VFLW 2023

[Dees_In_October 3,350]

After an 11-3 season before bowing out in the Prelims in 2022 (after two finals losses, in an absolutely wild finals system!) Casey will be looking to go a few better in 2023.

The Casey VFLW program has been a great launching pad for players in recent years, with many going on to be signed on either at the Demons or elsewhere. This also means there's been a fair amount of turnover in players heading into 2023, with lots of new faces to join some long-standing stalwarts.

This season we've got an influx of Irish players, and if the senior team's anything to go by, maybe we'll unearth another couple of premiership players.

Rest of the squad here:

https://www.melbournefc.com.au/teams/casey-demons/squads/vflw

Leadership group: Ally Kirkwood (c), Mel Hogg (vc), Ali Dowler, Kaitlyn Carew and Brooke Borchard.

 

Round 1

vs. Western Bulldogs

Sunday 26th of March, 12.30PM

Mars Stadium (Ballarat)

[poita 3,889]

https://www.womens.afl/news/118851?_ga=2.230777691.518500240.1679614491-637235427.1679614491

AFLW website reporting that the following players are listed as possible VFL players for Casey this year, to a maximum of 10 AFLW listed players per round. Perhaps Georgina Fowler will also be added to that list.

Alyssa Bannan, Georgia Campbell, Maeve Chaplin, Megan Fitzsimon, Georgia Gall, Tahlia Gillard, Sinead Goldrick, Shelley Heath, Casey Sherriff, Rhi Watt, Eliza West, Charlotte Wilson

It would be good to see Campbell, Gall and Wilson playing a number of games, given their lack of AFLW game time this year.

 

[Dees_In_October 3,350]

Round 1 v Western Bulldogs

Match report

Casey appeared stronger over the footy and better organised early, getting out to a two-goal lead before the Bulldogs found some space to hit back. They profited off some quick ball movement off the turnover, while Casey generally looked better by foot. The second quarter was a bit of a stalemate, with both teams having their fair share of it. Casey’s goal came off the back of steady ball movement from end to end. The Dogs came out firing in the second half with a quick goal, but the Dees then kept the ball trapped forward for an extended period. When the ball did leak out, a double 50—brought about initially due to a Goldrick-wary Bulldog entering the protected area—resulted in a shot on goal for Woolcock, which fell short and was snaffled by the Irishwoman Burke who kicked truly around the corner to put Casey in front. A delightful three-bounce run down the middle by Heath soon after was a match highlight. Meanwhile, Casey was in control, though not yet on the scoreboard, with a three-point lead heading into the final change.

Casey had much of the possession early in the last. When the Dogs did get it forward, the Demons were desperate. At the other end, however, many chances went begging without landing the final blow. There were some nervous moments when the Bulldogs went forward late, but a centring kick from Heath with a minute to go allowed Goldrick to dash through the corridor. After a bit of messing around in the forward fifty and a failed rebound by the Dogs, Heath brought the ball back inside where Conroy gathered a somewhat fortuitous bounce and nailed a spot-on handpass to Neal for the sealer—with mere seconds remaining. In a tale as old as time, the Bulldogs probably didn’t make the most of their opportunities when they had momentum, while Casey had the tank and structure to be in control for longer, leading to sheer weight of scoring chances winning out.

FINAL SCORE:

Western Bulldogs 4.4.28

Casey Demons 5.12.42

 

VFLW standouts:

Neal – Prominent and impactful. 17 disposals, 7 tackles, 5 clearances and 1 goal.

Lehman – Led up well and created plenty of opportunities. Lots to build on. 12 disposals, 5 marks, 1 goal.

Hogg – A solid contributor as always. 16 disposals, 4 marks

Kirkwood – A reliable performance. 14 disposals, 6 marks, 6 tackles

Burke – Showed off a big kick and some nous around goals. 9 disposals, 5 tackles, 1 goal.

 

AFLW listed:

Gall – Played back and forward, reads it well. 13 disposals, 5 marks, 3 tackles

Heath – Midfield, a class above. Team-high 23 disposals, 4 tackles.

Gillard – Backline then ruck, a big presence there and at ground level. 10 disposals, 22 hit outs.

Goldrick – Midfield but was everywhere, hitting the scoreboard, dropping back, deft passes by foot. 21 disposals, 5 tackles, 4 clearances, 2 goals.

