Demonland

The Casey Scorpions have finished the 2013 VFL home and away season in fourth spot after losing out by two points in a nail biting thriller to Box Hill at City Oval. Victory in the match would have clinched second spot on the ladder and a home qualifying final but instead, the loss means the Scorpions will meet runaway ladder leaders Geelong at Simonds Stadium on Friday night under lights. The Scorpions suffered a major blow when their AFL affiliate Melbourne lost four players from last week's team through injury to add to the loss of leading goalkicker Jesse Hogan (knee) and key defender Joel Macdonald (retirement) leaving them with their lowest number of AFL listed players for the season. Despite that, Casey's effort in taking the game to the wire and going down by less than a kick after some near misses in front of goal late in the match was outstanding. Casey opened the game full of confidence and made the early running but were pegged back by the Hawks who grabbed the lead late in the opening term. The Scorpions were then dominated for a quarter and a half to face a 26-point deficit at one stage in the third term. Led from the front by inspirational skipper Evan Panozza, the Scorpions rallied and cut the deficit to seven points at three quarter time and momentarily took the lead soon after. Box Hill's two goals in response ultimately proved too much for the visitors who peppered the goals for most of the remainder of the game for only one major from Tom Gillies. With less than two minutes to go Dom Barry had the chance for glory but his shot on an angle from ten metres out missed. The Scorps continued to threaten but were thwarted by a desperate defence and the siren ended their home final aspirations. Max Gawn was solid in the ruck after an early injury scare and Neville Jetta was again among the team's best players. James Magner was held to 23 touches while Will Petropoulos and Jake Best persisted all day and nearly got their side over the line. Simonds Stadium should hold no fears for Casey as they won there earlier in the year but on that occasion Hogan and Jack Fitzpatrick each booted five goals. Against Box Hill yesterday, they simply lacked that firepower. They also had Tom Couch and David Rodan racking up possessions in the middle and neither is likely to be available next week. Panozza will sweat out the next few days after being reported on a rough conduct charge. Still, the Scorpions are known for their great fighting spirit when they have their backs to the wall and a finals win is surely not far away. HOW THE DEMONS FARED Dominic Barry 14 kicks 7 handballs 21 disposals 4 marks 3 tackles 1 behind Troy Davis 8 kicks 6 handballs 14 disposals 7 marks Max Gawn 7 kicks 12 handballs 19 disposals 10 marks 2 tackles 29 hitouts Tom Gillies 7 kicks 3 handballs 10 disposals 6 marks 2 tackles 3 goals 1 behind Mark Jamar 7 kicks 6 handballs 13 disposals 7 marks 2 tackles 25 hitouts 1 goal 2 behinds Neville Jetta 14 kicks 7 handballs 21 disposals 4 marks 4 tackles James Magner 10 kicks 13 handballs 23 disposals 2 marks 7 tackles 1 goal 1 behind James Sellar 14 kicks 6 handballs 20 disposals 8 marks 1 tackle 1 hitout Rory Taggert 8 kicks 5 handballs 13 disposals 5 marks 3 tackles 1 behind Josh Tynan 9 kicks 4 handballs 13 disposals 2 marks 4 tackles Casey Scorpions 3.2.20 4.4.28 7.9.51 9.16.70 Box Hill Hawks 3.5.23 5.7.37 8.11.59 10.12.72 Goals Casey Scorpions Gillies 3 Page 2 Best Jamar Magner Nicholls Box Hill Hawks Retzlaff 4 Grimley Spangher 2 Lowden O'Donnell Best Casey Scorpions Gawn Jetta Sellar Petropoulos Gillies Best Box Hill Hawks Spangher Simpkin, Ellis Cheney Retzlaff Kelly Stats: Magner Plummer 23 Panozza 22 Jetta 21 disposals The Development League team steamrolled Box Hill after leading at every break. Ben Hughes with 6 goals staked a claim for a senior finals berth next week. Patrick Rosier was also impressive with 5 goals. Casey Scorpions 5.2.32 12.4.76 17.6.108 22.8.140 Box Hill Hawks 0.1.1 2.2.14 6.5.41 8.7.55 Goals Casey Scorpions Hughes 6 Rosier 5 Lang 3 Anderson 2 Boland Corry Clay Meadows Neville Pollard Box Hill Hawks Miles 2 Crocker Eade Frank Goodwin Stewart Wilsen Best Casey Scorpions P Rosier Troutman Hill Roberts Hughes Drew Box Hill Hawks Cunningham Miles Thompson Collins Goodwin Weekes

