Rory has had stress fractures in his back and played virtually no footy last year. He did a limited pre-season this year. As you would expect his fitness is not at AFL level yet. But he will get there, and he has all the tools to be an 150 AFL game onballer/high half-forward.

Ever so slightly better summary than mine.

Casey Scorpions 4.3.27 9.6.60 12.10.82 18.15.123

Sandringham 3.2.20 6.6.42 6.9.45 8.10.58

Goals

Casey Scorpions Gawn Taggert 4 Nicholls 3 Blease 2 Hogan Jetta Magner Spencer Tynan

Sandringham Dennis-Lane 4 Lee 2 Curren Michaliades

Best

Casey Scorpions Nicholls Blease Sellar Couch Gawn Taggert

Sandringham Shakallis Dennis-Lane Cockie Saunders Dunell Lee

Possession stats: Tom Couch 34 James Magner 31 Mitch Gent 26 Jim Toumpas 21.

Taggert!

Great performance Rory! Hope you are considered next week!

How was Blease's defensive game? I think thats whats stopping him form getting in the seniors.

It would be pretty awesome to see Blease and Taggert coming into the side after the bye.

It would be pretty awesome to see Blease and Taggert coming into the side after the bye.

Sure would.

Good stuff Scorps...

It would be pretty awesome to see Blease and Taggert coming into the side after the bye.

I like these two but I feel it will have the same effect as brining in kent and Toumpas did. Until we get the core of a hard working team these young but under prepared types will continue to struggle

It would be pretty awesome to see Blease and Taggert coming into the side after the bye.

Who do we drop to allow them in. LOL

I like these two but I feel it will have the same effect as brining in kent and Toumpas did. Until we get the core of a hard working team these young but under prepared types will continue to struggle

See your point Master, but its a chicken and egg argument. How are we going to develop a core of hard workers when too many of the mature blokes are failing?

Who do we drop to allow them in. LOL

For starters, I'd give Taggert a run at the moment ahead of Tappy.

If Taggert, Blease or Toumpas played at Geelong they'd be allowed the luxury of spending three years in the twos with the occasional senior game to feel the pace of senior footy. We don't have that luxury. As far as I'm concerned, if their Casey form warrants it, they play.

And I still don't get how McKenzie gets a game ahead of Magner. I may just not get it.

Especially around VFL finals time.

Appreciate your Casey updates KC at all times but beg to differ on the relationship.

I think it needs to be clarified that there's a difference between the objective of embracing the wider and fast developing Casey/Cardinia region and gaining a toehold there for future membership growth and the current relationship between the MFC and the Casey Scorpions.

Nobody doubts the difficulties in an AFL-VFL alignment but you can't call ours dysfunctional. It's not much different to the others and in fact, better than many of the others which have crumbled or are crumbling. The Blues and the Hawks have completely swallowed up their aligned clubs, the Bulldogs are splitting with Williamstown, Essendon's departure from Bendigo decimated that club and the Sandy/St. Kilda combination isn't looking all that healthy, not to mention that there are significant problems with the quality and size of TBBO.

Casey itself is virtually broke after issues with pokie licences (I'm sure the cost of Fevola didn't help) and is having its own debt demolition campaign soon. It understands the issues involved with AFL player list management/surgeries and other matters that have plagued the end of their seasons. It's not ideal but against the bigger picture of what benefits can be attained by the partnership in the long run, the Casey venture needs to be looked at above and beyond petty club politics.

I like these two but I feel it will have the same effect as brining in kent and Toumpas did. Until we get the core of a hard working team these young but under prepared types will continue to struggle

I tend to think bring them in against the weaker sides and see if they can make a difference at all. Much better that trying to blood new players against the Hawks or Pies.

And I still don't get how McKenzie gets a game ahead of Magner. I may just not get it.

As I have said before, it can only be his more-polished disposal.

As I have said before, it can only be his more-polished disposal.

Is he getting a lot of possies though?

If Taggert, Blease or Toumpas played at Geelong they'd be allowed the luxury of spending three years in the twos with the occasional senior game to feel the pace of senior footy. We don't have that luxury. As far as I'm concerned, if their Casey form warrants it, they play.

Actually, Geelong have been very good at the early introduction of their young blood who have had it much easier being introduced into the game with plenty of seasoned, experienced players around them to make the transition so much smoother.

And let's not forget that all three who you've mentioned and several other young early draft prospects have had injury problems plaguing them in the early stages of their careers.

For those detractors of the club who think we have no future, I reckon there were seven or eight young blokes out there today who will, in 12 months time, be important members of a much improved Melbourne team. Names like Gawn, Blease, Toumpas, Hogan, Taggert etc.

Went to the game today to see hogan. A couple of good pack marks and seems to love throwing his weight around, very exciting. He is going to be good but i hope someone teaches him a better set shot approach. He does this stutter/skip thing about 3 steps before kicking it. Should have kicked a few more today, but loved his marking ability and attack, wish he could play now.