Chaplin – Backline and some midfield time. Her defend/attack balance is great off half-back. 11 disposals, 4 tackles.

Campbell – Ruck and forward. Made some good contests. 5 disposals, 4 tackles, 11 hit outs.

Disclaimer: I spent much of this stream trying to match numbers to players to positions, using the team sheet provided online, which was clearly not reflective of reality. I think I got it mostly sorted by the end.

Next week:

vs. Darebin

Sunday 2nd of April, 2.30PM

Casey Fields

[Timothy Reddan-A'Blew 5,037]

On 3/24/2023 at 11:07 AM, poita said:

https://www.womens.afl/news/118851?_ga=2.230777691.518500240.1679614491-637235427.1679614491

AFLW website reporting that the following players are listed as possible VFL players for Casey this year, to a maximum of 10 AFLW listed players per round. Perhaps Georgina Fowler will also be added to that list.

Alyssa Bannan, Georgia Campbell, Maeve Chaplin, Megan Fitzsimon, Georgia Gall, Tahlia Gillard, Sinead Goldrick, Shelley Heath, Casey Sherriff, Rhi Watt, Eliza West, Charlotte Wilson

It would be good to see Campbell, Gall and Wilson playing a number of games, given their lack of AFLW game time this year.

 

Poita (or others) what does this categorisation mean? There doesn't seem to be anything consistently special (or lacking) in the named players. Why can't any of the AFLW listeds play, subject to the 10/game limit?(

[Dees_In_October 3,350]

3 hours ago, Timothy Reddan-A'Blew said:

Poita (or others) what does this categorisation mean? There doesn't seem to be anything consistently special (or lacking) in the named players. Why can't any of the AFLW listeds play, subject to the 10/game limit?(

I don't know if there's any limit on how many AFLW players a team can play in total. So theoretically, I think you could have all your AFLW players have a game if they wanted to. For us, we seem to approach VFLW as an opportunity to look at untried talent, give the fringe players a go and get in the kind of development for younger players that you can't really do in a short and cut-throat AFLW season. And then mostly use VFLW players for any finals that eventuate. By finals last season, there were few AFLW-listed players involved.

The common denominator for those mentioned by poita is that all are in the 0-40 career games range (for context, most of our core players are now at 40-65 games). Obviously the young ones are in there for development. West (25 games) might seem like an outlier in that she's obviously a key cog for us. But she's still relatively inexperienced. Goldrick is another one like that - she was excellent on the weekend, but the slower pace doesn't just allow her to have a big impact, it also means she can work on those flaws in her game that come from not growing up with it. Heath is the most experienced of the players mentioned but played midfield, so it's a way to build depth like that too I guess. Or maybe she just couldn't face not tackling anyone for six months?

[Timothy Reddan-A'Blew 5,037]

Thanks @Dees_In_October. Makes sense. May also be a component of passing on a range of 'seniors' experience to the squad?

[FarNorthernD 5,861]

I thought the standard of the game was akin to the AFLW in the first couple of seasons; skill and fitness levels weren’t quite there aside from a couple of exceptions. 

Heath and Goldie were clearly a class above. Of the VFLW players I thought #16 Woolcock, #11 Lehman and (I think) #6 Kirkwood were good

Like you Dees_In_October, I was trying to work out who was who. You definitely did better than me. Where did you get the stats from?

[Dees_In_October 3,350]

On 3/27/2023 at 4:06 PM, Timothy Reddan-A'Blew said:

Thanks @Dees_In_October. Makes sense. May also be a component of passing on a range of 'seniors' experience to the squad?

True, good point. We definitely have players with that in spades and it's important to pass on. I also hope there's some consistency in game style and the coaching approach between teams.

On 3/28/2023 at 8:56 AM, FarNorthernD said:

I thought the standard of the game was akin to the AFLW in the first couple of seasons; skill and fitness levels weren’t quite there aside from a couple of exceptions. 

Heath and Goldie were clearly a class above. Of the VFLW players I thought #16 Woolcock, #11 Lehman and (I think) #6 Kirkwood were good

Like you Dees_In_October, I was trying to work out who was who. You definitely did better than me. Where did you get the stats from?

Yeah, there's certainly a big gap between the two levels. VFLW's been held back quite a bit by the COVID-interrupted years but hopefully can get stronger, which will feed into AFLW as well.

I had #6 as Kirkwood too, which was as listed.