SO CLOSE by KC from Casey The Casey Scorpions have finished the 2013 VFL home and away season in fourth spot after losing out by two points in a nail biting thriller to Box Hill at City Oval. Victory in the match would have clinched second spot on the ladder and a home qualifying final but instead, the loss means the Scorpions will meet runaway ladder leaders Geelong at Simonds Stadium on Friday night under lights. The Scorpions suffered a major blow when their AFL affiliate Melbourne lost four players from last week's team through injury to add to the loss of leading goalkicker Jesse Hogan (knee) and key defender Joel Macdonald (retirement) leaving them with their lowest number of AFL listed players for the season. Despite that, Casey's effort in taking the game to the wire and going down by less than a kick after some near misses in front of goal late in the match was outstanding. Casey opened the game full of confidence and made the early running but were pegged back by the Hawks who grabbed the lead late in the opening term. The Scorpions were then dominated for a quarter and a half to face a 26-point deficit at one stage in the third term. Led from the front by inspirational skipper Evan Panozza, the Scorpions rallied and cut the deficit to seven points at three quarter time and momentarily took the lead soon after. Box Hill's two goals in response ultimately proved too much for the visitors who peppered the goals for most of the remainder of the game for only one major from Tom Gillies. With less than two minutes to go Dom Barry had the chance for glory but his shot on an angle from ten metres out missed. The Scorps continued to threaten but were thwarted by a desperate defence and the siren ended their home final aspirations. Max Gawn was solid in the ruck after an early injury scare and Neville Jetta was again among the team's best players. James Magner was held to 23 touches while Will Petropoulos and Jake Best persisted all day and nearly got their side over the line. Simonds Stadium should hold no fears for Casey as they won there earlier in the year but on that occasion Hogan and Jack Fitzpatrick each booted five goals. Against Box Hill yesterday, they simply lacked that firepower. They also had Tom Couch and David Rodan racking up possessions in the middle and neither is likely to be available next week. Panozza will sweat out the next few days after being reported on a rough conduct charge. Still, the Scorpions are known for their great fighting spirit when they have their backs to the wall and a finals win is surely not far away. HOW THE DEMONS FARED Dominic Barry 14 kicks 7 handballs 21 disposals 4 marks 3 tackles 1 behind Troy Davis 8 kicks 6 handballs 14 disposals 7 marks Max Gawn 7 kicks 12 handballs 19 disposals 10 marks 2 tackles 29 hitouts Tom Gillies 7 kicks 3 handballs 10 disposals 6 marks 2 tackles 3 goals 1 behind Mark Jamar 7 kicks 6 handballs 13 disposals 7 marks 2 tackles 25 hitouts 1 goal 2 behinds Neville Jetta 14 kicks 7 handballs 21 disposals 4 marks 4 tackles James Magner 10 kicks 13 handballs 23 disposals 2 marks 7 tackles 1 goal 1 behind James Sellar 14 kicks 6 handballs 20 disposals 8 marks 1 tackle 1 hitout Rory Taggert 8 kicks 5 handballs 13 disposals 5 marks 3 tackles 1 behind Josh Tynan 9 kicks 4 handballs 13 disposals 2 marks 4 tackles Casey Scorpions 3.2.20 4.4.28 7.9.51 9.16.70 Box Hill Hawks 3.5.23 5.7.37 8.11.59 10.12.72 Goals Casey Scorpions Gillies 3 Page 2 Best Jamar Magner Nicholls Box Hill Hawks Retzlaff 4 Grimley Spangher 2 Lowden O'Donnell Best Casey Scorpions Gawn Jetta Sellar Petropoulos Gillies Best Box Hill Hawks Spangher Simpkin, Ellis Cheney Retzlaff Kelly Stats: Magner Plummer 23 Panozza 22 Jetta 21 disposals The Development League team steamrolled Box Hill after leading at every break. Ben Hughes with 6 goals staked a claim for a senior finals berth next week. Patrick Rosier was also impressive with 5 goals. Casey Scorpions 5.2.32 12.4.76 17.6.108 22.8.140 Box Hill Hawks 0.1.1 2.2.14 6.5.41 8.7.55 Goals Casey Scorpions Hughes 6 Rosier 5 Lang 3 Anderson 2 Boland Corry Clay Meadows Neville Pollard Box Hill Hawks Miles 2 Crocker Eade Frank Goodwin Stewart Wilsen Best Casey Scorpions P Rosier Troutman Hill Roberts Hughes Drew Box Hill Hawks Cunningham Miles Thompson Collins Goodwin Weekes

