Northern Blues coach Josh Fraser assesses the performances of every Carlton-listed player who featured in the 22-point loss to Box Hill on Sunday:

49. Dennis Armfield
Stats: 5 disposals, 4 tackles
From the coach: Dennis really struggled to impact the game, where he spent time forward and on the wing. We saw some good examples of running hard into position, but he didn’t get on the end of the footy. We know his quality and we’re backing him in to respond.

62. Blaine Boekhorst
Stats: 36 disposals, 19 handball receives, 5 tackles
From the coach: Blaine accumulated a lot of the ball, and while he didn’t use it as effectively as he would’ve liked all the time, he had some crucial moments with run for us. His form at VFL level so far in 2017 has been really consistent.

Blaine Boekhorst led the Northern Blues for disposals on Sunday. (Photo: Tim Murdoch)

7. Dylan Buckley
Stats: 15 disposals, 4 inside 50s, 1 goal
From the coach: ‘Bucks’ played a little bit more time on the wing and had some good moments in bursting away from the contest. He didn’t use the ball going inside 50 as well as we would’ve hoped for but he had some impact on the game which was pleasing. 

59. Ciaran Byrne
Stats: 18 disposals, 8 marks, 4 tackles
From the coach: I think he continues to build, 'Casey'. He had some good intercepts marks and he was defending well, particularly early. We know he’s still building form and fitness and he’s taking steps forward each week.

Ciaran Byrne took another step forward in his return from a knee reconstruction. (Photo: Tim Murdoch)

56. Andrew Gallucci
Stats: 15 disposals, 3 tackles, 1 goal
From the coach: He was quite lively in his role as a small forward, where he kicked a terrific goal and had some great pressure act involvement. In his role he performed well: the challenge for him now is to make that his base-line and bring that each week. 

34. Jesse Glass-McCasker
Stats: 9 disposals, 6 marks
From the coach: Jesse was inconsistent across the day — he had some focuses which he was able to do well at different times. His capacity to adjust in the air is something he keeps working hard on, while he added some intercept marks to his game which was a good sign. We’re looking for him to consolidate a good block of form.

31. Patrick Kerr
Stats: 10 disposals, 3 marks, 1 goal
From the coach: I thought Patty worked really hard as a forward: he presented really well and competed in the air. He didn’t get a lot of reward in terms of scoreboard impact but he knocked one over in the second. He’s one definitely we’re excited about going forward.

Pat Kerr in action against Box Hill. (Photo: Tim Murdoch)

80. Matthew Korcheck
Stats: 6 disposals, 44 hitouts
From the coach: I think he competed really well in the ruck, his contest was really important for us. If he can keep adding opportunities to go forward, take marks and impact the scoreboard, he’ll be a really valuable player for us.

76. Kym Lebois
Stats: 6 disposals
From the coach: Kym didn’t impact the game as we would’ve liked - he was a small forward who found it hard to get involved. We need to see some manic pressure and cleanness around the contest, which are traits we know he has but he hasn’t been able to execute. We’re still really optimistic about him and the growth to come in his game.

19. Harry McKay
Stats: 6 disposals, 4 marks, 1 goal
From the coach: Similar to Patty Kerr, it was a difficult day for our tall forwards but he had some moments where he really launched but couldn’t mark. He needs to continue to pay attention to the defensive side of his game. I think he’s building and had opportunities to take hold of the game, with a few missed shots over the day. We think his best footy isn’t far away. 

70. Harrison Macreadie
Stats: 20 disposals, 8 marks, 5 rebound 50s
From the coach: He was quite solid. He had some terrific spoils clearing the area and some intercept marks as well. His defensive positioning off the ball was really good and he found more of the ball than recent weeks. I liked his game and if he can keep playing with a real edge, he’ll do his chances of AFL selection no harm.

Harrison Macreadie played with a "real edge", according to coach Josh Fraser. (Photo: Tim Murdoch)

24. Rhys Palmer
Stats: 20 disposals, 8 tackles, 4 clearances, 1 goal
From the coach: Rhys’ game inside the contest was really good, I think he found the ball 20-odd times so he got ahold of it for us. He had some opportunities in front of goal to really bring the game to Box Hill which he didn’t take. He’s been consistent and we think there’s another level to his game which we’ll challenge him to reach. 

38. Jarrod Pickett
Stats: 11 disposals, 1 goal
From the coach: It was a quiet day for Jarrod. He kicked a goal to get us going but he wasn’t able to impact the ball in our front half. Along with Kym, we think he has real upside and we’ll keep working hard to extract his best footy.

67. Cameron Polson
Stats: 13 disposals, 3 tackles
From the coach: Cam played the majority of his game through the midfield, but he couldn’t impact the game through possession rate: it’s an area he’s working hard on. He showed some improved running patterns which was really good to see. His upside is going to be really important for us in the back end of the year.

Cam Polson recorded 13 disposals against Box Hill. (Photo: Tim Murdoch)

5. Billie Smedts
Stats: 22 disposals, 6 tackles, 4 clearances
From the coach: He played a little bit more inside this week, where he really competed around the contest and spread exceptionally well. We’d like to see him get the ball to exploit his run-and-carry but his game across four quarters was really consistent. Like some others, we think he’s got some more to his game.