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

2016 Peter Jackson VFL
Saturday, June 18, 2pm, Eureka Stadium
Casey Scorpions 19.21 (135) d North Ballarat 7.2 (44)

From the coach …
“Our players were up for the challenge in regards to travelling to North Ballarat. It’s not an easy road trip and after last week against Collingwood, we asked our players to respond after a disappointing game. To win by the margin we did – and the manner that we did – was really pleasing. Credit goes to the players for the way they responded. We got off to a really good start and we had control right from the start. The guys finished really strongly and played a really strong four quarter game of football. Going into the break, it’s good to freshen up and then set ourselves for the second part of the year.” – Justin Plapp

Angus Brayshaw: Gus had 29 possessions, five inside 50s, two goals and nine effective tackles. It was a really good return for Gus, after having five weeks out with the head knocks. He looked really sharp, even though he was on limited game time. He’s a class player and his return to football was really positive. Overall, it was a really exciting return.

Colin Garland: Col had 26 possessions, nine marks, four inside 50s and four effective tackles. He was one of our better players and really strong behind the ball. Col was also real strong in one-on-one contests. He was able to mark our oppo kicks and create a lot of offensive chains for us through half-back. For Col to come back to the VFL and produce the level of performance we know he can – that’s what we wanted from a senior AFL player.

Jeff Garlett: Jeffy had 13 possessions, three inside 50s, one goal and three effective tackles. He got back to the form that we know he’s capable of – even though he didn’t have a huge amount of the ball. Jeff seemed to be moving really well, up and down the ground, and he was able to put some forward pressure on the opposition to create opportunities. We played him in different positions – through the wing and through the middle of the ground. He engaged himself in the game, which was really pleasing. Now it’s about opportunity, moving forward for him.

Jack Grimes: Jack had 22 possessions, seven marks, eight inside 50s and three effective tackles. Grimesy was one of our better players and he was able to use his body size and win a lot of critical contests. He played through the midfield, wing and high half-forward. Grimesy was a really strong four quarter performer and again showed his terrific leadership. We’re very lucky to have Grimesy playing with us. He’s in good form at the moment and he just needs to get his opportunity.

Liam Hulett: Liam had 17 possessions, four marks and kicked 4.1. It was a good response from him this week after a disappointing performance the week before. He was one of our key position players up forward and led at the ball strongly. He was able to put some good forward pressure on the opposition, which created goals. Liam also marked the ball strongly and he continues to improve. We’re really, really happy with his output.

Matt Jones: Matty had 38 possessions, six inside 50s and three effective tackles. I thought he was one of our best players – if not our best. He worked really hard and got back to support our defence. The wing role that he played, he was able to provide an option for us out of defence. He was able to run and carry well and use it well. Jonesy was very damaging on the day and it was his best game in the VFL this year.

Max King: Max had 13 possessions, four marks, one goal and three effective tackles. He also had 15 hit outs, playing as a forward/ruckman. He played that support role and was able to move around the ground pretty freely at times. He also led for the ball well. Max just needs to sustain his performance over four quarters, but he certainly had an impact on the game.

Alex Neal-Bullen: He had 30 possessions, four marks, two inside 50s and had 10 effective tackles. It was a good game by Alex – he cracked in at the football around stoppage. He was able to win critical contests and was able to use and bring teammates into the game by his hands and creativeness around the ball. He’s a hard nut and he gives 100 per cent every week.

Ben Newton: Ben had 22 possessions, five marks, five inside 50s and seven effective tackles. It was a solid performance from Ben. The pleasing thing about Ben’s game was not just his ball-winning ability, but his ability to be able to come forward and close out and put the opposition under really strong pressure. He had a couple of really strong highlights and really led the way in that area.

Jake Spencer: Jake had 17 possessions, three marks, four goals and 53 hit outs. He was dominant on the day and was able to give first use of the ball to our midfielders. We ended up winning the clearances plus-18, which was a massive result and that was purely off the back of Spence. He was able to push forward and kick four goals.

Dean Terlich: He had 12 possessions, three marks, three inside 50s and five effective tackles. We thought Dean played his role really well. He played high half-forward and although he didn’t have big numbers, he really put the opposition under pressure and created three scoring opportunities for our team. He missed a couple of goals, on the back of some strong tackling. But he had an impact on the game with his defensive efforts.

Mitch White: Mitch had four marks from opposition kicks, six inside 50s and five effective tackles. Whitey has been consistently good without starring week after week. He continues to build his game and improve. His ability to defend has been fantastic. He’s been one of our most consistent players and been a real pleasure to coach this year.

AFL Victoria Development League
Saturday, June 18, 7pm, Avalon Airport Oval (Chirnside Park)
Casey Scorpions 12.14 (86) d Werribee 5.10 (40)

No Melbourne-listed players featured in the Development League