28 minutes ago, Earl Hood said:

Which new kid would you have sacrificed? You realise when you have 5 of your best 10 out and 5 next best second tier players injured (J Smith, Brayshaw, T Smith, Garland, VDB) and another 4 good VFL performers in the sin bin, whoever comes in would find the going very tough against a side like the Swans. Probably do more harm than good to a young player's confidence. 

Dion Johnstone to get some pace in the forward line, something which we were lacking 

1 hour ago, Elegt said:

Dion Johnstone to get some pace in the forward line, something which we were lacking 

Have you seen him play?

If anybody was at the game. How did Joel Smith play? 

Back onto the game itself.

It was probably the most disappointing game for Casey all year, fumbling, a lack of intensity and totally out worked by Port Melbourne.   Casey were outnumbered in the forward line sometimes by 6 to 3 and then had players free out the back when Casey pressed forward, tell tale sign you are being completely outworked.  Port Melbourne pressure was good the inability of Casey to get into any sort of rhythm was very disappointing.  There were times that Casey broke through the press and they seemed that but they had no targets or idea of what to do with the ball, this caused panic with the ball carrier which led to some awful turnovers.  

All the Casey players were down as well and just lacked any winners on they day, Fritsch and Hutchins were the best of the Casey players.

Joel Smith - Looked good on return and was one of Casey's best, lacked a bit of touch but this wasn't helped by teammates.  He is probably 1 -2 weeks away from consideration but at the rate we are losing players might be chance.

JKH - The best of the Dees from what I saw, was terrible in the first half but responded and looked lively in the second half trying to get the team back into it.  Disappointingly though he lacked impact in the midfield as Casey was smashed by Port in close, probably the most likely to come in from the game.

Ben Ken -  Got the ball and effort was there in tight but an inability to have an impact with disposal is keeping him from the AFL, also doesn't spread well enough for someone with is pace.     

King - Liked his game, has limited minutes but his tap work is good and is a whisker away each week from taking a few contested marks.  He just needs to build some strength but he looks likely.

Trengrove - Has his step and agility back which is great, one of his poorer games though in terms of disposal.  He displayed very good hands but tried to generate some ball movement with riskier kicks which didn't come off.  Also struggled to put defensive pressure on which was disappointing.

Spencer - The most disappointing on the day, looked a mile off it and Casey were beaten in the stoppages.  Hasn't regained the same form yet from last year after his injury.

Weiderman - Looked OK but not a great day for the forwards, he was outnumbered all day and wasn't able to impact the game.  The only real criticism was that he got sucked up the ground to much leading to some of the issues going forward, gave the team a spark when he went into the Ruck.

Maynard - Got a lot of ball in tight but wasn't able to generate any impact from his disposals, wasn't able to get much of the ball in transition which limited his impact.

Kielty - Competed well in the air but not much influence with the ball.

Johnstone - Was ok but didn't have much impact on the game, there was almost no forward pressure on the day so from that point of view was disappointing but DJ spend some time on the wing as well.

Kent - Played on a wing and had a crack, needs to improve his kicking and work rate but if Garlett misses he is a chance.   He doesn't use his pace as much as he should and his kicking can sometimes be way off especially in the midfield.

2 hours ago, Melon22 said:

Back onto the game itself.

It was probably the most disappointing game for Casey all year, fumbling, a lack of intensity and totally out worked by Port Melbourne.   Casey were outnumbered in the forward line sometimes by 6 to 3 and then had players free out the back when Casey pressed forward, tell tale sign you are being completely outworked.  Port Melbourne pressure was good the inability of Casey to get into any sort of rhythm was very disappointing.  There were times that Casey broke through the press and they seemed that but they had no targets or idea of what to do with the ball, this caused panic with the ball carrier which led to some awful turnovers.  

All the Casey players were down as well and just lacked any winners on they day, Fritsch and Hutchins were the best of the Casey players.

