VFLW 2021

[Dees_In_October 3,495]

Well, just thought I'd round out a great day by checking on the VFLW scores and lo and behold, the girls got the job done too!

So it was a three-win day, with each win coming against Richmond (since Port Melbourne in VFLW are essentially Richmond's affiliate this year because unlike every other AFLW affiliated VFLW club, the Tiges didn't feel like paying to field a VFLW team but that's a whole other thing).

Port Melbourne were undefeated going into this round, while Casey were 4-3, so this was something of an upset and quite a margin too.

 

FINAL SCORE:

Port 4.4.28

Casey 10.9.69

 

AFLW players for the Dees: Birch, Lampard, Tarrant, Gay, Sherriff, Parry and Bannan

Goalkickers: Bannan 3, Parry 2, Johnson 1, Milford 1, Humphries 1, Fairchild 1, Thompson 1

 

Next week, Round 9:

North Melbourne (2-5 going into Round 8) at Arden St 2PM Saturday 1st of May

[Dees_In_October 3,495]

ROUND NINE

Another three-win weekend for Casey/Melbourne, with the VFLW Dees getting the win against North as well.

AFLW players named in the team: Heath, Birch, Tarrant, Sherriff, Colvin, Bannan, Gay, Zanker, Lampard.

Interesting to see Colvin hit the scoreboard!

Final Score:

North 4.2.26

Casey 10.8.68

Goals: 2 Milford, Colvin, 1 Gay, Fairchild, Harasimiuk, Thompson, West, Bannan

 

LADDER after Round 9:

Coll 9-0

Port Melb 8-1

Geelong 7-2

Essendon 6-3

Casey 6-3

Southern Saints 4-5

North 3-6

WB 9-3

Carlton 3-6

Hawthorn 2-7

Williamstown 2-7

Darebin 1-8

 

Next week: Round 10 v Williamstown (11th place) at Downer Oval, Saturday 8th of May 7PM

I'll be at the 'G, but my first VFLW viewing of the season is surely coming soon! Four home and away rounds remain so a strong finish should seal Casey's first VFLW finals berth.

[Dees_In_October 3,495]

ROUND 10

It’s another winning weekend for the Demons, with the VFLW Dees again victorious. Not quite the 3 from 3 of weekends past with the VFL game postponed, but the streak continues!

 

Thankfully, as we were all glued to proceedings at the MCG, the game was streamed on YouTube:

 

At least watch the opening play of the first quarter (00:16:13 into the video) to see Zanker evade, fend off and spin out of traffic in super style!

Williamstown, 11^th of 12 on the ladder, are obviously not up there in terms of quality opposition so perhaps not the best measure of how the team’s going. Casey were clearly a class above, with solid contributions pretty much across the board and the AFLW talent carrying them into complete dominance from the first quarter onwards. The rain we enjoyed at the MCG came midway through the third quarter at Downer Oval but by then the game was well and truly in Casey’s control.

Of the non-AFLW listed players, I enjoyed the games of Fairchild, Buchan and ex-Dee Emma Humphries. Commentary mentioned that Milford is the leading goalkicker in the comp – didn’t hit the scoreboard in this game but definitely brought the forward pressure.

A few NAB league girls made their debuts in the game including young ruck Grace Matsa who represented Vic Country and certainly made a good first-up impression.

I also liked the effort of Fitzsimon, who was the only yet-to-debut AFLW-listed player in the team. Sherriff had a solid game, including a couple of great goals. Parry had some key moments of brilliance. Meanwhile, Gay was simply a class above.

FINAL SCORE
Williamstown 0.0.0

Casey 9.5.59

Goalkickers: 3 Gay, 2 Parry, Sherriff, 1 McDonald, Kirkwood

 

With four rounds remaining, Casey are solidifying their spot in the top 6 and could even push for top 4.

Next week: 10th-placed Carlton at Casey Fields, Saturday 15^th of May, 10:30AM

[Dees_In_October 3,495]

The Casey VFLW Dees' 5-game winning run has come to an end at the hands of the Blues, who saved their finals hopes. This report is based on social media alone, so not much in the way of individual player comments...

The Dees had 5 changes to the team from the previous round, with Heath, Gay, Lampard and Bannan all making way, while the Blues were bolstered by some experienced players to snap a 4-game losing streak. Good to see that McNamara made her return for the Dees after that concussion in the AFLW Prelim.