Stats here: https://www.afl.com.au/vflw/matches/5105#player-stats

[Dees_In_October 3,350]

Round 2 v Darebin

Match report

Full disclosure, I haven’t actually watched this game, but I get the sense that the score probably tells much of the tale. Nearly fell out of my seat checking this on the train home after the men’s game yesterday! Obviously, we had a bit of a stacked team comparatively in terms of AFLW experience and likely VFLW experience as well. I’m sure that Darebin is doing what they’ve always been known for, which is developing young talent that goes onto greater things elsewhere, as we’ve seen first-hand at the Dees. So much respect for that club and I hope they remain supported in all they do.

Naturally the stats are dominated by some big AFLW names, but it’s also good to see that even though there’s a drop-off after that, there’s an even spread across the rest—aside from the defenders, and we can guess why that might be the case (48-9 inside-50s).

Casey goalkickers:

Fitzsimon 4, Burke Bannan 3, O’Neill Lehman Keohane 2 West Goldrick Gall

(Ireland can lay claim to 42% of our goals this week!)

 

VFLW stats standouts:

Burke – 3 goals, 11 disposals

O’Neill – 2 goals, 8 disposals

Lehman – 2 goals, 10 disposals

Neal – 13 disposals, 13 tackles

Kirkwood – 13 disposals, 4 marks

Keohane – 2 goals, 13 disposals

 

AFLW listed:

Bannan – 3 goals, 12 disposals, 3 marks, 3 tackles

Campbell – 10 disposals, 2 marks, 16 hit outs

Chaplin – 14 disposals, 3 marks

Fitzsimon – 4 goals, 21 disposals, 4 marks, 5 tackles, 4 clearances

Gall – 1 goal, 10 disposals, 2 marks

Gillard – 16 disposals, 4 marks, 4 tackles, 42 hitouts, 3 clearances

Goldrick – 1 goal, 27 disposals, 3 marks, 5 tackles, 8 clearances

West – 1 goal, 31 disposals, 6 tackles, 9 clearances

 

Next week:

v. Collingwood (1-1)

Friday 7th of April, 12:00PM

Casey Fields

 

[Dees_In_October 3,350]

For the record...

[poita 3,889]

Good to see a couple of Casey players were selected in the AFLW supplementary draft last night. Not sure what that means for them continuing to be available for Casey this season, but it is a good result for the program.

6. Gold Coast - Cara McCrossan (Casey Demons)

24. Richmond - Shelby Knoll (Casey Demons)

[FarNorthernD 5,861]

I watched most of the match. There was obviously a huge gulf between the two sides. 
In this cast the stats don’t lie, Megan Fitzsimmons was clear BOG. Assume she will play predominantly forward this year.

Goldie was a cut above as well 

[Dees_In_October 3,350]

Round 3 v Collingwood

 

Match report

I only managed to tune in for the last quarter of this one. Casey had a slow start on the scoreboard, but by the time I was watching, they were putting up a good fight and matching it with the Pies at least in intensity. A lot of turnover in players from last week to this one, so there was probably some adjustment in that sense, particularly in the midfield (taking out Gillard, West and Goldrick).

But lots to build on for the Dees and good to see some more VFLW-listed players getting a run. Take away the slow start, add in some more cohesion and goalkicking accuracy, and we weren't far off it. Team stats ended up fairly even considering the lopsided start, though Collingwood had the ascendancy in tackles and marks. Strong and consistent starts to the season by Fitzsimon, Burke and Neal.

 

Casey goalkickers:

Burke 2, Bannan

 

VFLW stats standouts:

Neal – 17 disposals, 6 tackles, 5 clearances

Swain – 15 disposals, 23 hit outs, 7 clearances

Burke – 2 goals, 15 disposals, 5 marks

Woolcock – 14 disposals, 7 tackles

Keohane - 9 disposals, 8 tackles, 3 clearances

 

AFLW listed:

Bannan – 1 goal, 11 disposals, 3 marks, 2 tackles

Campbell – 2 disposals, 3 tackles, 6 hit outs

Fitzsimon –  27 disposals, 2 marks, 7 tackles, 8 clearances

Wilson – 6 disposals, 3 marks, 3 tackles

 

Next week:

v. Essendon (0-2-1)

Sunday 16th of April, 11:00AM

NEC Hangar

[DeeZone 9,548]

dIO what was the final scores??

[Dees_In_October 3,350]

21 hours ago, DeeZone said:

dIO what was the final scores??