Joel Smith - Looked good on return and was one of Casey's best, lacked a bit of touch but this wasn't helped by teammates.  He is probably 1 -2 weeks away from consideration but at the rate we are losing players might be chance.

JKH - The best of the Dees from what I saw, was terrible in the first half but responded and looked lively in the second half trying to get the team back into it.  Disappointingly though he lacked impact in the midfield as Casey was smashed by Port in close, probably the most likely to come in from the game.

Ben Ken -  Got the ball and effort was there in tight but an inability to have an impact with disposal is keeping him from the AFL, also doesn't spread well enough for someone with is pace.     

King - Liked his game, has limited minutes but his tap work is good and is a whisker away each week from taking a few contested marks.  He just needs to build some strength but he looks likely.

Trengrove - Has his step and agility back which is great, one of his poorer games though in terms of disposal.  He displayed very good hands but tried to generate some ball movement with riskier kicks which didn't come off.  Also struggled to put defensive pressure on which was disappointing.

Spencer - The most disappointing on the day, looked a mile off it and Casey were beaten in the stoppages.  Hasn't regained the same form yet from last year after his injury.

Weiderman - Looked OK but not a great day for the forwards, he was outnumbered all day and wasn't able to impact the game.  The only real criticism was that he got sucked up the ground to much leading to some of the issues going forward, gave the team a spark when he went into the Ruck.

Maynard - Got a lot of ball in tight but wasn't able to generate any impact from his disposals, wasn't able to get much of the ball in transition which limited his impact.

Kielty - Competed well in the air but not much influence with the ball.

Johnstone - Was ok but didn't have much impact on the game, there was almost no forward pressure on the day so from that point of view was disappointing but DJ spend some time on the wing as well.

Kent - Played on a wing and had a crack, needs to improve his kicking and work rate but if Garlett misses he is a chance.   He doesn't use his pace as much as he should and his kicking can sometimes be way off especially in the midfield.

Melon22 based on what you saw which 5 would you bring in - in order

7 hours ago, Contested Dee said:

If anybody was at the game. How did Joel Smith play? 

I only heard 2nd hand but I heard he went well. I think he comes in.

Interesting to see that 4 of our reserve players were prevented from being promoted to the senior due to drinking according to the M.F.C website. Was that the reason why Casey performed badly?Or did they not understand the club rules or was the club at fault for not given clear instructions?

Someone call the pub and tell the three lads they're in for next week!!

7 hours ago, Melon22 said:

Back onto the game itself.

It was probably the most disappointing game for Casey all year, fumbling, a lack of intensity and totally out worked by Port Melbourne.   Casey were outnumbered in the forward line sometimes by 6 to 3 and then had players free out the back when Casey pressed forward, tell tale sign you are being completely outworked.  Port Melbourne pressure was good the inability of Casey to get into any sort of rhythm was very disappointing.  There were times that Casey broke through the press and they seemed that but they had no targets or idea of what to do with the ball, this caused panic with the ball carrier which led to some awful turnovers.  

All the Casey players were down as well and just lacked any winners on they day, Fritsch and Hutchins were the best of the Casey players.

Joel Smith - Looked good on return and was one of Casey's best, lacked a bit of touch but this wasn't helped by teammates.  He is probably 1 -2 weeks away from consideration but at the rate we are losing players might be chance.

JKH - The best of the Dees from what I saw, was terrible in the first half but responded and looked lively in the second half trying to get the team back into it.  Disappointingly though he lacked impact in the midfield as Casey was smashed by Port in close, probably the most likely to come in from the game.

Ben Ken -  Got the ball and effort was there in tight but an inability to have an impact with disposal is keeping him from the AFL, also doesn't spread well enough for someone with is pace.     

King - Liked his game, has limited minutes but his tap work is good and is a whisker away each week from taking a few contested marks.  He just needs to build some strength but he looks likely.

