VFLW 2022

[Dees_In_October 3,380]

I stumbled across this morning's Casey game on the AFL website while catching up on men's news, so naturally I got sidetracked.

ROUND 1

Casey 0.1.1 0.3.3 2.3.15 5.5.35

Port 1.0.6 3.1.19 4.1.25 4.1.25

 

Goals

Casey: Dowler 2, Chaplin 2, Hogg

Port: Locke 2, Barton, Stutt

 

Great fightback by the Dees after being goalless in the first half.

Just a quick wrap-up of the AFLW-listed players and a couple of other standouts:

Petrevski (19 disposals, 9 tackles) was super busy, applying plenty of pressure and having a key role in keeping the ball moving forward with some clever play. Gillard - well, off one game, we've got a player here. 11 hitouts, 5 clearances and 6 inside 50s, and was instrumental in the second half comeback. Purcell is building back to AFLW nicely, with 20 disposals, 4 tackles and 3 clearances, a class above. Chaplin, who is a top-up player for our AFLW list, had 2 goals in the last quarter to snatch the win, and was really lively around the ball. Dowler was also lively up forward with 2 creative goals. Campbell had some good moments (and a shot at goal to forget) but plenty to work with there. Tarrant took one great strong mark but wasn't prominent, while Brown chipped in with some good defensive stops (although there are some real look-alikes, so I might be attributing someone else's efforts incorrectly).

 

This season, all VFLW games will be shown either on the AFL website https://www.afl.com.au/vfl

or Youtube https://www.youtube.com/user/AFLVictoria

[Deeoldfart 8,016]

Thanks D_I_O.  I especially loved this bit: "Purcell is building back to AFLW nicely, with 20 disposals, 4 tackles and 3 clearances, a class above."

[Dees_In_October 3,380]

5 hours ago, Deeoldfart said:

Thanks D_I_O.  I especially loved this bit: "Purcell is building back to AFLW nicely, with 20 disposals, 4 tackles and 3 clearances, a class above."

Yep, she's moving well, and I'm really glad we've been able to bring her back via VFLW since she's been out of the game for a while.

[Whispering_Jack 30,036]

Game Two was another victory for Casey 

Casey Demons 1.2.8 6.3.39 8.5.53 8.8.56

Darebin 1.2.8 2.2.14 2.2.14 2.2.14

Goals T.Fellows A.Kirkwood G.Campbell A.Dowler T.Reiter C.McCrossan

Disposals R.Grant 25 B.Tarrant 20 , T.Fellows M.Chaplin 18

[Dees_In_October 3,380]

Just to add on from WJ,

My plan to check out this game on catch-up was thwarted when only the third quarter was available for streaming, so this is just what I've scraped together from that and the stats.

According to the commentary, Tarrant and Fellows were the best on ground in the first half. Another interesting point in the commentary – apparently last VFLW season, when Casey won, they did so by the highest average margin in the league, of 40 points.

Based on my third quarter viewing, as the scoreline suggests, Casey was well in control of the game, with some good overlap run, and working hard defensively. I especially liked our players' willingness to keep the ball moving forward with clever taps and punches.

No Petrevski, Purcell (as expected), Brown or Gillard, while Caris did play. So definitely some players held in reserve for AFLW or rested.

 

VFLW-listed stand outs:

Fellows - 3 goals, 18 disposals, 6 tackles

Grant - 25 disposals, 4 marks, 3 tackles

 

AFLW-listed players:

Tarrant - 20 disposals

Chaplin - 18 disposals

Campbell - 16 disposals, 11 hit outs

Caris - 4 disposals, 5 tackles, 8 hit outs

[Dees_In_October 3,380]

ROUND 3

No stream this week - and to be honest, completely forgot about this game (men's praccy, AFLW, VFLW; it's all happening!).

In the first of the VFLW/AFLW double-header at "the Fields", Casey had a third-straight win.

Looking at the players listed below, we had all fit players on our main list involved at either VFLW/AFLW level today. A successful day for our women's program.

