Have the Roos shown the blueprint for stopping Brett Bewley?

CLOSELY MONITORED: Darley captain Brett Bewley had his quietest game of the season after receiving heavy attention from East Point star Matt Johnston. Picture: Lachlan Bence

Trying to combat an opponent fresh out of the AFL system was always going to demand a bit of creative thinking, but East Point coach Jake Bridges surprised most at the weekend when he sent captain Matt Johnston to tag Darley counterpart, Brett Bewley.

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The move proved a masterstroke.

Bewley had his quietest game since returning from the Fremantle Dockers - finishing with season-low figures in disposals (24), marks (2), inside 50s (3), and kicks (13).

In contrast, Johnston excelled, using his tagging duties as a springboard to influence the match.

The Roos skipper enjoyed game-high hauls of 34 disposals, 13 contested disposals and eight clearances.

Johnston also hit the scoreboard when it mattered, threading through a set-shot from outside the boundary line when his side led by a lone point at the start of the final quarter.

Bewley went goalless but did play a strong hand in many of the Devils' forays forward.

Tagging Bewley is no new concept this season but never before had such a first-rate midfielder gone to the Darley skipper.

The other performance of note came in round six, when Redan's young fighter Declan Phillips held Bewley to 25 disposals, albeit it with a significant, yet selfless, sacrifice to his own performance.

So, who do you send to Bewley?

The first non-negotiable is an elite running capacity.

WATCH MATT JOHNSTON'S BATTLE WITH BRETT BEWLEY:

Bewley never once went to the interchange bench during the Devils' loss.

Johnston only came off the field for two short breaks - the first when Bewley teased him towards the interchange area only to feign a stop before moving to full forward and the second time when he badly rolled his ankle before half-time.

Phillips stuck with him for three quarters in Redan's loss, but when he tired late, Bewley struck, kicking two majors, including a goal of the year contender.

The second requirement is defensive strength.

Johnston made 10 tackles in East Point's win - an effort matched only by Bewley himself.

The Roos skipper leads his side for tackles, averaging 8.88 a match. If you apply the same thinking to Lake Wendouree's clash with the Devils this weekend, it would be Jake Coxall who gets the job the on Bewley.

Coxall's average 8.2 tackles a match ranks him top for the Lakers and sixth in the competition, but the midfielder's recent injury troubles may influence the decision.

Coxall has played just the five games this season, with the weekend's loss his first outing in three weeks.

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