Roberton had 23 disposals and 13 marks in the Royals four-point loss to WAFL premiership favourites Claremont.
Assistant coach Simon Lloyd said Roberton was looking bigger and stronger this year compared to 2011.
“His body is maturing coming into his third year, which is a real positive,” Lloyd said.
The Freo assistant said a feature of Roberton’s game on Saturday was his positioning.
“It allowed him to win or outnumber when there were defensive 50 ground balls,” he said.
“He spread really quickly and ended up taking 13 marks, mostly laterally for the switch of play.”
Lloyd said the 20-year-old’s ability to play in a variety of roles fit in well with Freo’s recruiting strategy of building a versatile team.
“Dylan can play in the backline, where he can pick up mediums or talls,” he said.
“He can really run as well, particularly on those high forwards that tend to run a fair amount.
“But Dylan can also go and play on the wing.”
Lloyd shared his WAFL notes for all the Fremantle Dockers who played in round 2 of the WAFL:
League - Claremont 16.7 (103) defeated East Perth 15.9 (99)
Dylan Roberton (EP) - 23 disposals (17 kicks, 6 handballs) 13 marks
The positives of Dylan’s game were his defensive 50 ground balls, his third-man-in marking and his positioning. He was a standout from the weekend.
Hayden Crozier (EP) - 17 disposals (12 kicks, 5 handballs) 5 marks, 4 inside-50, 2 goals
Hayden had a solid outing playing a high forward role and showing genuine effort. He was very good with the ball and predictable with his decisions. He had a number of score assists through his ability to handle the ball cleanly. He made quick, assertive decisions with his left foot and ended up having four effective inside 50s. The major focus for all players is their effort and he showed that for four quarters.
League - South Fremantle 19.14 (128) defeated Perth 19.6 (120)
Haiden Schloithe (SF) - 13 disposals ( 8 kicks, 5 handballs) 5 marks, 1 goal
Haiden took part in an amazing game and kicked a critical goal in the final quarter as South made a 58-point turnaround to win. Haiden played as a high forward and was opposed to Leon Davis early. He took a couple of strong inside-50 contested marks that resulted in set-shots. He runs to some really good usable positions and hits the contests hard. We need to teach Haiden to be on the move a lot more around the stoppages and how to use his body to reposition his opponent.
Reserves - Perth 16.11 (107) defeated South Fremantle 12.4 (76)
Gavin Roberts (Per) - 15 disposals (9 kicks, 6 handballs) 3 marks, 2 goals
This was as positive a game that I’ve seen from Gavin. Although it was reserves, he demonstrated a consistent work ethic over the four quarters and made the decisions to run hard offensively and defensively. Gavin just needs to build his game conditioning. Something that I haven’t seen before that Gavin made a concerted effort to do was win the ball in congestion. Kicked a classy running goal in the first quarter and had two majors for the game. There are some positive signs.
Jordan Wilson-King (SF) - 17 disposals (12 kicks, 5 handballs) 6 marks, 4 inside-50
Jordan played at half-back. A feature of his game is that he uses the ball really well, particularly when he was held up by Perth’s zone. He’s good at making decisions. He always looks to release the footy and then moves immediately to receive again. He showed that he’s very strong and aggressive in the contested situations with his tackling. Jordan also moved to the midfield later in the game and didn’t look out of his depth there. There is a real lift in standard from reserves to league, so he’s got to make that next step up. There were some good signs.
League - Subiaco 19.17 (131) defeated Peel Thunder 13.8 (86)
Tom Sheridan (Peel) - 14 disposals (11 kicks, 3 handballs) 5 marks
Tom’s energy and run was impressive in the first half, which is one of his key strengths. He linked up well between the 50m zones on a number of occasions and involved himself in scoring chains. As the game wore on, his run fell away a little bit so we’re focussing on maintaining that four-quarter effort from Tom.
Peter Faulks (Peel) - 15 disposals (8 kicks, 7 handballs) 4 marks
Peter played on a variety of talls and mediums, spending the most time on ex-Port Melbourne player Callum Sinclair. In regards to his defensive efforts, he played a very strong game for three quarters, spoiling well. Late in the game he was involved in a number of opposition scoring chains, but he was covering for his teammates on several instances. A real positive for us was his involvement in counter-attacks in the second half. That’s something we’re working on, the attacking side of Peter’s game.
Jesse Crichton (Peel) - 22 disposals (11 kicks, 11 handballs) 4 marks
Jesse played mostly off a wing with small stints off half-back. He had 22 possessions and looked really good when he got the ball in his hands. Jesse linked up well for a few give-and-goes. Defensively he chased when it was his turn and pressured the opposition, which was a real positive. He didn’t have the energy later in the game that he had early. We’re just looking for that consistency over four quarters from Jesse.
League - Swan Districts 19.13 (127) defeated West Perth 14.7 (91)
Michael Walters (SD) - 14 disposals (12 kicks, 2 handballs) 5 marks, 4 inside-50, 1 goal
Michael played mostly as a high forward with a few stints on the ball. His work-rate was good throughout the game and could easily have had three goals but ended up with 1.2. The goal that he did kick was goal of the day from the boundary line. The positives were his chasing and tackling and, as per usual with Michael, his ball use was very good. We were pleased with his game.