CASEY 2.2.14 3.3.21 6.5.41 6.8.44

NORTH 1.0.6 2.1.13 3.3.21 3.6.24

Casey goalkickers: Caris, Chaplin, Fitzsimon, Johnson, McCrossan, Tarrant

 

VFLW standouts:

McCrossan - 1 goal, 17 disposals, 3 tackles

Dowler - 16 disposals

Hogg - 16 disposals, 6 tackles

Fellows - 14 disposals, 3 marks

 

AFLW-listed players:

Caris - 1 goal, 14 hit outs, 3 clearances

Fitzsimon - 1 goal, 19 disposals, 3 marks, 5 clearances

Tarrant - 1 goal, 18 disposals, 6 tackles

Brown - 14 disposals, 5 tackles

Campbell - 4 disposals, 2 tackles, 5 hit outs

Magee - 13 disposals, 6 tackles

Petrevski - 15 disposals, 4 tackles

[Meggs 595]

Nice to see Megan get amongst it with 19 disposals, 5 clearances, 3 marks and a goal.  Freo are quick so runners with neat skills will be important next week.  Hope she gets a recall.

[Dees_In_October 3,380]

ROUND 4

Checked out how our VFLW team fared, and, well:

CASEY 2.1.13 6.4.40 10.5.65 15.7.97

WESTERN BULLDOGS 1.0.6 1.0.6 1.0.6 1.0.6

Now, to be fair, the Western Bulldogs are struggling, but still. It's not every day you kick a combined 204 points across the VFLW/AFLW programs!

There was some really classy goalkicking from all angles by Casey.

Casey goalkickers: Fellows 3 Dowler 2 Reiter 2 Borchard Harasimiuk Hogg Johnson Kirkwood McCrossan O'Connor Petrevski

 

VFLW stand-outs:

Hogg - 1 goal, 20 disposals, 4 clearances

Dowler - 2 goals, 19 disposals

Fellows - 3 goals, 19 disposals, 6 marks, 6 tackles

Johnson - 1 goal, 17 disposals, 5 tackles

 

AFLW-listed players:

Tarrant - 32 disposals, 11 clearances 5 tackles. She played in the midfield - I think I've seen her do about every role possible now. I'd be surprised if she's playing Casey VFLW next season. It'll be Melbourne AFLW or another AFLW club.

Magee - 21 disposals, 5 tackles, 4 clearances. Just as I was thinking I'd love to see how she'd look in a different role, she was moved to the midfield. Yes, the opposition wasn't much chop, but I saw some other attributes to her game we haven't seen at AFLW level yet. Obviously, she won't play midfield there, but hopefully the experience will help grow her game.

Brown - 20 disposals, 3 marks. In full control across the backline.

Petrevski - 1 goal, 18 disposals, 6 tackles, 4 clearances. Another one who, if she wants AFLW game time, has a good chance to find it next season, somewhere. She plays some really smart footy at times.

 

[poita 3,902]

We've seen Eliza West step up from the VFL side this season and look right at home at AFLW level.

Clearly there are four new sides desperate for players before next season, and we will lose players to these sides as well, but is there anyone on the Casey list that looks a likely prospect?

[Dees_In_October 3,380]

11 hours ago, poita said:

We've seen Eliza West step up from the VFL side this season and look right at home at AFLW level.

Clearly there are four new sides desperate for players before next season, and we will lose players to these sides as well, but is there anyone on the Casey list that looks a likely prospect?

No blatant stand-out like West was, probably several players who are contenders though and some more time against the harder VFLW teams will tell more.

I feel like, from the outside looking in, there's good cohesion between both levels as well, so our ability to draw from VFLW to fill gaps during the expansion phase is in a good place - compared to some other clubs where the link is less established.

[Dees_In_October 3,380]

ROUND 5

No time to report in detail!