With only one round left, the top three places are virtually locked in. PROGRESS VOTING ROUND 22 198. Nathan Jones 127. Colin Garland 111. Matt Jones 94. Jack Viney 86. Colin Sylvia 78. Dean Terlich 75. James Frawley 57. Jeremy Howe 50. Jack Watts 33. Lynden Dunn 32. Jack Trengove 29. Jimmy Toumpas 28. Tom McDonald 27. Max Gawn 26. Shannon Byrnes Jack Grimes 25. Mitch Clisby Aaron Davey 23. Michael Evans Jack Fitzpatrick Jordie McKenzie 21. Chris Dawes 16. Cam Pedersen Jake Spencer 12. Dean Kent James Magner Luke Tapscott 8. Mitch Clark 7. David Rodan 3. Mark Jamar 2. Rohan Bail 1. Sam Blease

They say that eating crow is the same as eating your own word ... well the Demon supporters did nothing of the sort, because the team delivered exactly what the supporters predicted against Adelaide ... another 10+ loss! The advertisement on Fox for mantherapy to cure depression, during the game will probably result in half our membership ( the blokes at least) signing up and ensuring Dr Brian Ironwoods kids are kept in good private schools if you missed it, here it is: http://www.mantherapy.org.au/ The small glimmer of hope, being a seven point lead, at the end of the first quarter was snuffed out all in a 4 minute stretch in the second. Adelaide piled on 4 goals in that period, then backed it up with a couple of others to kick 6 straight for the quarter. Game over, even though Melbourne pulled two back before the half-time siren. Speaking of sirens, the last game at AAMI park or Football Park or Westlakes or whatever they choose to call the place, has finally seen the last of that appalling siren. Surely it was dug out of a train wreck of some 1950s locomotive, which really when you think about it just about sums up the city of Adelaide ... Enough, the rubbish continued for Melbourne in the second half. The half- hearted efforts displayed by multiple Melbourne players was finally exploited by the Crows and an 11 goal break was opened up, which lasted until the end of the game. There is little hope for the supporters to hang their hats on for 2014 if we have to watch Jack Watts spectating on the game around himself again. If he goes elsewhere next year it wont be any loss as he simply refuses to go and get his own ball. His two goals (that some will trumpet today) were the result of others' hard work, while his high fiving simply makes the supporters guts churn. Do something seriously good before you chase accolades!!! Jimmy Toumpas returned to the seniors and showed plenty of promise. His skills with the boot are something to look forward to, but too often he had no-one upfield willing to do the hard running to provide a target. Jake Spencer rucked strongly and played well around the ground, with excellent second efforts. Pity he reverted to the Jamar ruck style this game and kept on trying to jump into Jacobs. When you are 204 cm, just go for the ball please. The early loss of David Rodan curtailed a good portion of our run, and even though he was replaced by Aaron Davey, we actually needed both of them out there. Why James Magner cannot get a run after being elevated to the senior list, when we are crying out for mids who can get the ball is beyond me. Dont care if he cant kick, we have plenty of players who can, but cant get the ball. Or dont want to get the ball in some cases. We all cant wait for the season to end. The AFL have done us another huge favour by scheduling our last game at Etihad at 4.40pm on a Sunday. This could set a new record for low attendances, and they really only have themselves to blame. Still the Suns v GWS game on the same day could just pip us and the Dogs for the all time low ... and we still wont be eating crow! Melbourne 2.3.15 4.5.29 5.9.39 7.10.52 Adelaide 1.2.8 7.4.46 11.8.74 18.12.120 Goals Melbourne Howe Sylvia Watts 2 Tapscott Adelaide Johnston 6 Callinan Douglas 2 Dangerfield Grigg Jacobs Kerridge Otten Talia Thompson van Berlo Best Melbourne Jones Toumpas Garland Terlich Trengove Spencer Adelaide Thompson Crouch Johnston Jacobs Douglas Sloane Dangerfield Injuries Melbourne Jeremy Howe (cut face) David Rodan (ankle) Adelaide Sam Kerridge (back) Daniel Talia (back) Changes Melbourne Nil Adelaide Tom Lynch (foot) replaced by Richard Tambling Reports Melbourne Nil Adelaide Nil Umpires Fleer Hay Armstrong Official Attendance 34,653 at AAMI Stadium

