Northern Blues senior coach Josh Fraser rates all Carlton-listed players who featured in the VFL practice game against Port Melbourne on Saturday:
Tom De Koning
Stats: 8 disposals, 4 inside 50s, 11 hitouts
From the coach: Tom spent his time between the forward line and ruck, and he continues to compete really hard while his follow-up work is pleasing. We want to see more consistency and urgency over four quarters, but for a young tall he’s progressing well and we’re excited by his talent.
Tom De Koning in action against Port Melbourne. (Photo: Mozzed Video and Photography)
Jesse Glass-McCasker
Stats: 4 disposals, 3 tackles
From the coach: Jesse’s second half was better than his first: he needs to continue to engage and defend hard when he’s called upon. We need him to play like a strong key defender, which we know he’s capable of.
Nick Graham
Stats: 27 disposals, 10 clearances, 6 tackles
From the coach: As always, Nick was busy inside the contest and had some strong tackling efforts, while also finding enough of the ball. He keeps backing up week-by-week at VFL level and we know what we’re going to get from him.
Patrick Kerr
Stats: 10 disposals, 4 marks (3 inside 50), 1 goal
From the coach: We liked Patty’s game. If we moved the ball cleaner, he would’ve got more reward on the scoreboard. His leading patterns improving and he had some strong efforts when the ball was in the air. We’re challenging him to keep energetic and busy in the contest. He’s growing his game nicely.
Kym Lebois
Stats: 4 disposals, 1 goal
From the coach: Kym keeps having opportunities to impact the game through his pressure and his positioning at the fall of the ball. We’re confident that if he keeps playing with his speed and energy, a breakout game isn’t far away for him.
Harry McKay
Stats: 13 disposals, 5 marks (2 contested), 2 goals
From the coach: I liked parts of his game — he competed as well as he has for a while, and he also took a number of contested marks in the air. Importantly, he got busy when the ball hit the deck. It was a step in the right direction for 'H', but the next challenge is building consistency.
Lochie O’Brien
Stats: 14 disposals, 5 handball receives
From the coach: I thought his game was really solid and promising. Some of the hard work he’s put into his running patterns were evident and I thought his efforts in the contest were strong. He’ll be looking to take another step this week.
Andrew Phillips
Stats: 7 disposals, 21 hitouts, 1 goal
From the coach: He continues to give us a good look with his ruck-work and now he’ll be out to build his game with his follow-up around the ground and in the air. After a fair time out of the game, he showed more signs of that on the weekend. A consistent form line for him is the way to go from here.
Andrew Phillips showed good signs as he continues to build his game-time. (Photo: Mozzed Video and Photography)
Sam Rowe
Stats: 12 disposals, 8 hard-ball gets
From the coach: I thought he competed really well, especially considering the time out of the game. His competitive nature definitely came to the fore. Speaking to our young Carlton and VFL defenders, they said his direction and voice was outstanding.
Sam Rowe made a strong return after nearly 11 months out of the game. (Photo: Mozzed Video and Photography)
Angus Schumacher
Stats: 21 disposals, 11 handball receives
From the coach: He had a lot more offensive involvement this week. As a young player, we’re challenging him to find the right time when to attack and defend. We want him to keep concentrating on the defensive side of his game, and he’s taking that feedback on board each week.
Matt Shaw
Stats: 10 disposals, 5 marks
From the coach: Coming off a few weeks out, ‘Shawy’ built into it after a slow start and that came about on the back of some hard running. He played the majority of the game on the wing, having been on limited time. He’s a really hard runner and we’ll be looking for more from him in the coming weeks.
Jack Silvagni
Stats: 11 disposals, 4 tackles, 3 goals
From the coach: I liked parts of his game as well: he played forward while also spending a quarter inside as a midfielder. It was important for him to hit the scoreboard through his leading patterns and competitive efforts on the ground. The way he played his role as a bigger bodied midfielder showed he is adding layers to his game which will fast-track his development.
Jack Silvagni booted a team-high three goals on Saturday. (Photo: Mozzed Video and Photography)