Ah yes, kind of a crucial detail I left out there!

ROUND 3 FINAL SCORE

Casey 3.7.25

Collingwood 6.6.42

[Dees_In_October 3,350]

Round 4 v Essendon

Match report

Unfortunately, another one I'm not going to be able to watch due to time constraints - and after spoiling myself on the result! The scoreline suggests another slow start, with the Bombers scoring 2.6 goals to 0.0 in the first. A stronger second quarter brought the Dees to seven points down at halftime. After a stalemate in the third, the Dees kicked 2.0 to one behind in the last, just falling short by two points at the final siren. Clearly, Essendon wracked up the scoring shots and their inaccuracy must have kept us in it to some extent. Casey shared the goalkicking load with five individual goalkickers.

Would love to hear the thoughts of anyone who watched the game!

 

ROUND 3 FINAL SCORE

Essendon 4.13.37

Casey 5.5.35

 

Casey goalkickers: Burke Fitzsimon Keohane O'Neill Woolcock

 

VFLW stats standouts:

Burke – leads the VFLW goalkicking with 7 goals after Round 4

Fairchild  – 12 disposals, 8 tackles

Keohane – 1 goal, 14 disposals, 5 marks

Kinnane  – 13 disposals, 10 tackles

Swaine  – 25 hit outs, 5 clearances

 

AFLW listed:

Bannan – 20 disposals, 5 marks, 7 tackles, 9 clearances

Fitzsimon – 1 goal, 23 disposals, 5 clearances

Gall – 12 disposals, 7 tackles

Wilson – 15 disposals, 5 marks

 

Next week:

v. Southern Saints (2-2)

Sunday 23rd of April, 10:30AM

Casey Fields

[Dees_In_October 3,350]

Round 5 v Southern Saints

Match report

I watched on via the live stream this week as the Demons took on the Saints in uncharacteristically calm conditions at Casey Fields. Both teams fielded just two AFLW-listed players each. A notable absence for the Demons was Burke, who has provided most of Casey’s scoring power so far in the season.

Q1

Casey likely wanted a good start after a couple of slow ones but the Saints still struck early, though Casey hit back quickly with a goal through Keohane. The Saints looked more structured going forward and had more of the play and territory for the majority of the quarter. A great intercept mark by Hogg and precise pass forward at pace with five minutes to go allowed Casey to keep the ball trapped inside fifty for the remainder of the quarter. The Demons had the wall set up outside fifty, but not much to go to in the way of marking targets. There were a few late chances from a deep stoppage but only behinds resulted. Saints by 5 points.

Q2

Casey spent much of the early stages struggling to exit defensive fifty, though the Saints failed to capitalise, with a poor set shot and an almost-incredible snap from the boundary. A badly directed kick-out put Casey back under pressure immediately and that was the theme of the game, while the Saints were able to lead up to the footy and find space. The Demons were outnumbered at the ball and lucky to only concede one goal in the quarter. Saints by 13 points.

Q3

The Saints got it straight out of the centre again to start the quarter. Casey desperately needed to find some more composed possession to escape the Saints’ pressure (tackles 41-80 by game’s end). Casey finally with some good ball movement forward via a nice kick from Wilson and mark to Gall and then quick play on to Kirkwood, only to be stymied again at the fifty. Great back-to-back smothers B.Smith then Kirkwood showed great intent, but an excellent goal from Burke for the Saints all but sealed the deal. Saints by 25.

Q4

The Saints retained the ascendancy out of the middle and a lack of lead-up forwards continued to cause issues for the Demons. Some welcome forward connection saw Fairchild take a mark but a behind was the only eventual result. Late in the game, Gall found some space and made the most of it, taking a nice mark and quickly taking a set shot with confidence. But the Saints were quick to reply—their sustained pressure throughout the game must be commended as well as their ball movement going forward.

Casey had the bulk of the hit-outs in the ruck (40-26) but the Saints were clearly on top once it hit the deck (29-37 clearances), and the big ruck in Swain’s height advantage wasn’t well utilised as a target down the line. The forwards were starved of opportunity and when the ball did arrive, it certainly wasn’t on a platter. Now on a three-game losing streak, the Demons have some work to do. Hopefully experience is growing in dealing with pressure on the ball carrier and some more cohesion is on its way as the team gels.

