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

2017 Peter Jackson VFL: round three
Saturday, April 29, 1pm, Simonds Stadium
Geelong 14.8 (92) d Casey Demons 8.8 (56)

From the coach …

“It was a disappointing result. We didn’t start well and we gave them easy possessions, and easy access at goal on occasions, through lack of pressure. We were able to get ourselves back in the game by going forward with the ball quicker. We had a very undersized forward line and unfortunately we played into their hands when we went into attack. It was probably one of the more disappointing performances in my three years coaching in the VFL. We’ve got to simply play our game, and the areas we’re renowned for were lacking. We had a lot of efforts that weren’t trademark. There were three or four blokes who could walk away from the game and say they contributed for four quarters. It leaves a fairly big gap, when you’ve only got four decent contributors across the game.” – Justin Plapp 

James Harmes: Harmesy was left out of the AFL team and we thought his return was really strong. He had 20 possessions and eight tackles. We thought his effort was very strong and his ability to impact contests was a highlight. The opposition put a bit of work into him, and although he performed his role, we probably needed a bit more from him too.

Liam Hulett: We’re trying to play Liam, who is a second-year player, in some different positions at the moments to help build his overall game and add some strings to his bow. Liam is building into that role and I would say that he’s really open to get some real improvements. The big thing is for Liam is to simplify his game and tick some boxes in his aerial contest work. He finished with 16 possessions and four marks.

Dion Johnstone: Dion had a quiet day. He had six disposals and six tackles. As a pressure, high half-forward, we tried to simplify his game around pressure and getting to as many contests as he could. He’s a typical first-year player, where you’re going to get some inconsistencies. It wasn’t his best performance to date, but we’re looking for him to really work on his game. We’re looking to get the best out of him in the next few weeks.

Declan Keilty: Declan only lasted a quarter, after suffering a head knock. He’ll be monitored during the week and a call will be made on whether he plays next round later in the week.

Ben Kennedy: Ben continues to play with a lot of energy and intensity. He finished with 26 possessions, five inside 50s, six marks and seven tackles. Ben’s challenge at the moment is to try and also get consistency across the board – and through his possessions. A lot of his game is based on pressure, but just hurting the opposition through a bit of his ball use is probably going to be the main focus for him in the coming weeks.

Dean Kent: Dean had 22 disposals, five marks and kicked a goal. His performance over the weekend was the type of football we know he can play. He was able to really impact some contests and put on a lot of forward  50 pressure. Kenty also laid some significant tackles in attack. His ability to put the opposition under pressure was really positive.  

Mitch King: In his second game back, after a year out of the game, Mitch showed really good patches of football. He had seven disposals, four tackles and 20 hit outs. For a player who is coming back from a significant knee injury, the challenge for Mitch is to keep building some consistency in his game. He was up against a really seasoned AFL player, who has been around a long time, in Rhys Stanley. Mitch had his work cut out and the challenge for him is to really learn off those players and round his game off. I think the weekend was a really good learning experience for Mitch.

Corey Maynard: He continues to improve. His energy and ability to be able to get from contest to contest, and put the opposition under pressure, was very good. We really felt he set the tone in that area. The challenge for Corey is to keep building his game, and adding small things every week. He had 22 disposals and five tackles.

Jack Trengove: It was another solid performance from Jack. He had 29 disposals, six marks and six tackles. Trenners continues to play a number of different roles for us in the team. He plays with a team first attitude and his ability to embrace himself as a leader at VFL level has been a real highlight for the past few weeks. We’ve been really happy with his performances. He continues to really work hard on his game.

Josh Wagner: We were absolutely rapt with his performance on the weekend. For a player that’s had multiple injuries this year and they’ve been quite significant over the past 12 weeks, his return to football was at a high level. His ability to be able to compete in the air was very good. He was strong over the football and he gave us some real drive and quality ball use across half-back. He finished with 21 disposals, seven tackles and five marks. 

Mitch White: Mitch showed signs of improvement. His aerial stuff was consistent, but the challenge for him is to do it over four quarters. Mitch’s intercept marking was a highlight, and his ability to take us forward at times was good. He had 24 disposals and six marks.

2017 Peter Jackson VFL: round three
Sunday, April 30, 11am, Casey Fields
Sandringham 10.11 (71) d Casey Demons 6.13 (49)

Lochie Filipovic: He’s a developing ruckman, who is learning his craft and he’s working really hard on his game. We just tried to simplify his game to make sure he’s jumping at the ball, and his second and third efforts are really strong. He’s building nicely, but he’s going to take a bit of time.