VFL (seniors)
Casey Scorpions 13.9 (87) d Williamstown 12.13 (85)
Saturday, March 24, 6pm, Casey Fields
Rohan Bail: Rohan was good. His [ability to win] contested ball was steady, and he used the ball reasonably well. And he got through a full game, which was important for his preparation. He put his name up for a possible round one AFL selection.
Tom Couch: We got exactly what we expected from Couchy. His inside work was very good, and he’s continuing to develop the other aspects of his game that we’re looking from him. Couchy is very comfortable in the VFL. He’s played a lot of VFL football and some very good VFL football. Couchy had a good game.
Jack Fitzpatrick: Fitzy jumped and competed pretty well in the ruck. He got around the ground, and was a target for us up forward when resting. He had a hand in a few goals and had a good game.
Jack Grimes: Grimesy statistically didn’t have a huge game. But he got out of it exactly what we were hoping for. He got through the game unscathed, and against quality opposition in Williamstown. He made the comment after the game that their forwards worked really hard, so from a fitness point of view, he got a really good testing out of the game.
Jordan Gysberts: Jordan was pretty good. It was probably his best game [this pre-season]. His inside stuff was very good as we know, but his tackling pressure was as good as I’ve seen it for a while. It was good to see him heading in the right direction and where we want him to go as a footballer.
Tom McDonald: Tom’s workrate and appetite is enormous and that was no different on Saturday night. He certainly competed hard and brought the ball to ground. But we’d like him to clunk a couple of more to get his hands on. His workrate and willingness to present is very good. He also kicked a goal, and it was a very Tom McDonald game.
Cale Morton: Morts was pretty good. He had a pretty good balance between his offensive and defensive games. Structurally, he was pretty good. He got through another game, post his knee injury. So he’s certainly given himself the chance to be considered for round one in the AFL.
Jai Sheahan: It was Jai’s first VFL game. It was a good test for Jai to see where he’s at and where he has developed over the summer. There were some aspects of his game we were looking for him to improve. He was a bit inconsistent over the course of the game, but his second half was a brand of football that we were looking for from Jai’s ability.
James Strauss: Straussy was pretty good defensively. Unfortunately, he got knocked out early in the last quarter from a big hit. And unfortunately he wasn’t able to see the game out. It was another progression for James, who is coming back from his serious leg injury. The game time he got was good, but I’m not too sure what his availability will be this week, on the back of his concussion.
Luke Tapscott: It was Tappy’s first game for the year. He played very much the way we would expect. He was physical and aggressive inside and had a hand in a couple of goals. And he also kicked a couple of goals himself. For Tappy, it was about getting through the game initially. Being his first game back, he’ll be better for the run, that’s for sure.
Josh Tynan: Josh started down back and spent a bit of time up forward and provided a real option for the boys up forward. The great thing about Josh was that it was his first game at VFL level. Through the experience he’s had through the NAB Cup, he was able to carry that mindset and expectation into the VFL. As a result, he had a good game. His attack and aggression in and around the contest was excellent.
Jack Watts: Jack had a really good game. It was the game we’ve all been waiting for Jack to play. He would’ve got some confidence out of it, I would’ve thought. He spent a bit of time up on the wing, and his ball use and ability to read the play was excellent. Jack will be feeling pretty good about getting through an entire game - and having a really good game. He’s put his name up for selection this week at AFL level.
AFL Victoria Development League (formerly reserves)
Williamstown 19.9 (123) d Casey Scorpions 9.7 (61)
Saturday, March 24, 3pm, Casey Fields
Kelvin Lawrence: He worked really hard. He adhered to the structures, which was really good. Kelvin’s knocking on the door of senior selection at Casey.