AFLW-listed for Casey: Kendall, Birch, McNamara, Fitzsimon, Colvin, Sherriff, Zanker, Simmons

Casey had the breeze in the first quarter and capitalised, going into the break with a 23-point lead to no score. They led by 2 points at the half with the Blues also taking advantage of the wind. In the third, the Dees only managed 2 behinds, which set up the Blues for a strong final quarter and the win. Clearly it was a Casey Fields special, and our girls' failure to the hit the scoreboard accurately (and with any majors after quarter time!) proved costly.

 

FINAL SCORE

Casey 3.7.25

Carlton 8.3.51

Goalkickers: Sherriff, Simmons, MacDonald

McNamara led Casey in disposals.

 

The ladder: Casey sits 4th with 3 rounds remaining.

Next week: 3rd-placed Port Melbourne at Casey Fields, Saturday 22nd of May, 10.30AM

[Dees_In_October 3,495]

ROUND 12

Was again able to watch the game courtesy of a YouTube stream. Hard to get to a game live with times being announced week to week, but hopefully the schedule will fall my way in the last two rounds.

AFLW-listed players for Casey: Kendall, Tarrant, Colvin, Emonson, Birch, McNamara, Sherriff, Simmons, Zanker, Fitzsimon

It was a hectic first quarter, with both teams playing at breakneck speed, and the camera work didn't do anything to reduce the general feeling of chaos. Both teams really applied the pressure but struggled for composure. Port went into quarter time with a narrow lead. The game remained tight to half time, though Casey's goals seemed to come from opposition mistakes rather than any clear system forward of the ball. Port took control in the third and despite a focused effort to draw them back early in the fourth, Port's goal kicking accuracy assured them deserved revenge for the teams' last encounter.

 

FINAL SCORE

Casey 5.5.35

Port 8.1.49

Goalkickers: 2 Milford, 1 Zanker, West, Emonson

Eliza McNamara again impressed, finding plenty of space in a hotly contested game and again leading Casey's disposals with 23 and 5 marks. Was also impressed by another Eliza, of the West variety, a Casey-listed player with some great presence.

 

The ladder: Casey stays locked on 4th with 2 rounds remaining.

Next week: Casey take on 6th-placed Western Bulldogs at Whitten Oval, date and time TBA.

[FarNorthernD 5,861]

Thanks for your updates Dee’s in October. It is appreciated 

[Dees_In_October 3,495]

On 5/30/2021 at 1:44 PM, FarNorthernD said:

Thanks for your updates Dee’s in October. It is appreciated 

No worries at all - I want to keep updated on the players over the offseason so may as well share!

Hopefully more to report sooner rather than later but we'll see.

[Dees_In_October 3,495]

ROUND 13 (finally!)

Well, the Demons are back on the winner's list and Casey VFLW are a shining light on an otherwise thin weekend for red and blue content. Did I jinx a lockdown by complaining about the VFLW games never aligning with my own personal weekend schedule? Yes, that must be it!

It was a welcome return to footy and Casey Fields (I can only imagine, since crowds were not allowed), with the Demons victorious by 53 points against Darebin, a name that once struck fear in the hearts of women's footballers and of course, the original home of so many of the league's very best.

AFLW-listed for Casey: McNamara, West, Colvin, Parry, Fitzsimon, Heath (and Kendall, currently de-listed)

It seems the game went pretty much as you'd expect for a top-4 contender against an almost winless team, but danger games only become more dangerous the longer you have to wait for them, so a dominant performance was welcome. The inside 50s perhaps tell the tale: 46 to 9 in Casey's favour, while 99 handballs to 55 likely speak to Casey's ability to move the ball in a more dynamic way despite ruck dominance by the Falcons. The Elizas combined to lead the disposal tally for Casey, closely followed by another young Demon in Fitzsimon, which hopefully augurs well for AFLW season 21-22 and beyond.

 

FINAL SCORE

Casey 9.6.60

Darebin 1.1.7

Goalkickers: 2 Milford, Parry, 1 Fellows, Fitzsimon, Gillespie-Jones, McNamara, West

Casey's Disposal leaders: 22 McNamara, West, 21 Fitzsimon

 

Good to see new AFLW rookie West hit the scoreboard. And always good when a player you notice is almost immediately recruited to the big-time! She's actually the 4th-ranked in disposals in the league so it probably wasn't my recommendation that did it.

