OBSERVING by KC from Casey

The Casey Demons rebounded from a sluggish start to manufacture a decisive win against Sandringham in the final showdown, culminating a quarter century of intense rivalry between the fluctuating alignments of teams affiliated with AFL clubs Melbourne and St Kilda, as the Saints and the Zebras prepare to forge independent paths in 2026.

After conceding three of the first four goals of the match, the Demons went on a goal kicking rampage instigated by the winning ruck combination of Tom Campbell with 26 hitouts, 26 disposals and 13 clearances and his apprentice Will Verrall who contributed 20 hitouts. This gave first use of the ball to the likes of Jack Billings, Bayley Laurie, Riley Bonner and Koltyn Tholstrup who was impressive early. By the first break they had added seven goals and took a strong grip on the game.

The Demons were well served up forward early by Mitch Hardie and, as the game progressed, Harry Sharp proved a menace with a five goal performance. Emerging young forwards Matthew Jefferson and Luker Kentfield kicked two each but the former let himself down with some poor kicking for goal.

Young draft talent Will Duursma showed the depth of his talent and looks well out of reach for Melbourne this year. Kalani White was used sparingly and had a brief but uneventful stint in the ruck.

With three rounds remaining, Casey occupies ninth position with two challenging matches forthcoming, subsequent to next week’s bye. Their fate is not entirely within their control, following a dominant display culminating in a substantial victory, this time by a margin of 63 points. The Demons will welcome the bye, whilst also closely monitoring the outcomes of some of the games scheduled for the weekend.

Although they are not yet guaranteed a finals spot, and may regret a few narrow defeats at the hands of lower-ranked teams a few weeks ago, they remain well-placed to secure a wildcard game next month. But for now, it’s a matter of observing how the other contenders perform next week.

CASEY DEMONS 8.1.49 11.7.73 14.10.94 18.15.123

SANDRINGHAM 3.2.20 3.3.21 5.5.35 9.6.60

GOALS

CASEY DEMONS Sharp 5 Hardie 3 Billings Jefferson Kentfield 2 Johnson Laurie Tholstrup Verrall

SANDRINGHAM Maginness Voss 2 Campigli Dodson Henry Orchard Richardson

BEST

CASEY DEMONS Billings Campbell Bonner Hardie Sharp Laurie

SANDRINGHAM Travaglia Dow Heath McKenzie Maginness Johnson