Northern Blues senior coach Josh Fraser analyses the games of the Carlton-listed players who featured in his side’s memorable 36-point over Box Hill last weekend:
7. Dylan Buckley
Stats: 14 disposals (10 contested), 7 hard-ball gets, 2 goals
From the coach: Bucks provided some run around contested footy, and played a role on-ball as well as on the wing. He’ll look to build form after missing three weeks with suspension.
26. Matthew Dick
Stats: 24 disposals, 5 marks, 7 handball receives
From the coach: I thought he was defensively really solid again. He used the ball well out of our back half, and he was typically influential in organising our back six on-field with his voice and leadership.
31. Jayden Foster
Stats: 9 disposals, 4 marks
From the coach: He had some important one-on-one wins - he’s improving his positioning all the time and continues to find opportunities to get involved offensively.
34. Jesse Glass-McCasker
Stats: 4 disposals, 2 marks (1 contested)
From the coach: Jesse’s making some good inroads into his game as a defender, and he looks better and better each week in the contest. He’s picking the right time to leave his opponent and give support in the air.
38. Billy Gowers
Stats: 27 disposals, 10 marks, 5 inside 50s, 8 handball receives
From the coach: It was a really good game from Billy. He swept up just about everything that came into the defensive half of the ground. He provided some good run-and-carry, was strong in the air and used the ball well.
48. Kristian Jaksch
Stats: 14 disposals, 6 marks (3 contested), 4 goals
From the coach: I thought ‘KJ’ worked pretty hard to provide a contest in our forward half, in the air and on the ground. He was a focal point inside 50 for us, which showed given he finished with four goals.
14. Liam Jones
Stats: 14 disposals, 7 marks (5 contested), 4 inside 50s, 2 goals
From the coach: Similar to KJ, I thought Jones’s second half was pretty important: he crashed packs, provided pressure and hit the scoreboard. He was also a great leader with his direction and leadership out on the ground.
15. Andrew Phillips
Stats: 13 disposals, 8 marks, 4 inside 50s, 53 hitouts, 1 goal
From the coach: He dominated his time in the ruck, and importantly when he went forward he was able to take some strong marks inside 50. He probably should have impacted the scoreboard more: he finished with 1.2 but probably could have had two or three more.
Andrew Phillips was one of the stars for the Northern Blues in their win over Box Hill. (Photo: Tim Murdoch)
47. Ciaran Sheehan
Stats: 16 disposals, 4 hard-ball gets, 5 handball receives
From the coach: He continues to improve, ‘Gussy’. I think his positioning and game sense is coming back by the week: he was strong in contest in the air and on the ground, and he continues to find more and more of the ball each week.
Carlton's Irish rookie Ciaran Sheehan continues to improve in the VFL after overcoming injury. (Photo: Jason Heidrich)
2. Jack Silvagni
Stats: 12 disposals, 5 marks (3 inside 50), 4 goals
From the coach: He had a quiet first half but a solid game in the end - he worked his way into the contest well. He provided a strong leading target but also was competitive in the air, and played a role defensively in our forward line which allowed him to kick four.
67. Clem Smith
Stats: 10 disposals, 5 loose-ball gets
From the coach: It was a patchy performance: he continues to show how dangerous he can be when he’s up and about in our forward half, but it’s now about building consistency in his games. He gave us some real spark in the third quarter.
Carlton youngster Clem Smith is looking to build consistency in the VFL. (Photo: Tim Murdoch)
76. Jason Tutt
Stats: 27 disposals, 6 marks, 14 handball receives
From the coach: Again, he continues to find plenty of the ball as a winger due to his relentless running. He was also able to support the defence and get forward at the right moment to assist.
65. Dillon Viojo-Rainbow
Stats: 12 disposals, 3 marks, 5 handball receives,
From the coach: A more rounded game from Dillon. There are still areas of his game which he’s working hard on but he was much better in the contest. He gave us some important outside run and balance.
42. Mark Whiley
Stats: 28 disposals (20 contested), 11 hard-ball gets, 9 clearances
From the coach: He was again significant around the stoppages and contested ball: it was a bull-like performance in tight in tough conditions. He got the ball going forward our way and was relentless for four quarters.
Mark Whiley backed up last week's standout performance with another dominant showing in the win over Box Hill. (Photo: Jason Heidrich)
36. Cameron Wood
Stats: 6 disposals, 2 inside 50s, 35 hitouts
From the coach: Along with ‘Flip’, he was vital in giving our midfielders first use in the ruck. As the game wore on, he got better and was able to move around the ground and find ball. He’s still building towards his best form.
Development League
80. Matthew Korcheck
Stats: 14 disposals, 62 hitouts
From the coach: I thought he was really good, he dominated the hitouts and also got around the ground to get in position to compete and win in the air. A real step forward in his development.
