VFL Senior Coach Leigh Tudor assesses the performance of the 14 AFL-listed Bombers from the close loss to the Kangaroos on Sunday.

Jake Kelly

24 disposals, 10 marks

It’s so great to have an experienced defender back there guiding the younger players. Jake’s leadership was really important to us, and we looked a different backline with him being such a hard guy to play on. He got quite a bit of the ball which helped our movement, so it was a really good comeback from Jake.

Nik Cox

21 disposals, nine marks

'Coxy' had a positional change-up this week, playing mostly as an inside mid. It was good to see him win his own ball but still get involved on the outside, and an excellent opportunity for him to get amongst it. He showed a good understanding of how we want to play, and we loved the way he went about it.

Elijah Tsatas

18 disposals, six clearances, four marks

Really nice to have him in the side. He seems to be building a nice relationship with Nick Bryan, which is a smart thing to do. We played him on the wing for the majority of his game, but it was always the plan to throw him inside as a midfielder, having a good mix of contested and uncontested ball. He used it well under pressure and showed his footy IQ, but it was just good to see him get through his first game back, playing the three quarters.

Kaine Baldwin

21 disposals, 12 marks, eight rebound 50’s

Kaine had another really good game. His intercept marking has been a highlight, the way he’s playing is important and he’s a real leader for us in defence. He’s also been able to impact offensively quite consistently - an excellent performance.

Tex Wanganeen

20 disposals, five tackles, two goals

One of Tex’s best games for the club. He rotated through the middle with (Anthony McDonald-Tipungwuti) and started on fire, winning his own footy and making great decisions with it. He showed a great balance between attack and defence and knew when to be used on the spread as a dangerous forward option. A lot to like about his performance, he looked very confident out there.

Nick Bryan

19 disposals, 32 hit-outs, five clearances

Nick came back to us from the AFL side and presented really well. He won the hit-outs and clearances again, but around the ground he took some nice marks and put himself in some really good ‘big man’ positions, playing his role well.

Anthony McDonald-Tipungwuti

15 disposals, seven tackles, two goals

Anthony had a pretty complete game. As an inside mid he won his own ball, laid some big tackles, and at one stage even managed to bring down Ben Cunnington, which showed just how strong he was around the contest. I thought his attitude was fantastic, and when he went forward, he was just as impressive.

Lewis Hayes

18 disposals, 10 marks

One of his better games for sure. He’s another one that had a lot of intercepts, and his starting positions were really solid working with the rest of the back six. He organised himself well back there in some big contests and looked to be used going forward. You can see him really growing as a key defender.

Anthony Munkara

13 disposals, two marks, three tackles

Anthony showed some good signs and is gaining confidence every week. He made some pretty good decisions by foot and is starting to get more involved in the attack, but also forced some turnovers with his chasing pressure going the other way. Definitely one of his better games.

Pat Voss

12 disposals, seven marks, seven tackles, one goal

I liked ‘Vossy’s game, especially from the fact that he’d been feeling crook during the week but never once used it as an excuse. When he got out there, he still gave it 100 percent and presented well in the contest, laying tackles and providing some big defensive efforts for a key forward. I was really impressed by that.

Alwyn Davey Jnr

11 disposals, three clearances, three tackles

Alwyn had a bit of midfield time as well this week, it was good to see him up around the stoppage. He shows that he enjoys the defensive moments of the game too, and whenever he had the ball he was having an impact and using it nicely.

Cian McBride

12 disposals, eight hit-outs, three marks

A tough game from Cian, he defended really well and showed a lot of strength in the contest. He went into the ruck again this week when (Nick) Bryan was taking a breather, so it was a well-rounded game for him, we really loved his aggression.

Alastair Lord

10 disposals, four marks

‘Lordy’ is very explosive and he takes us forward when he gets his hands on it. Defensively, he had to put himself in some dangerous spots which helped the team a lot – he provided some brave contests that were really impressive.

Jaiden Hunter

Eight disposals, four marks, one goal

We obviously had no expectations for Jaiden around the gameplan, treating it as a chance for him to have a run and show us what he’s got. He’s very athletic, runs hard, enjoys the contest and presents to the ball-carrier, providing us with numerous options. He got on the end of one and showed he’s a beautiful kick at goal, so some really good signs for him.