Jedd Busslinger

20 disposals, nine marks, four rebound 50s

“Buss is making some great inroads. When players like him get continuity in their training and then playing, plus having the likes of Brucey around to have that voice and bring that leadership – Jedd’s really finding his own and we’re really seeing that intercept player coming out. He’s making the right decisions to take us forward and use his hands. It’s really pleasing to see.”

Rory Lobb

15 disposals, six marks, seven inside 50s, nine hit-outs, two goals

“Lobby was great for us in front of it. Obviously it’s not an ideal situation for him, but to come back with the attitude he had was great. He helped Buku out and even directed and helped one of our VFL debutants Caleb Lewis too. He got on the end of two goals which was nice too – having a player of Lobby’s calibre helps the whole structure of the forward line.”

Charlie Clarke

13 disposals, four tackles, two inside 50s

“Again like Buss, Clarkey has gotten a lot of continuity in training and games. I thought his stuff in and around the ball was good – he got a few nice looks at it – and was able to structure up well for us and get himself involved in the game with a couple of score assists.”

Harvey Gallagher

29 disposals, five marks, five inside 50s, two goals

Oskar Baker

22 disposals, five marks, four inside 50s, three goals

“I’ll probably put Harvs and Bakes in the same one here, because they were both pretty dominant and really owned those wings for us. Both kicked the first five goals of our game, and their two-way running to get back and help us defend, but also put that pressure on in our front half which was really nice to see. Both of them have got power and speed, and I thought they really brought that out. They were almost carbon copies of one another on each wing – which is great. In my eyes, they were probably the best on ground. They really set our game up.”

Toby McLean

28 disposals, seven marks, three tackles, four clearances, one goal

“It was nice to have Tobes back. His inside grunt and knowledge of our structures meant he was able to slot in without throwing too many things out. He plays his role really well, and is able to win stuff on the inside and also on the defensive side. He’s definitely got that nous and the eyes to help set us up. He was a handy addition for us.”

Josh Bruce

19 disposals, eight marks, two tackles, five rebound 50s

“Brucey held the fort down pretty well in our back half. He intercepted a lot which then generated some ball movement back our way. Like Tobes, he just has that footy nous and experience to be able to set the ground up and play it in our half.”

Buku Khamis

11 disposals, seven marks, two inside 50s, four goals

“Buks was probably the biggest beneficiary of having Lobby there, who soaked up a fair bit which meant he could work in and around him. Some of his ruck stuff also gave Sweety a bit of a chop-out – he worked really hard for us defensively as well which was pleasing to see. In terms of scoreboard pressure too, he made the most of his chances.”

Robbie McComb

24 disposals, three marks, two inside 50s, two clearances

“I love seeing that grunt from Robbie from contest to contest. He’s probably got that point of difference for us, and has been great to have alongside Tobes. He’s stringing some nice footy together.”

Arthur Jones

Nine disposals, four inside 50s, two goals

“Arty had some great patterns for us and was able to get in front of it. We’d like him to finish a little bit better – that’s just the small forward craft of taking your chances when they come – but in terms of putting himself in those positions to have looks at it, it was off the back of his running capacity. We don’t get those looks without those defensive actions, and he’s starting to work out that two-way running which is really nice.”

Luke Cleary

22 disposals, three marks, two tackles

“Having Brucey there was also beneficial for Clizz – he was able to guide him into good spots. Clizz’s knowledge of the game and how he sees it is pretty special, so to start exploring that and really taking the game on – he’s starting to add those strings to his bow.”

Cody Raak

14 disposals, seven marks, three inside 50s

“On the back of defence, Raaky got some great looks for us to take it offensively and help the backs move the ball the way they did. He got on the end of a few – his work rate to be able to get up and down the ground and fill the gaps where needed was good.”

Jordon Sweet

18 disposals, five marks, five clearances, 25 hit-outs

“Sweety really had his hands full with two bona-fide AFL ruckmen, but he was able to at least match that. In saying that, I thought he was able to surpass a lot of that as well and work both ways. He had some scoreboard impact, played with a lot of composure and gave us some good contests in front of it – whether that was marking it or halving it. He really took his chances when he did have the ball in hand. I really loved Sweety’s game.”