EATING CROW by George on the Outer They say that eating crow is the same as eating your own word ... well the Demon supporters did nothing of the sort, because the team delivered exactly what the supporters predicted against Adelaide ... another 10+ loss! The advertisement on Fox for mantherapy to cure depression, during the game will probably result in half our membership ( the blokes at least) signing up and ensuring Dr Brian Ironwoods kids are kept in good private schools if you missed it, here it is: http://www.mantherapy.org.au/ The small glimmer of hope, being a seven point lead, at the end of the first quarter was snuffed out all in a 4 minute stretch in the second. Adelaide piled on 4 goals in that period, then backed it up with a couple of others to kick 6 straight for the quarter. Game over, even though Melbourne pulled two back before the half-time siren. Speaking of sirens, the last game at AAMI park or Football Park or Westlakes or whatever they choose to call the place, has finally seen the last of that appalling siren. Surely it was dug out of a train wreck of some 1950s locomotive, which really when you think about it just about sums up the city of Adelaide ... Enough, the rubbish continued for Melbourne in the second half. The half- hearted efforts displayed by multiple Melbourne players was finally exploited by the Crows and an 11 goal break was opened up, which lasted until the end of the game. There is little hope for the supporters to hang their hats on for 2014 if we have to watch Jack Watts spectating on the game around himself again. If he goes elsewhere next year it wont be any loss as he simply refuses to go and get his own ball. His two goals (that some will trumpet today) were the result of others' hard work, while his high fiving simply makes the supporters guts churn. Do something seriously good before you chase accolades!!! Jimmy Toumpas returned to the seniors and showed plenty of promise. His skills with the boot are something to look forward to, but too often he had no-one upfield willing to do the hard running to provide a target. Jake Spencer rucked strongly and played well around the ground, with excellent second efforts. Pity he reverted to the Jamar ruck style this game and kept on trying to jump into Jacobs. When you are 204 cm, just go for the ball please. The early loss of David Rodan curtailed a good portion of our run, and even though he was replaced by Aaron Davey, we actually needed both of them out there. Why James Magner cannot get a run after being elevated to the senior list, when we are crying out for mids who can get the ball is beyond me. Dont care if he cant kick, we have plenty of players who can, but cant get the ball. Or dont want to get the ball in some cases. We all cant wait for the season to end. The AFL have done us another huge favour by scheduling our last game at Etihad at 4.40pm on a Sunday. This could set a new record for low attendances, and they really only have themselves to blame. Still the Suns v GWS game on the same day could just pip us and the Dogs for the all time low ... and we still wont be eating crow! Melbourne 2.3.15 4.5.29 5.9.39 7.10.52 Adelaide 1.2.8 7.4.46 11.8.74 18.12.120 Goals Melbourne Howe Sylvia Watts 2 Tapscott Adelaide Johnston 6 Callinan Douglas 2 Dangerfield Grigg Jacobs Kerridge Otten Talia Thompson van Berlo Best Melbourne Jones Toumpas Garland Terlich Trengove Spencer Adelaide Thompson Crouch Johnston Jacobs Douglas Sloane Dangerfield Injuries Melbourne Jeremy Howe (cut face) David Rodan (ankle) Adelaide Sam Kerridge (back) Daniel Talia (back) Changes Melbourne Nil Adelaide Tom Lynch (foot) replaced by Richard Tambling Reports Melbourne Nil Adelaide Nil Umpires Fleer Hay Armstrong Official Attendance 34,653 at AAMI Stadium

Please cast your votes ... 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 ...

Some beauties in here. http://www.afl.com.au/video/2013-08-15/jeremy-howes-top-10-marks

For the life of me, I don't understand how Adelaide could have possibly firmed to such hot favouritism for Saturday's game. The Crows struggled last week against the 15th placed Western Bulldogs when, not only their credibility, but also an outside chance of falling into the top eight and finals football was on the line. And yet they were overrun by the Dogs to the tune of seven final-term goals to three and with that went their chances of a top eight berth. It's been much that way for the Crows for most of the season; patchy, inconsistent and a little flakey. Who could blame them for their demise after suffering from AFL sanctions and the loss of key forward talent like Kurt Tippett and Taylor Walker? The AFL has been somewhat remiss in failing to see the promotional opportunities presented by this match up at a time when its poised to come down hard with sanctions on Essendon over the supplements scandal. These teams should be playing off for the 2013 NAB Transgressors Trophy with the Crows being done for salary cap breaches in the past twelve months and the Dees for cracking poor jokes in public. Dean Bailey would be the perfect choice as presenter. The emotion factor will certainly be operational in terms of the fact that the Crows play their last game at the ground before relocating along with Port Adelaide to new digs at the Adelaide Oval as from next year. But history says that Melbourne has a chance. Although, the team has produced only minimal improvement since the dark days of early 2013, it does have a good record when it comes to closing down opposition football grounds. The last time that happened was on 21 May, 2005 when Melbourne beat Carlton by 18 points in the final AFL game at Princes Park (aka Optus Oval, MC Labour Park and more lately Pricefixer Park or something to that effect). So, with a good recent record at farewelling the fields of others' dreams, the Demons are poised to cause an upset. Melbourne's team for the game has a much better look and feel to it than the one that was first strangled and then demolished by Fremantle last Sunday.James Frawley and Chris Dawes come in to bolster a key defence and key forward position respectively, Cam Pedersen was his team's best player in the game before he was injured and David Rodan and Jimmy Toumpas will add run to the team, the latter's confidence also bolstered with a couple of classy displays at Casey. The players should also be keen to give Aaron Davey a fitting farewell after a decade of fabulous service to the club. This is not the same Adelaide that swept all before it last year under first year coach Brenton Sanderson. Neil Craig has a treasure trove of knowledge about this team to offset the home team's advantages in skill and experience and with Sando showing signs of cracking up last week I was almost tempted to go for a Melbourne win. It was at about this time that the reality bus drove right past me with hundreds of black crows hovering menacingly above. Adelaide by 45 points.

