DOG-TIED by KC from Casey

[Demonland 70,307]

The Casey Demons were extended early against rivals Footscray VFL in their matchup played in wet and greasy conditions at VU Whitten Oval on Saturday but, after establishing their authority in the second quarter, they were able to tie up their opponents at the end to maintain their undefeated run which now stands at 15. 

The game began under grey threatening skies and the wet conditions turned the game into a tight slog with scoring kept down to a minimum. The Demons were held goalless against the breeze in the opening term but thanks to a Kade Chandler masterclass in attack with three clever second quarter goals out of a total of five, they held sway by half time. 

There were a few threatening moments  in the third quarter but the Demons’ resilience was outstanding. They withstood the challenge and steadied by the final break and then held the home side goalless and held on to the lead for the remainder of the game to win by a comfortable 23 point margin. 

The Demons’ predominance stemmed mainly from their defence which held firm from the very beginning despite the loss of Adam Tomlinson who was called upon to replace the injured Jake Lever in the Melbourne team.

Oskar Baker and Jayden Hunt dominated with the pace and strong ball handling. Jake Bowey was also in fine form and his disposal in the wet was excellent. Corey Ellison and Daniel Turner added a solid edge to the team. In the middle, Luke Dunstan and Matt Buntine were strong and Jimmy Munro’s tackling in the conditions often unsettled the Bulldogs and forced them into error.

The club’s much vaunted younger forward brigade had a more subdued outing which was understandable in the circumstances. One wonders whether last week’s bye might have affected some of the younger brigade, particularly as it appears their chances of gaining senior selection seem to dwindle with each passing week. A fortnight ago against the Cats Jacob Van Rooyen and Bailey Laurie were stars in the wet at GMHBA Stadium but the club seems determined to play established players at AFL level. 

Van Rooyen kicked only one goal at Footscray but he managed to be in the play often and also helped Jack Bell out in the ruck duels. Laurie also kicked a solitary goal but had his moments as did Taj Woewodin. Blake Howes would also be satisfied with his first up effort of 20 touches after such a long lay off with injury.

With three games left before the finals, Casey is three games clear of second placed Southport. The team returns home for next week’s match up against the bottom-of-the-ladder Northern Bullants before their last bye of the season.

CASEY DEMONS 0.3.3 5.7.37 7.9.51 9.12.66

FOOTSCRAY VFL 1.2.8 3.6.24 6.6.42 6.7.43

Goals 

Casey Demons Chandler 4 Grey Laurie Moniz-Wakefield Valentine Van Rooyen

Footscray VFL Darcy Jones Martin O’Sullivan Raak Vandermeer 

Best 

Casey Demons Baker Chandler Bowey Hunt Munro Ellison Van Rooyen

Footscray VFL Hunter Martin McLean Garner O’Sullivan Butler

Statistics 

Oskar Baker 1 behind 29 kicks 4 handballs 33 disposals 8 marks 121 dream team points
Riley Baldi 5 kicks 4 handballs 9 disposals 2 marks 1 tackle 34 dream team points
Jack Bell 4 kicks 7 handballs 11 disposals 1 mark tackle 16 hit outs 51 dream team points
Jake Bowey 19 kicks 1 handballs 20 disposals 6 marks 3 tackles 89 dream team points
Mitch Brown 1 behind 12 kicks 3 handballs 15 disposals 7 marks 1 tackle 66 dream team points
Matt Buntine 15 kicks 5 handballs 20 disposals 10 marks 2 tackles 1 hit out 92 dream team points
Kade Chandler 4 goals 11 kicks 4 handballs 15 disposals 5 marks 1 tackle 72 dream team points
Luke Dunstan 1 behind 12 kicks 7 handballs 19 disposals 3 marks 9 tackles 92 dream team points
Corey Ellison 6 kicks 3 handballs 9 disposals 4 marks 2 tackles 38 dream team points
George Grey 1 goal 4 kicks 2 handballs 6 disposals 2 marks 1 tackle 29 dream team points
Blake Howes 11 kicks 9 handballs 20 disposals 6 marks 1 tackles 79 dream team points
Jayden Hunt 7 kicks 7 handballs 14 disposals 1 mark 1 tackle 42 dream team points
Bailey Laurie 1 goal 5 kicks 6 handballs 11 disposals 2 marks 5 tackles 53 dream team points
Judd McVee 7 kicks 4 handballs 11 disposals 3 marks 3 tackles 47 dream team points
Bryce Milford 3 kicks 4 handballs 7 disposals 2 marks 23 dream team points
Andy Moniz-Wakefield 1 goal 4 kicks 3 handballs 7 disposals 1 mark 3 tackles 33 dream team points
James Munro 2 behinds 6 kicks 8 handballs 14 disposals 1 mark 11 tackles 85 dream team points
Aidan Quigley 5 kicks 2 handballs 7 disposals 1 marks 7 tackles 49 dream team points
Fraser Rosman 1 kick 1 handballs 2 disposals 1 mark 8 dream team points [injured]
Daniel Turner 7 kicks 7 disposals 1 mark 5 tackles 46 dream team points
Ryan Valentine 1 goal 7 kicks 6 handballs 13 disposals 3 marks 1 tackles 2 hit outs 53 dream team points
Jacob Van Rooyen 1 goal 1 behinds 5 kicks 7 handballs 12 disposals 4 marks 2 tackles 2 hit outs 58 dream team points
Taj Woewodin 7 kicks 6 handballs 13 disposals 5 marks 2 tackles 53 dream team points