Northern Blues senior coach Josh Fraser analyses the games of the 15 Carlton-listed players who played in his side’s 40-point win over Frankston on Sunday afternoon.
26. Matthew Dick
Stats: 19 disposals (7 contested), 5 marks, 3 tackles
From the coach: He’s assuming a leadership role in our back seven, and on the weekend again he defended his man well and played his role in team defence. He was down on his usual offensive output but he again put in a solid performance.
Matthew Dick had a solid performance in the VFL on Sunday. (Photo: Graeme Furlong)
31. Jayden Foster
Stats: 6 disposals, 4 handball receives
From the coach: ‘Foz’ was down on previous weeks: he got caught in between with positioning on occasion but he fought back well in the second half and tried hard as the game went on. He’ll bounce back.
34. Jesse Glass-McCasker
Stats: 6 disposals, 2 handball receives
From the coach: An inconsistent day from Jesse - some of his positioning is very good and his reading of the play is impressive, but he needs to impact in the air more consistently. He’s always making good improvements.
38. Billy Gowers
Stats: 22 disposals, 6 handball receives, 7 loose-ball gets
From the coach: He again played in the half-back role, and he found plenty of the ball in difficult conditions. He’s improving the defensive side of his game and providing good leadership and spirit amongst the playing group.
48. Kristian Jaksch
Stats: 13 disposals (6 contested), 4 marks, 4 inside 50s, 1 goal
From the coach: ‘KJ’ was probably down on what we’ve come to expect, even as a tall in those conditions. He wasn’t in position often enough and didn’t get enough of it: he did have opportunities in front of goal (1.3) but didn’t convert as he normally does.
14. Liam Jones
Stats: 9 disposals, 4 inside 50s, 5 tackles, 1 goal
From the coach: Similar to KJ in that it wasn’t the output from our tall forwards that we needed or expected. Having said that, Liam put on some elite defensive pressure for his position, he continues to work extremely hard and his leadership was a standout.
80. Matthew Korcheck
Stats: 3 disposals, 2 tackles, 12 hitouts
From the coach: He was one of our three ruckmen, so he got limited opportunities but his ruck work at stoppages is good. He took a mark inside 50, continues to show positive signs and the wet conditions were another new experience for him.
15. Andrew Phillips
Stats: 8 disposals, 3 clearances, 3 tackles, 25 hitouts
From the coach: Ithought ‘Flip’ was pretty good: it was his first game back in four weeks, he split ruck duties with Woody, had 25 hitouts and some of his follow-up work was terrific. He also showed some good examples of high-speed running which was really impressive for a big guy.
Andrew Phillips (No.15) listens closely to coach Josh Fraser in his return from a hamstring injury. (Photo: Graeme Furlong)
47. Ciaran Sheehan
Stats: 12 disposals, 3 rebound 50s, 6 handball receives
From the coach: I thought ‘Gussy’ was solid, keeping in mind he’s missed a fair bit of footy. He’s working hard on positioning, it’ll take a bit of time but his contest was really good and he used the ball well.
2. Jack Silvagni
Stats: 21 disposals, 7 marks (4 inside 50), 7 inside 50s, 4 goals
From the coach: It was a really exciting performance from Jack: his work-rate got him to many contests, his forward-50 pressure was great and his kicking and ball handling at times was elite in wet conditions.
67. Clem Smith
Stats: 13 disposals, 4 marks, 3 inside 50s, 5 tackles, 1 goal
From the coach: He shows some really encouraging signs, he just needs to work on his method. Clem’s high-speed running was in the top two: his work-rate is there but he needs to tidy up his game - if he can endure for four quarters, he can be a really damaging asset for us.
Clem Smith showed more encouraging signs in the VFL at the weekend. (Photo: Graeme Furlong)
76. Jason Tutt
Stats: 26 disposals, 4 marks, 7 handball receives, 1 goal
From the coach: It was another good game from ‘Tutty’. His running was elite and the contested game has improved - some of his tackling was pleasing. He’s another player whose leadership is coming to the fore, and he’s been one of our most consistent over the season.
65. Dillon Viojo-Rainbow
Stats: 15 disposals, 6 marks, 4 inside 50s, 3 clearances
From the coach: A patchy game from him. He does some really nice things but we just haven’t seen it often enough. He uses the ball well, but needs to work on running patterns and reaction time: he got used in a variety of roles.
Dillon Viojo-Rainbow in action against Frankston. (Photo: Graeme Furlong)
42. Mark Whiley
Stats: 31 disposals (18 contested), 11 clearances, 10 hard-ball gets, 6 inside 50s, 1 goal
From the coach: A slow first quarter but he responded to be one of our best. It was a really combative performance, finished with seven tackles and kicked a nice goal: he put in a really solid game.
36. Cameron Wood
Stats: 7 disposals, 13 hitouts, 1 goal
From the coach: Combined ruck duties with Flip (Andrew Phillips) and got better as the game went on. He got in space and when he picks up his running capacity he’ll be dangerous for us. He was serviceable in the ruck and showed pleasing signs in his ability to get forward and work around the ground late in the game.