 

CASEY DEMONS 1.5.11 2.7.19 4.10.34 5.15.45

GEELONG CATS 3.1.19 4.2.26 5.4.34 5.4.34

GOALS A.Dowler 2 T.Fellows C.McCrossan J.Parry

DISPOSALS L.Magee 25 L.Parry 23 A.Brown K.Petrevski 20

If we're talking prospects to keep an eye on, I'm liking the contribution of Fellows over a few games now.

And good to have some more top of the ladder action this week!

[Dees_In_October 3,380]

ROUND 6

Apparently there was a stream of the game but not one that I could find - maybe it was live only.

So, relying on the stats alone:

CASEY DEMONS 2.4.16 6.8.44 8.10.58 14.13.97

SOUTHERN SAINTS 0.0.0 1.2.8 1.2.8 1.2.8

Casey goalkickers: Parry 4 Hogg McCrossan 2 Campbell Fellows Kirkwood Lampard O'Connor Petrevski

Casey disposal leaders: Fellows 20 Tarrant 20 West 19 Parry 18 Gay 17

 

VFLW stand-outs:

Fellows - 20 disposals, 1 goal

McCrossan - 15 disposals, 2 goals

Grant - 14 disposals, 4 marks

Hogg - 11 disposals, 2 goals, 4 clearances

Fairchild - 12 disposals, 8 tackles

 

AFLW-listed players:

Brown - 13 disposals, 2 marks

Campbell - 1 goal, 7 disposals, 5 hit-outs

Caris - 10 disposals, 25 hit-outs

Gay - 17 disposals, 9 inside-50s

Gillard - 15 disposals, 4 tackles

Lampard - 1 goal, 15 disposals

Magee - 15 disposals, 3 tackles

Parry - 4 goals, 18 disposals, 7 marks

Petrevski - 1 goal, 16 disposals, 6 inside-50s

Tarrant - 20 disposals, 6 marks

West - 19 disposals, 6 clearances, 6 tackles

 

Casey now sit two points clear atop the ladder, undefeated.

[Dees_In_October 3,380]

Round 7

Well, it only took until Round 7 for me to figure out where the live stream replays are:

https://vflw.tv/

No time for viewing this week, but here's a stats-based summary.

COLLINGWOOD MAGPIES 0.1.1 1.4.10 1.7.13 3.11.29

CASEY DEMONS 3.1.19 3.1.19 4.5.29 5.6.36

Casey goalkickers: Borchard Campbell Caris Dowler Parry

Casey disposal leaders: Tarrant 26 Hogg 22 Caris 18 Magee 16 Dowler 15

 

VFLW stand-outs:

Hogg - 22 disposals, 2 clearances

Dowler - 1 goal, 15 disposals, 4 tackles, 3 clearances

Grant - 14 disposals, 2 tackles

Fairchild - 10 disposals, 8 tackles

Kirkwood - 8 disposals, 5 tackles, 3 clearances

 

AFLW-listed players:

Brown - 8 disposals, 2 marks

Caris - 18 disposals, 4 marks, 28 hit-outs, 4 clearances

Campbell - 7 disposals, 3 marks, 3 tackles

Magee - 16 disposals, 2 marks, 6 tackles

Parry - 1 goal, 6 disposals, 3 marks

Petrevski - 10 disposals, 7 tackles

Tarrant - 26 disposals, 3 marks

 

Casey now have seven straight wins at the mid-way point of season 2022.

The run home and opponent's current ladder position:

Williamstown (8th), Geelong (6th), Hawthorn (3rd), Collingwood (7th), Port Melbourne (10th), Carlton (9th), Essendon (2nd).

[Dees_In_October 3,380]

Round 8

Another stats-based summary.

