VFL Report: Round 1Richmond VFL coach Steve Morris provides a summary of how the Tigers’ players performed in Sunday's Round 1 win over the Northern Bullants at the Swinburne Centre.
Jack Ross (29 disposals, 13 marks, six inside-50s, six rebound-50s, one goal)"Looks above the level every time he plays VFL. Couldn't have asked for more from him in terms of attitude, and his game impact was extremely high, mainly from a wing, and half-back late in the game.
Sam Banks (23 disposals, 10 marks, three inside-50s)"He found a lot of the footy on the wing and played minimal minutes at half-back as well, which is great for his development to play in a couple of different positions. He is brilliant with the footy in hand when in space, and that was no different on the weekend."
Tyler Sonsie (21 disposals, eight contested possessions, three inside-50s)"His game on the weekend was another solid step towards full fitness for him. He did miss a bit of pre-season and he's starting to get his touch back and fitness back. Hopefully, it won't be long until we see him out playing with the AFL side."
Thomson Dow (17 disposals, six clearances, three marks)"Was really solid for us on the weekend in and around stoppage. We'd really like to see him improve his game around the ground, but his clearance work and contest work for us is always of high value and high importance."
Bigoa Nyuon (17 disposals, 30 hit-outs, six marks, three clearances)"Was outstanding on the weekend. He had a game-high 30 hit-outs and he was a real presence in and around the footy with second efforts, but also towering over his opposition in the air. Hopefully, that was a breakout game for him in 2023 and sets the standard at a very high level for him this season."
Judson Clarke (16 disposals, five inside-50s, four marks)"Looked really good on the day. His finishing skills probably didn't match what we know he's capable of, but he certainly got into really good positions and was open a lot more than we were actually able to use him. So, I'm certain if he runs those patterns in future weeks he's going to get some rewards on the scoreboard as well."
Hugo Ralphsmith (13 disposals, three marks, two rebound-50s)"Hugo started the game at half-back and went to a wing, and I thought he had a really solid first half despite being heavily tagged. He finished the game playing as a high half-forward in a bid to expose him to a couple of different roles that we may need replaced at AFL level in the not-to-distant-future, and I thought his application was really good."
Kaelan Bradtke (10 disposals, six marks, five goals)"He really stood out in the first half, kicking five first-half goals. He's a work in progress, but he's extremely talented. He'll continue to develop his understanding of our structures and the style of footy that's required to play at the elite level, but it was a really pleasing start from him."
Noah Cumberland (10 disposals, five tackles, two marks)"Had a bit of an indifferent game. I thought offensively, he didn't have the impact that we would expect of him, and at times, his defence was inconsistent. But, highlighted by his five tackles, I thought he really did step in at times, and the opposition certainly felt him when he was in and around contests at times."
Jacob Bauer (eight disposals, six marks, three inside-50s, three goals)'Was on managed minutes having missed a good portion of the last four to six weeks. I thought there were times where he tried to mark when he probably could have brought it to ground as a key forward, but overall, I thought his return game was a really good one. He hit the scoreboard heavily with three goals and probably could have had a couple more as well. So, I'm looking forward to that being a stepping stone into the coming weeks."
Ben Miller (seven disposals, 17 hit-outs, two marks, two goals)"He's the ultimate utility/swingman and that was no different on the weekend. He played mainly as a key forward, but it was in the ruck that he really showed his authority. I'd like to see him have more of an impact when playing forward, but I thought he did play his role pretty well and also hit the scoreboard with two goals."
https://www.richmondfc.com.au/news/1293792/vfl-report-round-1
