Inside Football VFL Preview

This is from this week's edition of Inside Football

CASEY SCORPIONS

Coach: Bradley Gotch (first year, replaces Peter German)

Last year: 10-8, beaten in elimination final.

In: Scott Simpson (Geelong), Danny Nicholls, Luke McDonald (Eastern Ranges), Matt Lillie (Old Haileybury), Matt Fieldsend (De La Salle), Mitch Dowse (Gippsland Power), Will Petropoulos (Dandenong Stingrays)

Out: Peter Faulks, Alex Silvagni, James Blaser, Gareth Snow, Nick Scanlon

The skinny: The bashing of their inspirational captain and wingman Kyle Matthews two weeks ago unsettled the Scorpions after a splendid pre-season. His head injuries (fractured skull, swelling of the brain) will require constant observation and will presumably keep him out of football for some time. But forget about Matthews the player; Casey is more concerned about Matthews the young man. If there's a coach who can exert calm and a sense of perspective in such a situation, its Bradley Gotch. The little fellow is back at the club he coached to a premiership (in its Springvale guise) after the surprise walk-out of 2009 VFL coach of the year Peter German. His departure created uncertainty for a few weeks, but Gotch and outgoing football manager Craig Lees managed to hold the bulk of the squad together. The loss of Silvagni and Faulks leaves a hole in the backline, although Tim Mohr and Glenn Chivers did enough in the pre-season to suggest they could fill it. Simpson ought be a game-turning key forward once he's fit, Nicholls adds dash to the midfield and Ben MacReadie and Michael Stockdale, so busy last season, should be better in their second years. A greater Melbourne influence would help, but the Demons seem to specialise in serious injuries. Despite the doubt on Matthews, the Scorpions have enough good players to figure in the finals.