Trengrove - Has his step and agility back which is great, one of his poorer games though in terms of disposal.  He displayed very good hands but tried to generate some ball movement with riskier kicks which didn't come off.  Also struggled to put defensive pressure on which was disappointing.

Spencer - The most disappointing on the day, looked a mile off it and Casey were beaten in the stoppages.  Hasn't regained the same form yet from last year after his injury.

Weiderman - Looked OK but not a great day for the forwards, he was outnumbered all day and wasn't able to impact the game.  The only real criticism was that he got sucked up the ground to much leading to some of the issues going forward, gave the team a spark when he went into the Ruck.

Maynard - Got a lot of ball in tight but wasn't able to generate any impact from his disposals, wasn't able to get much of the ball in transition which limited his impact.

Kielty - Competed well in the air but not much influence with the ball.

Johnstone - Was ok but didn't have much impact on the game, there was almost no forward pressure on the day so from that point of view was disappointing but DJ spend some time on the wing as well.

Kent - Played on a wing and had a crack, needs to improve his kicking and work rate but if Garlett misses he is a chance.   He doesn't use his pace as much as he should and his kicking can sometimes be way off especially in the midfield.

Excellent summary, Melon, based on the half that I saw.

4 hours ago, big_red_fire_engine said:

Melon22 based on what you saw which 5 would you bring in - in order

I'll have a go.

Thought JKH probably at front of queue in terms of form/match fitness, but Joel Smith with the most upside - in horse racing parlance he should take a lot of improvement out of a run that showed a lot anyway; the question with him is whether he needs another hit out for match fitness and sharpness. Joel looks set to pick up where he left off at around the 15 minute mark of round 1, which is exciting.

Kent probably next, then Maynard, then BenKen. It's tricky to predict how Maynard will go at the next step at this stage, but has been strong at VFL level.

 

6 hours ago, big_red_fire_engine said:

Melon22 based on what you saw which 5 would you bring in - in order

1. JKH on the form over 4 weeks.

2. Kent 

3. Trengrove does a lot of things right

4. Maynard

5. Weiderman

14 hours ago, Melon22 said:

Back onto the game itself.

It was probably the most disappointing game for Casey all year, fumbling, a lack of intensity and totally out worked by Port Melbourne.   Casey were outnumbered in the forward line sometimes by 6 to 3 and then had players free out the back when Casey pressed forward, tell tale sign you are being completely outworked.  Port Melbourne pressure was good the inability of Casey to get into any sort of rhythm was very disappointing.  There were times that Casey broke through the press and they seemed that but they had no targets or idea of what to do with the ball, this caused panic with the ball carrier which led to some awful turnovers.  

All the Casey players were down as well and just lacked any winners on they day, Fritsch and Hutchins were the best of the Casey players.

Joel Smith - Looked good on return and was one of Casey's best, lacked a bit of touch but this wasn't helped by teammates.  He is probably 1 -2 weeks away from consideration but at the rate we are losing players might be chance.

JKH - The best of the Dees from what I saw, was terrible in the first half but responded and looked lively in the second half trying to get the team back into it.  Disappointingly though he lacked impact in the midfield as Casey was smashed by Port in close, probably the most likely to come in from the game.

Ben Ken -  Got the ball and effort was there in tight but an inability to have an impact with disposal is keeping him from the AFL, also doesn't spread well enough for someone with is pace.     

King - Liked his game, has limited minutes but his tap work is good and is a whisker away each week from taking a few contested marks.  He just needs to build some strength but he looks likely.

Trengrove - Has his step and agility back which is great, one of his poorer games though in terms of disposal.  He displayed very good hands but tried to generate some ball movement with riskier kicks which didn't come off.  Also struggled to put defensive pressure on which was disappointing.

Spencer - The most disappointing on the day, looked a mile off it and Casey were beaten in the stoppages.  Hasn't regained the same form yet from last year after his injury.

