Mitch Brown
Desperately unlucky to be omitted from the Cats side that thrashed St Kilda, Brown did as he always does and went back and shut down in the opposition defence in the VFL. Combining with Jared Rivers to stop young star Jesse Hogan, Brown helped to keep him to just two goals.
Jared Rivers
Rivers has now put together four games in the VFL after overcoming a knee injury. Once again on the weekend he played his role to perfection cutting off numerous forays into the opposition forward line. Whilst the Cats AFL backline is a tough one to crack, Rivers’ form, talent and experience should be enough to see him return soon.
Paul Chapman
Whilst he almost certainly won’t be playing for the AFL side this week, Chapman had as good a return as was hoped. Whilst he clocked up 10kms in the game, Chapman’s presence was immense. He finished with 17 touches, eight tackles and a goal to show that he is not finished yet.
Allen Christensen
The Cats were ultra-cautious with Christensen who returned from nearly four matches missing with a hamstring injury. With the fast and hard surface of Etihad not ideal for a player returning from a soft tissue injury, Christensen got to play in his kind of conditions; wet, slippery and contested. He finished with 16 touches and a goal, enough to hopefully see a return to this week’s AFL side.
Josh Walker
Walker again played to his full potential in a rotating ruck and forward role on Sunday. After bagging six goals last week, Walker managed two this week in a performance that saw him in the best handful on the ground. The Cats were handsomely beaten in the hitouts on Friday night potentially opening the door for a Walker promotion.
James Podsiadly
Podsiadly was keenly missed on Friday night with much of his role left to youngster Nathan Vardy. Podsiadly’s form should see him return straightaway from suspension.
Jordan Murdoch
Murdoch has been the Cats x-factor this year in the AFL including the memorable last quarter against Hawthorn. On Sunday he was best on ground, racking up touches, providing run and finishing with two goals.
George Horlin-Smith
Although quieter on Sunday, Horlin-Smith’s contested ball work and clearance work are first rate. He could be considered to fix the Cats poor centre clearance work.
Shane Kersten
Kersten followed up his six goal bag from the week before to put through another five against Casey. A hard lead up forward with a booming kick, Kersten’s debut may come sooner than later.
