CASEY UP TO THE TASK by KC from Casey

[Demonland 73,106]

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

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