Weiderman - Looked OK but not a great day for the forwards, he was outnumbered all day and wasn't able to impact the game.  The only real criticism was that he got sucked up the ground to much leading to some of the issues going forward, gave the team a spark when he went into the Ruck.

Maynard - Got a lot of ball in tight but wasn't able to generate any impact from his disposals, wasn't able to get much of the ball in transition which limited his impact.

Kielty - Competed well in the air but not much influence with the ball.

Johnstone - Was ok but didn't have much impact on the game, there was almost no forward pressure on the day so from that point of view was disappointing but DJ spend some time on the wing as well.

Kent - Played on a wing and had a crack, needs to improve his kicking and work rate but if Garlett misses he is a chance.   He doesn't use his pace as much as he should and his kicking can sometimes be way off especially in the midfield.

Sums it all up. I would add that Weideman suffered from bad delivery which made it very hard for him, as opposed to the previous week where the delivery was good.  Joel smith got better as the game went on, tried to generate some run from half back but was out of position when a turnover ultimately meant the ball went back over his head (he wasn't necessarily the cause of the turnover, it was a bad day skill wise for Casey). He did show good signs. 

We are down on players so I would say any ins would come from the usual..JKH, Smith, Kent and Weidemann, depending on what the footy dept see is required. Maybe time for Trengove as well, from a leadership point of view.

Goodwin, Mathews, Mahoney and Jackson were all at Port for the game.

VAN GOGH MOMENT by KC from Casey

There is not much that can be said about the capitulation of the Casey Demons against Port Melbourne at North Port Oval. The Borough lost to the Demons six weeks ago by 43 points in a game that saw Casey begin the five-match winning streak that catapulted the team into premiership  contention and a top eight position. 

This week's turnaround was emphatic as Port Melbourne made the visitors look embarrassingly weak with its foot on their throats from the word go as it booted the first four goals of the match against the wind to secure a handy quarter time lead. Then, from the mid point of the second quarter and we into the third, they produced an onslaught of nine unanswered goals and ran away to win by 65 points. The turnaround was an outstanding 108 points from their Round 6 encounter. 

The lack of any pressure acts, the drop in enthusiasm and endeavour and the falling away in skills was dramatic . The Demons had 11 AFL listed players on the ground (Liam Hulett was selected for the game but was a last minute inclusion in the Development League team) and given the injuries and a lilkely suspension from the previous night's AFL clash one would have expected a lot more.

Instead, the Casey fans who had witnesses their recent dominant performances were puzzled and searching for answers to explain the sudden form slump. It looked as if the entire side was undergoing a Van Gogh moment - a complete meltdown complete with self-mutilation. Yes, it was that bad.

It was only later that it emerged that four members of the team has played up and broken team rules and gone drinking after the Box Hill game (ironical because that part of town was once known as an alcohol free zone). 

Three of the players in question had all been on the cusp of selection for Melbourne - a very important consideration in view of the need for freshness after three six day breaks. However, the players, Jay Kennedy-Harris, Ben Kennedy, Dean Kent and Jake Spencer were all told they would not be picked on Friday's starry night against the Swans. However, they did play in the VFL game leaving one to wonder what impact the whole sad and sorry saga had on both their Demons' AFL and VFL teammates. There is no excuse for the conduct and the losses but it couldn't have come at a worse time for Melbourne and Casey. In the event, the three K's played well enough, while Spencer was subdued and beaten by a rookie ruckman. 

Two former basketballers and Category B rookies were Casey's best. Corey Maynard continues to impress in the Demon midfield and Joel Smith was strong after a long lay off with injury.