Other notable league-wide stats leaders (since I just found them on the app): Milford is 2nd in goals with 19, one behind the leader; and Fairchild is 5th in tackles.

The sign and trade merry-go-round has come into immediate effect at VFLW level, with Casey snapping up ex-Carlton and North player Gillespie-Jones, who just might be a handy addition to the AFLW side. From memory, she can play either key forward or back so might add the kind of versatile depth that's so valued by our team.

The ladder: Casey retain 4th place

Next week: Casey take on 6th-placed Western Bulldogs at Whitten Oval, as was originally planned for R13. This is the final home and away game. A win would cement a top 4 finish for the Dees and great lead-in to their very first VFLW finals campaign!

[Dees_In_October 3,495]

ROUND 14

The home and away season is over, which didn't look certain at one point, so that's something to celebrate.

Not the finish the Dees would have liked, going down to the Western Bulldogs, who in turn would have been disappointed that their victory wasn't enough to secure a finals berth.

Obviously the Dogs had lots to play for and definitely seem to have brought great endeavour that our team wasn't quite able to match. Two points up going into the final term, the Bulldogs finished strongly at Whitten Oval to run out 12-point winners, seemingly a margin that might have flattered Casey given the Dogs' inaccurate goalkicking. Then again, hard to say without actually witnessing the game! Interesting to note though, not much AFLW experience in this week's team. Resting? Going with the youngsters into the finals? Time will tell.

AFLW-listed for Casey: Fitzsimon, Heath, Bannan, Parry, West, Sherriff.

FINAL SCORE

WB 5.10.40

Casey 4.4.28

Goalkickers: 2 Parry, 1 Bannan, Sherriff

AFLW rookie Eliza West once again led the disposal count for Casey, with 24, followed by Brown, Hales and Sherriff, who also had a game-high 8 marks while Heath led the tackles with 13.

The ladder: Casey finish the season in 4th, 0.6% above Essendon!

The top 6 were: Collingwood (14 wins), Geelong (10), Port Melbourne AKA Richmond (10), Casey (8), Essendon (8), Southern Saints (7)

NEXT WEEK

And so the Casey Demons enter their first VFLW finals race. They'll play Essendon, date, time and venue TBA. If it's Sunday, I might just get there!

Go Dees!

[Dees_In_October 3,495]

@Demonland Might be too late, but would be nice if you could mention Casey's first VFLW finals campaign on the podcast! ?

[Dees_In_October 3,495]

Update: Casey will take on Essendon in an Elimination Final at Casey Fields this Saturday at 12PM.

You can probably guess what I was doing at 5PM today and why I won't be there!

Will have to follow from afar.

Potentially there will be a video stream on:

https://www.youtube.com/user/AFLVictoria/videos

[Dees_In_October 3,495]

ELIMINATION FINAL

Unfortunately, it’s a 0/3 weekend for the Demons. Has to the first time that’s happened this year!

I was planning to watch the video stream after the men’s game, but in an attempt to lift my spirits on the way home from the G, I checked the VFLW scores only to be disappointed. A three-point loss. A close game’s a good game though, so I checked out the stream despite knowing the cruel result (cruel turned out to be very apt considering the dying stages).

AFLW-listed for the Demons: Fitzsimon, Heath, Colvin, Bannan, Parry, Tarrant, Zanker, West, Sherriff

 

FIRST QUARTER
The Bombers had the ball camped in forward 50 for most of the quarter, except for a solitary early foray forward that Casey thankfully capitalised on with a nice goal from Fellows. Essendon were unable to take advantage on their cleaner ball movement and forward pressure on the scoreboard. For the Dons, former Pie McIntosh (42 years young!) ran amok, so too did former Demon and Cat Mia-Rae Clifford. Also notable for Essendon was Georgie ‘sister of Maddie’ Prespakis—congratulations to whoever is lucky enough to draft her. About ten minutes in I began to wonder, where’s McNamara? This prompted me to discover she hasn’t played for a few weeks. Fingers crossed no injury there as she was going great guns and was sorely missed by Casey in this game.

Casey by 3 points at quarter time.

SECOND QUARTER

Essendon kicked things up a gear in the second, their relentless tackle pressure denying Casey any time and space, and their composure and precision passing leading to four unanswered goals for the quarter. Meanwhile, Casey was sloppy with their tackles and struggled to hold possession. Tarrant was moved on to McIntosh to try to curtail her influence in place of young Kendall.