FINAL SCORE:

Casey Demons 2.5.17

Southern Saints 9.5.59

Casey goalkickers: Keohane Gall

VFLW standouts:

Danckert – 19 disposals, 6 tackles, 7 clearances. Very busy and some strong tackling for the ex-Suns AFLW player.

Woolcock – 16 disposals, 3 marks, 4 tackles. Worked hard in defence under a lot of pressure.

Fairchild – 16 disposals, 3 tackles. Tried hard and had some good clean touches, which were hard to come by.

Neal – 11 disposals, 4 tackles. Didn’t get heaps of the ball but did a lot of the heavy lifting around the contest.

Kirkwood – 11 disposals, 3 tackles. Smart and hardworking, did her best to kickstart her teammates.

AFLW listed:

Gall – 1 goal, 5 disposals, 2 marks. Played up forward, looked a bit off the pace at times and would have liked to be more of a marking target.

Wilson – 14 disposals, 6 marks. Stood up strong in defence. Moved onto the ball in the second half for some more class there, which left a gap down back.

Next week:

vs. Box Hill (2-2-1)

Sunday 30th of April, 11.30AM

Wonthaggi Recreation Reserve

Edited April 23, 2023 by Dees_In_October

[Dees_In_October 3,350]

Round 6 vs. Box Hill Hawks

Casey travelled further east to take on the Box Hill Hawks at Wonthaggi, in a VFLW/VFL double-header.

Q1

In a bit of a theme for this season, we gave up the first goal to the Hawks, although I will say that Casey started the game looking better at the contest than last week. The question, as always, was could they keep up the pressure? A nicely placed goal from the pocket by Brooke Smith evened things up. The last part of the quarter comprised repeated stoppages in the Hawks’ fifty. Casey defended staunchly and the Hawks failed to capitalise on a few chances. Sheer weight of attacks eventually took toll though, and the Hawks got their second major just before the siren. The Hawks controlled the ball better with eight marks to one for the quarter. Hawks by five points.

Q2

The early stages saw a nice defensive mark to the big ruck in Swain—more of that from her would be handy. I liked the look of #13 with a bit of dash off half back but not quite sure who that was due to weird numbering on the team sheet. Hawks had most of the play in this quarter and were able to get the ball out the back in plenty of space. Casey put in a concerted effort midway through the term to scrap and push the ball forward but was let down by some high free kicks given away to stop the forward momentum. Most forward fifty entries were shallow. Shout out to Kinnane for a nice tackle on defensive fifty, although the Hawks’ marking power down the line saw it coming back fast. Hawks by 20.

Q3

From here, it became a bit of a procession, with the Hawks well on top. The Demons were a bit “kick and hope” with their ball movement under pressure. Often in the midfield we have runners in the right place on the outside, just not clean enough to get the ball to them. Midway this quarter, I was drawn away from my viewing. And is so often the case, I was unsuccessful in finding my way to the replay without being spoiled for the score, at which point I called it quits!

Q4…

Judging from the final score, it seems the game continued on a similar trajectory. In the last quarter there was a consolation goal, courtesy of Gall, and the Dees managed to keep the Hawks goalless, but the damage was already done. That’s four losses on the trot, and we slump to ninth on the ladder.

 

FINAL SCORE

Box Hill Hawks 7.8.50

Casey Demons 2.5.17

Casey goalkickers: B.Smith, Gall

 

VFLW standouts:

Fairchild – 18 disposals, 9 tackles, 5 clearances. Great endeavour, led the way for Casey in disposals.

O’Neill – 11 disposals, 7 tackles, 5 i- 50s. Always gives a great contest and tries to break the lines—not always with success but love her gusto, really proactive.

Danckert – 15 disposals, 4 clearances. Was busy and looked a little cleaner than last week.

Kirkwood – 11 disposals, 4 marks. Those marks were welcome!

 

AFLW listed

Gall – 1 goal, 12 disposals, 4 marks. Some good spoils and defensive marks and took the kick-ins to generally good effect. Moved to the forward line in the second half, as has been the pattern of the season.

 

Next week:

vs. Carlton (3-3)

Saturday 6th of May, 2:15PM

Ikon Park

[Dees_In_October 3,350]

Round 7 v Carlton

Match report

Didn’t get a chance to watch this one but was pleased to see Casey get a good start, getting out to an early 14-point lead. Carlton responded, taking a four-point lead into the main change. The Blues then kicked away in the third with four goals to the home team being the only scores in that quarter. To their credit, our Demons rallied in the last, holding the opposition to four points and kicking two much-needed goals of their own. It wasn’t enough though, and Carlton prevailed by 20 points.

