Essendon VFL senior coach Dan Jordan assesses the 15 AFL-listed Bombers who played in the three-point loss to Richmond at the Swinburne Centre on Saturday.
Marty Gleeson
Stats: 15 disposals, four marks, four rebound 50s
From the coach: It was Marty’s first game back from injury and I thought it was positive. He positioned himself really well in the backline, took a couple of intercept marks and structured up well – there was a fair bit of ball coming in early. His game was a nice platform for him to build on as he continues to get some more footy into his body.
Mark Baguley
Stats: 10 disposals, seven tackles, four marks, two goals
From the coach: ‘Bags’ played that pressure-forward role. It’s a bit of an unrewarded role in terms of not getting a lot of possessions, but his pressure was really good. He had seven tackles, kicked two goals and missed a couple he probably could have finished off (making it) a nice small forward’s game, but his effort and intensity around the forward line was really good. He created some good opportunities for us.
Jordan Ridley
Stats: 13 disposals, three marks, three rebound 50s
From the coach: ‘Rids’ was down back this week. He played on a number of different smaller and larger opponents, and acquitted himself pretty well. He only got the 13 possessions which we’d like to try and build on a bit more, because when he has the ball in his hands he uses it so well. He did some nice things in terms of coming out of the back half and being able to hit up our targets in our forward 50.
Irving Mosquito
Stats: 14 disposals, six tackles, two inside 50s, two goals
From the coach: I thought it was ‘Mozzie’s’ best game for the club. He was really busy, looked sharp, and was putting on some really good pressure. He was also aggressive towards the game and used his run and carry to get the ball inside 50. He finished with two really nice goals, and could have kicked a couple more and had a really big day but I thought there were good signs shown from him. He had a couple of score assists as well, and looks to be keeping a lot of pressure on the ball coming out.
Irving Mosquito played his best VFL game on Saturday. (Photo: Ben Johnstone)
David Myers
Stats: 27 disposals, nine clearances, five tackles, four marks
From the coach: ‘Myersy’ played that inside-mid role that gets a lot of contested possessions – he had about 14 (contested possessions) and was good around the stoppages all day. He didn’t hit the scoreboard this week, which he would have liked maybe with a bit of forward time, but he still had 27 possessions from the inside, with a good balance of contested and uncontested. He also showed good leadership, particularly in the second half when we were trying to win the game.
Jordan Houlahan
Stats: Five disposals, three marks, two inside 50s
From the coach: ‘Houlas’ played a mixture of forward and wing. He seems to be getting into good positions to be able to present as a forward, but probably isn’t capitalising on taking a few of those marks when he gets a nice run and jump at it. Also, making sure at ground level he’s finding himself in positions where he can be able to receive the ball and hit the scoreboard for us. He just needs to keep working (on a few things).
Mitch Brown
Stats: 13 disposals (10 kicks), six marks, two tackles
From the coach: ‘Browny’ was good in terms of getting to some really good spots and competing hard all day, but it seemed a bit frustrating for him that he couldn’t get a mark or a one-on-one contest where he’d normally back himself. The pleasing thing is that he competed really hard and was a really good target for us moving forward. Having missed four or five weeks, I think his touch will come back as long as he continues to work hard and get himself in good positions. We’ll see some good improvement for him and he’ll be able to impact on the game in the way he likes.
Brandon Zerk-Thatcher
Stats: 16 disposals (13 kicks), 11 marks, three rebound 50s, one goal
From the coach: Brandon’s game was quite good as a key defender. He competed hard all day and had some really good pressure acts and spoils. He took 11 marks as a defender, which means he was reading the ball really well, and even got forward and kicked a goal. I liked his game from a key defensive post and working together with the back six.
Brandon Zerk-Thatcher stood out against the Tigers. (Photo: Ben Johnstone)
Brayden Ham
Stats: 14 disposals, three marks, three inside 50s, one goal
From the coach: ‘Hammy’ played on the wing and a little bit through the forward line. Some of his transition work was good – he also used his energy and speed to get back and forward to try and impact. He kicked a really nice goal and we’d love to try and get the ball into his hands a little bit more if possible because he uses it so well and makes great decisions. His game was solid as a wing/forward.
Jake Long
Stats: 20 disposals, six marks, four rebound 50s
From the coach: I liked ‘Longy’s’ game - he had intensity at the contest and got himself into some good positions to be able to get some ball, finishing with 20 possessions which is good from him. He played as a bit of an on-baller late in the game and gave us something with his run and carry, and his aggression at the contest. He was able to take the ball forward and used it pretty nicely as well.
Jake Long racked up 20 possessions against Richmond. (Photo: Ben Johnstone)
Michael Hartley
Stats: 17 disposals, four marks, eight rebound 50s
From the coach: It was a solid game from ‘Harts’ as our key defensive post – he keeps putting in solid performances down there. He used the ball reasonably well, and when his legs are on he can be a real weapon for us so we’ll keep working on that and hopefully he can keep impacting in the air. He took some good intercept marks which made it a solid key defender’s game.
Dylan Clarke
Stats: 31 disposals, five marks, six tackles, five inside 50s
From the coach: I really liked ‘Clarkey’s’ game inside – I thought he was antagonistic and physical, as were Richmond's midfielders, which made it a really good (battle) in the middle. He had 31 disposals and took the ball inside 50 five times. He’s in good form at the moment and hopefully that puts pressure on some of the guys up (in the seniors).
Dylan Clarke continues to shine in the VFL. (Photo: Ben Johnstone)
Trent Mynott
Stats: 16 disposals, three inside 50s, two rebound 50s
From the coach: This was Trent’s first game back from a little calf injury. I think by his own omission he was a little bit rusty but he got himself into some good spots. He only played around 70 minutes of game time and still found himself with 16 possessions, and used them reasonably well especially going inside 50. There were a couple of really nice hit-ups which sometimes was the difference under pressure, but overall it was a good platform for him to build on when he gets into full game time over the next couple of weeks.
Tom Jok
Stats: 16 disposals, five marks, four tackles
From the coach: Tom was similar to Trent in that he only played the 70 minutes. We put him on the wing and tried to use his running power, and then also forward as well. He got on the end of 16 possessions and a couple of marks as well, so again it’s a good platform for him moving forward as he builds up some proper game time over the next week or two.
Matt Dea
Stats: 13 disposals (10 kicks), seven marks, three tackles, three inside 50s
From the coach: You just know what you’re going to get from ‘Diesel’ – he was solid and competed hard, transitioned well, and tackled well in the back half. It was one of those games that he’s become renowned for – his effort and intensity is always there. He probably didn’t have quite as much of the ball as he has had in previous weeks but it was still a good defender’s game.
