The Casey Demons snared their first big scalp for the season when they ended the Box Hill Hawks’ unbeaten run at Casey Fields on Sunday. The 39 point victory was a great come back after back to back defeats and sees them placed in the VFL top eight after six rounds. 

All eyes were on Demon co-captain Jack Viney who was making his comeback after being blighted with foot injuries beginning in the latter stages of 2017, resulting in a long rehab period that stretched into the first third of this year. Viney was in the thick of things with an early touch that led to a Jay Kennedy Harris goal and was solid throughout, albeit on limited game time of about 70% in his first outing.

The home side took most of the first term to size up the opposition and drew away to an eight point lead at the first break with an after the siren goal from Angus Scott who was at the end of a fine pass from Jeff Garlett. The second quarter was something of an arm wrestle with the Hawks proving a difficult opponent to shake off until about midway through the third with Tom Bugg and Tim Smith adding some brilliance up forward, capitalising on some classy work from Billy Stretch who was having a day out in the perfect conditions. He was ably assisted by speedy redhead Oskar Baker who is improving with every run. 

The fine weather and excellent condition of the ground despite the rains of recent days made for a high standard game. Despite constant attention from his Box Hill opponents Viney demonstrated his toughness and quality and if comes up feeling cherry ripe after the game, it’s unlikely that he will be seen playing at this level very often again, if at all. 

Garlett was also full of class while Stretch and T Smith put their hands up for a recall but, given Melbourne’s recent form, will have to bide their time. Cam Pedersen was, as usual, a tower of strength.

The game was a good showcase of the club’s depth both at AFL and VFL level with skipper Jack Hutchins’ return imminent along with a few others unlucky to miss out this week. Corey Wagner was the best of the VFL players and would have relished playing alongside brother Josh who was also handy in defence.

The Demons’ dominance continued throughout the final term after a period with the defence led by Joel Smith and Declan Keilty asserting their authority and the final margin of 39 points marred by some inaccuracy in front of goal, really didn’t do justice to their effort around the ground on the day. 

It was a welcome victory however, after a few weeks in the doldrums with consecutive losses and the break for the bye. The Demons are looking forward to their encounter at SkyBus Stadium, Frankston against the reformed Dolphins who are enjoying their return to the competition with two wins to date.

PETER JACKSON VFL 2018
 
Casey Demons 4.4.28 6.6.42 10.11.71 16.15.111
 
Box Hill Hawks 3.2.20 5.5.35 7.5.47 11.6.72
 
Goals

Casey Demons Bugg 4 T Smith 3 Scott 2 Baker Balic Garlett Kennedy Harris Pedersen Stretch C Wagner 

