SUNS Development Coach Tate Kaesler has given his appraisal of the club’s listed players’ performances in the Round 15 NEAFL loss to Sydney Uni.

Chris Burgess

Chris competed pretty strong aerially in the match in defence. He was able to impact in the air with a couple of good contested marks and used the ball well by foot looking to generate our ball movement. Chris will be looking to build on his form and press for an AFL recall before the end of the season.

Corey Ellis

Corey was really strong with his ball-gathering at ground level on the weekend. At times he won some critical one-on-ones and with ball in hand, Corey looked really composed and made good decisions. He was good at generating our ball movement out of the back half and took a step forward this week.

Sam Fletcher

Sam played his first game back from injury on the weekend in the midfield. He had some good periods around the footy where his contest work and pressure was very good. Sam’s still working on his offensive craft to become more involved. He got through the game well and we’re looking forward to him backing up from this week. 

Caleb Graham

Caleb started the game really well with his contests in the air being a highlight. He continues to show positive signs with his body positioning from a defensive point of view. We’re working with Caleb on how to get more involved offensively when we win the ball back.

George Horlin-Smith

George competed strongly all day in the midfield from a contest point-of-view. Over the past three games his ability to win both inside and outside ball has been a positive. George continues to show great leadership and is playing with an aggressive mindset.

Jack Leslie

Jack was a really solid defender for us on the weekend. He had a real positive impact in the air either spoiling or marking. Jack’s looking to get more involved offensively when we have the ball, and when he did, he made good decisions.

Jez McLennan

We thought Jez had a really solid game in defence. He was really strong with his contest work both in the air and on the ground. Jez continues to show great improvement with his defensive positioning which is putting him in better positions to impact the game. He was composed and used the ball well when he had it.

Connor Nutting

Connor had a strong game defensively with his pressure on the opposition. He played around the footy a little more this week which was a good change-up for him. He’s continuing to work on his leading patterns to give us an option ahead of the ball when we’re looking to go inside 50. 

Mitch Riordan

Mitch battled hard all day and tried to give us a spark around the midfield. He had nine clearances throughout the day and continues to build his transition both ways as he adapts to senior football. Mitch is improving each week and is starting to build some solid form. 

Peter Wright

Pete played both forward and in the ruck for us on the weekend. He ended up with 2.1 and 41 hitouts. Pete looked dangerous up forward but would have liked to complete more regularly to have a bigger impact on the game.