WILLIAMSTOWN 0.0.0 2.4.16 4.5.29 4.6.30

CASEY DEMONS 3.0.18 4.0.24 7.2.44 8.3.51

Casey goalkickers: Johnson McCrossan 2 Dowler  Fellows Hogg Wales

Casey disposal leaders: Johnson 22 Hogg 20 Dowler 18 Grant 17 Borchard 15

 

VFLW stand-outs:

Johnson - 22 disposals, 2 goals, 4 clearances

Hogg - 20 disposals, 1 goal, 5 clearances

Wales - 17 hit outs, 1 goal, 11 disposals, 8 tackles

Dowler - 18 disposals, 1 goal, 5 tackles

O'Connor - 12 disposals, 4 marks, 4 tackles

Harasimiuk - 7 disposals, 7 tackles, 3 clearances

Horne - 14 disposals, 7 tackles, 6 clearances

Swain - 29 hit outs

 

AFLW-listed players:

None played!

 

Casey now have eight straight wins.

Next: 4th-placed Geelong at 12PM on Saturday April 23 at Casey Fields

[Dees_In_October 3,380]

Round 9

With AFLW over, now turning my attention more strongly to our Casey players, and what a season they're having! Actually got to watch this game in full, which was enjoyable as got the chance to watch lots of players I haven't seen much of yet this season. Easily the most decorated AFLW-listed player on the field was ex-Adelaide premiership player turned Cat, Chloe Scheer, who was well held. For the Demons in terms of AFLW, it was Gillard and Chaplin.

After beating Geelong by 11 points in Round 5, the re-match was a much more dominant affair to Casey's favour.

General game thoughts

A couple of times early we really threatened to score but just couldn’t quite get that last clean possession or went one handball too many - we could have easily been further ahead by quarter time.

My impression of this team is that they’re really focused and hard working, and really committed to playing out quarters strongly regardless of the score. On the stream you could hear a lot of the Casey coaches’ instructions to players on the field, which is always interesting. A lot of focus on positioning. There was good pressure up field and Casey were well in control for the majority of the game.

My favourite passage of play was the last minute of the third. The ball had been camped at half forward for Geelong for several minutes before they got it deep. Some excellent evasion and a neat kick from a player whose number I couldn’t quite see (could have been Grant) set up a clean transition out of the backline. A huge steal ensued when McCrossan stripped it from a Cats player after a dropped mark and dodged some opponents, bringing the ball almost to the goal square before losing it. At that point it was five on two in Geelong’s favour, but Casey worked hard to get numbers to the contest and just managed to keep the ball in the area by sheer will. This opened the door for Hogg to lay a great last-second tackle to earn a free and after-the-siren goal. Excellent team effort against some demoralised opposition. That put Casey up 36 points up going into the last quarter, essentially sealing the win.

CASEY 1.1.7 5.3.33 7.3.45 8.4.52

GEELONG 0.2.2 0.2.2 1.3.9 1.3.9

Casey goalkickers: Conroy Fellows Hogg 2 Fairchild Macdonald 1

 

Stats leaders

O’Connor – 19 disposals, 5 tackles, 6 clearances

Horne – 17 disposals, 2 marks, 5 tackles

Fellows – 14 disposals, 2 goals, 4 marks, 2 tackles

Hogg – 14 disposals, 2 goals, 2 tackles, 3 clearances

L.Wales – 14 disposals, 3 marks, 24 hit outs

Gillard – 8 disposals, 3 marks, 2 tackles, 10 hit outs

 

Fellows is having a really great season. A genuine crumber, something we’ve lacked in AFLW. Quick and reads it well. Loves to go straight to goal, which came off to great effect in the third when she found a paddock for a great running goal (after being denied a similar one in the first quarter after a wayward running bounce).

I also liked Conroy’s game – two good goals out of the ruck, crashed some packs, good lead-up play at times.

Continued to be impressed by Gillard and really hope we can keep her at the Dees. Always makes a contest, good positioning, some clean hit outs, second efforts. Rucks being such a hot commodity, hopefully she’ll be pleased with the game time she got in AFLW this year and can build into being our next ruck after L.Pearce—surely a good player to learn from.

That's Casey's ninth straight win. The key will be how we play against some of the better teams that can apply more pressure.