THE BIRDS by JVM For the life of me, I don't understand how Adelaide could have possibly firmed to such hot favouritism for Saturday's game. The Crows struggled last week against the 15th placed Western Bulldogs when, not only their credibility, but also an outside chance of falling into the top eight and finals football was on the line. And yet they were overrun by the Dogs to the tune of seven final-term goals to three and with that went their chances of a top eight berth. It's been much that way for the Crows for most of the season; patchy, inconsistent and a little flakey. Who could blame them for their demise after suffering from AFL sanctions and the loss of key forward talent like Kurt Tippett and Taylor Walker? The AFL has been somewhat remiss in failing to see the promotional opportunities presented by this match up at a time when its poised to come down hard with sanctions on Essendon over the supplements scandal. These teams should be playing off for the 2013 NAB Transgressors Trophy with the Crows being done for salary cap breaches in the past twelve months and the Dees for cracking poor jokes in public. Dean Bailey would be the perfect choice as presenter. The emotion factor will certainly be operational in terms of the fact that the Crows play their last game at the ground before relocating along with Port Adelaide to new digs at the Adelaide Oval as from next year. But history says that Melbourne has a chance. Although, the team has produced only minimal improvement since the dark days of early 2013, it does have a good record when it comes to closing down opposition football grounds. The last time that happened was on 21 May, 2005 when Melbourne beat Carlton by 18 points in the final AFL game at Princes Park (aka Optus Oval, MC Labour Park and more lately Pricefixer Park or something to that effect). So, with a good recent record at farewelling the fields of others' dreams, the Demons are poised to cause an upset. Melbourne's team for the game has a much better look and feel to it than the one that was first strangled and then demolished by Fremantle last Sunday.James Frawley and Chris Dawes come in to bolster a key defence and key forward position respectively, Cam Pedersen was his team's best player in the game before he was injured and David Rodan and Jimmy Toumpas will add run to the team, the latter's confidence also bolstered with a couple of classy displays at Casey. The players should also be keen to give Aaron Davey a fitting farewell after a decade of fabulous service to the club. This is not the same Adelaide that swept all before it last year under first year coach Brenton Sanderson. Neil Craig has a treasure trove of knowledge about this team to offset the home team's advantages in skill and experience and with Sando showing signs of cracking up last week I was almost tempted to go for a Melbourne win. It was at about this time that the reality bus drove right past me with hundreds of black crows hovering menacingly above. Adelaide by 45 points.

When did we last win at AAMI? I think this is our last chance because next year they're at the Adelaide Oval (also not a happy hunting ground). This was the line up exactly twelve months ago:- MELBOURNE Backs Joel Macdonald Colin Garland Tom McDonald Half backs Jack Watts, James Frawley, Lynden Dunn Centreline Jack Trengove Jordie McKenzie Jack Grimes Half forwards Sam Blease Jared Rivers Rohan Bail Forwards Jeremy Howe Brad Green Neville Jetta Followers Jake Spencer Colin Sylvia Nathan Jones Interchange Daniel Nicholson James Sellar James Strauss Luke Tapscott Emergencies Matthew Bate Tom Couch Jordan Gysberts In Daniel Nicholson Out Tom Couch ADELAIDE Backs Graham Johncock Ben Rutten Sam Shaw Half backs Brodie Smith Daniel Talia Michael Doughty Centreline Bernie Vince Nathan van Berlo David Mackay Half forwards Jared Petrenko Taylor Walker Richard Douglas Forwards Jason Porplyzia Kurt Tippett Matthew Wright Followers Sam Jacobs Scott Thompson Patrick Dangerdfield Interchange Luke Brown Ian Callinan Brent Reilly Aidan Riley Emergencies Josh Jenkins Tom Lynch Jarryd Lyons In Jason Porplyzia Aidan Riley Brodie Smith Out Chris Knights Josh Jenkins Rory Sloane (elbow)

