be available this week.

Max Gawn: Gawny had 10 possessions and 36 hit outs. He and Jamar clearly dominated the ruck and so they should. We’re really encouraging Gawny and big Russian to do more around the ground, particularly up forward. Gawny played his role, but we expect him to do more, because he’s got the capabilities of being an AFL player. But we’ve just got to get some consistencies out of him. That’s the big thing for Gawny at the moment, just getting some consistency at the moment.

Mark Jamar: He and Max Gawn were our two big ruckmen. He gave us first use and was good around the ground in the ruck. Mark finished with 31 hit outs. We’re encouraging Mark to get his hands on the footy at the moment and he ended up having a shot at goal, which he missed. The club at the moment has got three pretty strong rucks, so out of him, Gawny and Spence (Jake Spencer), they’re putting their hand up to get that senior opportunity at AFL level.

James Harmes: James had 19 possessions and six tackles. That’s a pretty solid game from him. He played through the midfield and half-forward. He’s a second-year rookie who is building his game. James is really clear on the areas he needs to work on and he’s certainly playing his role.

Oscar McDonald: Oscar had 11 possessions and it probably wasn’t his best game for the club. The big thing with Oscar was that he got pushed around a bit on the weekend and played on bigger opponents. That’s not the worst thing that can happen to him. We really need to see some improvement out of him this week.

Jordie McKenzie: Jordie was given a midfield tagging role on one of Port’s opposition players and did a really strong job. He topped our disposals with 34. He ended up having eight tackles as well, so we felt that Jordie played a really strong role for our team on the weekend. He puts his name back up for senior selection, so we’re really, really happy with Jordie.

Alex Neal-Bullen: Alex continues to develop as a first-year player and we feel he’s on the right track. He ended up having 24 disposals and had three tackles, from an inside/half-forward role. 

Aidan Riley: We felt from a coaching perspective that Aidan was our best player on the day. He ended up having 28 possessions and he had 14 tackles, which was a massive effort. Aidan plays that inside mid role and the Port ground really suited him. He’s another who keeps pushing his name up for senior selection.

Dean Terlich: Dean’s just going along at the moment. He had an interrupted pre-season and he’s now had five or six games back. We’re encouraging Dean to really step his footy up at the moment. He’s playing a defensive role for us, but he might be lacking a bit of confidence at the moment. We expect a bit more out of Dean and we expect him to step it up a bit more over the next couple of weeks. We know he can give us a bit more.

Jack Watts: It was well-publicised that Jack had come back to the VFL this week. Jack was really serviceable and he ended up having 24 disposals, eight marks, three tackles and he kicked a goal. He was a solid contributor. The outside expectations of Jack is that he should be dominating footy, but he’s still developing and his time back at Casey is going to be really supportive – however long that is. We’ll just keep on putting him in positions and keep encouraging him to become a consistent AFL player. He certainly played his role and we were really pleased with his output.

Mitch White: Defensively, Mitch was OK. He had 21 possessions and three tackles. Whitey is another first year player, where the expectation on them isn’t too much. We give them two or three really clear things to work on each week. Mitch is to defend first and when he gets the opportunity, he can get off and use his left foot and kick the ball long. We’re trying to get that balance in his game at the moment, but we’re happy with the way he’s going.

AFL Victoria Development League

Port Melbourne 16.12 (108) d Casey Scorpions 15.6 (96)

North Port Oval

Jayden Hunt: It was Jayden’s second game back and he did some exciting things offensively with his run and carry, and his speed. But Jayden just needs to get the balance right with his defensive stuff and we’re working really hard on that part of his game.

Max King: He kicked four goals in the Development League. He took 10 marks and he played the best game of his life. He probably kicked one of the goals of the year and took one of the marks of the year. Maxy’s heading in the right direction and we’re really happy with his past month. He’s going to put himself into senior VFL selection this week, which is exciting.