Corey Jones has been playing some of his best football of late and it’s no surprise that he’s back in contention for AFL selection. Despite some tough outgoings with a few heavy knocks to the head, the veteran forward had another dominant performance for North Ballarat in its win over Werribee on Sunday.
The 29 year-old has played just one senior game this season in round two but is a chance to add to that total after racking up 27 possessions and pulling down 14 marks.
Jones' goal tally could have hit double figures if he’d been accurate, but instead he finished the day with three goals and seven behinds in the Roosters' 51 point win.
Kangaroos teammate Ed Lower was one of the catalysts behind North Ballarat's dominance in the midfield and has showed no signs of the broken leg he suffered earlier in the year with 29 possessions and 80 per cent game time.
Matt Campbell spent extended periods on the bench in his first game back from an ankle injury, but after being named as an emergency on Saturday night he could be a chance for a return against the Bulldogs in round nine.
Youngster Brayden Norris was another to impress. Taken at pick 53 in the 2009 National Draft, Norris has shown promising signs in his four games with the Roosters, developing quicker than anyone had expected. The lightly-framed North draftee picked up 24 possessions and was named in the best.
Werribee showed plenty of fight in the first half despite its opponents going in to the match as resounding favourites. North Ballarat lead by just two points at half-time, but quickly took the ascendency in the second half. A huge final term netted the Roosters 21 inside 50's and 16 scoring shots.
Tigers' coach Simon Atkins was pleased with the opening half, but said his team still has plenty to learn in order to compete with the top sides.
“It’s a lack of ability for the playing group to absorb pressure, to absorb what the opposition is doing and to react to it, clearly that’s a weakness of ours," Atkins said.
“You’ve got to kick goals to win football and we didn’t do that."
Ben Speight's return to the VFL from a broken jaw provided a rare positive for Werribee. He had 16 possessions and got through the match unscathed to again stake a claim for an AFL debut in 2010.
Omitted from the North Melbourne side, Ben Warren did his best to impress, but was starved of opportunities and managed just nine possessions. It was a similar story for Nathan O'Keefe who had seven possessions and kicked two goals.
2009 draftees Jamie MacMillan and Ayden Kennedy were under siege in defence as the Roosters attacked, but both could hold their heads high providing some strong rebound out of the backline.