NEXT: 3rd-placed (soon to enter AFLW) Hawthorn at 11:35AM on Sunday May 1 at Box Hill City Oval

[Dees_In_October 3,380]

Round 10

Phoning it in this week, as the streak ends, with another stats-based summary.

HAWTHORN 2.2.14 3.5.23 6.10.46 7.11.53

CASEY DEMONS 2.1.13 2.1.13 2.1.13 2.2.14

Casey goalkickers: Conroy, Harasimiuk

Casey disposal leaders: Grant 22 Wales 19 Hogg Johnson 17 Chaplin 15

 

VFLW stand-outs:

Grant - 22 disposals, 5 marks

Wales - 19 disposals, 15 hit outs, 4 marks, 4 tackles

Hogg - 17 disposals, 5 clearances

Johnson - 17 disposals, 6 tackles

Chaplin - 15 disposals, 4 tackles

Mitchell - 8 disposals, 8 tackles

 

AFLW-listed players:

Campbell - 0 disposals, 2 tackles, 2 hit outs

Gillard - 8 disposals, 3 marks, 4 tackles

Simmons (returning from injury) - 13 disposals, 6 tackles

 

With a run of 9 wins coming to an end, Casey now sits 3rd on the ladder, behind Essendon and Hawthorn - two teams keen to build towards their impending AFLW debuts.

Next: 7th-placed Collingwood at 10AM on Sunday May 8 at Casey Fields

[Dees_In_October 3,380]

Round 11

Based on my viewing of the second half - in time to see the comeback that just fell short, though certainly not through lack of trying in slippery conditions. Worth it for Mitchell's goal of the year contender - left foot, from the pocket, awesome.

CASEY DEMONS 0.1.1 0.1.1 3.2.20 3.3.21

COLLINGWOOD 2.1.13 3.2.20 4.3.27 4.7.31

Casey goalkickers: Conroy, Mitchell, S.Wales

Casey disposal leaders: Johnson 20 Grant 19 Hogg 17 Gillard 15 Horne 14

 

VFLW stand-outs:

Johnson - 22 disposals, 10 tackles, 5 clearances

Grant - 19 disposals

Hogg - 17 disposals, 6 clearances

Horne - 14 disposals, 9 tackles, 3 clearances

L.Wales - 8 tackles, 22 hit outs

Mitchell - Goal of the year contender!

 

AFLW-listed players:

Gillard - 15 disposals, 5 marks, 5 tackles, 17 hit-outs

Simmons - 5 disposals, 1 mark, 5 tackles

Still impressed with Gillard; she does a bit of everything and most of all, top-notch second efforts at a really consistent level for a young player. Hopefully will see her get some more games in the AFLW team later this year.

 

Casey have slipped to 3rd place, notably behind the two Victorian teams building towards their AFLW debut: Essendon and Hawthorn, who match up next week.

Next: 11th-placed Port Melbourne at 1.10PM on Saturday May 14 at Port Melbourne

[Dees_In_October 3,380]

Round 12

This week I had a look at the replay and even managed to navigate to the video without seeing the score, a feat in itself!

After an arm wrestle for the first several minutes, with the ball stuck between the arcs, Casey took control and were never challenged, though they'd have liked to take more of their chances around goal. Port hit the scoreboard with a point seven minutes into the third.

PORT MELBOURNE 0.0.0 0.0.0 0.1.1 1.4.10

CASEY 3.2.20 5.7.37 7.9.51 9.12.66

Casey goalkickers: Harasimiuk, Mitchell 2, Borchard, Clarke, Fellows, Simmons, Horne

Casey disposal leaders: Johnson 24, O'Connor 20, Chaplin, Hogg 19, Harasimiuk, Clarke 15, Kirkwood 15

 

Stand-outs:

Fellows – 1 goal, 14 disposals. A highlight was the first major of the game, a three-bounce running goal in which she covered about 40m before steadying perfectly. One for the draft highlights video; she's the only Casey player to be invited to the draft combine and looks a likely prospect. Has been a train-on players with Dees AFLW.