Judging by the stats, the gap between our best players and the rest is too wide at the moment to match the opposition. There are certainly some players having a red hot crack (Fairchild with 18 tackles) and it’s nice to see some more young players getting a go at this level. The Dees were able to match Carlton for inside 50s, but I suspect that, as in previous games, many of these may not have been with the structure we would like to maximise scoring opportunities. Plenty of work to do at the halfway point of the season: 2-5 and two games outside the top six.

FINAL SCORE:

Carlton Blues 7.7.49

Casey Demons 4.5.29

Casey goalkickers: Smith O’Neill Fairchild Danckert

 

VFLW standouts:

Fairchild – 1 goal, 14 disposals, 18 tackles

Danckert – 1 goal, 8 disposals, 15 tackles, 5 clearances

Rigoni – 16 disposals, 7 marks, 3 tackles [Jemma is the daughter of Guy Rigoni who played 107 games for MFC 1998-2005. Turning 19 next month, the Oakleigh Chargers and Vic Metro player missed the 2022 season with an ACL]

O’Neill – 1 goal, 14 disposals, 3 tackles, 3 clearances

 

AFLW listed:

Fowler – The 19-year-old played her second game in Dees colours after being traded from GWS as a delisted free agent. 10 disposals, 3 tackles.

Next week:

vs. Williamstown (3-4)

Sunday 14th of May, 2:00PM

DSV Stadium

[poita 3,889]

Casey's VFLW side finished 3rd last year, this year we are languishing in 10th.

Is it just a matter of losing decent players to the expansion sides (eg the Wales sisters) and an improvement from other teams, or is there another issue?

Obviously we aren't seeing many AFLW listed players in action - are other teams putting out stronger lists?

[dice 692]

At least we have been kicking goals:

[Dees_In_October 3,350]

5 hours ago, poita said:

Casey's VFLW side finished 3rd last year, this year we are languishing in 10th.

Is it just a matter of losing decent players to the expansion sides (eg the Wales sisters) and an improvement from other teams, or is there another issue?

Obviously we aren't seeing many AFLW listed players in action - are other teams putting out stronger lists?

There's been a bit of list turnover and definitely some good players went to expansion sides, although I'd say a good enough core remains. I think a lot of teams have improved while we've stagnated a bit. Similar will likely happen at AFLW level next season - you really have to improve a fair amount each year to stay ahead of the pack. The gap between best and worst might widen, but it'll be tighter between the top 8 or so teams.

I'd say the number of AFLW players in our recent opponents has generally been comparable to us, maybe 1 or 2 more sometimes, but not huge differences. Unfortunately, we've played the weaker teams at the beginning when we were giving more AFLW players a run. Not sure that's been to anyone's benefit but that's how the fixture's fallen. Will be interesting to see how it's approached for the remainder with AFLW pre-season starting end of May.

[Dees_In_October 3,350]

Round 8 vs. Williamstown

Match report

Coming back into the team were Borchard, Horne and Dowler, while Sherriff played her first VFLW game since the 2021 elimination final. On debut up forward was Mornington youngster Sophie Butterworth. This game was a pleasure to watch with that famous scenic backdrop down at Williamstown.

FIRST QUARTER

On return Borchard was quickly into the action, gathering a loose ball and kicking truly to get Casey on the board three minutes in. The forwards then combined well to set up an easy shot at goal for Williams, who converted. Casey was getting the ball forward, and deep forward, with more ease than I’d seen for many weeks. Then Williamstown started to find more of the footy and got a goal out the back halfway through the term. A quick reply came via the debutant in Butterworth who made the most of a downfield free kick with a nice set shot. A defensive lapse led to a late chance for Williamstown, but only a minor score. Casey by 11 points.

SECOND QUARTER

While no score eventuated, the quarter began with some of the cleanest work by Casey out of the middle for a while. A follow-up tackle from Swain at the forward stoppage opened the door for Danckert to gather. Keohane rode the tackle well and then released to Burn, whose quick kick under pressure was on target. Williamstown then trapped the ball in their fifty for much of the quarter, with the wall up. Enjoyed Burn on the mark as a Seagulls player was given an absolute age to take a set shot, yelling an exasperated “Hurry up!”, which I like to think played a part in the shank that followed. The Demons needed some composure to avoid dump kicking to get it out with more success. The inside fifties piled up and eventually Williamstown made good with their second and third goals, cutting Casey’s lead to four points at halftime.

