CASEY SCORPIONS v FRANKSTON

[Demon Dynasty 17,109]

Well that should be easy.... plenty of them about.

Depends why they have been sent back to the 2s. If to find touch, natural play and some enjoyment, then back in. If as punishment, then they have to wait.

Yeh. heyy i got an idea, why don't we try and pinch Nic Nat. Maybe we can do a swap. Watts and Jamar!! But wait....there's more....Seller, Gillies & Pederson!

[rjay 24,950]

Most of the players that played well today have also played in the only win of 2013 for melbourne in the preseason and funny enough on that day our pressure and ball movement was the best that any mfc senior team has produced this year. We play the talented underperforming players, maybe we start playing the guys that are coachable and want to play for the mfc.

That's true, with Sellar and Davey.

[Dr. Mubutu 855]

One more question KC. Would this side have beaten last nights side...

If Kyle Matthews was in the team, almost certainly. He has more heart than the entire MFC playing list combined.

[Pennant St Dee 13,235]

Those wanting Jamar out need to think about Dean COx and NicNat next week. That is one hard ruck duo to play against.

Natanui will not play for at least another 6 weeks, Cox has been beaten by younger more agile ruckman in the first two games this year. Seems to have lost a bit of his leap and is relying on big body and muscle, where he is dangerous is up forward, another reason Gillies has to be dropped because Cox would do exactly what Bellchambers did last night.

I would bring Spencer in for Jamar & Pedersen in for Gillies

Just MO

[robbiefrom13 887]

For me, Tapscott shouldn't come straight back in after one dominant performance in the twos after doing nothing in the firsts for two or three years. It's things like promoting a player on the back of one good game which breeds a bad culture of laziness and over confidence.

hmm. But if Tapscott is in form and aggressive and the team is out of form and insipid, what is it exactly that you are protecting by keeping him at Casey?

Wary of the risk of breeding a bad culture you say? Good grief!

[Webber 10,474]

Sellar seems incapable of marking anything in the forward line but does better when down back; strange that.

Confidence. Pure and simple.... he was reliable and efficient in defence last year, and was resurrecting his career IMO. Gillies on the other hand has managed to become the worst player I have ever seen for MFC.

[CBDees 3,167]

On 3AW this morning it was said that the AFL had already stepped in!

[Demonland 72,230]

CASEY UP TO THE TASK by KC from Casey

After a long hot summer for the Casey Scorpions in which their very existence was challenged, the on field team gave new coach Rohan Welsh a win in his first game at the helm at Casey Fields against Frankston on Saturday.

The 68 point win was a fillip for the club after a less than spectacular series of practice matches saw many of the pundits predicting a gloomy season for the club. The experts were proved wrong by a team that showed it was up to the task of playing a strong brand of winning football and the result was a true confidence booster for many of the young players on display seeking to develop their careers at either AFL or VFL level and for the club itself.

We saw some outstanding performances from the likes of Luke Tapscott (6 goals), Max Gawn in the ruck and midfielders in James Magner, Tom Couch and Michael Evans and the emergence of a real prospect in Ben Kearns, a teenager from the Gippsland Power who kicked 5 goals. Mitch Gent was another of the Casey younger brigade who underlined his improvement during the off season.

The game was played in perfect conditions and the first quarter was a real shootout with the home side booting eight goals to six to take a lead of 11 points at the first break. Casey skipped away in the second term with a dominant midfield and accurate kicking for goal and were untroubled as they won every quarter on their way to a resounding victory.

One of the features of the game was the hunger of many of the players sensing the opportunity to gain AFL promotion in the wake of Melbourne's poor performances in the opening rounds. Tapscott was a standout while Gawn showed great skill both in ruck and up forward. Rohan Bail showed good toe and confidence for one who had been sidelined from contact work for the better part of two months while recovering from concussion. It was also a day for Demon rookies with Magner, Couch and newcomer Mitch Clisby amassing the possessions.

One of the highlights of the game was the goal kicked from outside 50 by Dean Kent on the run after taking a couple of bounces. Newcomer Jesse Hogan looks the goods as a key forward of the future while Cam Pedersen overcame the disappointment of a poor first up effort at AFL level last week with a commanding performance in defence.

The Scorpions have been known in recent years for nurturing and developing local talent and, apart from the outstanding debut of Kearns, the game also saw solid first up efforts from Leongatha's Jake Best and Cranbourne's Michael Boland. While some seasoned veterans opened the season playing in the development league, the youth policy seems to be paying off although we are sure to see some of the regulars pushing for places as the season unfolds.