Late in the second, Essendon had 21 to 3 inside 50s, testament to their dominance.

Essendon by 23 points at half time.

THIRD QUARTER

Parry was moved into the ruck and provided such much-needed spark and first use for the Dees. Bannan was the beneficiary of an early forward entry, with a handy goal out the back. West built on a solid first half to become more prominent in this quarter. Heath upped the tackle pressure as well. A precise long kick by Parry set up a strong overhead mark by Bannan and another goal. Then an impressive 50-metre goal from ex-AFLW Demon Humphries saw the Dees claw the margin back to 5 points. All of this off the back of hard work at ground level and more success setting up handball chains going forward.

Parry in the ruck was a bit of a revelation, and it was particularly enjoyable to see her palm the ball to the taller Zanker with success. It was a big turnaround, with Essendon failing to register an inside 50 in the third.

Essendon by 4 points heading into the last.

FOURTH QUARTER

Casey had the momentum early, keeping the ball trapped inside 50 (at the non-scoring end).

Bannan had another impressive mark, while Sherriff lifted, with a big impact on the wing. Mid-way through the quarter, it was a stalemate, with both teams applying immense pressure and not much happening in the way of composed ball movement. The work of Tarrant and Colvin stopped many Essendon forward entries, with Colvin being a bit of an enforcer as usual. Then, an excellent contest by Bannan halved a contest at attacking 50 allowing Heath out the back for a nice running goal. This put the Dees 3 points up with about ten minutes remaining.

 

And then the cruel ending I referred to at the start. A controversial 50-metre penalty resulting in a goal was paid by the non-officiating umpire, with Casey player Fellows pinged for being in the protected zone. It was extremely unlucky, as she was basically in line with the mark and tried to exit the area, but the Essendon player went to kick quickly and was in the motion of swinging around on an arc to take her kick, inadvertently putting Fellows in the way as she exited. There was very little she should have done differently. Am I being biased? See here for the exact moment it all went down and let me know!

To their credit, the Dees gritted their teeth and got on with it, but with 4 minutes on the clock in 20-minute quarters with no time-on…

Time ran out and that was the end of Casey’s first VFLW finals campaign. They can hold their heads high after an impressive comeback (keeping Essendon to 1 goal from a controversial 50 in the second half). And a great season!

FINAL SCORE

Casey 5.2.32

Essendon 5.5.35

Goalkickers for Casey:

2 Bannan, 1 Fellows, Heath, Humphries.

West lead the disposals again for Casey with 23, followed by Sherriff (20), Parry (18) and Tarrant (17). West has plenty of upside, clearly knows how to get the ball and with some more skills work could be anything. Meanwhile, Zanker (a late inclusion for new Casey player Gillespie-Jones, recently delisted by North) looked rusty and a bit out of sorts. She unloaded an epic barrel (maybe unintentional?) at one point that was a bit of fun. But generally, she got caught holding the ball trying to break tackles too many times and had a frustrating game.

Though Essendon dominated the tackling, Heath led the way for Casey with 7, followed by Bannan and Johnson (6). Love that effort from Bannan; she had a pretty complete game. I think we’ll also see good things from Tarrant at AFLW level next season. I liked the efforts of Brown in the backline and Fairchild’s tenacious second efforts around the ball. Also the best I’ve seen from Kendall.

NEXT UP:

The 2021 AFLW draft will take place on the 27^th of July. Preseason begins around September, in preparation for the 21-22 season commencing in December.

Edited July 4, 2021 by Dees_In_October

[Brownie 5,986]

1 hour ago, Dees_In_October said:

ELIMINATION FINAL

Unfortunately, it’s a 0/3 weekend for the Demons. Has to the first time that’s happened this year!

I was planning to watch the video stream after the men’s game, but in an attempt to lift my spirits on the way home from the G, I checked the VFLW scores only to be disappointed. A three-point loss. A close game’s a good game though, so I checked out the stream despite knowing the cruel result (cruel turned out to be very apt considering the dying stages).