Johnson – 24 disposals, 5 marks, 6 tackles. So strong around the footy, capped off by effective forward entries.

O'Connor – 20 disposals, 4 marks. Really solid down back.

Harasimiuk – 2 goals, 14 disposals. Worked hard, was super involved and took her chances in front of goal.

Hogg – 19 disposals, 4 clearances. A player to rely on, always makes an impact, loves to shrug a tackle and usually succeeds.

Clarke – 15 disposals, 3 marks. A 17-year-old from the Dandenong Stingrays on debut, kicked a nice snap in close quarters to take Casey to a 56-point lead late in the game.

Horne – 1 goal, 11 disposals, 3 marks, 4 tackles. Clean around the stoppages, good positioning. Kicked a somewhat flukey goal that was reward for effort, in which she shrugged a tackle to find space on the boundary, 40m out, and mongrelled a centring ball forward, which bounced through.

Borchard – 1 goal, 10 disposals. Neat kicker and quick hands to set up teammates and was rewarded for her hard work with a goal.

 

AFLW-listed

Campbell – 12 disposals, 4 marks, 9 hit outs, 3 clearances. Took some strong marks, crashed some packs, found some good positioning and is working on her goal kicking.

Chaplin – 19 disposals, 4 marks, 3 tackles. Read the ball well to cut off many Port forward attempts.

Simmons – 1 goal, 13 disposals, 3 marks. She's working her way back from injury but definitely got more involved on the wing as the game went on, attempting two running goals on the left and finding success with the second. Another of those tall, athletic wing and midfield types with surprising agility for her size.

The run home…

Keeping an eye on the ladder, I hoped that first- and second-placed Essendon and Hawthorn would have a draw in their Sunday match-up…and they did! That means Casey is in striking distance of a top-two finish (for the double chance), but it will be a tough ask, with Hawthorn having two likely wins to round out the season and Casey facing top-placed Essendon in the final round.

NEXT: 9th-placed Carlton at 11AM on Saturday May 21 at Ikon Park.

[Dees_In_October 3,380]

VFLW Round 13

Big shake-up at selection with several changes, including some AFLW names and Charlotte and Amelie Blair on debut from the Dandenong Stingrays. I think I also spotted maybe ex-Dee Petrevski as the runner, which was good to see.

Casey set up the win early with five goals in the first. Carlton had a revival in the third, scoring three unanswered goals, with some defensive lapses and poor decision-making from Casey’s backline, plus a few turnovers in dangerous parts of the ground. At the three-quarter time address, based on a bit of lip-reading and the maxed-out volume on my video, Casey was asked to lift their work rate and hardness at the footy. They responded to take back control in the last, though they didn’t do the scoreboard damage they’d have liked.

CARLTON        1.0.6  1.1.7  4.1.25  5.1.31

CASEY              5.4.34  7.7.49  7.10.52  9.12.66

Casey goalkickers: Fitzsimon 2, Angelis, Conroy, Heath, Johnson, Mitchell, Simmons, Wales

Casey disposal leaders: West 30, Johnson 19, Fitzsimon 18, Chaplin, Hogg 17

 

Standouts:

Conroy – 1 goal, 12 disposals, 3 marks, 5 tackles, 4 clearances. Liked her presence and physicality around the ground.

Johnson – 1 goal, 19 disposals, 4 tackles. Benefited from having West in there to share the grunt work and found plenty of space.

L.Wales – 24 hit outs, 15 disposals, 3 marks, 4 tackles. Great work in the ruck with pressure around the footy and marked strongly to kick Casey’s last goal.

 

AFLW-listed:

Chaplin – 17 disposals, 5 tackles. Solid defensive work, especially under fire in the third.

Fitzsimon – 2 goals, 18 disposals, 4 tackles. A class above and such a hard worker. Big things coming in AFLW Season 7.

