CARLTON youngster Jack Silvagni continued his strong form for the Northern Blues at the weekend.
Relishing a new midfield role in recent weeks, Silvagni was one of Northern’s best performers on Saturday against Essendon.
Over the last month, Silvagni has spent the majority of his time in midfield, starting in Round 5 of the VFL against Frankston.
With a stretch of games under his belt playing as an inside midfielder, VFL senior coach Josh Fraser said the 20-year-old was showing the positive effects of adding strings to his footballing bow.
“Jack’s going to continue splitting time between forward and midfield,” Fraser said.
“It’s really important for our young players to have versatility, and he is still young and learning his craft.”
Jack Silvagni collected 23 touches against Essendon at Ikon Park on Saturday. (Photo: Tim Murdoch)
While he was stationed up forward at the opening bounce, Silvagni rotated through the middle of the ground, particularly in the absence of Nick Graham, whose afternoon was cut short because of calf tightness.
He contributed admirably against the Bombers, collecting 22 disposals as well as recording a team-high seven tackles.
“Some of the signs which Jack showed as a forward (six inside 50s) at different times on the weekend was pleasing. He’s a hard-leading forward and is generally pretty good in the air,” Fraser said.
“What he’s been able to do over the last couple of weeks is go inside as a midfielder and have an impact for us.
“His output over the course of the game, especially in the second half with Nick Graham going out, was really encouraging.”
Silvagni’s last month has predominantly been played in the middle, with the exception of the game against Box Hill. He played up forward in the absence of Tom De Koning and Patrick Kerr.
In that time, his stat line has been second only to Northern captain Tom Wilson’s numbers in terms of midfield output.
SILVAGNI’S SOLID PATCH
Total stats between rounds 5-8:
76 disposals (#2 at club)
42 contested possessions (#2 at club)
27 tackles (#2 at club)
18 clearances (#2 at club)
13 inside 50s (#3 at club)
The Northern Blues are back at Ikon Park once again this Saturday, taking on Geelong from 2pm. The game will be the first Carlton VFLW-Northern Blues double header.
