AFTER Carlton's first VFL practice match, coach Daniel O'Keefe runs through the performances of the nine AFL-listed players who featured in the win over St Kilda.

7. Matthew Kennedy
Stats: 30 disposals, seven tackles, seven inside 50s, five clearances, one goal

To start with, Matty had plenty of the ball. He played a well-balanced role as an inside midfielder, some time on the wing and up forward as well. He ran really well and found himself bursting forward out of stoppages, which was a really aggressive pattern for us. He was at the opposition with his contest work and tackled really hard and got rewarded for them. He had 30 disposals and kicked a late goal, it was a big day for Matty.

13. Liam Stocker
Stats: 24 disposals, six tackles, one goal

‘Stock’ played the most midfield minutes out of anyone on the ground. He also had a balanced day in terms of his stoppage work and getting out and running some really good patterns and not collapsing into the contest, which is what he’s been working on. He got rewarded a couple of times on the back of those running patterns in the centre of the ground, which really set us up in a dangerous manner when it came to moving the ball forward. He also kicked a really nice goal from about 40 out and tackled well also, so it was a good day for him.

16. Jack Carroll
Stats: 17 disposals, four clearances, one goal

Jack started the game in the first half a little bit slowly, but he absolutely worked into it magnificently. He rolled more through the midfield in the second half and really got going: he got on the end of chains of possession and started them as well. We’re still working on our stoppage set-ups with him, which is okay: we don’t expect him to know that straight away at the start. When he’s in traffic, he’s a smooth mover and we’re starting to see that. He’s got some good wheels and speed and I’m really looking forward to working with him more and more.

19. Eddie Betts
Stats: 13 disposals, five marks, two goals

It was really nice for our first-year draftees and VFL players to get the chance to play with Eddie, for his experience and leadership and how he helps people on the field. He kicked a couple of nice goals on the back of nice leading patterns and forward craft in the first quarter. He was always lively and busy at the drop of the ball like we know Eddie Betts is. He went to ground a little bit in his first hitout of the pre-season and I’m sure he’ll fix that up. To sum him up, he was really busy and that’s exactly what we expect from him. He’s only been training for a couple of weeks, so in terms of his progression and where he’s coming from, it was a good day in terms of building into a year which we know he’s capable of.

26. Luke Parks
Stats: 14 disposals (100 per cent efficiency), seven marks, two rebound 50s

Both myself and the players thought that Luke was super. He was our only AFL-listed player that played in defence, and he’s still quite inexperienced as a 19-year-old in his first year and first game at the Club. He was around a number of young VFL players and he had to play bigger than what he is at times and smaller than what he is at times. What I loved about his game the most was the little detail in his game, putting blocks on for his teammates to win easy ball and the other old school one-percenters that he naturally has in his game.  He had seven marks in the second half and more than half of those were intercept marks: he’s got a well-balance approach with how hard he defends his direct opponent and when he rolls off. He’s still learning and fine-tuning that balance but he’s making some good growth in that area.

33. Sam Ramsay
Stats: 18 disposals, four marks, five inside 50s

Sam was another one that found the footy regularly: he’s got an enormous work rate.  As a half forward, he was working into our defensive half which is great and getting his hands on the footy that way. What we’re trying to work with on Sam is how he can get more footy in the front half and be more dangerous as we really rate him for his kicking. We’re looking at how we can expose Sam in a more dangerous part of the ground. He ran through the midfield at times as well and he’s another one that’s quite versatile.

40. Michael Gibbons
Stats: 31 disposals, eight marks, eight tackles, two goals

It was a big day for ‘Gibbo’: he played 50-50 in terms of midfield and forward time. He was busy in both roles. He finished with 31 disposals and went at a good efficiency rate, had eight tackles and eight marks for his work on the inside and outside of the contest. His manic pressure at the opposition was really strong and he finished with a couple of goals for his work. He was buzzing everywhere.

44. Matthew Owies
Stats: 17 disposals, six marks, four inside 50s, three goals

Matty has continued on from last year, to be really honest. He does most things right and he wills himself in our forward 50 more than anyone. His pressure and more so his implied pressure really stood out, whether it was making the tackle himself or putting a bump on — he was getting in the opposition defenders’ face to force them to make a decision. That’s what we love and what we expect from our small forwards. He kicked three goals on the day and claims he kicked a fourth as well: he’s going to get shots on goal because of how busy he gets in the front half.

46. Matthew Cottrell
Stats: 16 disposals, six marks, three inside 50s, three rebound 50s

‘Cotts’ played on the wing for the majority of the day and did it really well, his patterns were really good. In terms of his work rate, there’s no one that runs harder or longer than what Matty does and he runs at light speed: I’d hate to play on him personally. At times, because of how hard he works, it can go unnoticed and he doesn’t find the footy in his hands as much but for a winger, he plays that role and balances our width really well. He was really good in the air too, working back to help our defenders out and supporting them in contests. There’s a bit of learning in terms of at stoppages and making sure we’re set up properly from a coverage point of view. He’s a smart player and I’m sure we’ll clean that one up quickly.