Jump to content

Featured Replies

Posted

After conceding the first six goals, some of them through careless play against a howling wind at their home fortress, the Casey Demons seemed to have atoned for their sins by clawing back an early 38-point deficit and taking the lead at the 24-minute mark of the final term. Had the stakes not been so high, they might have been forgiven for thinking they had the game in the bag, but they missed the point. 

 

And the point is that game is never over until it’s over. The fighting Seagulls dug deep to score a point and the winning goal against all odds to win by the narrowest of margins to deprive the reigning premiers of the opportunity of fighting for a top four placing before the finals. 

 

Casey still sits in fifth spot but with a bye coming up, will have a fight on its hands to maintain a strategic place on the ladder under the VFL’s new final ten system.

 

For the visitors it was a good toss to win, and they made the most of the advantage with their early accuracy while they had the wind advantage. 

 

For Casey, the improving Andy Moniz-Wakefield was the early hero. He slotted the team’s only goal for the opening term and kicked two more in the second when it was the Demons’ turn with the wind. The club’s Category B rookie finished with seventeen touches and played a big role in reducing the deficit at half time to just five points. 

 

Meanwhile, the blustery conditions were troublesome for Casey’s tall forwards. None of Brodie Grundy, Ben Brown and Josh Schache managed to kick goals for the game although in the latter’s case it was not for want of trying as he took some strong marks up forward. Grundy went back to what he’s best at by going into the ruck and amassing thirty-one hit outs, ten disposals and six tackles. Rookie ruckman Will Verrall also finished with 31 hit outs and laid nine tackles in a promising performance.

 

The Demons pressed hard against the wind in the third quarter and did well to hold the Seagulls to three goals while managing two themselves, one to father/son prospect Kynan Brown, the other to young forward Matt Jefferson. They were primed to win at the final break but allowed two goals through to Williamstown during the term with the result a heartbreaking one-point defeat.

 

Luke Dunstan was prolific again with 35 possessions and nine clearances, Michael Hibberd was close behind with 32 touches and Bailey Laurie made the most of his 20 possessions and laid ten tackles and scored a goal.

 

Casey was again well served by Jimmy Munro who did the hard yards with his fearsome tackling (a game high 16) to go with his 26 possessions and a goal while Mitch White and George Grey worked hard in the difficult conditions. 

 

With the bye coming up, Casey can only sit back next week, view the action while others make their move ahead of the finals. They will surely rue those last-minute lapses that saw the almost certain demise of their back-to-back premiership aspirations, missing out by a single point. 

 

CASEY DEMONS 1.1.7 5.5.35 7.5.47 11.8.74

 

WILLIAMSTOWN 6.4.40 6.4.40 9.8.62 11.9.75

 

GOAL

 

CASEY DEMONS Moniz-Wakefield 3 K Brown Dunstan Grey Jefferson Laurie Munro Spargo White

 

WILLIAMSTOWN Ottavi 3 Downie Ebinger Pickes 2 Conway Ellison

 

BEST

 

CASEY DEMONS Munro Dunstan Hibberd Laurie Moniz-Wakefield Grey

 

WILLIAMSTOWN Downie Grieser Ebinger Ottavi Pickes Triffet

 

Statistics 

Jed Adams 9 kicks 1 handballs 10 disposals 2 marks 6 tackles 59 dream team points
Ben Brown 2 behinds 2 kicks 1 handballs 3 disposals 1 mark 10 dream team points
Kynan Brown 1 goal 4 kicks 1 handballs 5 disposals 1 mark 4 tackles 39 dream team points
Matt Buntine 8 kicks 4 handballs 12 disposals 2 marks 5 tackles 60 dream team points
Luke Dunstan 1 goal 1 behind 15 kicks 20 handballs 35 disposals 5 marks 3 tackles 114 dream team points
Tyler Edwards 8 kicks 3 handballs 11 disposals 3 marks 2 tackles 47 dream team points
Tom Freeman 2 kicks 4 handballs 6 disposals marks tackles dream team points
George Grey 1 goal 12 kicks 6 handballs 18 disposals 2 marks 7 tackles 86 dream team points
Brodie Grundy 5 kicks 5 handballs 10 disposals 2 marks 6 tackles 31 hit outs 84 dream team points
Michael Hibberd 18 kicks 15 handballs 33 disposals 5 marks 4 tackles 113 dream team points
Matt Jefferson 1 goal 3 kicks 2 handballs 5 disposals 2 marks 1 tackle 29 dream team points
Bailey Laurie 1 goal 11 kicks 9 handballs 20 disposals 1 mark 10 tackles 97 dream team points
Andy Moniz-Wakefield 3 goals 11 kicks 6 handballs 17 disposals 3 marks 5 tackles 93 dream team points 
Ned Moodie 2 kicks 2 handballs 4 disposals 7 dream team points
James Munro 1 goal 15 kicks 11 handballs 26 disposals 1 mark 16 tackles 143 dream team points
Josh Schache 2 behinds 10 kicks 6 handballs disposals 8 marks 3 tackles 1 hit out 76 dream team points 
Oliver Sestan 3 kicks 1 handballs 4 disposals 2 tackles 21 dream team points (injured)
Deaykin Smith 7 kicks 6 handballs 13 disposals 2 marks 6 tackles 63 dream team points
Charlie Spargo 1 goal 3 kicks 6 handballs 9 disposals 1 mark 2 tackles 33 dream team points
Roan Steele 6 kicks 12 handballs 18 disposals 2 marks 3 tackles 55 dream team points
Ryan Valentine 5 kicks 6 handballs 11 disposals 3 marks 1 tackle 41 dream team points 
Will Verrall 2 kicks 5 handballs 7 disposals 9  tackles 31 hit outs 80 dream team points
Mitch White 1 goal 16 kicks 6 handballs 22 disposals 1 mark 4 tackles 83 dream team points

