VFL Senior Coach Leigh Tudor reviews the performances of our 13 AFL-listed Dons from the tight victory over Geelong.

Kaine Baldwin

26 disposals, 12 marks

A really important game again from Kaine. He tweaked his ankle early but luckily for us, he came back on and ended up with a heap of the ball by putting himself in aggressive and assertive defensive positions. He set up in really good spots and defended well on the weekend.

Anthony McDonald-Tipungwuti

14 disposals, five tackles, three clearances

‘Walla’ was really important for us in attack and defence with his pressure. He won the ball back for us and we know how smart he is when he has it in hand, making good decisions. We really liked his game again.

Massimo D’Ambrosio

26 disposals, six marks

‘Mass’ played at half-back and had quite a bit of the ball with some nice inside 50’s as well. His running patterns were really good and he also beat his direct opponent, so we really liked his game.

Cian McBride

14 disposals, 10 marks, three tackles

Cian was outstanding, he was so competitive and had some big one-on-one wins. There were seven or eight times we were seriously under the pump, and he just saved us with his aggressive play. He led the way with one of the better games he’s played for us so far.

Elijah Tsatas

31 disposals, 11 clearances, six marks

Elijah was played predominantly as an inside mid with a little bit of forward time, he ran really hard and had a good mix of contested and uncontested work. When the game was on, he was really important at the clearances, having five in the final quarter and winning his own ball really well. 

Alastair Lord

18 disposals, six marks, one goal

It was great for ‘Lordy’, we loved how he moved on really quickly from some uncharacteristic errors by foot early and never let it get him down. He kept putting himself in the right positions and it was pleasing to see him seal the game with a late goal. 

Lewis Hayes

15 disposals, 10 marks

When ‘Hayesy’ marks the ball at its highest point, he’s so hard to stop. His aerial timing and his competitiveness was a standout for us again, and he’s still improving in winning his one-on-ones, which he did again on the weekend. 

Pat Voss

10 disposals, five tackles, one goal

‘Vossy’ worked really hard on the weekend. Whenever we needed someone to present and compete down the line, he did that for us, and kicked an important goal as well. You always know what you’re going to get from him as a pressure forward, which we love about him.

Rhett Montgomerie

25 disposals, 14 marks

All of our defenders had a lot of the ball when we were under the pump, and Rhett was one who stood up. A few of his marks were contested and he was really important for us when our backline was under pressure.

Alwyn Davey Jnr

13 disposals, five tackles, one goal

Alwyn’s second half in particular was really clean, using his speed to our advantage in attack. Defensively, his tackling pressure was important when the game was there to be won, so we were impressed how well he stood up for us. 

Anthony Munkara

Seven disposals, five tackles, one goal

A really smart game from Anthony this week. He was one of our leading tacklers again, and his defence has come such a long way from his first game, using his speed at both ends. He had some clean takes in critical times and had some very clever moments. 

Nik Cox

12 disposals, four marks, one goal

‘Coxy’ only played the first half for us, we wanted to give him some extra rest as we only have a five-day break coming up. He played on Sam Menegola, who’s played a lot of footy at AFL level, so that was a good matchup for him. He got involved with some pack marks for us and ended up playing a really balanced game.

Tex Wanganeen

11 disposals, four tackles

Tex has had a really good month of footy. He probably could’ve ended up with three or four goals on Sunday, but we loved his hardness in the contest and his chasing pressure, which stood out again. He’s a clean user and good decision maker, so we’re enjoying the way he’s playing at the moment.