VFL and development coach Craig McRae provides a summary of how the Tigers’ players performed in last Sunday's Round 19 win over the Northern Blues.
Jacob Townsend
27 disposals, three goals, nine marks, three tackles, four clearances & three inside-50s
“Was the carry-over player last week and returned to the VFL and was outstanding, 27 disposals, nine marks, four clearances and three goals and was really above the level and it was one of his best performances for the year.”
Jake Aarts
24 disposals, three goals, six marks (two contested), four tackles, three clearances & four inside-50s
“Was another player who really relished playing on the MCG. He played his best game for the year, 24 disposals, six marks, four tackles, three goals and two genuine score assists which are outstanding numbers but it was he was the one that set the game up early and kicked two first quarter goals and set-up another one. He was back to his best form.”
Patrick Naish
23 disposals, one goal, 10 handball receives, five marks & four inside-50s
“Played through the wing, 23 disposals, he continues to get hold of the ball. He kicked a goal late, went forward and he’s in good form, 10 handball receives and kicking the ball well.”
Fraser Turner
23 disposals, 12 handball receives, three inside-50s & two rebound-50s
“Played multiple roles—he played wing, inside mid(fielder) and then half-back. He continues to find the ball, which we say each week. Learning his craft and playing within the team system is his growth opportunity.”
Connor Menadue
21 disposals, 14 handball receives, one goal, five marks, four score assists & eight inside-50s
“Continues his great form, 21 disposals, four genuine score involvements and kicked a goal himself. He’s really playing great football at the moment at this level.”
Callum Coleman-Jones
19 disposals, six hit-outs, six marks & four inside-50s
“Another who’s at the peak of his powers in terms of his form—19 disposals for a forward/ruck is really great numbers. He missed two goals, one from the goal square which is quite hard to do but other than those small improvement areas he’s really improving and developing nicely.”
Luke English
19 disposals, two goals, 11 handball receives, four tackles, six clearances (four centre clearances) & three inside-50s
“Played his best game for the Football Club. A first-year player, 19 disposals but it was his hands in and around traffic that really stood out, six clearances and ended up kicking two goals as well, so it was really pleasing to see him playing that sort of footy this close to September.”
Dan Butler
17 disposals, four tackles & nine inside-50s
“Returned from the AFL, 17 disposals, led the team for inside-50s, his run and carry really stood out, bouncing the ball and his finishing inside-50 and decision making is his growth opportunity from this game.”
Ryan Garthwaite
16 disposals, seven marks, four spoils & seven rebound-50s
“16 disposals, seven marks and seven rebound-50s, it was really pleasing to see him get involved in those (offensive) chains and marking the ball more this week than spoiling, which has been a real focus for him.”
Riley Collier-Dawkins
16 disposals, seven handball receives, three tackles & two inside-50s
“Enjoyed the space of the MCG, bursting out of clearances, it looked like he had real speed and power in what he was doing and continues to show each week that he’s heading in the right direction.”
Marlion Pickett
15 disposals, three spoils & five inside-50s
“His second game with the Club, we tried him down back and then also a little bit in the midfield in the second half. His hands around the contest is a real feature and he looks like a nice player. We’re just trying to find the right position for him at the moment.”
Oleg Markov
15 disposals, nine marks & five inside-50s
“Started forward, led the team for marks, two contested marks was a real feature early in the game. He didn’t impact the scoreboard this week, went back in the last quarter and had some real run and dash and is covering the ground really nicely.”
Noah Balta
12 disposals, four marks, three tackles, two spoils, one goal & four rebound-50s
“Played down back and then went into the ruck in the last quarter and had some real genuine highlights with ball in-hand and then defending. We’re just tidying up some of the concentration stuff but that was a real step forward for Noah.”
Ben Miller
Eight disposals, two goals & two inside-50s
“Played forward early and looked really lively, kicked two goals. His lateral movement and his decision-making inside-50 was a feature this week and he looked really hard to play on. He had to go back in the last quarter and played his role well there. This was one of his better performances.”
Callum Moore
Eight disposals, four goals & three tackles
“Returned from 13 weeks out through injury. He started at quarter-time and then played the game out. He didn’t impact the ball aerially but that’s a timing issue but it was really good to see that he got on the end of our ball movement and set the game up well for us. He kicked 4.2 in three quarters which is a really pleasing return from him.”
Ivan Soldo
Seven disposals, 25 hit-outs, four clearances, six spoils, one goal & four tackles
“Returned from the AFL, 25 hit-outs, four clearances and 1.1, he played a little bit forward but looked to dominate around the clearances and he looked like an AFL player at VFL level.”
Derek Eggmolesse-Smith
Two disposals, one handball receive & one rebound-50
“Unfortunately got a knee in the buttocks early in the game and didn’t play any further part but hopefully he’ll be available this week.”
https://www.richmondfc.com.au/news/2019-08-14/vfl-report-round-19 