Casey will play North Ballarat next Saturday at Eureka Stadium at 2pm.

Casey Scorpions 8.2.50 14.4.88 19.8.122 23.11.149

Frankston 6.3.39 8.5.53 10.8.68 12.9.81

Goals

Casey Scorpions Tapscott 6 Kearns 5 Bail Best Gawn Hogan 2 Evans Jetta Kent Magner

Frankston Lourey 4 Alwan 3 Delahunty Lloyd 2 Gallagher

Best

Casey Scorpions Tapscott Gawn Gent Kearns Evans Magner

Frankston Lourey Lloyd Alwan Irving Bosward Gallagher

Round 1 VFL player review

The development side was outgunned in the final quarter by a determined Dolphins outfit.

2013 AFL Victoria Development League

Casey Scorpions 4.2.26 5.2.32 8.2.50 9.3.57

Frankston 2.2.14 6.8.44 7.10.52 12.14.86

Goals

Casey Scorpions Hughes 3 Matthews 2 Lang Meadows Nicholls Taggert

Frankston Calvert 4 Maynard Miller 2 Johnson Matheson Sykes Tuddenham

Best

Casey Scorpions Nicholls Pollard Hill Waters Troutman Rutherford

Frankston Newman Boland Sutton Calvert Beech Maynard

[Watts Jurrah Dunn? 735]

What a huge disappointment Taggert is becoming.

A 2nd round draft pick that's in his 2nd year in the system should be beating down the door in such a lowly side, and he can't even get in the bests in the VFL reserves.

[machine11 142]

What a huge disappointment Taggert is becoming.

A 2nd round draft pick that's in his 2nd year in the system should be beating down the door in such a lowly side, and he can't even get in the bests in the VFL reserves.

He has had a bad back injury for most of 2012 - sorry if he isn't superman and making a quick enough return to please your membership dollars. How dare a young player get injured and not perform.

[rhaz 342]

Taggert is further back than most first year players. His injury carried right through last year into pre-season of this year.

[monoccular 17,432]

What a huge disappointment Taggert is becoming.

A 2nd round draft pick that's in his 2nd year in the system should be beating down the door in such a lowly side, and he can't even get in the bests in the VFL reserves.

He has had a bad back injury for most of 2012 - sorry if he isn't superman and making a quick enough return to please your membership dollars. How dare a young player get injured and not perform.

But I am sure that the hopeless recruiters just should have foreseen that he would have got a back injury - like they should have known Strauss and Blease, and Molan would have broken their legs and TheOx his knee.

[MadAsHell 4,212]

Glad to hear Casey won, but they were playing against a part-time team. Therefore they should win every time.

Frankston are expected to improve significantly this season and I can't recall if it was The Age or Herald Suns VFL season preview they predicted that Frankston would finish higher then Casey this season.

I'm just glad to hear that we had a win of some sorts.....

[mjt 640]

On 3AW this morning it was said that the AFL had already stepped in!

Stepped into what?

[Norm Smith's Curse 2,602]

Nice to see tappscott kicking a bag

[dpositive 1,665]

Thanks for the reports again KC

Do you get to see any of the Dees matches and can you notice any stand out differences in set up structure and strategy in the game plan

you mentioned the intensity is this because the game is played at a different pace ie was the opposition low level,

Do the players seem to have more confidence in themselves and their teammates?

[Demonland 72,230]

Round 1 VFL player review

I know it's the assessment of one of the club's assistant coaches but 20 disposals for a kid in his first real game after a long period with debilitating back issues doesn't sound too bad to me. There's no shame in playing in the VFL 2's when coming back from injury - a number of players have done it in the past, albeit not at times when it seems that every keyboard warrior wants to be known for having the ability to criticise heavily and kick people when they're down.

Rory Taggert: Rory played in the Casey Development side and worked extremely hard. He finished with 20 disposals and laid a number of good tackles.

[KC from Casey 7,074]

Thanks for the reports again KC

Do you get to see any of the Dees matches and can you notice any stand out differences in set up structure and strategy in the game plan

you mentioned the intensity is this because the game is played at a different pace ie was the opposition low level,

Do the players seem to have more confidence in themselves and their teammates?

It's the pressure that's different, both internally and externally. The opposition doesn't exert anywhere near the pressure of the AFL in the VFL. The pressure on the individual to perform is not as great either. The players aren't under the microscope anywhere near as much as they are on the big stage. Look at how Luke Tapscott played this week compared to last.