VFL Report: Round 18By Richmond Media
4 hrs ago
Richmond VFL coach Steve Morris provides a summary of how the Tigers’ players performed in last Sunday’s loss against Collingwood at the Swinburne Centre.
Tyler Sonsie (29 disposals, four marks, three rebound-50s, four inside-50s, nine clearances)
“Tyler found the ball regularly throughout the day with 29 disposals and nine clearances, however, I would love to see him be a little more damaging with ball in hand moving forward.”
Jagga Smith (27 disposals, 14 contested possessions, three rebound-50s, four clearances)“Jagga, once again, got the ball in and under and led the team with 14 contested possessions. I’ve spoken to Jagga about taking the game on a little bit more and driving his legs and getting the ball forward. He knows that this is an area that he wants to focus on, and I'm sure he'll get to work on that.”
Jacob Blight (23 disposals, 78% disposal efficiency, 22 spoils, four marks, six rebound-50s, three tackles)“Something that stood out in Jacob's game was his aerial power. He had 22 spoils on the day, which is just a massive number, but I feel as though we can get a little bit more bang for buck with some of those aerial contests, but it was good to see him focus on playing the percentages in wet conditions, and it's a good starting point for him.”
Kane McAuliffe (23 disposals, 13 contested possessions, three marks, three inside-50s, nine tackles, five clearances)
“Kane played around the footy and kicked a beautiful goal from 55 metres out on the run. He also had nine tackles on the day and used the ball quite well.”
Tom Brindley (18 disposals, 13 contested possessions, four marks, five clearances, 37 hit-outs) “Tom had a huge matchup on the day and we asked him to play solo ruck throughout the course of the day and I thought he was huge for us. He worked tirelessly defensively, and offensively, had a big impact on the game.”
Joel Garner (18 disposals, four rebound-50s, three inside-50s, four tackles)“We asked Joel to play down back in the first half, and we probably missed his big body inside. We threw him on the ball in the second half, and I think we got the result that we wanted to from Joel. His leadership really does stand out.”
Lachlan Wilson (18 disposals, 10 contested possessions, three inside-50s, 13 tackles, six clearances)
“Once again, Lachy was tough in and under with 13 tackles on the day. Whilst we would’ve liked him to have used the ball a little bit better on the day, it was difficult conditions and we probably missed him around the footy in the second half.”
Tom McCarthy (16 disposals, nine contested possessions, five marks, three rebound-50s, three inside-50s) “Tom continued his good form down back. One thing that really stands out is his speed, and I think he's learning and gaining a greater understanding of his role down back each and every week. He's going to be really important for us in the coming weeks.”
Mutaz El Nour (15 disposals, four marks, six rebound-50s, three inside-50s, four tackles) “Mutaz had another solid game defensively. I would like to see him start to look forward a little bit more with the footy in hand and help us launch some more attacking pieces of play. But we'll get to work on that and I'm sure that he's capable of helping our offence.”
Austin Johnson (14 disposals, seven contested possessions, four marks, four inside-50s, four tackles)“Another solid game from Austin without standing out. He's extremely reliable week in, and week out.”
Sam Davison (13 disposals, eight contested possessions, three tackles, four clearances)“Sam looked really lively, things just didn't fall his way for the majority of the day. I’m looking forward to seeing him in better conditions again. He's had an outstanding season and I'm sure he'll be a big part of our charge for the finals.”
Matthew Clarkson (12 disposals, four tackles, two inside-50s)“Matthew’s been in super form, but he probably didn't reach those lofty heights on the weekend. A little bit of fumbling at different stages, which is very unlike him, but no doubt he'll get to work on that in preparation for our next game.”
Noah Cumberland (11 disposals, six contested possessions, three marks)“Noah had seven shots on goal and looked lively all day. He just needs to work on capitalising on the opportunities that he gets in front of goal, but he brought a great attitude to the day.”
Ry Cantwell (11 disposals, four marks, four rebound-50s)
“Really love what I see from Ry. There's huge upside in his game. His speed is incredible and he's an exciting player who will continue to grow with exposure at this level.”
Matthew Coulthard (nine disposals, three inside-50s, two rebound-50s)“I would have liked more output from Matty. He's a player that I think can really help us, and whilst he wasn't suited by the conditions on the day, he needs to have a greater impact on the game than he did on the weekend.”
Harrison White (eight disposals, two inside-50s, two tackles)“Harry played up forward and got into some really good spots, but just probably didn't have the game impact that we would have liked.”
Josh Pollocks (eight disposals, four contested possessions, one mark)“Josh played up forward and down back as well. It was an even game from Josh. He missed a bit of footy over the last month and was in great form before his break. Hopefully, he can get back to some of that form very shortly.”
Liam George (eight disposals, three tackles, one inside-50)“Thought he ran some really good patterns and played his role, but he was another player that we just feel we can get more out of and I'm looking forward to seeing him bounce back after the bye.”
Marlion Pickett (eight disposals, two inside-50s, four tackles) “Marlion played a little bit of on-ball and up forward in the second half. I thought he was a standout up forward late in the game with his contest work. I'm looking forward to seeing him get some more game time after the bye, and really launch into the back part of the season.”
Jacob Bauer (six disposals, three marks, four hit-outs)“Similarly to Noah Cumberland, Bauer got some really good looks in front of goals and I thought he looked lively all day. It’s very unusual for Jacob not to take every opportunity that he gets, but really enjoying the way he's approaching his footy at the moment and looking for a big month ahead for him.”
Mohammad Yassine (six disposals, five contested possessions, one goal)“Another player that we've got really high hopes for who just didn't impact the game quite as we would’ve liked. He had a good opportunity on the weekend and he's just got to continue to put the work in to grow his game at this level.”
Maurice Rioli Jr. (four disposals, 100% disposal efficiency, four tackles)“Great to see Maurice back out on the park. It's been a long time between games for him. He played three quarters on the weekend and hopefully will increase his game time after the bye and continue to have a greater impact on not only VFL, but AFL footy.”
Nick Guiney (three disposals, two marks, one tackle)“Nick has found himself in a little bit of a rut over the last month. He's a super important player to us. He's tough, uses the ball well, and is a great runner. We want to get him up and firing again because when he's up and going, he makes us a much better team.”
https://www.richmondfc.com.au/news/1615076/vfl-report-round-18