My thoughts on some players:-

• Taggert was really good today I'd give him a game next week. Took some good marks and I think showed a bit of class with his disposal in the wet
• Blease was really good in the first half, I didn't see him get too many touches in the 3rd but at the 3 qtr time huddle the coach made special mention of the forwards defense pressure and noted that blease had 22 DI's(no idea what DI stands for but I'm presuming something to do with defense acts) so he must have been follow the coaches instructions.
• Couch and Magner were good as always. Magner back in next week.
• Clsiby was good coming off half back, has a good kick.
• Spencer and Gawn switched between ruck and forward and both could have kicked a few more as missed a few set shots. maybe a bit harsh as it was wet. They had to play on Kosi in the ruck and jason blake when they went forward, both these saints boys are passed it.
• Dom barry provided some really good outside run.
• Nev Jetta i didn't notice to much but popped up with a goal in the last
• Sellar played down back and was lucky sandy kept bombing it long as he got a lot of intercept marks. I saw he was mentioned in the best players but he really didn't have to do too much defending today so got a lot of easy touches.

It was good to see a lot of the boys there to support casey, I saw watts, frawley, grimes, trengove, tappy, T mac, Nico, Pickles. All the coaches were there as well

Went to the game today to see hogan. A couple of good pack marks and seems to love throwing his weight around, very exciting. He is going to be good but i hope someone teaches him a better set shot approach. He does this stutter/skip thing about 3 steps before kicking it. Should have kicked a few more today, but loved his marking ability and attack, wish he could play now.

My thoughts on some players:-

• Taggert was really good today I'd give him a game next week. Took some good marks and I think showed a bit of class with his disposal in the wet
• Blease was really good in the first half, I didn't see him get too many touches in the 3rd but at the 3 qtr time huddle the coach made special mention of the forwards defense pressure and noted that blease had 22 DI's(no idea what DI stands for but I'm presuming something to do with defense acts) so he must have been follow the coaches instructions.
• Couch and Magner were good as always. Magner back in next week.
• Clsiby was good coming off half back, has a good kick.
• Spencer and Gawn switched between ruck and forward and both could have kicked a few more as missed a few set shots. maybe a bit harsh as it was wet. They had to play on Kosi in the ruck and jason blake when they went forward, both these saints boys are passed it.
• Dom barry provided some really good outside run.
• Nev Jetta i didn't notice to much but popped up with a goal in the last
• Sellar played down back and was lucky sandy kept bombing it long as he got a lot of intercept marks. I saw he was mentioned in the best players but he really didn't have to do too much defending today so got a lot of easy touches.

It was good to see a lot of the boys there to support casey, I saw watts, frawley, grimes, trengove, tappy, T mac, Nico, Pickles. All the coaches were there as well

Defensive involvements I think.

It was good to see a lot of the boys there to support casey, I saw watts, frawley, grimes, trengove, tappy, T mac, Nico, Pickles. All the coaches were there as well

Thanks Eittocs12.

For a team this should be the rule not the exception.

Even though MFC have a coach that can't coach it is good to see some serious pressure being applied to the playing group from below..........."keep the bastards honest" as big Gough once said.

Defensive involvements I think.

Correct either that or Defensive indicators. Good to hear Blease and Taggert performed well. Hopefully they can string multiple strong performances together and press for selection not long after the bye.

I went to my first Casey game in yonks hoping to see something from Taggert. Obviously I wasn't disappointed. Solid kick, couple of grabs although the four goals might flatter.

He looks promising but would need to continue today's form, even allowing for the fact that the ground was very wet, and waterlogged in one pocket.

Other observations: Hogan very strong in the air but kicked poorly today. Yes the ball was wet but he has this stammering approach half way through. Odd, he starts fluently, stammers for three steps and then recovers and...sprayed the ball today. Still the upside is his grabs were amazing.

Gawn was good in the air but the surprise for me was Clisby who had a very strong third quarter. Won plenty of it and used it well.

Jimmy T was busy but his disposal was not up to it, again the conditions were tough.

Blease supplied the game highlight in the second running off half back, taking a pass off Taggert I think, refused to bounce the ball, instead did the one two handpass, ran to half forward and drilled it from the boundary. His first quarter running goal was assisted with some lax umpiring - he ran about 25 metres without a bounce but at least he kicked straight.

Even though MFC have a coach that can't coach it is good to see some serious pressure being applied to the playing group from below...........

Casey goal kickers: Taggert 4, Gawn 4, Nicholls 3 and Blease 2. Singles to Jetta, Spencer, Hogan, Tynan and Magner.

Except for Nicholls, all coached full-time by Neeld and the MFC coaches.

"In the Casey Scorpions' 63-point win over Sandringham at Trevor Barker Beach Oval, Melbourne's Max Gawn impressed while mature-aged rookie James Magner hurt his ankle in the first half but came back on to finish with 31 possessions.

Rookie Tom Couch had 34 while Jimmy Toumpas had 21."