2017 Peter Jackson VFL
Saturday, August 26, 7pm
Casey Demons 11.15 (81) d Werribee 9.12 (66)
Casey Fields 

From the coach …

“The match was always going to be a pretty fierce battle, because of what was at stake for both teams. Werribee was playing for finals, so we knew it was going to be a competitive contest. There was a lot on the line for both teams, so to Werribee’s credit they were challenged with injury and they played right to the end and put us under a lot of heat. We started the game well, but as it went on, our intensity dropped after being very good for four or five weeks. We felt Saturday’s result at AFL level had an impact on some of the team, so there was a lot of emotion. We had to grind it out in the end and that happened in the last 10 minutes of the game, when the likes of Josh Wagner, Tom Bugg, Jimmy Munro and Sam Weideman were all involved in critical contests – and they had to put their body on the line. Those little things helped us win the game. We played a team that was playing to win and we withstood a bit of their pressure, so it was great preparation for this week’s qualifying final against Williamstown. It was a good win, but it was hard to win, so we’ll take it.” – Justin Plapp 

Tom Bugg: Tom had 12 disposals, including six contested possessions, six tackles, three clearances and one goal. He was really well held on the weekend in his second game back, after being suspended for six matches. Buggy copped a couple of knocks, where he had to be assessed throughout the game, but I was a bit disappointed in a lot of his game. Having said that, the last 10 minutes of the game, he stood up and put his body on the line. He had a defining moment in the last quarter, where the team grew out of it. Although he didn’t have a massive impact from a possession point of view, there were some significant things where he helped us late in the game, so the night wasn’t a write-off for him.

Sam Frost: Sam had 10 disposals, three marks, one tackle and one rebound 50. He’s be the first to concede that his opponent got the better of him at times. He had some inconsistent moments in his game and it wasn’t one of his best nights. Sam won’t be taking part in our VFL finals, as he didn’t qualify for games.

Liam Hulett: He had seven possessions, three marks, seven tackles, two inside 50s and kicked two behinds. Liam continues to be consistently good. He’s still generating opportunities to hit the scoreboard, but a lot of his opportunities have come through his defensive aspects. Liam’s played his role there, but we’d like to see him have more of an impact in the air. He’s working hard in that area, but he’s adding value to the side, particularly in the defensive area of his game. He was highest tackle winner on the night.

Dion Johnstone: Dion had 19 disposals, three tackles, five clearances and three inside 50s. Johnno came back from a week off and I thought early he was a bit quiet, but when the game was on the line, he got himself back in it. He put pressure on and won his own ball. He was a player who we thought stood up late in the game. He’s a first-year player who continues to grow. Dion’s physically maturing every week and is heading in the right direction.

Declan Keilty: Declan had eight disposals, four marks, including three contested grabs, four tackles and three rebound 50s. His past four weeks have been as good as I’ve seen him play. Declan’s shown more consistency through his contest and aerial work. He’s really dominated some aerial marking of his game. The biggest thing now for Declan is that he has the belief to know that he’s good enough. We’ll continue to see him grow and we’ll see that over the next few weeks.

Ben Kennedy: He had 26 disposals, including 12 contested possessions, four tackles, six clearances and six inside 50s. Ben continues to play a really good level of VFL footy. In the first half, he was able to use it well and get the ball to the outside. He played his role really strongly. Although he dropped away a little bit, he was significant when we needed to win it.

Jay Kennedy-Harris: Jay had 19 disposals, including 10 contested possessions, five tackles, four clearances and he kicked a goal. He was well held early in the game and he’s copped a bit of attention in the past month. Jay’s had some big numbers at VFL level, but we still needed to challenge Jay and to his credit, his last quarter was very good. He six or seven possessions in the last quarter, but it was the way he went about it that impressed. Jay played with speed and the defensive aspect of his game was good. It was a mixed bag for him, but I really liked his last quarter.  

Mitch King: Mitch had nine disposals, including eight contested possessions, two tackles, 35 hit outs and kicked a goal. He continues to develop and grow. His past six weeks have been really promising, particularly when Jake Spencer was out injured. Mitch has taken on a lot of the ruck duties by himself and it’s been a blessing in disguise for him. He’s been able to grow and we’ve got a good young ruckman coming through. Mitch has got a great opportunity over the next few weeks, which can take him forward. He’s starting to impact around the ground, so a big tick for Mitch.

Corey Maynard: He had 21 disposals, including 15 contested possessions, six tackles, eight clearances, six inside 50s and he kicked 2.2. Corey continues to grow and build confidence in his game – and his ability. Saturday night was no different – he continues to play with great intensity. He also has the ability to win plenty of contested ball. He’s becoming cleaner with his possessions and he was able to hit the scoreboard, which was great to see him finish his work off.

Billy Stretch: Billy had eight disposals, three tackles and two inside 50s. He was a bit off the other night, having been in bed for a few days with the flu. Billy didn’t have the best preparation, but the one thing I love about him is that he didn’t use it as an excuse. He was still able to compete and show the endeavour that he does. I know he would’ve been disappointed with his performance, but we know he wasn’t at his best physically and we know that he’ll bounce back this week. We’ll see a big improvement in him.

Jake Spencer: Jake had 10 disposals, three marks and 32 hit outs. It was his first game back from injury. He worked his way into the game nicely and was on managed minutes. Jake and Mitch King dominated the ruck together and were able to win clearance by four or five. He played his role well. Jake’s been in the system for a while now, so we were expecting him to deliver and we’re expecting big things from him in the next few weeks.

Jack Trengove: He had 25 disposals, three tackles, three clearances, five inside 50s, six rebounds 50s. Jack continues to play a number of different roles at VFL level – a mix of half-back, wing and inside mid. He’s a bigger body for us and continues to drive good standards and behaviours. I thought he was a player who was able to stand-up over the course of four quarters. He didn’t have many inconsistencies in his game and he contributed in a big way.

Josh Wagner: Josh had 26 disposals, including 12 contested possessions, three tackles and four rebound 50s. After being left out of the AFL team, I thought he was pretty significant in the first half. He was able to get his hands on the ball and link-up. As the game went on, we had to shift him to half-back, where he’s more comfortable. But his game, on a tough night, was solid.

Sam Weideman: Sam had nine disposals, five marks and kicked two behinds. He had a funny night. He didn’t have many possessions early and had a night where he ‘nearly’ did several things. Sam got himself in some really good marking positions – and if he had have taken them, then his night would’ve been really good. He’s working really hard on his game and I think we’re going to see the best of Sam over the next few weeks. He’s showing all of the right behaviours and he’s still a young player who is developing. Sam got himself going in the second half and was one of the players on the ground that looked dangerous – without having a lot of impact on the stats sheet.

2017 AFL Victoria Development League
Saturday, August 26, 4pm
Casey Demons 23.13 (151) d Werribee 4.3 (27)
Casey Fields  

No Melbourne-listed players played in the Development League