Box Hill Hawks Lewis 4 Brolic Ceglar Glass Hanrahan Moore Pittonet Schoenmakers  

Best 

Casey Demons Stretch T Smith Pedersen Baker Bugg J Smith

Box Hill Hawks Mirra Moore Jones Lewis Cousins Ceglar

Statistics 

Oskar Baker 1 goal 1 behind 12 kicks 8 handballs 20 disposals 6 marks 1 tackle 81 dream team points 
Harley Balic 1 goal 1 behind 12 kicks 5 handballs 17 disposals 10 marks 2 tackles 91 dream team points 
Tomas Bugg 4 goals 10 kicks 10 handballs 20 disposals 2 marks 10 tackles 120 dream team points 
Jake Di Pasquale 2 kicks 5 handballs 7 disposals 1 mark 1 tackle 23 dream team points   
Lachlan Filipovic 4 kicks 2 handballs 6 disposals 4 tackles 16 hit outs 46 dream team points 
Sam Frost 8 kicks 4 handballs 12 disposals 4 marks 41 dream team points 
Jeff Garlett 1 goal 2 behinds 12 kicks 7 handballs 19 disposals 1 mark 4 tackles 84 dream team points 
Jayden Hunt 14 kicks 5 handballs 19 disposals 1 mark 1 tackle 59 dream team points 
Dion Johnstone 1 behind 3 kicks 3 handballs 6 disposals 1 marks 3 tackles 28 dream team points 
Declan Keilty 3 kicks 4 handballs 7 disposals 1 tackle 19 dream team points 
Jay Kennedy Harris 1 goals 4 kicks 11 handballs 15 disposals 1 marks 3 tackles 52 dream team points 
Jay Lockhart 14 kicks 2 handballs 16 disposals 3 marks 3 tackles 65 dream team points 
James Munro 7 kicks 11 handballs 18 disposals 1 marks 6 tackles 65 dream team points 
Cameron Pedersen 1 goal 1 behind 6 kicks 12 handballs 18 disposals 9 marks 8 tackles 10 hit outs 120 dream team points 
Harrison Petty 7 kicks 4 handballs 11 disposals 4 marks 2 tackles 49 dream team points 
Angus Scott 2 goals 4 kicks 4 handballs 8 disposals 2 marks 6 tackles 62 dream team points 
Joel Smith 1 behind 11 kicks 11 handballs 22 disposals 9 marks 5 tackles 103 dream team points 
Timothy Smith 3 goals 3 behinds 14 kicks 6 handballs 20 disposals 10 marks 7 tackles 134 dream team points 
Billy Stretch 20 kicks 13 handballs 33 disposals 5 marks 7 tackles 130 dream team points 
Jack Viney 1 behind 8  kicks 13 handballs 21 disposals 2 marks 1 tackles 74 dream team points
Corey Wagner 1 goal 13 kicks 6 handballs 19 disposals 5 marks 2 tackles 74 dream team points
Josh Wagner 13 kicks 6 handballs 19 disposals 5 marks 4 tackles 83 dream team points 
Mitchell White 9 kicks 3 handballs 12 disposals 3 marks 13 tackles 94 dream team points

On 5/14/2018 at 11:03 AM, Vogon Poetry said:

I ventured to Casey yesterday against my better judgement because when you get a chance to see 17 Demons running around and the weather is good the lure is just too strong.  Here's how I thought our blokes went.  As always when making these comments remember that the ground is big and it's very hard to see exactly what's happening on the other side.  There was a slight breeze blowing to the forward pocket at the northern end so that's where I stood.

Jack Viney:  First clearance of the match and first kick was just great to see.  He was harder and faster around the stoppages than everyone else and did a lot of the grunt stuff.  Looked in good touch and was generally very clean and kicked the ball well when he got the opportunity.  But he was heavily tagged for 3 quarters so he didn't find much space.  I'd be stunned if he wasn't back next week.

Billy Stretch:  I was a huge fan but was frustrated by his lack of improvement but yesterday I saw another side of Billy because instead of playing wing he played on ball, centre square and inside mid as well as outside.  And he did it very well.  He found the ball regularly, he had clean hands and pretty good decision making.  Initially he found his kicks and handballs smothered but as the game went on and he got his confidence he got better and better.  He's not as small as you might think and he's starting to use his body well in contested situations.  Finished with a lovely goal and was one of, if not, the best on the ground.  It is hard to see where he fits into the team though but will remain with us or in the AFL system based on yesterdays performace.  His challange is to back it up.  Promising signs but a way to go.

Frost:  Played a solid game with some good contested marking at times and a bit of dash and continued to do what he does.  He's a tweener at the moment, probably a bit too good for VFL but not good enough for AFL.  Still prone to silly mistakes like letting the ball go over the back of packs when he's last up but was a good contributor on the day.

Pedersen:  Full of fumbles I thought in the first half and not much of a contributor but stuck at it and played better as the game went on.  A great mark in the second quarter and a good contributor.  He played KPF and relief ruck.

JKH:  Played mainly forward and didn't really get into the game much.  Kicked the first goal of the match and I thought he might be in for a good one but faded and whilst he was far from poor he wasn't a major contributor.  It's hard to see where he goes from here.

Harley Balic:  He's an interesting player and one that if and when he plays senior footy for us will do it competently.  Played mainly high forward and was very clean with the ball, found it well and kicked it well.  Is capable above his head and knows where to run to provide options and find space.  It was his first game back for a while and he'd be pretty pleased with it.  It's hard to see where he fits in and will need some injuries to get a chance you'd think but when he plays he may well make it hard for whoever he replaces to get back in.  I like him and think at present he's a terrific 23 to 30 player on the list but he might improve significantly over time.  One to watch.

