A bit of Latin in the title for you all, because we’re not uncultured swines here, at The Mongrel Punt.
Well, that was interesting.
Yep, interesting is a good word for it.
It only took a couple of minutes for the Dees to hit the scoreboard, but it was the hit to Luker Kentfield that left a sour taste in the moths of Dees fans. Kane McKauliffe’s spoil hit him in the head, and the young forward landed awkwardly, injuring his knee as he twisted on impact.
Harvey Langford kicked the goal, and just as the game got started, a lightning strike sent the teams from the field…
… for the first time.
The weather refused to cooperate with the game, causing the teams to agree to calling it all off halfway through the third quarter, as lightning once again caused a halt to proceedings.
Still, there was a little bit to take away from this mess of a game, and given that you’re getting a watered down review, I am leaving it open for all.
Here are the things worth chatting about from the disaster in Ballarat.
NEW FACES
CHANGKUOTH JIATH
A hit-and-miss effort from CJ. He had moments where he looked great, displaying great closing speed, and putting himself in the right spots, but there is something going on with his game and I can’t quite put my finger on it.
It is as though he feels he has to consistently do more, but in attempting to, he has to step outside of what he is good at, and things tend to unravel. Perhaps as he feels more at home as part of the Demons, he’ll relax a little? Melbourne supporters would be hoping so.
All that said, he finished with 15 touches and five intercepts. A decent night out.
JACK STEELE
Strong on the inside, and collected 11 touches and seven tackles, as he played a true two-way role in the middle. He is going to be a real boon to this team with Jack Viney out for an extended period.
He is not flashy, and won;’t make many highlight reels unless tackling and the in-and-under aspect of the game is your thing, but he is a meat and potatoes operator, and exactly the type of presence the Dees need to provide a steady hand in the middle.
LATRELLE PICKETT
Got away with a massive push in the back to snag a goal just before the lightning hit for the last time. Other than that, there wasn’t a lot to report on his game. He was actually pretty ordinary, and struggled to find his place.
Probably needs to find ways to remain involved when he is not targeted, but he’ll likely make the team for the first game of the season on potential, alone.
SAM GRLJ
Had a couple of moments where his class was evident. Takes the game on, changes up his kicking in reaction to what the opposition are throwing at him, and is an absolute lock for a Round One debut.
Love what I’ve seen from him this preseason, and he could be the one to seriously challenge Jagger Smith at Carlton for the Rising Star Award.
SAM CUMMING
Left the field with a shoulder injury after hitting up Tom Lynch inside 50. Tiger fans will be keeping a close eye on how he pulls up, as he had a few nice moments through the first half.
A POINT TO PROVE
Each pre-season game, I am picking two players that I believe have a point to prove, for a variety of reasons.
CALEB WINDSOR
This ended up being an inspired pick.
Moving into a midfield role, he would not have been overly thrilled with his Match Sim output, and he attacked the first quarter like he needed to make amends for that.
In the first quarter, he demonstrated his value, picking up ten disposals, and amongst those touches were seven score involvements. That is how you have an impact. That’s how you demonstrate your value.
Things slowed after that, as he finished with 15 touches and a goal, but if you saw him through the first quarter, you can see why the Dees are so high on him.
Runs hard, and if his tenure in the guts does not play out as he and the Dees hope it will, a career on the wing beckons.
JACK ROSS
This may sound unfair, but I see Jack Ross as a placeholder in the Richmond midfield. He has been on the list since being drafted in 2018, meaning this is his eighth season, and it is definitely time he kicked things up a notch.
He was solid in this one, equalling Windsor’s 15 touches, but he is a link man, and doesn’t exactly make things happen. As evidence, he finished with one score involvement. You see what I mean? He is a nice asset to have, but he is aso the type of asset you’d always be looking for an upgrade to.
I do think he is handy, but he in that midfield rotation to keep it warm for the next generation of Tigers, who are starting now to infiltrate that part of the field.
THE STANDOUTS
KANE MCAULIFFE
I’m a fan of this bloke, and seeing him lining up on the wing drew my eye pretty quickly.
McAuliffe was prolific, collecting 17 touches and four inside 50s as he slotted in seamlessly. Viewed as a midfielder, I have not really seen him in this role thus far, so I will be interested to see whether Adem Yze was as impressed with his output as I was.