PROGRESS VOTING ROUND 21 189. Nathan Jones 127. Colin Garland 111. Matt Jones 94. Jack Viney 80. Colin Sylvia 75. James Frawley 73. Dean Terlich 57. Jeremy Howe 47. Jack Watts 30. Jack Trengove 28. Tom McDonald 27. Max Gawn 26. Shannon Byrnes Jack Grimes 25. Mitch Clisby Aaron Davey 23. Michael Evans Jack Fitzpatrick Jordie McKenzie 21. Chris Dawes 18. Lynden Dunn 16. Cam Pedersen 12. Dean Kent James Magner Luke Tapscott Jimmy Toumpas 10. Jake Spencer 8. Mitch Clark 7. David Rodan 3. Mark Jamar 2. Rohan Bail 1. Sam Blease

They were never going to influence the final outcome of the game because Fremantle were simply far too good. But the three sight-impaired gentlemen in the spiffy bright green and grey gear certainly welcomed our interstate visitors with a red carpet reception and rained free kick after free kick upon them early in the game so that they got the start they wanted. At one stage the Dockers had 5 free kicks to none and 15 inside 50s before the Demons went forward. It was all so Schmitt House. The Dees were appalling of course and by the time they were ready to play, they were a trifle shell-shocked. There was a brief interlude in the second term when Melbourne was competitive but a few mishaps, obtuse bounces and no luck whatsoever saw Fremantle rack up five goals in six or seven minutes in mid quarter and it was all over red and blue rover. Still, the Demons might have won the quarter had Shannon Byrnes' shot after the siren hit the mark but, let's face it, he kicked 1 goal from six shots last week and the only pass of his that hit someone's chest today found a purple and white jumper. Talk about bad bounces and rotten luck. By half time, Melbourne had lost Sam Blease (subbed off with an ankle injury) and a minute or two later James Strauss was in the dug out with a shoulder injury. And so it came to pass that after the break, Freo was too strong, fast and fit for the Dees who didn't have enough men to rotate and their crowning achievement was to avoid losing by 100 points but that was a feat that failed to keep many of the 13,768 fans at the ground for the duration. The football special to Sandringham was half empty when it departed Richmond Station with at least half of the passengers having come from other parts. You could tell the footy goers. They wore the colours red and blue and their faces were hidden by cupped hands all the way home. Strangely enough, the free kick stats almost evened up by the end of the day but the reality was that the stuff Melbourne got late in the game was insignificant and was never going to make any difference. Jack Viney put his hand up for a NAB Rising Star nomination (although Brodie Grundy will probably get it because he's Collingwood and they have 80k members). Jack Trengove stood up well and Lynden Dunn was good. Most of the rest had rings run around them. The midfield coach and the fitness people would be looking over their shoulders when the reshuffle comes and when the Demons next come back to the MCG in March or April, 2014 its likely that things will be a little different. And if Melbourne doesn't qualify for a priority pick at the end of the season, the AFL is not serious. Melbourne 0.2.2 4.5.29 5.7.37 5.8.38 Fremantle 4.5.29 9.6.60 14.11.95 20.13.133 Goals Melbourne Davis Fitzpatrick Howe Kent Viney Fremantle Ballantyne Pavlich 4 Hill Mayne 2 Clarke Fyfe D Pearce Sandilands Sheridan Silvagni, Spurr Walters Best Melbourne Viney Trengove Dunn McKenzie Sylvia Watts Fremantle Clarke Mundy D Pearce Pavlich Ballantyne, Crowley Sandilands (cut left eye/concussion), Dawson (left elbow), Ballantyne (right arm) Injuries Melbourne Blease (ankle) Garland (jaw) Spencer (cut elbow) Strauss (shoulder) Fremantle Sandilands (cut left eye/concussion), Dawson (elbow), Ballantyne (arm) Changes Melbourne Nil Fremantle Nil Reports Melbourne Nil Fremantle Nil Umpires Fila Burgess Schmitt Official Attendance 13,768 at the MCG

I heard today while at the ground that Jesse Hogan was OK. No major damage and he will play in the VFL finals. Nothing official although someone said they saw it in a club tweet.

All over red and blue rover. Please head out to Post March Discussion ... or at least come back next March when things might be different.

