Sandringham coach Andy Lovell gives us an insight into the form of the Zebras’ Melbourne listed players, following the disappointing losses by both the seniors and reserves against the Williamstown in Round Six.

Sandrinham Seniors
Williamstown 3.1 19  -  8.6.54  -  12.10.82   -  19.16.130
Sandringham 1.4.10   -  3.6.24   -  8.10.58   -  9.12.66

Simon Buckley - (18 kicks, 15 handballs, 6 marks, 1 goal)
Playing off the half back line, Simon played well. He had 33 possessions and used his pace and skills to his advantage. A focal point going forward for Simon will see him being able to win the contested football. He is really learning how to win his own ball at the moment, as well as being able to link up and carry.  That is Simon’s challenge.

Shane Valenti (13 kicks, 13 handballs, 11 marks)
He had 26 possessions but didn’t impact the game like he has done in previous weeks, fumbling and turning the ball over on a number of occasions.  However, Shane’s work ethic and work rate was still really good, and he was one of our better players on the day.

Paul Johnson (11 kicks, 13 handballs, 8 marks, 1 goal)
This was Paul’s first game back after missing five weeks with a hand injury. He played a reasonable game, and rucked against two AFL ruckmen in Peter Street and Wade Skipper. He competed really well, and was able to get a bit of the ball around the ground, finishing with 24 possessions. We also moved him forward, which meant he led up the ground well and was a dangerous target. Overall, his first up effort was pretty good.

Jace Bode (13 kicks, 8 handballs, 5 marks)
Jace played at half back on Callum Ward (Western Bulldogs listed player), and did a really good job on him for three quarters. He beat his opponent, ran and rebounded well from the back half, and used the ball really well. We moved him into the midfield in the fourth quarter for a run-with role with Bret Johnson, and he did a reasonable job without being super. But, overall, we were happy with his game.

Chris Johnson (12 kicks, 9 handballs, 5 marks)
Chris played at half back and on a wing. He wasn’t as dominant as he has been in the last two games, and didn’t have a big impact with the ball in his hands, but still beat his man and did a good job.

John Meesen (8 kicks, 11 handballs, 10 marks)
John played his best game for Sandringham, and has been steadily improving over the past three weeks. His work rate was up and he marked the ball well around the ground. John competed well in the ruck at the centre bounces, and also played forward as a lead up target. He still has some development to go before he plays AFL football, but he is showing some really good signs of improvement.

Addam Maric (11 kicks, 5 handballs, 6 marks, 2 goals)
Playing at half forward and in the midfield, Addam was able to win his own ball and use it pretty well, kicking two goals. His forward pressure wasn’t as good as it has been in previous weeks, which is a focus for him, but Addam is a young player who is learning different roles in the team, and his form over recent weeks has been pretty solid.

Ben Holland (10 kicks, 5 handballs, 4 marks)
Ben struggled up forward as a marking target - Williamstown dropped numbers back in front of him, which made it really tough. Ben went into the ruck in the third quarter and helped us back into the game, getting some ball around the grounds. This week wasn’t Ben’s best game, but before this his form has been really good for us over the past month.

Stefan Martin (5 kicks, 9 handballs, 3 marks)
Playing as a key defender, Stefan was average for us. His defensive work was good, and he probably beat his man on the day, but he made some ball handling errors which cost goals. His decision making and work ethic are both really good as a whole, he is learning how to play as a key defender really well, and his development has been pretty steady. 

Lynden Dunn (4 kicks, 5 handballs, 2 marks)
Lynden played a tagging role on Bret Johnson, who is one of Williamstown’s key midfielders. He did a really good job in the first half and kept him to eight possessions, but Johnson got away from him in the third quarter.  We then moved Lynden forward and he provided a lead up making target, kicking one goal.  Overall, Lynden’s first half good was good, but in his second half he drifted out of the game.

Kyle Cheney (4 kicks, 4 handballs, 2 marks)
Kyle struggled to adapt to the pace of the game, playing in the back line. He is a young player who is learning how to play at this level - he was really good last week, but didn’t have such a big impact this week. He will learn from the experience of playing on some really good players.

Matthew Whelan (2 kicks, 2 handballs)
Matthew started the game really well, played the first 15 minutes but then didn’t take any part in the rest of the game due to illness.

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Sandringham Reserves
Williamstown  7.1.49  -  13.4.82   -  20.10.130   -  29.13.187
Sandringham   7.1.49   -  12.5 77   -  12.8 .80   -  12.10.82

Trent Zomer (11 kicks, 5 handballs, 7 marks)
Trent played really well in the first half as a key forward. He led up at the ball well, and his kicking for goal has maintained at a solid level. He has been rotating from the forward line to the ruck, showing that he has a really good jump, and his tap work was strong.  As part of his development, we are trying the increase his work rate and we are doing that by playing him in the ruck. In a really poor team performance, he was one of our better players.

Jake Spencer (1 kick, 5 handballs, 2 marks)
Jake didn’t have a good day. He played three senior games before getting dropped back down to the reserves, and he probably struggled to adapt to that a little bit. Jake has a great attitude and a really good temperament.  This was just one of those days where he didn’t get a lot of the footy, but we are really confident that he is going to be a really good player for us as we progress.

Isaac Weetra (2 kicks, 3 handballs, 1 mark)
Isaac is struggling at the moment with his decision making, work rate and confidence, which is at a low level. Isaac is a terrific kid and we really need to help him work through this stage. We need to coach him and educate him, and help him to get his confidence back.  We will keep his role pretty simple, and he needs to start enjoying his footy again.