THE CRASH

THE CRASH by KC from Casey

There was always an element of doubt as to how well the Casey Scorpions were going even after three wins in the preseason and a further three in the opening rounds of the real thing. After all, the victories had all been by narrow margins and the last, against perennial cellar dwellar Frankston who had been beaten a week earlier by Bendigo to the tune of points.

And the inevitable crash happened.

It was already on the cards in the first quarter when Casey struggled with the aid of the breeze to trail by two points. The floodgates opened in the second term when the visitors applied tremendous pressure forcing errors and taking the game completely away from a bewildered Casey outfit scoring seven goals to nil. The half time margin was 45 points and the game was effectively over.

Bendigo maintained control in a relatively even third quarter in which it extended its lead by one point and before running away to an easy 71-point victory.

It was a poor result for the Scorpions who came into the game with a baker's dozen of AFL listed players who were expected to perform at their top with the prospect of gaining promotion into a disappointing Melbourne side ahead of this week's Jim Stynes tribute game against the Western Bulldogs.

An angry Casey coach Brett Lovett felt his team didn't have "a fair dinkum crack" and told the media after the game,

"I just thought we sat back a bit and it showed when we were second to the footy."

The defeat pushed Casey to third on the ladder but with a poor percentage and facing a bye this weekend, it is likely to fall further by the end of the next round and will need to regroup for the game against North Ballarat in a fortnight's time.

Very few players covered themselves in glory but former Collingwood VFL player Tom Couch with 27 touches worked hard all day and put his hand up for promotion next week with a solid four quarter performance. Rick Petterd was a livewire but let his team and himself down with some poor disposal.


David Collins and Wade Lees ‏ worked hard to each collect 23 possessions while Will Petropoulos pushed hard at times.

All in all, a disappointing effort after a promising start to the season and, with the week's bye, the team will have to work hard on the track to help find form for the weeks to come.

HOW THE DEMONS FARED

Most of the thirteen Melbourne-listed players missed the perfect opportunity to put the case for promotion after the AFL team's disappointing 59 point loss to Richmond a day earlier and, with one or two exceptions, they gave the match committee very little room for thought in their deliberations for Sunday's game against the Western Bulldogs.

Jamie Bennell - has pace and is creative but doesn't do enough over the course of a game.

Sam Blease - showed his trademark speed at various times but didn't take on the game enough.

Tom Couch - the former Collingwood VFL player had another high possession game (27 disposals) and must be a  contender for promotion this week.

Troy Davis - had a torrid time in defence when the team was under siege in the first half. Then went forward and kicked a couple of goals.

Jack Fitzpatrick - like many of his teammates, he was patchy in a beaten side. At times, showed a bit of pace and took some nice strong marks but it was just an average performance.

Brad Green - was tagged for most of the game and got away for a couple of goals. Sustained a finger injury and will miss a month.

Joel Macdonald - picked up 16 possessions, mainly on a defensive flank but had little impact for all of his work.

Daniel Nicholson - back after an injury and club imposed suspension, he showed he was keen to atone for his missed opportunities. Worked hard for his 18 touches and a goal.

Ricky Petterd - always looked dangerous up forward but often failed to finish off his work with goals.

Jai Sheahan - another of the defenders who was under pressure but again showed promise with his composure.

Jake Spencer - coming back after missing the better part of a year with an ACL, Spencer picked up 26 hit outs in the ruck in a good first up effort. 

Josh Tynan - showed some good run but generally subdued after a week off as emergency for the Demons in Perth.

Leigh Williams - kicked a goal but was generally quiet and is still learning to keep up with the tempo at VFL level.

Casey Scorpions 4.3.27 4.6.30 6.10.46 9.12.66

Bendigo 4.5.29 11.9.75 13.14.92 20.17.137

Goals

Casey Scorpions Davis Green 2 Fitzpatrick Gent Nicholson Smith Williams

Bendigo Little 4 Ladson Maddern Schultz Steinberg 2 Crow Davis Duscher Freezer Lee Martin Peoples Putt

Best

Casey Scorpions Couch Lees Nicholson Petterd Petropoulos Davis

Bendigo Davis Lee Slattery Schultz Putt Thompson