AFLW-listed for the Demons: Fitzsimon, Heath, Colvin, Bannan, Parry, Tarrant, Zanker, West, Sherriff

 

FIRST QUARTER
The Bombers had the ball camped in forward 50 for most of the quarter, except for a solitary early foray forward that Casey thankfully capitalised on with a nice goal from Fellows. Essendon were unable to take advantage on their cleaner ball movement and forward pressure on the scoreboard. For the Dons, former Pie McIntosh (42 years young!) ran amok, so too did former Demon and Cat Mia-Rae Clifford. Also notable for Essendon was Georgie ‘sister of Maddie’ Prespakis—congratulations to whoever is lucky enough to draft her. About ten minutes in I began to wonder, where’s McNamara? This prompted me to discover she hasn’t played for a few weeks. Fingers crossed no injury there as she was going great guns and was sorely missed by Casey in this game.

Casey by 3 points at quarter time.

SECOND QUARTER

Essendon kicked things up a gear in the second, their relentless tackle pressure denying Casey any time and space, and their composure and precision passing leading to four unanswered goals for the quarter. Meanwhile, Casey was sloppy with their tackles and struggled to hold possession. Tarrant was moved on to McIntosh to try to curtail her influence in place of young Kendall.

Late in the second, Essendon had 21 to 3 inside 50s, testament to their dominance.

Essendon by 23 points at half time.

THIRD QUARTER

Parry was moved into the ruck and provided such much-needed spark and first use for the Dees. Bannan was the beneficiary of an early forward entry, with a handy goal out the back. West built on a solid first half to become more prominent in this quarter. Heath upped the tackle pressure as well. A precise long kick by Parry set up a strong overhead mark by Bannan and another goal. Then an impressive 50-metre goal from ex-AFLW Demon Humphries saw the Dees claw the margin back to 5 points. All of this off the back of hard work at ground level and more success setting up handball chains going forward.

Parry in the ruck was a bit of a revelation, and it was particularly enjoyable to see her palm the ball to the taller Zanker with success. It was a big turnaround, with Essendon failing to register an inside 50 in the third.

Essendon by 4 points heading into the last.

FOURTH QUARTER

Casey had the momentum early, keeping the ball trapped inside 50 (at the non-scoring end).

Bannan had another impressive mark, while Sherriff lifted, with a big impact on the wing. Mid-way through the quarter, it was a stalemate, with both teams applying immense pressure and not much happening in the way of composed ball movement. The work of Tarrant and Colvin stopped many Essendon forward entries, with Colvin being a bit of an enforcer as usual. Then, an excellent contest by Bannan halved a contest at attacking 50 allowing Heath out the back for a nice running goal. This put the Dees 3 points up with about ten minutes remaining.

 

And then the cruel ending I referred to at the start. A controversial 50-metre penalty resulting in a goal was paid by the non-officiating umpire, with Casey player Fellows pinged for being in the protected zone. It was extremely unlucky, as she was basically in line with the mark and tried to exit the area, but the Essendon player went to kick quickly and was in the motion of swinging around on an arc to take her kick, inadvertently putting Fellows in the way as she exited. There was very little she should have done differently. Am I being biased? See here for the exact moment it all went down and let me know!

To their credit, the Dees gritted their teeth and got on with it, but with 4 minutes on the clock in 20-minute quarters with no time-on…

Time ran out and that was the end of Casey’s first VFLW finals campaign. They can hold their heads high after an impressive comeback (keeping Essendon to 1 goal from a controversial 50 in the second half). And a great season!

FINAL SCORE

Casey 5.2.32

Essendon 5.5.35

Goalkickers for Casey:

2 Bannan, 1 Fellows, Heath, Humphries.

West lead the disposals again for Casey with 23, followed by Sherriff (20), Parry (18) and Tarrant (17). West has plenty of upside, clearly knows how to get the ball and with some more skills work could be anything. Meanwhile, Zanker (a late inclusion for new Casey player Gillespie-Jones, recently delisted by North) looked rusty and a bit out of sorts. She unloaded an epic barrel (maybe unintentional?) at one point that was a bit of fun. But generally, she got caught holding the ball trying to break tackles too many times and had a frustrating game.

Though Essendon dominated the tackling, Heath led the way for Casey with 7, followed by Bannan and Johnson (6). Love that effort from Bannan; she had a pretty complete game. I think we’ll also see good things from Tarrant at AFLW level next season. I liked the efforts of Brown in the backline and Fairchild’s tenacious second efforts around the ball. Also the best I’ve seen from Kendall.

NEXT UP:

The 2021 AFLW draft will take place on the 27^th of July. Preseason begins around September, in preparation for the 21-22 season commencing in December.

Thanks so much for the great report DIO. What a BS fifty! Tragic way to get knocked out.