North Melbourne draftee Curtis Taylor has continued his impressive run of form, putting in another strong performance with the club’s VFL side against Frankston onSaturday.
Taylor was an emergency for North’s JLT 2 clash against Port Adelaide, but took another important step towards breaking into the senior side.
“He was one of those players where every time the ball is in his area, it looks like he’s going to make something happen," VFL coach David Loader told North Media.
“He jumped at everything he could, he crumbed the ball well and he played with real power and pace.
“Physically he’s still got some work to do because he’s very light at the minute, but he was pretty solid again.”
Fellow AFL-listed player Kyron Hayden was another stand-out, rewarded with valuable midfield minutes.
“He had a couple of roles through the middle of the ground which was a different challenge for him and a bit of a different look," Loader said.
“Offensively he was really strong and powerful, and he kicked the ball pretty well.
“There were a lot of positives to come out of his game.”
Of the group of VFL-listed players, it was new recruit Daniel Robinson that starred. The former Sydney Swan displaying the skill and poise that saw him hold a spot on an AFL list for six years.
“It was Dan’s first hit-out,” Loader said.
“He’s had an extended period of time off, so to come back and perform like he did first up was really good.
“I spoke to him after the game and he said he felt very rusty because he’s been shifting back from Sydney and has been spending a lot of time in the car.
“You can just tell he’s a really good player and we’re going to benefit from having him play”
Another ex-Swan, Tyrone Leonardis, was another who caught the eye with his versatility.
“Ty was really good this week, he played as an inside mid,” Loader added.
“He does a bit of everything, he’s like special fried rice, so it’s great to see him playing so well because he can play forward, back or in the middle.”
After being delisted by North, Alex Morgan signed with the Roos’ VFL side and has shown how important he will be.
“It was great to see Morgs back,” Loader added.
“He got through basically three quarters after a small injury. He’s not only going to bring some AFL experience, but a real strong body with some real speed and aggression around the footy which will help us greatly in defence.”