Northern Blues coach Josh Fraser rates the performances of every Carlton-listed player who featured in the Northern Blues' 13-point loss to Footscray at Ikon Park on Saturday:
7. Dylan Buckley
Stats: 20 disposals, 9 tackles, 5 inside 50s
From the coach: ‘Bucks’ had more impact on the game through possession, and had some moments where he used it well with penetration while there were other moments where he needed to be more composed. We saw a bigger sample size of his game on the weekend. We need him to stay hungry and compete as he did on Saturday.
Dylan Buckley made a solid return from a hamstring injury. (Photo: Tim Murdoch)
59. Ciaran Byrne
Stats: 27 disposals, 7 marks, 5 rebound 50s
From the coach: It was a pretty exciting return for 'Casey'. His movement out of the back half created a lot of scoring opportunities for us. His defensive positioning was pretty sound for the most part: he really impressed first-up.
Ciaran Byrne was one of the stars for the Northern Blues on Saturday. (Photo: Tim Murdoch)
56. Andrew Gallucci
Stats: 17 disposals, 1 goal
From the coach: He was lively as a small forward, where he worked really hard in front of the ball and applied good pressure — although I think it can go to another level. He needs to finish more consistently in front of goal but he has impacted the game more and more in recent weeks.
Andrew Gallucci was lively against Footscray. (Photo: Tim Murdoch)
34. Jesse Glass-McCasker
Stats: 11 disposals, 4 rebound 50s
From the coach: In the early stages, Jesse was good: he had a couple of really good examples where he spoiled effectively. He got caught in between a few times and needs to react quicker when the ball’s coming his way, but when he’s in the contest he’s generally pretty reliable.
48. Kristian Jaksch
Stats: 15 disposals, 4 goals
From the coach: KJ’s work in the air was terrific: he was bringing it to ground or marking it and worked really hard with his motion forward of the ball. We need him to be more consistent when the ball isn’t in his area, but four goals is a good return for a tall forward.
Kristian Jaksch booted four goals for the second consecutive week. (Photo: Tim Murdoch)
80. Matthew Korcheck
Stats: 5 disposals, 34 hitouts
From the coach: Matty battled hard, and has played a bit more of a leading role in recent weeks in the ruck. We’d love him to keep growing his game with his follow-up work and ability to push forward, which is a work in progress. He gave our midfielders a chance.
76. Kym Lebois
Stats: 7 disposals, 2 goal assists, 1 goal
From the coach: I think his last fortnight has been really encouraging. He played with speed and flair and his disposal and touch has been better. His urgency and impact on the game has improved. We’ve seen some promising signs and we’re hoping for a big finish to the year for him.
70. Harrison Macreadie
Stats: 9 disposals, 3 marks
From the coach: I thought he was a bit down, but we keep in mind he’s a young player who’ll keep growing. He couldn’t impact in the air as well as we would’ve liked but we know he’s going to be a really good player for us. He plays his best footy when he’s aggressive and we think he’ll respond this weekend.
24. Rhys Palmer
Stats: 29 disposals, 8 clearances, 7 tackles
From the coach: Both around the contest and in front of the ball, he worked really hard. Putting it together consistently is where we’re challenging Rhys, but he stood up for us around stoppages.
55. Liam Sumner
Stats: 14 disposals, 3 inside 50s, 2 goals
From the coach: Liam started well: he took a really nice mark inside 50 and used his body to effect as a small forward, so some of his craft aspects were good. Sustaining it for four quarters is what we’re challenging all of our players to do - his impact in the second half was down.
