Lewis Young
14 disposals (10 kicks), six marks, six rebound 50s, 13 hit-outs
“’Lewy’ has had some opportunities to play ruck and forward at AFL level, so we continued to extend his experience in this game. It wasn’t a great day for talls – being so windy - but he was really important in the third quarter when we decided to play him as a defender. His intercept marking was great – he made a significant contribution particularly in that quarter.”
Mitch Wallis
16 disposals, seven clearances, five tackles, five inside 50s
“Along with all our midfielders, Mitch played a significant part in getting the game back on our terms before the scoreboard started moving in our favour. He had a huge number of contested possessions and seven clearances - a lot of which came in the second and third quarters when the game was on the line. He was definitely a big part of changing momentum in the game.”
Rhylee West
27 disposals, seven clearances, nine tackles, three goals
“This was Rhylee’s best game for the year. A combination of that midfield responsibility to steady their scoring and swing momentum – he’s showing incredible care for the team, and while he has his own personal goals, is heavily invested in the team outcomes too. His two second-quarter goals were critical in us narrowing the margin.”
Laitham Vandermeer
16 disposals, four marks, six inside 50s, five tackles, one goal
“It was great to have Laith back and going again – he played significantly more game time this week. We saw great examples of his speed and tackle pressure, and even scored for us while playing a mix of wing and forward. His return from injury is tracking nicely.”
Buku Khamis
20 disposals (15 kicks), seven marks, eight rebound 50s
“Buku was a bit of a lone hand in defence with mostly VFL players around him, so his leadership was good. He was really decisive, and made clear decisions between when to mark and when to spoil. A lot of the time he’d pick spoil and create stoppages which was great, because it allowed us to reset the ground. His influence exceeded his stats.”
Ben Cavarra
21 disposals, four inside 50s, six tackles, three goals
“’Cav’ often generates those forward scoring opportunities, so for him to kick three goals himself was a great reward for his hard work. He scored at influential times, while also playing around the ball a bit and getting back to help out our defenders.”
Dom Bedendo
17 disposals, four tackles, one goal
“Compared to games where Dom has kicked more goals, this was much more of a well-rounded performance. He was involved in scoring opportunities, and also laid some solid front-half tackles. His pressure on the opposition was good too – he is really embracing some of the finer details of team defence.”
Lachie McNeil
19 disposals (12 kicks), four marks, three goals
“Casey’s wingers were giving us trouble early, but Lachie made some nice adjustments to the point where they needed to worry about him rather than the other way around. To finish with three goals too was a good result.”
Will Hayes
32 disposals, nine marks, nine rebound 50s
“Will continues to be an incredibly reliable defender – he always gets a lot the ball, but his understanding of the conditions and when to go fast or slow has been really important for some of the lesser experienced players around him.”
Jordon Sweet
Seven disposals, seven tackles, four clearances, 49 hit-outs
“Statistically, Jordon’s ruck performance was dominant against Casey’s younger ruckmen. He did have his hands full early though, as the opposition ruck was genuinely bigger than him. It was great to see Jordon persist and wear him down, and then be an influence at stoppages against a very good midfield. He gave us some pretty good service too, which helped us win the clearances significantly on the day.”
On the VFL-listed players…
“Robbie McComb (32 disposals, six tackles, one goal) and Lachie Sullivan (28 disposals, five tackles) continue to be an integral part of our midfield. They’d be the first two to admit they probably felt a bit rusty coming off the two-week break, but they were fantastic.”
