SCORPIONS LEAVE THE BEST TILL LAST

[Demonland 72,206]

SCORPIONS LEAVE THE BEST TILL LAST by KC from Casey

The Casey Scorpions have done it again. Already well known as having the capacity to show great strength in the clinches and to win the tight ones, they are also developing a reputation for coming back from the dead.

Last week, the Scorpions won coming from 33 points down at half time against reigning premier Port Melbourne at home but, on Saturday, they went one better against Bendigo Gold at Windy Hill leaving their best till last as they turned a 29 point deficit into a three point win.

No other team in the competition has come back this year to taste victory from so far behind at the last break and significantly, the team has reaped great rewards for those efforts. It sits on top of the 2012 Peter Jackson VFL ladder for the first time this season.

The win came in difficult circumstances as the selectors were forced to make some late changes to an already injury depleted line up when James Strauss was called up to play for Melbourne and young Demon Josh Tynan withdrew due to injury. Dylan Troutman was picked to make his debut while Mitch Gent received the late call after playing half a game in the development league team. Rookie Michael Evans was also in for his first game of the season after incurring a back injury in the pre season. They joined another group of players in Chris Clay, Luke Hill Nathan Page, Jordan Pollard, Brayden Salton and Tim Smith who between them have only a handful of games making it a very inexperienced line up that took the field against the in-form Bendigo side which beat them by 71 points when they met earlier in the season.

Kicking against the breeze, Casey had the better of the first 15 minutes of the game with two of the first three goals to Jack Fitzpatrick and Page. However, the momentum swung from there as the home side applied the pressure and forced the Scorpions into errors. Bendigo led at quarter time by a goal but it should have been much more.

The trend continued in the second term as the Gold struck a rich vein of form and stretched its lead to three goals but their dominance was still not properly translated on the scoreboard, a fact that they were to rue later in the day because a late flurry of Casey goals saw had their lead cut back to a single goal at half time. It could have been even closer but for some costly misses by the Scorps in the dying moments of the term.

Bendigo made up for lost opportunities in the third quarter when it kicked five goals to one with the aid of the freshening wind. It was on top for most of the term apart from a brief period when Fitzpatrick had a purple patch which went wrong. The Demon big man who was recently diagnosed as a diabetic, kicked a goal to break Bendigo's run and soon after marked well within range only to play on and score a point after the ball was touched off an opponent's boot for a point. The Gold took the ball coast to coast for a goal on the rebound and then another followed. The result was that Casey faced a 29 point deficit with a quarter left to play.

It was a tough ask for the Scorpions but the wind had stiffened to give them the advantage in the final term. They also had Jake Spencer winning handsomely in the ruck (he finished with 45 hit outs) and a bullocking Brent Moloney winning the clearances.

That dominance was to slowly turn the game but it was only at the midpoint of the quarter that the crowd sensed that a Casey revival was truly on the cards. Evans had kicked truly for his second goal and this was followed by successive goals from Gent, Williams and then Gent, whose day had begun at 9.30am at Preston in the development league game, got his second. Suddenly, it was only five points the difference.

There was plenty of time left, Bendigo was tiring and the wind and a truckload of determination brought the Casey team home for a famous victory. The winning goal was a beauty from 203cm ruckman who swooped on a loose ball panther-like and drilled it home.

The three point victory was Casey's seventh by ten points or under and it's sixth win by a goal or under and it clearly demonstrated the never say die spirit engendered under coach Brett Lovett.

Spencer was Casey's best but youngster Brayden Salton who finished with 24 touches was not far behind him. Moloney finished 20 disposals, 12 clearances and four tackles while Cale Morton with 27 touches and skipper Evan Panozza and midfielder Jordan Gysberts with 26 were also prolific ball gatherers. Michael Evans with 19 disposals and two goals in limited game time in his first outing for the year after a back injury was also notable and special mention must be made of the defence with Troy Davis, Nev Jetta and Michael Riseley all did their jobs along with Panozza and Salton

Casey has its final bye before entering into the run home to the finals.

Casey Scorpions 2.2.14 5.5.35 6.8.44 11.11.77

Bendigo Gold 3.2.20 6.5.41 11.7.73 11.8.74

Goals

Casey Scorpions Evans Fitzpatrick Gent Williams 2 Morton Page Spencer

Bendigo Gold Little 3 Hunter 2 Dalgleish Lee Merrett Thompson Slattery Winderlich

Best

Casey Scorpions Spencer Salton Riseley Davis Jetta Moloney

Bendigo Gold Slattery Lee Little Williams Hunter Winderlich

The Development League team had to contend with a Northern Blues combination that was bolstered with six AFL listed players and narrowly missed out on a win.

Casey Scorpions 2.2.14 8.5.53 9.6.60 13.10.88

Northern Blues 5.2.32 6.3.39 12.6.78 14.6.90

Goals

Casey Scorpions Lindsay 3 McFarlane 2 Allen Chin Collins Gent Johnston Petropoulos Rosier Weekes

Northern Blues Bell 3 Casboult Lambert 2 White Visser Toman Lincoln Dorman Soncin Petroro

Best

Casey Scorpions Collins Allen Lindsay Petropoulos McFarlane Cleven

Northern Blues Lambert White Heyne Lincoln Bell Wilson