THIRD QUARTER

More clean centre bounce work to start off the quarter, with Swain tapping neatly into the path of Sherriff who hit up a leading O’Neill. A scrap ensued and Casey peppered the goals for a bit, before the Seagulls did the same, with neither team able to land a blow. The pressure went up a notch, with both teams sniffing victory and having a red hot crack. The stalemate was broken after Williams cut off a Williamstown kick-in and sent a booming kick forward. Keohane was taken out of the subsequent contest and goaled from almost directly in front for a 12-point lead. The Dees then went back-to-back via Rigoni, who showed some dash out of the middle before following up inside fifty and earning a holding free kick and goal. Swain was crucial in this quarter, on the way to 35 hit outs for the game, and plenty of those to good advantage. Casey by 17 points at the final change.

FOURTH QUARTER

Williamstown nabbed an early goal after controlling a loose ball and pressed hard in the opening stages. Casey held up well under pressure, but with 10 minutes to play, it felt closer than the 12-point margin. Casey needed to keep attacking, but unfortunately, it was the opposition who managed to break free, with another goal out the back. A timely off-the-ball free kick was a gift, but the Dees were unable to capitalise, and it felt a little early to call it a handy point, which proved correct, as the Seagulls soon scored a point of their own, and there was again a straight kick in it. Off a last-touch free kick on the wing, with the clock ticking down, Williamstown opted to switch to the far side and eventually brought the ball all the way back inside fifty…where Swain held a crucial mark. Repeat stoppages, a nice spoil by Sherriff and the Dees were able to scramble the ball to the safety, metre by metre. And then came the sweet relief of the siren!

Looks like it was nine players as first-time winners as Casey edged up to ninth on the ladder:

FINAL SCORE:

Williamstown Seagulls 5.6.36

Casey Demons 6.6.42

Casey goalkickers: Williams, Rigoni, Keohane, Butterworth, Burn, Borchard

VFLW standouts:

Hogg – 15 disposals, 3 marks, 3 tackles. Played a big role in defence and really led the way for her teammates. Easily the best mark in the team.

Kirkwood – 14 disposals, 5 marks, 6 tackles. Crucial intercept marking and really stood up in the second half.

O’Neill – 7 disposals, 2 marks. Was more impactful than the stats suggest, with strong hands and some good tackles.

Danckert – 19 disposals, 10 tackles, 5 clearances. Showed off all her skills in one passage where she smothered on the wing, gathered the spilled footy, broke a tackle and then executed a one-two with a teammate before finding a free teammate by foot in the centre corridor.

Borchard – 1 goal, 10 disposals, 3 marks. Was especially busy early.

Rigoni (for our vested interest given her family ties) – Wearing #34, yes that’s the inverse of Guy’s #43, she played on the wing, for 1 goal, 10 disposals and 5 tackles. Switched on, quick and clean with the footy, including a tap to herself and gather at one stage. Her goal was a confident set shot from thirty or so metres out directly in front.

AFLW listed:

Fowler – 9 disposals, 6 tackles, 4 clearances. I’d actually noticed her dash of halfback a couple of weeks back, without connecting number to name. You can see she wants to break the lines and use her speed.

Sherriff – 14 disposals, 5 tackles, 4 clearances. Still with some strapping on that arm she broke two AFLW Grand Finals ago. A little rusty at first but worked into it, running through the midfield and up forward, even a few cameos in the ruck.

Next week:

vs. North Melbourne (8th)

Saturday 20th of May, 11:00AM

Casey Fields

[Dees_In_October 3,350]

Round 9 vs. North Melbourne

MATCH REPORT

Casey lost Hogg to illness, while AFLW-listed Fowler and Sherriff were rested. Among the ins were former Magpie Proy, Neal, O’Connor and Woolcock.

I tuned in just before halftime to see Casey stuck in a vortex of repeat stoppages in their defensive fifty. With the clock ticking down, the Demons were gritty. Just when I was celebrating their ability to prevent a score, a quick kick finally saw the ball exit the intense congestion, and Sheerin was waiting, switched on and ready to take the mark. A handy fifty-metre penalty saw her able to bolt up the field and send a spiral forward, which was collected by O’Neill who kicked truly from a distance. By playing right to the end, Casey was able to snag an important one in what had been a low-scoring affair to that stage. Casey by seven points at halftime, with both of the Demons’ goals coming via O’Neill.

