VFL and development coach Xavier Clarke's summary of the AFL-listed players from last Saturday’s Round 2 VFL match against Casey:
Patrick Naish (28 disposals, five marks)“Played across half-back. He has been playing a different role for us back there to provide a bit of run and carry… I thought he had a pretty good game; he is working on his defensive actions, and we are seeing some really good things come out of that part of his game.
“It was really good to see him playing consistent footy and giving us rebound across that part of the ground.”
Will Martyn (16 disposals, five tackles)“Played really well inside the ball and hunted inside as best as he could. 14 contested possessions was really pleasing, and five tackles was the highlight for him, but also finding the ball.
“He continues to grow and develop into a really good player for us.”
Callum Coleman-Jones (18 disposals, 29 hit outs, nine marks, one goal)“He has been playing some consistent footy. I am really excited about the way he is going at the moment. He played a majority of the first half up forward and then went into the ruck.
“I thought he had a really big impact for the game in terms of his work rate, ruck contests, and contested marking, which was pleasing to see.”
Riley Collier-Dawkins (13 disposals, four tackles)“He just battles to win the inside ball, and his contest work is his biggest strength, but also his ability to be able to win the ball and get out from the stoppage…. We saw glimpses of that, but the pleasing thing again is around the contest. He had six tackles and was also taking the ball forward with five inside 50s.
“He is playing consistent footy at the moment, which is great to see.”
Josh Caddy (16 disposals)“Came back and played his first game in the VFL this year after missing last week through illness. It was pleasing to see him out there playing footy. He played a bit of mid and a bit of forward, and had an impact in patches around the game where he certainly looked above the level.
“He laid six tackles, so he was really good around the contest.”
Derek Eggmolesse-Smith (13 disposals, three tackles)“Playing half-back, he had to play a bit taller this week with Casey’s talls, and I thought he battled as best he could in the air and on the ground.
“Derek will continue to develop his role across half-back as a running half-back giving us some really good impact across there.”
Samson Ryan (12 disposals, one goal)“He has been quite a consistent player for us as a forward and pinch-hitting in the ruck. He is still continuing to learn his craft as a forward as well, so it was pleasing to see him kick a pretty good goal which should be VFL Goal of the Year, I think.
“He is certainly someone that has developed a lot quicker than we thought, and we are enjoying what he is bringing at the moment.”
Mabior Chol (11 disposals, seven marks, five tackles, two goals)“Played ruck first half and forward second half. He looked really dominant as a key forward and took some really nice, contested marks.
“Six contested marks from a game where it actually rained a fair bit is fairly significant. He kicked 2.1 and looked really, really dangerous as that forward. It was pleasing to see him have an impact in that part of the game.”
Sydney Stack (eight disposals, two marks, one goal)“It’s an interesting one; he played really well without getting a lot of the ball. It sounds strange, but he just looks lively around the contest, puts pressure on, and he gives us a bit of speed around the ground ball.
“He kicked one goal early, which was from a nice, contested mark. He will continue to get back into his groove - it is his second game - and he played limited game time again, but he will continue to grow and get back to the footy we know he can play.”
Maurice Rioli Jr (eight disposals, five tackles)“Had a lower impact on the game but still had high tackles (five), which was really significant.
“In terms of impact with ball in hand, it was a lot lower than previous weeks, but that is not to say we don’t really enjoy the way he has been playing. Same again, he is like the others continuing to learn his craft as a forward and playing as a forward in our system.
“He has had moments in the game where he looks really dangerous, and he will continue to grow as a developing player.”
Hugo Ralphsmith (four disposals, two behinds)“His first two minutes of the game, he actually played as a half-forward and looked really, really dangerous. He looked very lively and kicked two behinds.
“He rolled his ankle behind the play about halfway through the first quarter, but he looked very, very lively as a half-forward, so we will continue to see what that looks like going forward.”
Noah Cumberland (five disposals, five tackles)“First game back so there was not a lot of expectation in terms of his impact… it was just getting him out there and letting him enjoy playing footy.
“It was good to see five tackles - a lot of our smalls had a lot of tackles which was great - but it was a contested game. He will be better for the run, and we look forward to him continuing to develop and playing more game time throughout the year.”
Ben Miller (three disposals)“Good to see him back out there after missing a few games through groin soreness. He battled hard in the air. He will continue to support our backs and be a really good sounding board for us down there.”
https://www.richmondfc.com.au/news/922790/vfl-report-round-2