Jayden Hunt:  Poor old Jayden.  Looks bereft of confidence and really struggled to find the ball and get involved.  He just needs to start to try and enjoy his footy again and concentrate on the basics.  We all know what he can do but he didn't do it yesterday.

Tomas Bugg:  I'm not a fan but there's no doubt he can play at this level.  Started quite slowly but fought his way into the game and then really dominated it for a period where he kicked 3 goals quickly.  They were at the other end to me so I can't really judge them but he was a good contributor in the typical Buggy way.  It's really nice to see he's left the fake toughness behind and is just playing footy.

Oscar Baker:  Played wing and did it well.  I've seen him three time now live and yesterday was the best of them.  In the past the major knock is a lack of composure and an inability to see options and take them.  But yesterday was much better and he used the ball quite well.  He runs hard and takes the game on and has clean hands.  He goes hard for the ball too.  My view is he's still a long way from senior selection but moving in the right direction.  He certainly has some great attributes and he's great to watch and improving.

Harrison Petty:  I love this kid and that's what he is, a kid.  He reads the play really well, he reads the ball in the air really well and he's got sure hands above his head.  And when he gets it he has good vision and executes really well.  He was far from dominant yesterday but you can just tell he knows how to play footy and is a great prospect.  Two more preseasons I reckon and we'll all be happy.

Jeff Garlett:  It's hard to appreciate how quick he is unless you see it close hand.  And it's hard to understand how he can see options in a sea of players as quickly as he does.  But he does and was a clear cut above this level yesterday although he didn't get a lot of it.  He applied pressure and provided options yesterday as well as spending some time on ball.  Reality is he's a cut above Spargo at the moment (no criticism of Spargo) so I guess his selection will come down to how he's playing his role and whether Goody wants him back.  But he will get back and he is in our best 22 when he's going.

Dion Johnstone:  I think he's struggling at the moment and he played mainly back yesterday in what for me was a new role for him (I can't remember where he played against Richmond when I last saw him).  He's tough and he has a go but he's struggling to find the ball and get involved.  Hope he picks up but at the moment he's miles away.

Josh Wagner:  Solid and hard at it and a very good VFL player who did his bit yesterday in a very good team effort.  But he won't be pressing for a call up given yesterday's performance and that of the seniors.

Joel Smith:  He's getting back if he isn't back already.  I loved his game yesterday.  He was involved, he was clean, he did things faster than almost everyone else, he ran well and he provided options and got into space as well as being strong in the air.  His kicking is a weakness but I'd be very surprised if he doesn't press very hard for a game in the next month or so on that form.  He's great to watch.

Tim Smith:  I've watched Tim over a long period now and although he's played some good games I've never thought he had AFL attributes -  until yesterday.  He was fantastic I thought.  Strong in the air, strong on the ground and found plenty of it.  He's not called Bull for nothing and for the first time yesterday I thought he really could play AFL footy.  Great game.

Dec Keilty:  He played a really solid strong game without dominating.  I didn't see him make a mistake and he took some solid marks.  He was one of our three talls who, against good opposition, played their role well.

Lachlin Filipovic:  I like this kid.  He had to play against Ceglar who is a good near quality AFL ruckman and would replace McEvoy very competently.  Flipper did well in the ruck but struggled around the ground and in the air against a much more mature player.  But he does get involved and he has surprisingly good skills for a ruckman of his height and appears to make pretty good decisions.  I'd be amazed if he's not retained as a long term development project because he's showing good attributes.

 

The game was a pretty fierce contest yesterday and Casey were relentless in their pressure and tackling and it was a genuine 4 quarter effort. The Hawks always threatened as they have very good system and use it well by foot but Casey just fought so hard all day that they finally wore them down to kick away to what appears to be a comfortable win but wasn't.  Good fun yesterday and great to see the spirit and effort of all the players.