Peter Jackson VFL 2017

Casey Demons 1.2.8 2.4.16 4.8.32 5.7.37 

Port Melbourne 4.0.24 9.4.58 14.5.89 16.9.105

Goals 

Casey Demons Fritsch  Giobbi Kennedy-Harris  Kent Morris

Port Melbourne Conway 4 Nahas 3 Cain Searle 2  Arnot  Lisle Pearson Pinwill Sandilands

Best 

Casey Demons Maynard Smith Kennedy-Harris Kent Kennedy Trengove

Port Melbourne Carey Viojo-Rainbow Cook Conway Templeton Clarke

Statistics

Dion Johnstone 5 kicks 10 handballs 15 disposals 6 tackles 56 dream team points 

Declan Keilty 6 kicks 4 handballs 10 disposals 4 tackles 41 dream team points 

Jay Kennedy-Harris 1 goal 15 kicks 10 handballs 25 disposals 2 marks 8 tackles 107 dream team points

Ben Kennedy 1 behind 11 kicks 19 handballs 30 disposals 12 tackles 119 dream team points

Dean Kent 1 goals 1 behind 18 kicks 9 handballs 27 disposals 4 marks 4 tackles 104 dream team points

Mitch King 1 behind 8 kicks 2 handballs 10 disposals 2 marks 1 tackles 16 hit outs 50 dream team points

Corey Maynard 1 behind 12 kicks 20 handballs 32 disposals 4 marks 16 tackles 145 dream team points

Joel Smith 9 kicks 12 handballs 21 disposals 8 marks 3 tackles 83 dream team points

Jake Spencer 1 behind 2 kicks 6 handballs 8 disposals 1 marks 6 tackles 37 hit outs 83 dream team points

Jack Trengove 7 kicks 13 handballs 20 disposals 4 marks 1 tackles 60 dream team points

Sam Weideman 2 behinds 4 kicks 11 handballs 15 disposals 3 marks 4 tackles 14 hit outs 75 dream team points

In the Development League game, Port Melbourne overpowered Casey by 14 points. Nathan Gardiner continued his strong goal kicking vein of goal kicking form with five goals. Perry Lewis-Smith was best on ground.

AFL Vic Development League 2017

Casey Demons 5.1.31 7.1.43 11.3.69 12.5.77 

Port Melbourne 1.2.8 7.5.47 9.6.60 13.13.91

Goals 

Casey Demons Gardiner 5 Vander Haar 2 Armour Baker Ferreira Foote Hillard

Port Melbourne Hogan 3 Golby Kelso Renooy 2 De Soysa  Hayes Houghton Treverton

Best 

Casey Demons Lewis-Smith Lovett Machaya Hillard Gains Baker

Port Melbourne Golby Treverton Hooper Wenn Jaffer-Williams Atkins

Interesting that after having such a great season last year and then being rookied by Melbourne, I don't think I have seen Keilty figure in the best at Casey all season. 

Is  anyone who gets to see Casey live able to shed some light on his form and prospects?

No mention of Hulett's performance in the Development league. Did he play? Into his second year on the list to be dropped to the DL has a bit of the Max King feel about it. 

Bit surprised Nahas didn't make Ports list of best players. Played a Garlett like role really well.

Hard to judge players at VFL level. You are looking for them to play well in their role. Performance may or may not be enhanced by the players around them so you need to look beyond team performance and drill down on individual play.

In the case of Weideman that is perhaps easier than others. While he didn't get amongst it that much on Saturday he played much better than he did at Coburg a few weeks back. The forward delivery was atrocious but on tow occasions where he was sought out he took strong marks. Perhaps he got lead up the ground too easily and needs to learn the running patterns.

Others such as JKH its harder. he got a lot of ball but you need to look at the tape carefully to see if it was his handpass or the recipient that caused the ball to go nowhere (which it continually did on Saturday.)

I would hate to have to put together a VFL list with all the competing priorities. In a way it is easier for the stand alones  but of course they don't get the benefit of the AFL talent. In an ideal world you would have a team of say 12 very solid VFL players, four -eight players on the list vying for AFL selection and then your AFL project players. Sounds easy but I suspect it is an almost impossible job.