XAVIER LINDSAY
This is the bloke who Steven May absolutely cooked last year when he missed a target. As good as he is, that aspect of Steven May is not missed in this team.
Lindsay is now playing off half-back, and attacked the contest with confidence. He is a smooth mover, and makes good decisions with the footy. He reminds me a bit of Sam Flanders.
Harvey Langford drew the headlines last season, and Lindsay just faded into the background, but with this role, he could start finding a bit of the spotlight, himself.
He ad 13 effective touches from his 14 disposals – that’s what you want to see from a 19-year-old.
TOM LYNCH
Looked powerful in this game, and took a couple of contested marks under duress in contests against Harrison Petty and Jake Lever. IN less than three quarters, he had five shots at goal, and I reckon there will be a few people who’d be pretty surprised with how much of a difference a fit Tom Lynch could make to the young Tiger forward line.
J-TO-THE-V-TO-THE-R
This is what Dees supporters have been waiting to see.
Jacob van Rooyen contested the footy well, got some excellent service from the Melbourne midfield, and finished with 3.2 to his name. He didn’t take a contested grab, which is the one thing missing from his outing here, but his work ethic was great, his timing was as good as I’ve seen it. He looks fit and genuinely ready for the season.
The puppy fat is all gone, and it might be time for JvR to start being the focal point of the Melbourne midfield. There were some good signs in this one.
THE NOT-SO-GREAT
JOSH GIBCUS
I want to see this bloke to succeed as much as anyone, but he looked a step slow in this one, and the Tigers are going to have to work hard to make sure he is playing on an opponent commensurate with his skill set.
THE CUMMING INJURY
The fear is that he has injured the same shoulder that ended his 2025 junior footy, but the hope is that he just took a knock and the Tigers were being cautious with him.
I guess we keep our ear to the ground and see what comes out over the next 24 hours, as he was looking like a lock for a Round One debut.
OTHER BITS
Mrs Mongrel is a Ballarat native. She tells me nothing good has come out of Ballarat, including herself, and says we should have expected something like a lightning strike to end the game. She also believes that all players should have hid their phones and wallets well.
I propose the next time they play a game at Ballarat, they hold it Kryal Castle, because I enjoy medieval stuff, and if the players aren’t willing to get out there and play, then I am pretty sure the jousters will still put on a show. Plus, the last time I took the family there, one of the blokes in the melee was taking things a little too seriously.
Loved Nick Dal Santo making comment about how there was no ruck craft being displayed when the big fellas weren’t being made to leap at the footy. Did you know he had 207 hit outs over the course of his career? Maybe they should have played him in the ruck more often?
Max Gawn loved when the Tigers threw Campbell Gray into the ruck. He treated him like a red-headed stepchild. Plenty of ruck craft going on in those moments, and also a bit of ruck-bullying.
If anything, it gives a lesson to teams as to how to properly time their switches, to get the most out of their relief rucks, rather than sacrificing them at the altar of Gawn.
Harrison Petty is a much better defender than he has ever been a forward. Glad Steven King saw that and immediately moved him to defence upon his commencement as coach.
A few nice moments from Sam Lalor as he continues to build into 2026. His back-to-back centre clearances are a sign of things to come.
And you know what? Given the game was cut 45 minutes short, I am cutting this section short, as well.
FINAL THOUGHTS
The Dees looked solid. You can argue against it if you like, and point to the fact that the Tigers have so many kids out there, and I won’t argue too much against you – they did tend to wade trough tackles a little too easily.
That said, they displayed slick ball movement, and their ability to spread on teh turnover and take the footy coast-to-coast made the Tigers look like statues at points.
Do I think they’re going to have a brilliant season?
Nah, probably not, but I do think they’re good enough to hit that Wildcard Round, win one, and give a team some problems the following week if they have their players healthy.
Believe it or not, that’s a win for this club, who many had as bottoming out after their recent departures.
As for the Tigers, this is another year of growth, and we continue to look for signs from players who really could have used that last quarter and a half to strut their stuff.
As always, massive thanks to those who support this work. You can see the amount of care that goes into it. I love footy, I love writing about it, and I hope you enjoy reading it. Without you, this whole thing falls over. Sincerely… thank you – HB
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