NORTHERN Blues coach Josh Fraser assesses the performances of all Carlton-listed players who featured in the VFL loss to Williamstown at Ikon Park on Sunday:

Ciaran Byrne
Stats: 17 disposals, 4 tackles, 3 rebound 50s
From the coach: Pleasingly for 'Casey', he keeps adding to parts of his game after a fairly lengthy layoff. Some of his run and dash off our back-line has been super important. He was on match restrictions so he’ll continue to build on that, but we’re seeing some of the instinctive, dangerous play he was offering before getting injured.

Levi Casboult
Stats: 10 disposals, 7 marks, 3 inside 50s
From the coach: I thought he worked his way into the game pretty well. We had opportunities to get the ball quicker to him on a few occasions, but in the end he was faced with two or three defenders. He really started to move and present to finish with seven marks, and when he wasn’t marking it he was applying pressure at ground level. 

Nick Graham
Stats: 33 disposals, 6 clearances, 4 tackles, 2 goals
From the coach: A typical Nick game for us at Northern Blues level. He won plenty of the ball and had a good mix of uncontested and contested possessions. He worked hard to support defensively and worked hard to give us an option forward of the ball. We know what we’re going to get from him when he plays with us. 

Nick Graham celebrates one of his two goals against Williamstown. (Photo: AFL Media)

Patrick Kerr
Stats: 12 disposals, 5 marks, 6 inside 50s
From the coach: He started the game a bit slowly but had opportunities to impact the game in front of goal. While his ball-use wasn’t at his usual level, he was a focal point forward of the ball and kept presenting at the leg. He had some strong contests and is playing with a physical presence — I think his growth as a player in the last 12 months has been really pleasing.

Kym Lebois
Stats: 8 disposals, 5 tackles, 2 goals
From the coach: While Kym only had the eight disposals, pleasingly he finished with five tackles and he ended up hitting the scoreboard with a few goals. I thought he had a quiet start to the game but the fact he managed to work his way into the game and have a big impact in the second half is a credit. His tackling pressure was great and he did a few little things around the contest which were quite exciting, especially as someone who’s missed quite a bit of footy. 

Kym Lebois produced a strong return from injury. (Photo: AFL Media)

Matthew Lobbe
Stats: 9 disposals, 4 tackles, 22 hitouts, 1 goal
From the coach: Lobbe shouldered the majority of the ruck-load against Nick Meese and he competed well in that space - his follow-up has been a real feature of his game. He was also able to go forward and hit the scoreboard. His last month has seen a steady improvement and he’s nearing some of his better footy. 

Aaron Mullett
Stats: 19 disposals, 4 tackles, 1 goal
From the coach: He spent time between wing and half-back, where he gave us drive with his ball-use and run at different stages. He also applied some good tackling pressure, which has been a focus area and something he’s starting to put together. The ability to use him in different positions helps our make-up on game-days. 

Cameron O’Shea
Stats: 21 disposals, 4 marks, 4 rebound 50s
From the coach: I thought he competed well. He had moments early in the game where he was exposed through technique, but he was able to regroup, compete really hard defensively and kick-start our ball movement. In the end he played a solid game.  

Angus Schumacher
Stats: 13 disposals, 3 rebound 50s
From the coach: He was another on match restrictions, but he’s starting to find an edge to the way he plays. As a young player, he’s beginning to feel like he belongs out there and testing himself against far more mature and experienced players. It’s going to be really good for his learning and development. As he gets more continuity, we’ll look to give him exposure in different roles.