Essendon VFL head coach Dan Jordan gives his thoughts on the performances of the 11 senior-listed Dons who played in Saturday’s three-goal loss to Williamstown. 

Mark Baguley 

Stats: Seven disposals, seven tackles, two goals

From the coach: ‘Bags’ played a sort of forward role, with some minutes on-ball. It was a tough day for a forward because it was a pretty scrappy and contested game. I thought he worked hard around the contest – he had seven tackles and put some defensive pressure on too. He finished with two goals and didn’t have a lot of possessions, but what he did with those seven he made count, and was quality. I thought it was a pretty good game from him as a small forward.

Jordan Ridley 

Stats: Three disposals, one mark, one goal

From the coach: Jordan, by his own omission, was pretty quiet on the day. He played on the wing and it was just one of those days where he just couldn’t seem to get near the ball. He kept persevering and kicked a really nice goal, finished off with a good bit of work from the team but he and us would like to see some more impact from him. He’ll learn from that and will be a good platform for him moving forward.

Josh Begley

Stats: 10 disposals, two marks, nine tackles, one goal

From the coach: Josh competed really hard. We were probably undermanned a bit in our forward line in terms of height and asked him to play pretty tall, but I thought he competed really well. He was strong at ground level with nine tackles, and I thought it was a really good game from him as a small forward getting up and down the ground, and also spending a little bit of time inside.

Jordan Houlahan

Stats: Eight disposals, three marks, three tackles, one goal

From the coach: Jordan was pretty quiet with just the eight possessions. He was one of those guys once again that we asked to play above his height a little in terms of the pretty tall Williamstown backline but at times he competed well. He just faded in and out of the game a little. He did cop a knock which may have affected him, but finished with a really nice goal and had three tackles which is something he will continue to work on.

Brandon Zerk-Thatcher 

Stats: 14 disposals, four marks, eight rebound 50s

From the coach: Brandon played on some quality Williamstown forwards in (Jaylon) Thorpe and (Nick) Rodda, and they probably got a hold on us down there – it’s probably the first time a few of our defenders have had that challenge before. Early on, I thought Brandon was a little bit off his game in terms of his accountability and allowed a bit too much latitude. To his credit though, he tried to tighten up and be really physical in the contest. It wasn’t his best game, but a great learning for him in terms of playing on some really high-quality opponents against a good side.

Zerk-Thatcher had his work cut out against a strong Williamstown attack. (Photo: Ben Johnstone) 

Noah Gown

Stats: Eight disposals, four marks, four tackles, one goal 

From the coach: Noah was actually a bit sick going into the game, so a really good effort from him to get up and play for us. We asked him to compete, we asked him to probably play that key forward post whereas we were lacking a little bit of physical presence down there as I’ve eluded to. He only had the eight possessions but I thought his game was good – he competed well, finished with 1.2 but took some nice marks and gave us a good contest that we needed when exiting defensive 50. 

Jake Long 

Stats: 10 disposals, four marks, three tackles, four inside 50s

From the coach: ‘Longy’ was probably a little bit down – (they were) pretty physical and so he couldn’t really get his run and carry going. I thought he defended really well though and locked down his man. He only had the 10 possessions but had four inside 50s and was carrying the ball through. It certainly wasn’t a bad game, but I think if we can get the ball in his hands more, that will only add to our side.

Michael Hartley

Stats: 21 disposals, five marks, eight tackles, two goals, nine rebound 50s, 15 hit-outs

From the coach: I thought ‘Harts’ was terrific. He competed hard for us where he went – we asked him to play key back and we asked him to play a little bit of ruck. When he was key back, he played on some good players and found that a challenge as well. He kicked two really nice goals, had eight tackles and 21 disposals. I thought he was a really solid player for us.

Hartley was a shining light for the VFL Dons on Saturday. (Photo: Ben Johnstone)

Trent Mynott

Stats: 17 disposals, five marks, four tackles, three clearances, eight inside 50s

From the coach: Trent battled hard around the ball all day against a high-quality midfield. He didn’t get a lot of the ball in terms of 17 possessions, but I thought his game was pretty good. When he did get it, he made it count and tried to take the space. He had eight inside 50s and also seemed to be running both ways and be able to cover off defensively. I thought it was a solid game from him. 

Tom Jok

Stats: 12 disposals, three marks, eight tackles, 25 hit-outs

From the coach: Tom’s our other one who played through the ruck, which was probably a role he’s not quite used to. He gave us a good contest in there with 25 hit-outs, but more importantly he got out and tried to use his run and carry a little bit. He had eight tackles and was good in the contest, and then got his hands on it with 12 possessions – he could have easily got that up to near 20, but still had a good game. 

Matt Dea

Stats: 13 disposals, five marks

From the coach: ‘Matty’ probably by his own omission as well got his colours lowered a little bit over the weekend. He played on some really dangerous forwards and there were a couple of times where he just got outmarked. Knowing that, it’s something he will take with him into the next game and look to build on. He was still a solid contributor, but played on some high-quality opponents who probably got one or two goals on him that he’d be pretty disappointed with. 

Brooke Varney is in the final year of her Bachelor of Communications (Journalism) degree at RMIT University. As part of their strategic partnership, Essendon Football Club and RMIT University are committed to providing opportunities for students, staff, players and the wider community.