VFL Senior Coach Daniel O'Keefe analyses the performances of the eight AFL-listed Blues who featured in the Carlton Reserves' win.

2. Paddy Dow
Stats: 22 disposals, five clearances, two goals

Paddy was on the receiving end of a really hard tag, but his selfless attitude to not only work through it but also manipulate the matchup to help his teammates was outstanding. His unselfishness was evident at stoppages around the ground, where he created two on ones or blocked for his teammates. His movement around the contest gave him a good base, where he showed some really good examples of supporting his defence while also getting forward, with his hard running ending in two goals.

13. Liam Stocker
Stats: 19 disposals (89 per cent efficiency), four rebound 50s, three inside 50s

’Stock’ had an influence on the game in both offence and defence. He used the ball really well, going at 89 per cent disposal efficiency: this was the highest of anyone on the ground. He received a lot of his disposals from handball receives, and we loved some of the penetration he got with his kicking. His runs to outnumber were more evident this week and he played with a physical presence: he also had a great attitude, his voice was really useful for the team.

17. Brodie Kemp
Stats: 17 disposals, four rebound 50s

‘Kempy’ had a sound game in our defensive system. He showed a good understanding of when to best drop off his opponent, while his running patterns often gave us cover. His positioning and reaction meant that he found himself in less of a contest with his direct opponent this week. His shift behind the ball was really good, working well with Sam Durdin on a number of occasions, while his kicking as a whole was efficient and reliable.

22. Caleb Marchbank
Stats: 18 disposals, five marks, four score involvements

Caleb finished with a game-high seven intercept possessions, which came about from his ability to work defensive angles. He used the ball well on the night, with his reaction time after the team wins possession being the main reason for his ability to find space. On the whole, he beat his direct opponent, got involved in the team’s offence and played our system well. He played his role and it was great to see him back: he effectively had 18 disposals in three quarters after sitting out the final 12 minutes of the last quarter as scheduled. 

27. Marc Pittonet
Stats: 11 disposals, 33 hitouts, seven score involvements, four clearances

Marc kept it simple but extremely effective on Saturday night. He monstered his undersized opponents with both his strength in the contest as well as his craft, which gave our midfielders first use: 15 of his 33 hitouts were to advantage. He showed some great examples around the contest with his follow-up work as well as absorbing pressure to bring teammates into the game. He defensively got back to support the defence and also ran good patterns to get forward of the ball. What we loved were the acts he displayed for his teammates, whether that was flying the flag in his care for his teammates or being strong in his communication.

38. Sam Durdin
Stats: 16 disposals (88 per cent efficiency), six marks, five rebound 50s

‘Durds’ played on the last line of defence for the majority of the night and gave us great coverage when the ball was in the front half. His positioning is getting better each week: having more AFL-listed players alongside him in the backline certainly helps. His spoiling prowess was once again on show (six for the night), while he engaged proactively with his opponent. He kicked the ball really well on a slippery night, and he had some really big efforts: he showed some really impressive pace to get back and support his teammates.

41. Dom Akuei
Stats: Seven disposals (five contested), one goal

Dom again showed some strong positive signs in his role up forward, in terms of his competitiveness both in the air at ground level. We will continue to educate Dom on his leading patterns. We’d love for Dom to bring the ball to ground more often, as he shows some great signs when done well. Kicked a goal in the second term on the back of a nice contested mark.

45. Alex Mirkov
Stats: Six disposals, 23 hitouts

In tough conditions for tall players, Alex kept trying to assert his presence on the game. Himself and ‘Pitto’ were dominant in ruck contests against smaller opponents, which gave our midfielders first use: it’s important for Alex to continue to work on his connection with his mids to get maximum impact. We saw some good examples of his follow-up work at stoppages and we were pleased with a number of aerial contests he was involved in, both as a ruck and a forward.