2013 reviews: Caddy, Bews, Rivers
Click here for Dale Amos' 2013 player reviews on Josh Caddy, Jed Bews and Jared Rivers.
23 Josh Caddy
After spending two years with the Gold Coast Suns Caddy decided to move back to his home state to join the Geelong Cats. It didn’t take long for the young 20-year-old to find his feet in the senior’s midfield, ending the season with 18 games. Each match Caddy exposed a little bit more of his talent and by the Preliminary Final he had secured his position. Despite starting as the sub, once he was unleashed midway through the third quarter he took control immediately, where he pocketed 12 disposals, three marks, three clearances and one goal. Over the season he averaged 15 disposals, with 8.3 kicks and 6.6 handballs, including 2.8 marks and three tackles per game.
Amos' review:
He played some reasonable footy at the start of the year and then ended up back in the VFL. But the last part of his season, after he came back into the AFL team, was exceptional. He played very well as the sub a couple of times and was really influential in some other games, playing as both an inside midfielder and as a forward at various times. He really matured as the year went on and gained a lot of respect from the way he fought his way back into the AFL side after being dropped to the VFL. We're all really excited about Josh and what we think he's capable of doing in the next 12 months.
24 Jed Bews
Unfortunately the 20-year-old defender was unable to participate in the NAB Cup or the early rounds of the home and away season due to a foot injury. The youngster, however, managed to get up for 14 VFL games, where he averaged 6.5 efficient disposals, 2.4 marks and 2.3 tackles per game.
Amos' review:
Probably a bit of a frustrating year for Jed because he had injuries at critical times. He never really got any great continuity in his year. But when he was able to string some games together, I thought he showed some signs that he'll develop into a small and powerful defender, in a similar mould to what Josh Hunt has been for us in the past. He's got similar attributes to Josh – a burst of speed and strength over the ball. We hope he has a big pre-season and stakes a claim to play some AFL footy next year.
25 Jared Rivers
The reliable defender from Melbourne had a disappointing year after injuring his knee in round 5 against the Bulldogs, which ruled him out for a large chunk of the season. It wasn’t until round 20 that he was able to make his return back into the senior side. From there the 29-year-old kept his position in defence and ended the season with 10 matches, where he averaged 10.3 disposals at 74.8% efficiency per game.
Amos' review:
Started the season really well before a knee injury kept him out for a number of weeks. He came back and was really important for our structure, being our third tall defender. He complements Lonergan and Taylor, and he was able to play on all types of players from resting ruckmen to small forwards. He felt comfortable playing in our system by the end of the year, so we think he'll be even better next season.