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

VFL

Sunday, May 1, Windy Hill, 12pm

Casey Scorpions 10.11 (71) d Essendon 7.12 (54)

“It was a really solid win from our point of view. The conditions weren’t fantastic. There was a six-goal wind to one end and there had been a bit of rain around, so the ball was going to be on the ground a bit. We knew that the game was going to be a contested game of football and it wasn’t going to be easy for the players. It wasn’t your typical good weather football, but the pleasing thing was that our players came with a really strong mindset and they came ready to play. They were able to get the job done with a really solid performance collectively. We didn’t have any passengers, which was really pleasing. We got off to a pretty good start and didn’t hit the scoreboard as well as what we wanted with the breeze. We had to defend really well in the second quarter and we restricted them to a couple of goals. In the third quarter, we were able to put on some good scoreboard pressure. Then in the last quarter, the players had to really dig in, defend and compete. We had to get a lot of our defensive structures right and we were able to do that. We ended up coming away with a 17-point win and it was a fantastic result for our VFL team.” – Justin Plapp


Viv Michie in action (Photo: Morgan Hancock)

Angus Brayshaw: Angus unfortunately had an incident where the ball hit him in the head early in the first quarter and he didn’t take any further part in the game. He didn’t have any impact on the game because of that injury. He’ll be assessed during the week.

Colin Garland: It was Colin’s third week back playing in the VFL. We thought his first half was really strong and imposing. He played the way we needed him to play and the way we know he can play. Col had 18 possessions and took four really strong intercept marks and used the ball really well.

Jack Grimes: Grimesy continues to impress. He had 24 possessions, six inside 50s and five effective tackles. He had a pretty rounded game. Grimesy has a no fuss attitude and goes about his business in a really professional manner. I’ve been really impressed with his strong leadership and the way he goes about his footy.

Liam Hulett: He was very impressive. Liam kicked a goal and had 15 possessions. He took seven marks and three of those were contested. The thing about Liam is that he’s been getting better and better over the past three weeks. On the weekend, it was his most rounded game, where he got himself involved in the game, through his aerial contest and he led up to the ball really strongly. He was able to get himself involved in the game. It wasn’t an easy day for forwards, but he certainly had a good impact on the game, just by competing. A lot of his reward came from that part of the game.

Max King: Kingy was really strong in the first quarter. He had three shots at goal and kicked one, and he also took two or three really strong contested marks, which was pleasing. It’s an area of his game that we know he can do really well, but he’s just been struggling in that area a bit. He’s another kid who continues to build. Max has got a body he needs to continue to develop, so he’s in that position now where he’s come back from injury and played the past three weeks. We’re ready to see a spike in his performance over the coming weeks.

Viv Michie: Arguably our best player, Viv had 35 possessions, nine inside 50s and three effective tackles. We played Viv in a number of different roles and he took those challenges head on. We’ve got some fantastic results from him playing those roles we’re asking him to play. He had a really clear appetite for the contest and used the ball well. Viv’s really damaging when he gets his hands on the ball. I thought Viv was fantastic on the weekend.

Oscar McDonald: It was Oscar’s first game back after he missed a week with concussion. He had 18 disposals, five marks and two tackles. Oscar was really strong and imposing for most of the game. His defensive positioning and ability to come forward and defend was really strong. Oscar’s a second-year player, but he’s physically growing and developing. He played his role and we were happy with his performance.

Alex Neal-Bullen: Alex had 24 possessions and 10 effective tackles, which was the most pleasing thing about his game. His no fuss attitude around the contest gave us real energy and a really strong appetite around the ball. He’s starting to really bring other people into the game by his ability to use the ball in tight situations, which has been a real focus for Alex in recent weeks – and he’s been able to apply that to his game.

Ben Newton: Ben had 20 possessions, kicked 2.3 and had seven effective tackles. It was his third game back from injury and he’s improved each week. It was by far his best performance after coming back from injury. He was strong around the ball and played a number of different positions, such as high half-forward and inside mid. As the game went on with Benny, he certainly lifted his work-rate and got more involved. He provided a strong contribution to the game. He’s just going to get better as he gets more game time into him.

Clayton Oliver: He had 29 possessions, four inside 50s and a game-high 16 tackles, which was fantastic for a guy playing his first year. His stoppage work and ability to win the ball in tight situations was really strong. He also used his hands well in tight situations, which was a real highlight. He was very impressive on the weekend.

Jake Spencer: It was Spence’s first game back, after a long layoff with injury. As we expected, he lacked a bit of touch early, but as the game went on, he really imposed himself in the contest. His stoppage work was solid and we were really pleased with his performance. Over the next few weeks, it’s about building his game. But it was a good return to football.

Billy Stretch: After a disappointing week last round, Billy certainly bounced back to what we know he can be. He had 34 possessions, four inside 50s and he had 12 effective tackles, which for a guy who is not a big bloke – it was a fantastic effort. He certainly has some good energy and that shows in the way he moves. Billy’s got really good leg speed and that showed with his outside role as a wingman. His running patterns were really good and his ability to keep the ball on the outside at times was a clear highlight. I was rapt with Billy for getting back to the type of good football we know he can play.

Dean Terlich: Dean played across half-back. He had 17 possessions, went inside 50s five times and had two tackles. Dean was defensively very good and he provided some strong and effective ball use from half-back. It was good to see him bounce back, playing well and the produce the type of form he showed early in the year.


Jack Trengove fires off a handball (Photo: Morgan Hancock)

Jack Trengove: Jack once again produced another really good rounded performance. He had 27 possessions, went inside 50 two times and had 11 effective tackles. Trenners played predominately midfield, and was targeted by the opposition and tagged, which was a credit to his form over the past few weeks. His ability to be really strong in the contest and win contested ball, and also use the ball in those situations, was a real highlight for me. I was really, really pleased for him individually, as he keeps improving. He continues to show great leadership qualities and we’re really lucky to have him in our VFL team to help the kids and guide them as well.

Mitch White: I thought it was probably Mitch’s best game for the year. He had 24 possessions, went inside 50 five times and had six effective tackles. Mitch was really strong defensively and he competed in the air really well. He was also really good at ground level as well. Mitch is starting to build his game and is able to give us some rebound footy off half-back. Whenever he gets hold of the ball, he makes something happen.

AFL Victoria Development League

Bye