Saturday March 3 v Port Melbourne @ Casey Fields

Seniors 2pm Development League  11am

The Casey Scorpions begin their 2012 campaign under new coach Brett Lovett today at Casey Fields with the toughest of all opening hit outs - a practice match against reigning premiers Port Melbourne.

It will be a new look Casey as well with many of its big name players having left during the off season to be replaced mainly by local players and youngsters coming up from the TAC Cup Under 18s. 

Gone from the club are last year's co-captain James Wall (Williamstown),  leading goalkicker Brendan Fevola (Yarrawonga Pigeons) and club champion Tim Mohr (Greater Western Sydney) along with former VFL representative player Michael Stockdale who has joined Wall at Williamstown.  A few others have also left the coop and to make matters worse, two promising youngsters from the club's main recruiting ground, the Gippsland Power, Maffra's Shaun Wyatt and Traralgon's Haydn Hector both  relocated to Melbourne and  also joined the Seagulls. Both were in the Vic Country Under 18 team last year and Wyatt captained the Power.

Port Melbourne has also lost a few players from its premiership side of last year but has worked actively to replenish its list and should have a reasonably strong side out at Casey Fields.

Their hosts will be a different proposition altogether today with few Demon listed players expected to be in action as a result of Melbourne's huge list of injured and unavailable players and its large squad involved in tonight's NAB Cup game.

So don't expect miracles today in Brett Lovett's first hit out as coach. The day should however, be opportune for the club's younger players to show their wares in the lead up to the opening of the season against Williamstown which is only three weeks away.

I'm still up in Queensland where the weather's been on the improve since the deluge that welcomed the MFC last week but I look forward to reports from those locals and not so locals who pop in to have have a look at the games.

Win for Casey in the wet.

Casey Scorpions 6.5.41 def Borough 2.6.18.

The Casey Development League team (fancy name for the reserves) also won today by 8.10.58 to Port Melbourne's 6.5.41.

Any Melbourne-listed players there?

Win for Casey in the wet.

Casey Scorpions 6.5.41 def Borough 2.6.18.

Reserves also won today.

amazing, given KC's comments. well done scorps

Any Melbourne-listed players there?

We barely have enough fit/not rested players to fill out the 22 + 7 squad for tonight!

We barely have enough fit/not rested players to fill out the 22 + 7 squad for tonight!

That sounds just about right to me. We have a list of 46 players with 15 injured and a couple being rested. Leaves nothing over for the Scorpions' game.

I understand KC's point about the club losing "name" players who were major contributors in the past. However, one shouldn't disregard what happens when you have a tight young group who have trained together since November. Many of them are "no name" players from local teams and the Under 18s. Last year, the Casey Reserves did well to come from nowhere to win several games on end before the finals and they were unlucky not to go further in the finals. Many of those players will obviously push up for games this year.

It's still early days but a win against the reigning premiers in any conditions is nothing to be sneezed at. Still would like to hear from anyone who went with some snippets from the game.

I received this from a Port Melbourne source moaning something about them being light on for numbers. Also said that it never stopped raining out there all day.

Casey Scorpions 1.2 2.2 2.2 6.5.41

Port Melbourne 0.4 2.5 2.5 2.6

Goals

Casey Scorpions Clay Cook McGough Nicholls Petropoulos Tynan

Port Melbourne Galea Pitt

Apparently, there were three players from Melbourne's squad who didn't get a run tonight - Cook, Lawrence and Sheahan. I suggest that they might have spent some time yesterday at Casey and that the goalkicker was Lucas Cook. The Tynan named as having kicked a goal was probably Josh's brother Luke who was b & f with the Casey reserves last year.

I received this from a Port Melbourne source moaning something about them being light on for numbers. Also said that it never stopped raining out there all day.

Casey Scorpions 1.2 2.2 2.2 6.5.41

Port Melbourne 0.4 2.5 2.5 2.6

Goals

Casey Scorpions Clay Cook McGough Nicholls Petropoulos Tynan

Port Melbourne Galea Pitt

Apparently, there were three players from Melbourne's squad who didn't get a run tonight - Cook, Lawrence and Sheahan. I suggest that they might have spent some time yesterday at Casey and that the goalkicker was Lucas Cook. The Tynan named as having kicked a goal was probably Josh's brother Luke who was b & f with the Casey reserves last year.

Thanks KC good to see Cook getting a goal in those conditions

Thanks KC good to see Cook getting a goal in those conditions

Saw Cook as were leaving Etihad last night and he is a big boy. With more muscle he will have every chance.

Article in the local Leader Newspaper from Port Melbourne - Rare loss for Borough. Hardly mentions the winning team.

Article in the local Leader Newspaper from Port Melbourne - Rare loss for Borough. Hardly mentions the winning team.

Yeah, they're very tight lipped out at Casey. You can't get much out of them.

On the VFL Footy site, they're also only discussing Port and how they only lost because they had players out:-

e.g. 1

I wouldn't take much into Casey beating Port yesterday as it was a clouded by rain ,plus Port would be lucky to have a half a dozen premiership players out on the ground as quite a few were looking on yesterday.Casey probably had a few Melbourne players drop back. Who cares about winning practice games as they don't mean much as I think Gary Ayres was trying out new players plus fringe players from last year.Don't forget we have lost 7 premiership players so there will be spots for other players this year.Premierships are not won in March.The real stuff that starts in 3 weeks that count.I don't expect us to be dominate as last year but should be a top 4 team.

e.g 2

From my observation Port had 10 guys looking on who will make up our senior side in 2012. To be in front at 3/4 time was a pretty good effort in shocking conditions.

No doubt Ayres and his crew are planning for round 1. Plenty of new faces got a run yesterday so plenty of positives.

It's true that it's practice match time and they don't mean much but the fact remains that over the weekend, Melbourne and its affiliate at Casey beat the two best performed clubs of last year from their respective competitions. It may not mean much in the long run but it's a fair start.

Yeah, they're very tight lipped out at Casey. You can't get much out of them.

On the VFL Footy site, they're also only discussing Port and how they only lost because they had players out:-

e.g. 1

e.g 2

It's true that it's practice match time and they don't mean much but the fact remains that over the weekend, Melbourne and its affiliate at Casey beat the two best performed clubs of last year from their respective competitions. It may not mean much in the long run but it's a fair start.

Spot on WJ

According to the Cranbourne Weekly in Scorps get new spark "the Scorpions had three Melbourne-listed players available with Lucas Cook and rookies Jai Sheahan and Kelvin Lawrence taking part."

Best player for Casey was former Magpie Danny Nicholls who missed most of 2011 with a stress fracture in his foot. Rian McGough, Wade Lees and youngster Aiden Lindsay were also impressive for the Scorpions.