Development coach Travis Varcoe reviews the 12 AFL-listed Bulldogs who featured at state-league level against Brisbane VFL on Friday afternoon.

Sam Darcy

12 disposals, three marks, three clearances, 17 hit outs

It was good to see Sam go up against some bona-fide ruckmen. I thought he was able to change up a few things to help give us some access. He’s still really early on into hopefully what will be a long and prosperous career, so it was good to give him that exposure against some AFL bodies and AFL-listed ruckmen. He’s showing some great growth.

Zaine Cordy

13 disposals, three marks, five rebound 50s

Zeus was pretty solid, especially in the first quarter when we had to defend a bit of an onslaught and a lot of entries. I thought he was able to at least steady our backline and help get our heads back in the game. It’s always nice to have that sort of experience down there to help settle things. I thought he was solid for us.

Toby McLean

24 disposals, two marks, five tackles, four inside 50s, three clearances

It was good for Tobes to get a second game under his belt. I always say the second one is the hardest one, after the excitement of the first game and the bumps and bruises. It looks like he’s picked up exactly from where he left off though – it’s nice for him to get some kilometres back in his legs too. That bash and crash is what we’re used to from Tobes, but also having the ball on the outside and having some cleaner executions on the skill side of things is going to hold him in great stead.

Louis Butler

26 disposals, three marks, five tackles, four rebound 50s, two clearances, one goal

It was great to have Louis back too, after a little break. One thing we know about Buts is that he has an amazing tank, and will run and play wherever you need him. He was able to slot back in on the wing for us and gave us some great looks going forward. Again, he’ll be better for the long run.

Buku Khamis

15 disposals, four marks, six hit outs, two goals

Buks took his opportunities forward. A lot of the time, he had to battle +1 or +2, but was able to hold up his end of it the majority of the day. It was nice to have him in the ruck as well – which will add to his weapons and skill set. It was good exposure for him to ruck against some quality AFL-listed players. We love having him there as a presence and target up forward too.

Mitch Hannan

11 disposals, six rebound 50s, one goal

It was a long layoff for Mitchy, and a new role for him too. I think he took some great lessons out of it, so it will be exciting to see how that grows over the next couple of weeks. Again, when you’re coming back from injury, getting through the game is one thing but being able to use your skills – as he did with his leg and great kicking – to help us open the ground for some offensive plays is another thing. We’re excited to see how he goes over the next couple of weeks.

Lachie McNeil

11 disposals, five tackles, three goals

Lachie was good for us. Coming back with that AFL experience and taking that under his belt, while helping his teammates around him is really impressive. No one wants to come out of the AFL side, but his attitude was first-class. He’s applied himself really well to his defensive stuff too, and got some great looks going back the other way.

Arthur Jones

Five disposals, eight tackles

Arty played some forward time and had a nasty clash at the end of the game. He was our second-highest tackle count on the day, so to apply that sort of pressure, have some looks at it front and centre, and bring that typical small-forward craft on a wet day was exciting. More importantly, we hope he recovers well from that big gash – but you can’t question his bravery. 

Luke Cleary

20 disposals, five marks, three inside 50s, six rebound 50s

Clizz was great for us. The way he sees the game unfold in front of him, reading pressure to make the right decisions, and almost takes kicks that you don’t think are there is great to see. He really took that on, and again with our backline under siege was the first or second back to clean up a lot on the ground. There are encouraging signs for him – the next couple of weeks will be important, as all weeks are, for him to continue building on what he’s doing.

Roarke Smith

12 disposals, three tackles, three clearances

Roarkey was solid – having his bigger body around helps us get that contest right. He’s one of our elite runners at this Club, but for him to be able to do it on a day that was wet and heavy, he generated some really good plays and good looks. Like all of our boys, it’s coming to an important time of the year where they can really start putting pressure on some of the guys above. It’s a good block for Roarke. 

Riley Garcia

24 disposals, six tackles, seven inside 50s, three clearances, one goal

Sunny was good – it was a little bit of a different lead-in for him, given he was the AFL sub. Like Lachie McNeil and his attitude though, he was first-class. He doesn’t complain about anything – he just wants to come out and win, wants to help his teammates, and wants to do well. His inside stuff was great - getting territory and helping get the game back on our terms a bit. He was a massive driver in that.

Cody Raak

Six disposals, two tackles

Raaky played forward, which was a new role for him. It was a great education piece for him, and will be great to see him grow into that. He does move really well around the ground, and has a good read on the game. He’ll be fine with a little bit more exposure to it with some tech craft. He’s one that is learning on the job - he’s a great kid, he listens and he asks questions which is great too.