Heath – 1 goal, 14 disposals, 8 tackles. Didn’t realise she was out there such was Casey’s dominance in the first. Then I spotted a player tackling hard and with a familiar-looking tenacity, and yep, Heath. She was swung forward in the second half and crumbed a good goal and sprayed another.

Simmons – 1 goal, 9 disposals, 4 tackles. Caught a few times but a patient, 40-metre plus kick into the forward fifty late in the game was a positive.

West – 30 disposals, 6 marks, 9 clearances. Was in everything particularly in the first half, having a direct hand in at least three of Casey’s first goals.

 

Casey remains third on the ladder, two games clear of Geelong, and half a game short of Hawthorn.

 

NEXT: The last game of the H&A season is against ladder leaders Essendon 11.15AM on Saturday May 28 at Windy Hill.

[Dees_In_October 3,380]

VFLW Round 14

Looking at the score you wouldn’t necessarily think this game was anything to write home about, but make no mistake, this was a really close, tough, contested game, with finals-like intensity. I’m pleased to report that Casey was more than able to match Essendon in this regard.

The Demons had plenty of chances to take the game away from Essendon but just lacked the polish going forward to finish it off. They were without a big forward target and had to scrounge their goals on the fly. Casey dominated the clearances for much of the game; no mean feat against a powerful Dons side. The backline is also to be commended for keeping a star-studded forward line mostly under control. Casey was right in the game til the end and had some late chances but just couldn’t land a final blow, while Essendon were deadly with fewer opportunities throughout the game.

ESSENDON      1.0 2.0 3.2 4.3.27

CASEY              0.2 1.4 2.8 2.9.21

 

Casey goalkickers: Fitzsimon 2

Casey disposal leaders: West 32, Johnson 28, Hogg, S.Wales 16, Fitzsimon 15

 

VFLW standouts:

Blair – 10 disposals, 6 tackles, 2 clearances. While not in the best, she had some good moments, and showed some real run and flair in her second game for Casey.

Hogg – 16 disposals, 4 tackles, 4 clearances. Another great game.

Johnson – 28 disposals, 4 marks, 6 tackles, 6 clearances. Influential game—hitting the scoreboard for a major was the only part missing to top it off.

S.Wales – 16 disposals, 26 hit outs, 4 marks, 6 tackles, 3 clearances. Played her part in the ruck in a game with plenty of ball ups plus got involved around the ground.

 

AFLW-listed:

Brown – 13 disposals, 6 tackles. Had some important moments and good under pressure. A bit of a forgotten player at AFLW level last season but could be handy.

Campbell – 7 disposals, 4 marks, 5 hit outs. Has built her game across the season, crashing packs with more regularity and slowly but surely starting to take the marks she’s capable of.

Chaplin – 9 disposals, 4 marks. Strong under pressure down back and often creative with the footy in hand in some tight situations.

Fitzsimon – 2 goals, 15 disposals, 7 tackles. Clean and really classy around goal, which was obviously much needed.

Gillard – 7 disposals, 4 tackles. Played in the backline and put in a solid game, showing off some more versatility.

Heath – 13 disposals, 7 tackles, 4 clearances. Had a great start in the middle, finding the footy, and then played a big part given the contested style.

West – 32 disposals, 9 tackles, 10 clearances. Another huge game. So good in close and busts through packs like few others.

 

That brings the home and away season to a close, with Casey achieving their best ever finish in VFLW: 3rd. It's been a steady rise since joining the league: 10th in 2018; 8th in 2019; and 4th in 2021 (with the 2020 season called off).

NEXT: Pre-finals bye and then an elimination final. According to the Second McIntyre Final 6 System, that will be a home final against 6th-placed Collingwood, who have a 7-7 win-loss record but have finished the season strongly.

[Meggs 595]

Appreciate the nice report D_I_O, thank you.   

Meggs was also impressed by Wales and Gillard does her best work as a tall Harris Andrews-style back.  Gosh, Eliza W was in everything.  A contested footy ball-magnet with really good hands.  If she could just master kicking the footy, she could become an AFLW star.   

