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

2017 Peter Jackson VFL
Saturday, June 24, 2.10pm
Casey Demons 14.15 (99) d Box Hill Hawks 11.7 (73)
Box Hill City Oval

From the coach …

“Our result on the weekend was a reflection of a really good month of football. It’s been a really good team month of football. Our players are responding well to specific roles and they’re really invested in each other – from a VFL and AFL point-of-view. They are enjoying their football and they’re enjoying working hard together and getting good results. Even though there were some significant individual performances – they came from a strong team effort. Most players have been really consistent in doing the basics well and that was really significant on the weekend. We’ve been able to have some good results against good opposition. I think our players are really hungry to compete and hungry for the contest, so that’s been really pleasing. It was a really strong performance against a quality team.” – Justin Plapp 

Liam Hulett: He had eight disposals, two marks and two behinds. Liam’s a tall player, who is going through a bit of a tough patch at the moment. He’s a young, developing key forward, who is still learning the game. Liam’s working through some areas in his game to find more consistency and I’m sure he’ll find his way through it.

Dion Johnstone: Dion had 15 disposals, five marks and seven tackles. He continues to impress and on the weekend I thought his pressure in the front half was superb. He is playing with a lot of intensity and gives his all. I’m like to see him hit the scoreboard a bit more, but that’s a work in progress. But he’s been impressive.  

Declan Keilty: He had 10 disposals and three marks. Declan was slow to start on the weekend, but he responded really well in the second half and he impacted the game aerially. It was really good to see him play like he did in the second half of last year. He’s been moved around to develop different areas of his game, but he’s coming along well.

Ben Kennedy: Ben had 36 diposals, seven inside 50s, five marks and four tackles. He continues to play very good and consistent VFL football. His contest work, intensity and repeat efforts were really significant. He also marked the ball really well. Ben also generated some inside 50s and set-up some of our work up forward.

Jay Kennedy-Harris: He had 40 disposals, five inside 50s, seven marks and eight tackles. Jay continues to impress at VFL level. He’s played some different roles over the past few weeks. But since moving into the middle of the ground, his game has become rounded, particularly around the contested part of his game. It’s been a significant improvement and he’s really putting his hand up for AFL footy.

Dean Kent: He had 35 disposals, 10 inside 50s, eight marks and four tackles. Dean continues to play good VFL footy. He’s in the Jay Kennedy-Harris and Ben Kennedy mould, where they are working on a few areas of their game. Dean was able to get his hands on the ball and give us a lot of forward 50 entries. He put a lot of pressure on the ball-carrier to hold the ball inside our forward 50. Dean just missed a couple of opportunities in front goal, which he would normally get. But otherwise, he was a very solid performer.

Mitch King: Mitch had six disposals and five hit outs. He played as a back-up to Jake Spencer, but continues to improve. Mitch has impressed me when he’s needed to have an impact, particularly when the game is in the balance. I was really happy with his second half. His follow-up work and work around the ruck contest was impressive. We’d just like to see Mitch get a bit more involved around the ground, particularly with his marking and he’ll spend a bit more time forward to develop his game.  

Corey Maynard: Corey had 26 disposals, four inside 50s, five marks and five tackles. He’s had a really solid year – his first in the system. Corey really drives our standards through team-first behaviours. His intensity around the contest, repeat efforts and contested work around the ball is impressive. As he’s come out of a different sport, he’s really developing several areas of his game and coming along nicely.

Jake Spencer: Jake had 33 hit outs, eight disposals and three tackles. It was his third game back from injury and it was the most comfortable he’s looked since he’s been back. He gave us first use of the ball, his contest work was very good and his ability to jump at the ball was impressive. His work around the ground also stood out. It was great to see Jake return to the type of form he showed before he got injured.

Jack Trengove: Jack had 15 disposals and eight marks. He continues to play high-level VFL football. We’ve been playing him in different positions to keep him pretty rounded. He played a defensive role and his positioning has been a highlight as well. His neatness as well, in tight situations, was really impressive.

Sam Weideman: Sam had 14 disposals, five marks, all contested, and kicked six goals. What a return to form for Sam! He was instrumental in setting the win up. His first quarter was as good as I’ve seen from a key forward. He finished his work off and he’s a player who has had some difficulties in his form. I was really proud of him to come back the way he did. He’s been working really hard on his game. He was superb on the weekend.

Mitch White: He had 25 disposals, five inside 50s, eight marks and three tackles. Mitch is playing some really consistent VFL football at the minute. His aerial work on the weekend – particularly his marks from opposition kicks – were a real highlight of his game. He was also able to generate some good forward entry and ball movement off our half-back line.

2017 AFL Victoria Development League
Saturday, June 24, 11am
Casey Demons 19.9 (123) d Box Hill Hawks 12.13 (85)
Box Hill City Oval

No Melbourne-listed players featured in this match