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

2017 Peter Jackson VFL
Sunday, June 4, 2pm
Casey Demons 12.14 (86) d Coburg 10.8 (68)
Piranha Park

From the coach …

“It was a really high-pressure game. Coburg, to its credit, is a team that really makes you work around the contest. They put a lot of pressure around the ball and I thought they really sustained that. We probably let ourselves down with some composure at times and our ability to connect inside 50. But what we were able to do was sustain a pretty strong effort in intensity across the day, even though things didn’t go our way at times. Our players were able to embrace ourselves in the game and there were patches where we looked to break the game open, but we were happy to take the positives out of the game and improve on areas we need to. It wasn’t a pretty game of football, but it was effective and we were able to get the win.” – Justin Plapp 

Liam Hulett: Liam had 10 possessions, three marks, three inside 50s and four tackles. I thought Liam, as one of our key position players, really competed well in the air. He was able to put the opposition under some real pressure when our ball was inside forward 50. Liam was able to really stick at his role and he played it the way he was asked of him.

Dion Johnstone: Dion had 12 possessions, including eight contested possessions, five inside 50s and six tackles. It was by far Dion’s best game for the year. You look at his numbers and he didn’t have a lot of possessions, but I think the big thing for me was his ability to really involve himself in the contest. He continually hunted the opposition and produced repeat contests. There was a piece of play in the third quarter, where he was able to involve himself in three or four different passages of play, and he was rewarded with a goal. We really like the way he’s going about his football – he plays with intensity and plays the right way. It was a solid performance.

Declan Keilty: Declan had 10 possessions, 14 hit outs, three marks and three tackles. He played a number of different roles – he spent time in defence and played in the ruck. He spent a fair bit of time in the ruck, where he continues to improve and put pressure on the ball, and he went forward and was able to get himself into some really good positions. He continues to improves.

Ben Kennedy: Ben had 23 disposals, 10 uncontested possessions, kicked 3.1 and had eight tackles. He was arguably our best player on the weekend, along with Jay Kennedy-Harris. Ben really set the tone around the ball, with his hardness. He put the opposition under pressure and he gave us a lot of momentum around contests. His finishing work around goal was something that was a highlight of his game. He’s a player that put his hand-up on the weekend.

Jay Kennedy-Harris: He had 47 disposals, including 25 contested possessions, 11 clearances and six tackles. Jay had an extraordinary amount of football for a player playing a number of different roles on the weekend. He was able to really use his speed to get to a lot of contests, while his ability to win the contested ball and get the ball on the outside was a real highlight. He played with energy and a lot of intensity, and it was a really good return for a lot of hard work. He’s had a few weeks where he’s been down, but he really performed strongly.

Dean Kent: He had 25 disposals, seven inside 50s and five tackles. Dean was a pretty prolific ball-winner for us on the weekend. He was used in a number of different roles and was able to use his power and speed, particularly around stoppages. He was able to get the ball going forward for us, but probably wasted a couple of opportunities in front of goal – and he’s shown us that he’s able to kick goals. Kenty showed some pretty positive signs on the weekend.

Corey Maynard: Corey had 21 possessions, including 13 contested possessions, five clearances and four tackles. He returned from injury after a really solid concussion. It was a credit to Corey, the way he bounced back into the game. He plays with such a lot of energy and he’s a team-first player. I was really pleased for him to be able to get himself back in the game. Corey was able to use his hands well in tight situations, which is something he’s been working on. It was a really good return and I couldn’t be prouder of him.

Tim Smith: Tim had eight possessions, two inside 50s and six tackles. He’s a player coming back from a pretty horrific injury – he suffered a punctured lung and broken ribs against Richmond in the AFL in round five. Those types of injuries can always take a bit to get over, but his return was strong. He was a bit off the pace early, but as the game went on, he involved himself in the contest and was able to lay some trademark Tim Smith tackles. He’s going to be a couple of weeks away from his best, but it was a big step forward for him.

Billy Stretch: He had 24 disposals, 17 uncontested possessions, four clearances, five tackles and kicked three behinds. Billy was a significant performer for us on the weekend. At VFL level, he gets thrown around in different positions, as we see him as a player who can play a number of different roles. His team-first behavior and leadership was outstanding, but the only downside of his game was some missed opportunities in front of goal. It would’ve capped off his day. Otherwise, he really took us forward and played his role.

Jack Trengove: Jack had 28 possessions, including 10 contested possessions, four clearances and six tackles. He continues to really impress around his team-first actions and leadership at VFL level. He did a lot of work around the contest and I thought his ability to get the ball out, around the contest, was a highlight. Jack was also able to show some composed ball use, which allowed us to take the ball forward a number of times.

Sam Weideman: He had 11 possessions, eight hit outs and two tackles. Sam has had a pretty tough month. He’s hasn’t been able to hit the scoreboard, but the great thing about him on the weekend was that he was able to play in a foreign position – he played in the ruck and he performed really strongly in there. He was also able to get involved in some uncontested chains and his hands on the ball. Full credit to him to be able to embrace a new role and he’s another developing tall, and we have some real understanding around that.

Mitch White: He had 24 disposals, six marks, four inside 50s and four tackles. Mitch has had a really consistent month. He continues to improve each week, after missing a fair bit of the pre-season through an ankle injury. He’s becoming a lot more consistent in the aerial part of the game and at ground level. Mitch is a player that takes us forward by foot and he also supports his teammates well. He was another player we felt was one of our stronger performers.

2017 AFL Victoria Development League
Sunday, June 4, 11am
Casey Demons 17.12 (114) d Coburg 13.6 (84)
Piranha Park

No Melbourne-listed players featured in this game