Casey was able to move the ball cleanly from the backline in the third, for goals to Fairchild and Danckert. We’ve definitely looked better in this regard in recent weeks and the forward connection is much stronger. Credit to the backline, who stood up when the ball was trapped in there for long periods. Special mention to Horne who despite being injured, went back into the fray before hobbling off. I guess we’ll never know what the goal for the Roos on the three-quarter-time siren looked like, as the cameraperson decided to focus on the scoreboard instead. That scoreboard showed the margin remained at seven points with two goals apiece for the quarter.

Casey enjoyed some dominance out of the middle to start the last quarter and a third goal to O’Neill all but sealed the deal. From there, it was a bit of a scrap, with North kept to a solitary behind and the Demons, despite some good efforts, unable to make the most of some promising forays forward. Still, they kept the ball down there and got the win. That’s two wins on the trot and we climb to 8th on the ladder, in touch with the all-important top six.

FINAL SCORE:
Casey Demons 5.4.34

North Melbourne Kangaroos 3.3.21

Casey goalkickers: 3 O’Neill, Danckert, Fairchild

 

VFLW standouts:

O’Neill – 3 goals, 15 disposals, 6 marks. Such a crafty player when they can the ball in her hands. Just knows where the goals are and is super competitive at every contest.

Swain – 62 hit outs (not a typo!), 4 clearances. Definitely making strides and adding to her game as the season goes on. She pretty much will always have size advantage, so loved seeing her taking it out of the ruck more, including for a goal (that was unfortunately disallowed). If she starts clunking those marks, watch out.

Woolcock – 18 disposals, 3 marks. Was important in the defensive structure and had a big say in Casey’s ability to hold strong in that regard.

Kirkwood – 13 disposals, 4 marks. Solid positioning and really led the way.

Neal – 13 disposals, 12 tackles. Clean with the footy, intense without it.

 

AFLW listed:

N/A

 

Next week

vs. Southern Saints (2^nd)

Saturday 27^th of May, 12:00PM

RSEA Park

[Dees_In_October 3,350]

Round 10 vs. Southern Saints

MATCH REPORT

The ins for this game included Mel Hogg, Caitlin Conroy, Steph Rummel, Ella Dempster and India Makai, while Emma Horne went out with an ankle injury. Last time these teams met back in Round 5, the Saints were the easy victors, with a comprehensive 42-point win at Casey Fields.

I watched the first quarter of this game before heading off to the ‘G. The Demons were under the pump from the start, struggling to get the ball beyond the halfway line. The Southern Saints were in full control, and yet, our players’ commitment in defence was unwavering under an absolute onslaught of inside fifties—but was that sustainable? The Saints had missed a few they should have taken, after all. Our players looked pretty exhausted after a quarter of frenetic defending…

Checking the scores en route, at halftime the Saints were 4.5 to Casey’s 0.2. I was afraid that when I tuned back in for the final score that, under sheer weight of numbers, a real shellacking would have occurred. Though, I was confident that pride and determination would prevent a goalless game from these players.

The final score, while still a defeat, made for better than expected reading. I was impressed to see that the defence had remained strong, holding the Saints to a mere two points after halftime, plus our Dees had broken through for three goals in the last. That shows some fight, and the ability to play the game to the end no matter what, especially against more fancied opposition. Speaking of which, up next are ladder-leaders Geelong. Then to round out the season, Casey—now sitting in 9^th, two games out of the six—plays Essendon (4^th), Box Hill (3^rd) and Port Melbourne (5^th). We’re going to need every bit of that fight to make the cut!

FINAL SCORE:

Southern Saints 4.7.31

Casey Demons  3.5.23

Casey goalkickers: 2 Burke, O’Neill

VFLW standouts:

Woolcock – 21 disposals, 4 marks, 5 tackles

Fairchild – 17 disposals, 7 tackles, 3 clearances

Conroy – 8 disposals, 4 tackles – liked her defensive efforts in the part I saw

Burke – 2 goals, 10 disposals, 3 tackles

AFLW listed:

N/A

Next week

vs. Geelong (1^st)

Saturday 3^rd of June, 12:00PM

Deakin University Geelong