Match result: Werribee 19.19.133 defeated Richmond 5.7.37
Venue: Avalon Airport Oval.
Conditions: Slight breeze. Sunny.
In action
- Leigh Adams (16 disposals)
- Daniel Currie (11 disposals, 6 tackles, 47 hit-outs, 2 goals)
- Majak Daw (5 disposals, 2 goals) - left ground before half-time
- Will Fordham (20 disposals, 7 marks)
- Kieran Harper (8 disposals, 4 tackles)
- Luke McDonald (25 disposals, 12 marks)
- Kayne Turner (16 disposals, 6 tackles, 2 goals)
- Eric Wallace (Development League)
RELATED: Roosters Report Card
NMFC.com.au's best:
Daniel Currie, Luke McDonald
Match ups & player roles:
- Daniel Currie ruck and key-forward
- Luke McDonald across half-back
What the coach said - John Lamont:
Quarter-time
Werribee 6.6.42 led Richmond 1.4.10
"We've had more possessions than them, we've had more inside 50's ... but we've had 29 tackles. For the mathemeticians, if we call it 30, if we keep going that's 120 tackles and there's no way known we'll be beaten, not a hope in hell if we keep up that defensive effort.
"Majak (Daw) ... we saw the defensive running to cover James Wall when you were going to the goal-square. We saw how hard you worked defensively. Outstanding stuff mate, outstanding.
"Their coach will be revving them up, you'd have to. So whatever they throw at you, you grab that and give it back to them!"
Three quarter time
Werribee 14.13.97 led Richmond 3.7.25
"All our process stuff we have to be on top of, but the overall objective is we must win this quarter. Nothing at the end where they get three or four.
"If the scoreboard stays as it was I'd be happy, because we haven't given them any easy. That's the hard-nosed approach we've got to have.
"It's been a terrific 90 minutes of footy. You deserve to finish this game off. You've got the right attitude ... keep it going!"
Story of the game
Werribee went in to the match as favourites against the tenth-placed Richmond outfit, and from the outset it was a dominant performance.
Leigh Adams was influential early, while Daniel Currie pulled down three strong marks in the quarter, as well as booting a goal as John Lamont's team went into the first change with a 32-point lead.
Richmond kicked successive goals in the second quarter to reduce the margin slightly, but by the main break the game was all but over.
The home team continued its dominance after half-time, kicking ten second half goals to two to boost its percentage.
Points of interest
1. Luke McDonald was a valuable contributor in his first VFL game since 2013.
"I thought he was terrific. I was really pleased with Luke's game," Senior Development Coach Gavin Brown said.
"The first quarter he was probably finding his feet, but sometimes you go from AFL to VFL and obviously it's a different game.
"But after that (quarter-time) I thought he was fantastic. I thought he played with a real straight bat, got plenty of the footy on the back of some really hard work-rate and good running patterns. He used the ball terrifically well.
"I thought he was terrific."
RELATED: McDonald finds touch
2. Daniel Currie was the dominant ruckman on the ground, pulling down several strong contested marks and winning the ruck with relative ease.
He had 31 hit-outs in the first half alone, and finished with 47. The best effort from a Richmond player was just seven.
In the last term, Currie took a brilliant one-on-one mark with his opponent hanging off him to bring the Werribee crowd to its feet.
"Our expectations of him now are really high," Brown said.
"He took a couple of really strong marks up forward again, which is great because that's one of the strings to his bow we wanted him to add.
"It was just powerful (the marking). He's full of confidence in the air now which is fantastic."
3. Majak Daw added another play to his highlight reel with a brilliant two-bounce run and goal.
Daw won the ball at half-forward, took a bounce, pushed off an opponent, took another bounce then finished with a goal to the roar of the Avalon Airport Oval crowd.
Unfortunately, his day came to a premature end after a heavy landing in a marking contest. The key-forward was rested in the second half as a precautionary measure.
4. Leigh Adams got another game under his belt, playing around 75 per cent game-time.
The courageous onballer put his body on the line as always, finishing with 16 disposals.
"It's not about (disposals) numbers. I thought he was pretty solid again today," Brown said.
"He looked pretty sore and tired by the end of it, but he worked really hard.
"Sometimes the second one back is a little bit harder, so it will do him a world of good."
5. Kieran Harper made his return from a knee injury, getting through unscathed.
After a slow start, the number 23 had five final term disposals.
"I was pleased with his last quarter, but I was also pleased that he got through the game," Brown said.
"We've got to remember he hasn't played for 10 weeks. He's only done two weeks of training, but I thought he moved really well which was particularly pleasing.
"I thought he started to get going a bit late, which should have him in good stead for next week."
6. Kayne Turner responded to his omission with a strong performance.
"He was a bit to slow to start, but his second half was outstanding," Brown said.
"His fall of the ball work and tackling was great."
Most likely call up: Luke McDonald
Next week: v Collingwood at Victoria Park, Sunday June 14, 11am