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THE FREMANTLE FESTIVAL OF FANTASTIC FREE KICKS by The Oracle They were never going to influence the final outcome of the game because Fremantle were simply far too good. But the three sight-impaired gentlemen in the spiffy bright green and grey gear certainly welcomed our interstate visitors with a red carpet reception and rained free kick after free kick upon them early in the game so that they got the start they wanted. At one stage the Dockers had 5 free kicks to none and 15 inside 50s before the Demons went forward. It was all so Schmitt House. The Dees were appalling of course and by the time they were ready to play, they were a trifle shell-shocked. There was a brief interlude in the second term when Melbourne was competitive but a few mishaps, obtuse bounces and no luck whatsoever saw Fremantle rack up five goals in six or seven minutes in mid quarter and it was all over red and blue rover. Still, the Demons might have won the quarter had Shannon Byrnes' shot after the siren hit the mark but, let's face it, he kicked 1 goal from six shots last week and the only pass of his that hit someone's chest today found a purple and white jumper. Talk about bad bounces and rotten luck. By half time, Melbourne had lost Sam Blease (subbed off with an ankle injury) and a minute or two later James Strauss was in the dug out with a shoulder injury. And so it came to pass that after the break, Freo was too strong, fast and fit for the Dees who didn't have enough men to rotate and their crowning achievement was to avoid losing by 100 points but that was a feat that failed to keep many of the 13,768 fans at the ground for the duration. The football special to Sandringham was half empty when it departed Richmond Station with at least half of the passengers having come from other parts. You could tell the footy goers. They wore the colours red and blue and their faces were hidden by cupped hands all the way home. Strangely enough, the free kick stats almost evened up by the end of the day but the reality was that the stuff Melbourne got late in the game was insignificant and was never going to make any difference. Jack Viney put his hand up for a NAB Rising Star nomination (although Brodie Grundy will probably get it because he's Collingwood and they have 80k members). Jack Trengove stood up well and Lynden Dunn was good. Most of the rest had rings run around them. The midfield coach and the fitness people would be looking over their shoulders when the reshuffle comes and when the Demons next come back to the MCG in March or April, 2014 its likely that things will be a little different. And if Melbourne doesn't qualify for a priority pick at the end of the season, the AFL is not serious. Melbourne 0.2.2 4.5.29 5.7.37 5.8.38 Fremantle 4.5.29 9.6.60 14.11.95 20.13.133 Goals Melbourne Davis Fitzpatrick Howe Kent Viney Fremantle Ballantyne Pavlich 4 Hill Mayne 2 Clarke Fyfe D Pearce Sandilands Sheridan Silvagni, Spurr Walters Best Melbourne Viney Trengove Dunn McKenzie Sylvia Watts Fremantle Clarke Mundy D Pearce Pavlich Ballantyne, Crowley Sandilands (cut left eye/concussion), Dawson (left elbow), Ballantyne (right arm) Injuries Melbourne Blease (ankle) Garland (jaw) Spencer (cut elbow) Strauss (shoulder) Fremantle Sandilands (cut left eye/concussion), Dawson (elbow), Ballantyne (arm) Changes Melbourne Nil Fremantle Nil Reports Melbourne Nil Fremantle Nil Umpires Fila Burgess Schmitt Official Attendance 13,768 at the MCG

ALL THAT GLITTERS ... by KC from Casey The Casey Scorpions had no trouble in disposing of the winless Bendigo Gold by a massive 129 points at Casey Fields on Saturday but the glitter of the victory was somewhat overshadowed by a shock injury to Demon youngster Jesse Hogan who suffered a hyperextension to his knee early in the game. Hogan left the ground for scans with Casey general manager Matthew Young saying that "it's pretty disappointing but we're hoping that it's only a minor injury," and a Melbourne spokesman later expressing optimism that the young forward who has kicked 39 goals for the season to date, had managed to avoid major damage. The Scorpions opened brightly kicking against a strong northerly breeze and the seeds of their domination over the Gold were set early. Beanpole ruckman Max Gawn dominated the hit outs, James Magner and Jimmy Toumpas were in control in the middle, David Rodan was leading Bendigo a merry dance and Jake Best and Rory Taggert were finishing things off with goals. The latter duo each had two goals by the time the opening stanza was barely halfway through (Rodan had the other after running from a wing and bouncing four times, a feat he later produced with one more bounce). The five goal blitz against the wind would prove enough to win the game but there was to be a lot more to come although the second quarter was disappointing. Bendigo had almost the entire team behind the ball and for large patches of the quarter, all 36 players on the ground were in Casey's half making it a poor spectacle for the small crowd on hand to witness the game. This made little difference to Magner who amassed an amazing 29 touches to half time as the team waltzed to a 35 point half time lead. The second half was a complete whitewash with Bendigo failing to score a goal and Casey adding five against the wind and ten with it to finish off the game (making it 19 final quarter goals in its last two matches) with a massive percentage booster. Gawn, who was already playing well, took control of the game with a sensational purple patch in the third quarter kicking two goals and having a hand in a couple of others as he dominated proceedings against shorter opponents. He finished the game off with a massive 59 hitouts, 27 disposals, 14 marks and three goals. Despite suffering a knock in the third term, Magner also provided a statistical highlight with an outstanding 51 touches. He was ably assisted by Toumpas who underlined his enormous potential with 32 classy disposals while Mitch Gent and Dan Nicholson finished with 30 each. Taggert and Best both kicked five apiece and Joel Macdonald, who announced his retirement last week, capped off his career with a fine display in defence and a couple of nice goals when he went forward at the end. He left the ground chaired off by his teammates and to the well deserved rousing applause of the crowd. It was Casey's last home and away game for the year at Casey Fields but a win against the Box Hill Hawks next Sunday should guarantee at least a home final in the qualifying final round in a fortnight's time. Casey Scorpions 5.0.30 8.3.51 13.6.84 23.11.149 Bendigo Gold 1.4.10 2.4.16 2.7.19 2.8.20 Goals Casey Scorpions Best Taggert 5 Gawn Rodan 3 Gent Macdonald 2 Bail Page Smith Bendigo Gold McInnes Toman Best Casey Scorpions Magner Gawn Rodan Toumpas Macdonald Best Bendigo Gold Magin Aarts Heavyside Stroobants Kelm Beck Stats: Magner 51 Toumpas 32 Gent Nicholson 30 VFL Player Review - Round 18.