Hmmm, the Pies will be a tough contest for Casey.  Have they announced the game details yet?

[poita 3,902]

On 5/30/2022 at 9:08 PM, Meggs said:

Hmmm, the Pies will be a tough contest for Casey.  Have they announced the game details yet?

Sunday June 12
First Elimination Final, Casey Demons (3^rd) v Collingwood (6^th)
Casey Fields, 11:35am AEST

https://www.afl.com.au/news/772045/2022-rebel-vflw-finals-week-one-fixture

A curtain raiser for the VFL game.

[Dees_In_October 3,380]

On 5/30/2022 at 9:08 PM, Meggs said:

Appreciate the nice report D_I_O, thank you.   

Meggs was also impressed by Wales and Gillard does her best work as a tall Harris Andrews-style back.  Gosh, Eliza W was in everything.  A contested footy ball-magnet with really good hands.  If she could just master kicking the footy, she could become an AFLW star.   

Hmmm, the Pies will be a tough contest for Casey.  Have they announced the game details yet?

Thanks Meggs.

West, yeah, a remarkable rise. The kick - I was going to mention in a previous report but decided to refrain to wait and see some more. But on a small sample, I would say her technique has improved even since the AFLW season...in the sense that she has more of a technique. Though not the actual target-hitting part yet. It's not that she has bad habits formed, though, so just needs to get the hours in. Maybe one for Chocco and his taped footies :)

I really hope we can keep Gillard. Goes against the usual wisdom about tall players' development - and she's the tallest of them all!

[Clintosaurus 7,843]

Good win by the ladies over Collingwood. Beat Essendon next week and in the Grand Final. Guaranteed to make the Prelim.

[Dees_In_October 3,380]

ELIMINATION FINAL

After a tight contest in the first quarter, in which Collingwood had much of the play, the Demons built off a strong defensive effort to take control in the second. It was a really switched on and professional performance to the end that saw Casey win its first ever final in the VFLW! A great result for the VFLW program off the back of five years of effort. Kudos to all involved.

CASEY              1.0.6 4.1.25 4.3.27 7.3.45

COLLINGWOOD      0.0.0 0.2.2 1.3.9 1.4.10

 

Casey goalkickers: McCrossan 3 Angelis Harasimiuk Mitchell Dowler

Casey disposal leaders: Hogg 23 Grant 18 Chaplin 17 McCrossan West 14

 

VFLW standouts:

McCrossan – 3 goals, 14 disposals. Really crafty around the forward line and had a hand in many of Casey's goals.

Hogg – 23 disposals, 4 tackles, 6 clearances. A real leader's game, a great competitor with poise and hardness when needed.

Chaplin – 17 disposals, 5 marks, 7 tackles. Directed traffic off the back line and had numerous key defensive stops.

Grant – 18 disposals, 3 marks. Cut off many forays forward by the Pies and helped set up attack the other way with effective disposal.

Wales – 27 hit outs, 12 disposals, 3 clearances. Another strong ruck performance with great presence around the ground too.

Also liked the game of Angelis (5 marks), who provided the marking option that this forward line often lacks. She showed some footy smarts and has a reliable set shot when she gets the chance.

AFLW-listed:

West – 14 disposals, 6 tackles, 4 clearances. Another good game with some strong midfield extractions and classy work by hand.

Gillard – 8 disposals, 2 marks, 4 tackles. An influential game with great positioning, becoming a brick wall down the line that the Pies struggled to pass.

Campbell – 2 disposals, 2 tackles, 7 hit outs. A quiet game but plenty of opportunity to improve in a big game next week.

 

NEXT: It's a tough ask and a big challenge against an undefeated Essendon outfit who've had a dominant season. The winner goes through to the Grand Final, while the loser gets a second change in the Prelim. Second Semi Final: 11:05am, Sunday June 19, Windy Hill.

Edited June 13, 2022 by Dees_In_October