After the loss to the Lions in the curtain raiser at Metricon Stadium on Saturday, NEAFL Coach Nick Malceski has given his review of each of the performances from the AFL-listed players.

Jacob Dawson: Jacob played a different role for us this week in the midfield due to team balance. He was able to find a bit of the ball in there and tried to spark the team but didn’t have the impact which we would have liked. This week we expect he will be back to his original role down back. 

Sam Day: Sam competed well again in the air and at ground level in the forward line for us. His leading patterns were good again and he was rewarded in these areas by hitting the scoreboard with three goals. He is one that is putting pressure on the AFL players for a spot in the team.

Caleb Graham: Caleb did some good things throughout the game. His aerial contest work: marking or spoiling over his opponent or helping out team mates, was good. This week he’ll be working on his consistency and physicality on his opponent, with a focus on being the first to react every time.

Ben King: Ben played forward and had his best game for the club. He was involved in plenty of contests and was able to impact them by either marking or bringing the ball to ground for our small forwards to crumb. His good work up forward was rewarded with 3.3 for the day. We are all looking forward to him to back this up again this week.

Jack Leslie: Jack was able to turn his game around from last week which we knew he would. He was a lot harder to play against in his 1v1 contest and his leadership was back to what we expect from him. This week we will be working on his ground balls and composure with the footy in hand so he can add that to his game this week.

Jez McLennan: Jez played on a number of different opponents this week. He was disappointed with his game as he didn’t have the same impact as last week. It was a good learning experience for him and he is keen to impact the game this week by being harder to play against.

Tom Nicholls: Tom was up against Archie Smith all day and probably broke-even for the match. His biggest strength is his follow up work after to ruck contest and he was able to impact and help out the midfielders in this area at times. We’re looking for him to be dominating in this area this week as well as being able to take some big contested marks when needed.

Connor Nutting: Connor played half forward with stints on the wing, similar to last week. He struggled to impact the game but will go away this week and continue to work hard on his craft, then bring his strengths into the game this week against NT Thunder. 

Brad Scheer: Bradley started the game well playing as an inside midfielder and winger. He backed up his form from last week early but came off at the start of the 3^rdquarter with a hand injury. Unfortunately scans have shown Bradley has a fractured hand so we will be without him for a considerable amount of time. 

Josh Schoenfeld: Josh played on the wing and inside midfield, similar to last week. His transition was good which is his strength, but being clean with the football will be an area of focus for him. He didn’t have the same impact as last week but he has already cracked in this week and is keen to work hard to have the same impact he had in his first game back. 

Aaron Young: Aaron has again had another good game in a tough day. He was able to find plenty of it again but what stood out was his intensity around the ball, leading by example in that area. He had nine tackles and was trying to will his team mates to come with him. He again is putting pressure on the AFL team with his good form and will be pushing for a spot this week.