The Casey Scorpions had no trouble in disposing of the winless Bendigo Gold by a massive 129 points at Casey Fields on Saturday but the glitter of the victory was somewhat overshadowed by a shock injury to Demon youngster Jesse Hogan who suffered a hyperextension to his knee early in the game. Hogan left the ground for scans with Casey general manager Matthew Young saying that "it's pretty disappointing but we're hoping that it's only a minor injury," and a Melbourne spokesman later expressing optimism that the young forward who has kicked 39 goals for the season to date, had managed to avoid major damage. The Scorpions opened brightly kicking against a strong northerly breeze and the seeds of their domination over the Gold were set early. Beanpole ruckman Max Gawn dominated the hit outs, James Magner and Jimmy Toumpas were in control in the middle, David Rodan was leading Bendigo a merry dance and Jake Best and Rory Taggert were finishing things off with goals. The latter duo each had two goals by the time the opening stanza was barely halfway through (Rodan had the other after running from a wing and bouncing four times, a feat he later produced with one more bounce). The five goal blitz against the wind would prove enough to win the game but there was to be a lot more to come although the second quarter was disappointing. Bendigo had almost the entire team behind the ball and for large patches of the quarter, all 36 players on the ground were in Casey's half making it a poor spectacle for the small crowd on hand to witness the game. This made little difference to Magner who amassed an amazing 29 touches to half time as the team waltzed to a 35 point half time lead. The second half was a complete whitewash with Bendigo failing to score a goal and Casey adding five against the wind and ten with it to finish off the game (making it 19 final quarter goals in its last two matches) with a massive percentage booster. Gawn, who was already playing well, took control of the game with a sensational purple patch in the third quarter kicking two goals and having a hand in a couple of others as he dominated proceedings against shorter opponents. He finished the game off with a massive 59 hitouts, 27 disposals, 14 marks and three goals. Despite suffering a knock in the third term, Magner also provided a statistical highlight with an outstanding 51 touches. He was ably assisted by Toumpas who underlined his enormous potential with 32 classy disposals while Mitch Gent and Dan Nicholson finished with 30 each. Taggert and Best both kicked five apiece and Joel Macdonald, who announced his retirement last week, capped off his career with a fine display in defence and a couple of nice goals when he went forward at the end. He left the ground chaired off by his teammates and to the well deserved rousing applause of the crowd. It was Casey's last home and away game for the year at Casey Fields but a win against the Box Hill Hawks next Sunday should guarantee at least a home final in the qualifying final round in a fortnight's time. Casey Scorpions 5.0.30 8.3.51 13.6.84 23.11.149 Bendigo Gold 1.4.10 2.4.16 2.7.19 2.8.20 Goals Casey Scorpions Best Taggert 5 Gawn Rodan 3 Gent Macdonald 2 Bail Page Smith Bendigo Gold McInnes Toman Best Casey Scorpions Magner Gawn Rodan Toumpas Macdonald Best Bendigo Gold Magin Aarts Heavyside Stroobants Kelm Beck Stats: Magner 51 Toumpas 32 Gent Nicholson 30 VFL Player Review - Round 18. The Development League game was there to be won with Casey kicking with the aid of the wind in the last quarter. They scored 1.6.12 to 2.0.12 and lost by 5 points. CaseyScorpions 2.1.13 5.5.35 5.6.36 6.12.48 PortMelbourne 1.2.8 3.3.21 5.11.41 7.11.53 Goals Casey Scorpions Fowler Hughes 2 Pollard Riseley Port Melbourne Johnston 2 McTaggart Muling Pitt Thornton Whelan Best Casey Scorpion Lindsay Pollard Troutman Waters P Rosier Riseley Port Melbourne Burstin Muling Papaleo Gordon Hammond Smith