CaseyRd192023.png

 

Featured Content

  • FEATURE: 1925

    A hundred years ago today, on 2 May 1925, Melbourne kicked off the new season with a 47 point victory over St Kilda to take top place on the VFL ladder after the opening round of the new season.  Top place was a relatively unknown position for the team then known as the “Fuchsias.” They had finished last in 1923 and rose by only one place in the following year although the final home and away round heralded a promise of things to come when they surprised the eventual premiers Essendon. That victory set the stage for more improvement and it came rapidly. In this series, I will tell the story of how the 1925 season unfolded for the Melbourne Football Club and how it made the VFL finals for the first time in a decade on the way to the ultimate triumph a year later.

    • 0 replies
    Demonland
  • PREVIEW: West Coast

    Saturday’s election night game in Perth between the West Coast Eagles and Melbourne represents 18th vs 15th which makes it a tough decision as to which party to favour. The Eagles have yet to break the ice under their new coach in Andrew McQualter who is the second understudy in a row to confront Demon Coach Simon Goodwin who was also winless until a fortnight ago. On that basis, many punters might be considering to go with the donkey vote but I’ve been assigned with the task of helping readers to come to a considered opinion on this matter of vital importance across the nation. It was almost a year ago that I wrote a preview here of the Demons’ away game against the Eagles (under the name William from Waalitj because it was Indigenous Round).  I issued a warning that it was a danger game, based on my local knowledge that the home team were no longer easybeats and that they possessed a wunderkind generational player in Harley Reid who was capable of producing stellar performances playing among men a decade and more older than he.  At the time, the Eagles already had two wins off the back of a couple of the young man’s masterclasses and they had recently given the Bombers a scare straight after their Anzac Day blockbuster draw against the then reigning premiers.

    • 1 reply
    Demonland
  • NON-MFC: Round 08

    Round 08 of the 2025 AFL Season kicks off on Thursday with a must-win game for the Bombers to stay in touch with the top eight, while the struggling Roos seek a morale-boosting upset. Friday sees the Saints desperate for a win as well if they are to stay in finals contention and their opponents the Dockers will be eager to crack in to the Top 8 with a win on the road. Saturday kicks off with a pivotal clash for both sides asthe Bulldogs look to solidify their top-eight spot, while Port seeks to shake their pretender tag. Then the Crows will be looking to steady their topsy turvy season against a resurgent Blues looking to make it 4 wins on the trot. On Election Night a Blockbuster will see the ladder-leading Pies take on the Cats, who are keen to bounce back after a narrow loss. On Sunday the Sydney Derby promises fireworks as the Giants aim to cement their top-eight status, while the Swans fight to keep their season alive. The Hawks, celebrating their centenary, will be looking to easily account for the Tigers who are desperate to halt their slide. The Round concludes on Sunday Night with a top end of the table QClash with significant ladder implications; both Queensland teams are in scintillating form. Who are you tipping this week and what are the best results for the Demons?

      • Like
    • 148 replies
    Demonland
  • PREGAME: West Coast

    The Demons hit the road in Round 8, heading to Perth to face the West Coast Eagles at Optus Stadium. With momentum building, the Dees will be aiming for a third straight victory to keep their season revival on course. Who comes in and who goes out?

      • Like
    • 563 replies
    Demonland
  • REPORT: Richmond

    The fans who turned up to the MCG for Melbourne’s Anzac Day Eve clash against Richmond would have been disappointed if they turned up to see a great spectacle. As much as this was a night for the 71,635 in attendance to commemorate heroes of the nation’s past wars, it was also a time for the Melbourne Football Club to consolidate upon its first win after a horrific start to the 2025 season. On this basis, despite the fact that it was an uninspiring and dour struggle for most of its 100 minutes, the night will be one for the fans to remember. They certainly got value out of the pre match activity honouring those who fought for their country. The MCG and the lights of the city as backdrop was made for nights such as these and, in my view, we received a more inspirational ceremony of Anzac culture than others both here and elsewhere around the country. 

    • 0 replies
    Demonland
  • CASEY: Richmond

    The match up of teams competing in our great Aussie game at its second highest level is a rarity for a work day Thursday morning but the blustery conditions that met the players at a windswept Casey Fields was something far more commonplace.They turned the opening stanza between the Casey Demons and a somewhat depleted Richmond VFL into a mess of fumbling unforced errors, spilt marks and wasted opportunities for both sides but they did set up a significant win for the home team which is exactly what transpired on this Anzac Day round opener. Casey opened up strong against the breeze with the first goal to Aidan Johnson, the Tigers quickly responded and the game degenerated into a defensive slog and the teams were level when the first siren sounded.

    • 0 replies
    Demonland