THE WORST OF TIMES by KC from Casey

[Demonland 4,605]

This weekend proved to be the worst of times for the fourteenth placed Casey Scorpions to travel to North Port Oval to take on top of the ladder Port Melbourne who were already two games clear of the rest of the competition.

Casey was coming off an improved patch of form after a disastrous season, having won two of their last three games and narrowly lost the other but they also lost their dominant ruckman Max Gawn to the AFL and their list of Demon players was continuing to shrink as it normally does at this time of year (only nine played, including two rookies).

The Scorpions have performed at their worst this year against experienced hard bodied teams which is a perfect match for the Port Melbourne description and the Borough were buoyed by the news that premiership coach Gary Ayres will continue in the job for 2015.

The majority of the VFL listed players in the Casey team have played less than a dozen VFL senior games and this week's crop included another two debutants in Alex Carr from Gippsland Power and Sean Corrigan who has spent the last couple of seasons in the development league team.

The Casey team lacked the height, the size and the fitness to go with their more seasoned opponents, a factor that was evident all over the ground and in particular the key positions.

As a result, apart from an early burst with the aid of the breeze led by two goals from Jack Fitzpatrick and one from Jake Best, the game was a complete mismatch.

Port overpowered the Scorpions late in the opening term to take a nine-point lead at the first break but then the game got ugly as the Borough kicked clear with 19 goals to four in the final three quarters to record a resounding 108-point victory.

The undersized and undermanned Scorpions received a major blow early in the third term when Alex Georgiou was felled behind the play and was taken off the ground in a groggy condition. He took no further part in the game.

The final quarter was a total capitulation for Casey with Port kicking ten unanswered goals until Christian Salem, one of Casey's better players on the day, booted his second goal moments before the final siren.

Rookie James Harmes put in a promising display, as did impressive Casey youngster Ed Morris. Jack Fitzpatrick worked hard against the odds and Evan Panozza toiled hard as leader but that was just about it for the day.

2014 Peter Jackson VFL

Casey Scorpions 3.2.20 3.2.20 6.4.40 7.6.48

Port Melbourne 4.5.29 10.11.71 13.16.94 23.18.156

Goals

Casey Scorpions Fitzpatrick Salem 2 Best Davis Smith

Port Melbourne Connors 5 Lange 4 Johnson O'Sullivan 2 Bonaddio Davies Johnston Magner Mascitti O'Sullivan Pinwill Sandilands Thornton Wooffindin

Casey Scorpions Rutherford Harmes Morris Salem Fitzpatrick Georgiou

Port Melbourne Lange Pinwill Wooffindin Valenti Connors O'Sullivan

Statistics

Mitch Clisby 19 disposals 11 kicks 8 handballs 5 marks 4 tackles 86 Dream Team Points

Michael Evans 17 disposals 7 kicks 10 handballs 5 marks 2 tackles 61 Dream Team Points

Jack Fitzpatrick 2 goals 15 disposals 11 kicks 4 handballs 9 marks 1 tackles 41 hit outs 125 Dream Team Points

Alexis Georgiou 7 disposals 5 kicks 2 handballs 2 marks 2 tackles 34 Dream Team Points

James Harmes 16 disposals 7 kicks 9 handballs 3 marks 6 tackles 74 Dream Team Points

Dan Nicholson 19 disposals 11 kicks 8 handballs 10 marks 1 tackles 80 Dream Team Points

Christian Salem 2 goals 1 behind 21 disposals 12 kicks 9 handballs 1 marks 4 tackles 83 Dream Team Points

James Strauss 17 disposals 14 kicks 3 handballs 3 marks 2 tackles 66 Dream Team Points

Dean Terlich 16 disposals 8 kicks 8 handballs 6 marks 2 tackles 64 Dream Team Points

In the early game, the Borough have thrashed the young Scorps by 112 points after visitors made a promising start in the opening quarter.

2014 AFL Victoria Development League

Casey Scorpions 3.5.23 3.6.24 4.9.33 4.10.34

Port Melbourne 1.4.10 9.10.64 16.13.109 21.20.146

Goals

Casey Scorpions Fisscher 2 Collins Corry

Port Melbourne Prowse 6 Clarke Rowe 3 Breust 2 Hogan 2 Hayes Henderson McKenzie Scipione Woods

Best

Casey Scorpions Fisscher Jackson Anderson Pears Smith Corry

Port Melbourne Muling Prowse Prowse Hayes Johnston McKenzie