VFL Senior Coach Leigh Tudor runs us through the performances of our AFL-listed Bombers from the weekend’s win over Gold Coast.
Nick Hind
23 disposals, six marks
A strong game from ‘Hindy’, with good ball use and decision making. His run and ability to join in the attack was really important. Every time he’s played with us this year, he’s been putting his hand straight back up for senior selection, so he’s been super consistent for us at this level.
Massimo D’Ambrosio
15 disposals, five marks, five tackles
‘Mass’ gritted the game out so well for us, even after copping a massive ‘corkie’ in the first quarter and finding it hard to kick all day. He didn’t want to come off and just kept on playing, so for him to perform under that duress was excellent.
Tex Wanganeen
11 disposals, one goal
I really liked how clean and competitive Tex was on the weekend. His second and third efforts might not have shown on the stats, but they were really important for us. He didn’t get a heap of the ball, but he set us up well when he found it and won some big contests even when it was three-on-one at times.
Anthony McDonald-Tipungwuti
18 disposals, nine tackles, four marks
The man of the moment. He was fantastic, his running patterns, pressure and contest work were just so good. The amount of pressure he put on the opposition as soon as they got it created plenty of turnovers, and his early decisions to read the game in those late stages put him in a great position to win it for us. His will has been enormous for us.
Nik Cox
17 disposals, seven marks, one goal
He was really important for us. His first quarter, the way he challenged the opposition was so big for the way we attacked. But his last quarter, some of his efforts, his smothers, his tackling and clean marking in packs were excellent.
Pat Voss
11 disposals, four marks, two goals
Pat was really important to our overall game. He started really well by taking some nice marks and hitting the scoreboard, and again we were really impressed with his hard defensive work.
Anthony Munkara
Six disposals, four tackles, two goals
It was great to see his running patterns rewarded with a couple of goals this week. He used his pace and footy nous to provide opportunities, but his tackling pressure stood out for us again. There were a few occasions where he and Tex (Wanganeen) were outnumbered but just kept on fighting and fighting to halve the contests. One of his better games for us.
Rhett Montgomerie
Eight disposals, five marks
It was a good showing from Rhett, who missed a bit of training during the week. With Kaine Baldwin out, it was going to require a big effort from him defensively, and some of his marking and spoiling was really great. He paired in nicely with the back six, who had a terrific group game.
Elijah Tsatas
35 disposals, eight tackles, six clearances
Elijah competed hard and had such a balanced game. He had a heap of the ball and whenever any of his teammates were in trouble, he’d work hard to get over for a handball receive and drive his legs to push us forward. After four games back, he’s really showing us what he’s capable of now.
Alwyn Davey Jnr
23 disposals, seven tackles, five clearances
Alwyn’s work was sensational. The majority of his possessions were contested, but on the outside, he used his pace to our advantage and made some good decisions going forward. The best game I’ve seen him play at VFL level, by far.
Cian McBride
Nine disposals, eight hit-outs, five marks
Cian had his work cut out for him against a strong Gold Coast half-forward line, but he stood up really well along with the other defenders down there. He repelled a lot of opposition attacks and took some big marks at crucial points in the game. A good team game from him this week.
Alastair Lord
Seven disposals
I liked ‘Lordy’s game this week. He might not have gotten a lot of the ball, but he set us up well when he had it in hand. The stats didn’t show it, but the pleasing part of his game was the ability to put himself in some hard contests and vulnerable positions to save us on quite a few occasions.
Lewis Hayes
Six disposals, three marks
Similarly, ‘Hayesy’ had missed a bit of training. It was a pretty big effort for a first-year defender to still come out and play the way he did against some really good players. He competed hard in the air and did his job well.
Nick Bryan
38 hit-outs, 15 disposals, six tackles, four clearances
Nick led from the front again. He had a lot of hit-outs to advantage, and whether it was in attack or defence he still found himself in some strong big man positions and impacted in the air. He’s someone we can really rely on, and it was another great game from him.