After a whirlwind start to the 2024 season, VFL Senior Coach Josh Fraser is excited about the development of many of the Club’s VFL-listed players.

Sitting with a two win and two loss record, all four games have featured at least 10 VFL-listed players to show the importance of them to the squad.

Eight of them made their Club debuts during the opening month, with Fraser full of praise for the way many have started their careers in the black and white.

Read below for Fraser’s update on each player that has taken the field so far this season.

Ryan Sparkes

“I really like how Sparkesy has started. It’s always an adjustment from local level and he’s playing probably less game time than what he’s used to and he’s also working on his midfield synergy with the other mids, but his tackling and contest efforts have been really strong. He’s a smart user of the ball and he’s been a really important mix for us, and he can play different roles as well, so I’ve been really happy with how he’s started.” 

Harrison Kennedy

“He’s probably been one of our most aligned players to role, playing as a high forward. He’s picked the role up really quickly and has probably been stiff to not impact games more. I’ve been really happy with his role compliance and how he’s helped us structure up in front of the ball. He’s hit the scoreboard for us and even the games where maybe he hasn’t had the same impact with ball in hand, you can see him in the right spots to apply pressure and create scoring opportunities. He’s started well in the program.”

Ned Long

“Longy’s been awesome, he leads through actions and his contest and stoppage work has been sensational. We’ve used him in different roles, he’s been a bit of a ‘Mr Fix it’ at times. We’ve loved what he’s done for us, he’s made others around him better and we couldn’t have asked for much more. Players around him walk a lot taller because of how he plays.” 

Cooper Macdonald

“Coop’s been really impressive. His aerial and contest work has been a standout, he’s a real competitor and a great team man. He’s so invested in what we’re doing at VFL level and the Club more broadly, so he’s fitted in ell and I really like how he’s started.”

Co-captains Sam Glover and Campbell Lane 

“Both Laney and Glove are really important to us both because of their leadership roles but also because of their flexibility. Glove’s spent some time forward but also in the backline and he’s had a really important role for us – his last two weeks in particular have been very good. Laney across half back or through the middle of the ground gives us that flexibility and at his best he breaks lines and is creative with the ball. Those two guys we ask a lot of, but they’re seasoned players now so if they’re playing at a high level it helps everyone around them and they’ve both started well.” 

Tom Wilson

“Willo’s role has changed a lot over the last 18 months. He’s gone from a 90 percent game time midfielder, to playing other roles, but the thing that he’s brought is his leadership and composure in games. More often than not he does the right thing at the right time and helps our younger players with that as well, so he’s embraced that new role and new challenge. Off field he’s been important in our program to drive standards and have conversations to support younger players.” 

Jack Hutchinson

“Hutchy in a small sample has shown all his abilities and he’s got AFL attributes I believe. He’s played mainly as a deep forward, we’ve shuffled him around a little bit, but he’s got a great goal sense, great aerial ability, and he lands and follows up well. He’s quite unconditional in effort, he jumps at the ball and lands and follows up well." 

Liam Purcell

“Purc’s role has been very important with Oscar Steene going down and I think he’s grown as a player. His aerial contest and ruck work has been very good and he needs to maintain that as a consistent part of his game. When he’s in the ruck pinch hitting, he’s giving our midfielders good looks and then when he’s forward he’s helped us set the ball up well and given us a target to kick to, so I think he’s improved from last year and his challenge is to maintain that.”

Ben Crocker

“Crock’s worked really hard to get himself to the stage of playing and I think he’s still finding his feet in some ways with our system compared to the system he was in. But you can still see his power and how dynamic he is and two games in he’s hit the scoreboard for us, so I think we’ve seen a really strong start from Crock and we want to see continued growth. For someone of his experience it’s important that he keeps leading from the front and that’s what we expect from him.”

Round Four debutants Patrick Farrant and Conor Willis

“It’s a challenging environment at VFL level and both those guys had to wait to the last second to find out where they sat. But their commitment to the program and doing everything they could to make the list really appealed to us and they’ve continued to grow within the program. Paddy forward of the ball was exciting, he can do some freaky things and I think Conor’s got the ability to play multiple roles over time. He looked calm and composed at VFL level.

Jett Hartman

“Another one straight from Oakleigh who looked comfortable at the level. We brought Jett in as a defender, but we used him forward at times as well and he had an impact for us. Often with those guys it’s not about high possessions but about their ability to play their role and compete and fight at the right times. If he maintains high training standards we can see growth from him over the course of the year.

Chad Mulvogue

“We know what we’re getting with Chad, he’s an unconditional guy and gives those around him energy. We love his fight and leadership and he’s a bit of a barometer for us in many ways. He’s always stiff to finds himself out of the team but we do know that he’s a great clubman and ready to go at any opportunity.”