Twelve AFL-listed players suited up for the VFL Bombers in the Anzac Day clash with Collingwood at Windy Hill.

AFL development coach Cam Roberts gives his take on how each of them performed in the 58-point loss.

Cody Brand

Key stats: Eight disposals, three marks, two tackles

"'Brandy' played well this week. He was coming off a quieter game from the week before and just got back to some of his better positioning. Defensively he was really strong for us and killed a lot of the aerial contests."

Nick Bryan

Key stats: 11 disposals, 31 hitouts, two clearances

"His ruck work is really good. 'Bryza' has got to a position now where his ruck work around the ground is giving our mids some really good looks. The thing for him is working on his around-the-ground positioning so he can impact more aerial contests, but he's developing pretty nicely."

Tom Cutler

Key stats: 17 disposals, three marks

"'Cuts' only played the first half because he was on restricted game-time as an AFL emergency. He was outstanding, played on the wing and broke the lines to give us plenty of run and set up our attacks. He also helped us defensively with his transition. He ended up getting tagged in the second term because of the influence he was having."

Josh Eyre

Key stats: One goal, nine disposals, four marks, six inside 50s

"'Eyrey' did some really nice things. He took three or four nice marks, kicked a nice goal early in the game and presented really well. He was unlucky we didn't go to him more, it was just some of our breakdown in attack cost him some opportunities to get his hands on the footy more."

Brayden Ham

Key stats: 27 disposals, 10 tackles, six marks, five inside 50s

"'Hammy' pleasingly had 10 tackles, and just his ability to transition up and down the ground was excellent. He played through the midfield for us and set up our attacks on numerous occasions, but also got back to help our defence. It was a well-rounded game from Hammy."

Tom Hird

Key stats: Two goals, 27 disposals, eight marks five tackles

"It was arguably Tom's best game. He certainly found the footy and some of his patterning out of stoppages and contests were the best we've seen. His pressure around the ball and his tackling were very good. He kicked 2.3 and probably should have kicked more (goals) to finish off his good work. Some of his kicking let him down throughout the game, but overall it was pleasing to see him play so well."

Alastair Lord

Key stats: 15 disposals, two clearances

"His first half was really good from an offence point of view, giving us some really good run and drive off half-back and breaking the lines. He's only a very young player and is still working on getting the balance right between attack and defence, so he's still learning and getting feedback around that."

Cian McBride

Key stats: Five disposals, three marks, three tackles

"Cian played alongside Zach Reid and 'Brandy' (Cody Brand), and also relieved 'Bryza' (Nick Bryan) in the ruck at different points. He was solid. It was probably one of his quieter games in terms of possessions, but a bit like Brandy, he got back to getting best position and halving a lot of those aerial contests as a defender, so it was good to see him get back to that and have an impact for us in our back six."

Garrett McDonagh

Key stats: 19 disposals, four marks

"Early on for 'Gaz', there were some spoils which were pleasing to see as he's been working on his one-on-one defensive craft. Some of his attack off half-back was good and he's a nice left-foot kick, so when he takes the options that he should, he can be quite a damaging player for us. For Gaz, it's all about getting the balance right between attack and defence on a more consistent basis."

Anthony McDonald-Tipungwuti

Key stats: Two goals, 15 disposals, two marks

"'Walla' hit the scoreboard with two goals. He was quieter the week before with few possessions, so it was nice to see him touch the ball more and convert on the scoreboard. He's slowly progressing and just needs to keep getting match-fit. The more he's out there playing each week, the more he'll get that match fitness that he needs to go to the next level. It was another step forward for him."

Zach Reid

Key stats: 17 disposals, eight marks, three inside 50s

"'Reidy' was excellent. He's played two really solid games now amid a month of footy. Defensively he sets up really well for us. He played on Mason Cox and young (Ollie) Henry from Collingwood, and just influenced the aerial contests really well, either killing the footy with spoils or intercept marking. He's a really balanced player and when he gets the ball in hand, he makes good decisions. He was arguably our top two or three players on the ground."

Devon Smith

Key stats: 28 disposals, eight inside 50s, four tackles, four clearances

"Dev was excellent. He had 28 touches and played mainly as a forward, but had a run on the ball later on. His efforts around the contests were super, and his ability to link up and carry through the lines really got us going, particularly in the second quarter. His leadership among a pretty young group, and his ability to coach some of the players, were excellent. Not only did he play well, he was also out there as an extra coach at stages."