KC from Casey

Justin Plapp summed up Jayden Hunt's game last week on the mfc site as follows:- "Jayden Hunt: Hunty missed the majority of the pre-season, so he’s still building. We haven’t got a lot of pressure on him at the moment – we just want to increase his game time. We’re adding things to his game and he’s got some great assets in his offensive side of his game. We’re encouraging him to take the game on, but we’re also refining a few things. Hunty’s on the right track and he continues to grow as well. He’s a good kid and listens as well." Reading between the lines, this means that he's progressing very slowly if at all. I'm not sure if he's going to make it.

Like many of those who were at the pre season practice games, Walmsley looked exceptional as an outside running player with a bit of skill. I think he was suited to the conditions and the lower game pressure during that period and might not have adjusted that well when the real thing started and opposition clubs started fielding full teams with a lot of AFL listed and experience. I think he probably needs time to get used to the higher standard of play compared to the SFL competition where he played last year. An example of teams going up a notch in pressure and standards, one of the practice matches was against Werribee who fielded a fairly weak line up and they were slaughtered that week by Casey. Werribee is now in the VFL top four.

Peter Jackson VFL Casey Scorpions v Coburg​ Saturday, June 13 Casey Fields at 2pm Casey Scorpions B: Terlich O McDonald Hutchins HB: Riley Panozza McKenzie C: Neal-Bullen Newton Stretch HF: Bail Dawes Grimes F: Byrnes King Spencer FOLL: Jamar Michie M Jones I/C (from): Gent Hannon* Harmes Moncrieff Munro Morris Muir Page Pattison Petropoulos Scott Smith White Coburg B: Gregory Hartley Blair HB: Iacobaccio Lehmann Clifton C: McConnell Venditti N Thomas HF: Carnell Featherstone Cauchi F: Younan Orr Allan FOLL: Goodwin Uysal Morton I/C (from): Christensen* Fox Kovacevic MacDonald Mance Robertella Robinson Totino Williams * 23rd player AFL Victoria Development League Casey Scorpions v Coburg​ Saturday, June 13 Casey Fields at 11am Casey Scorpions B: Munro Keilty Rutherford HB: Hunt Thwaites Pattison C: Muir Petropoulos Kennedy-Harris HF: Page Smith K Wilson F: Fritsch Moncrieff Wyatt FOLL: Gains Scott Harmes I/C (from) Anderson Droessler Fisscher Gawley C Johnson Lang J McDonald Mason O'Brien Paredes Plummer Stanlake Walmsley Coburg B: Boyd Fairbairn Robertella HB: Fox Posar Robinson C: Linton Sturgess Cooper HF: MacDonald Symes Mance F: Gleeson Hill Madden FOLL: Kovacevic Totino Williams I/C (from) Bailey Clarke Corigliano Easton Evans Hemala Hobijn-Allen Holdsworth McConville Ogden Schraven Sortino Tang

He's a Gippsland boy who spent last year in the SANFL and came back home this year. I would call him a good VFL footballer. He played well in a losing game a few weeks ago at Port Melbourne but doesn't get enough of the football for mine. Not sure if you're right about him being able to run all day but a solid AFL pre season could help. I'd have him as an outside possibility for a rookie spot at best.

Melbourne was already in its current alignment with Casey by the time Tom McDonald was drafted. He played most of his debut season in the VFL making his debut late that year, a few weeks after 186. The confusion over Sandringham may well be due to the fact that he played an outstanding game at TBBO in about mid season that really opened many peoples' eyes as to his future possibilities as an AFL player. I agree that brother Oscar seems to be following the same course.

A few people have asked about the two Demons in our development league team. I apologise for not responding earlier but it's sometimes not possible to keep up with earlier posts while posting during a game and also worrying about the iPhone running out of power. Max King, despite having the raw edges of many young lanky types is coming on well. He's in the goals every week and on Friday night got plenty of the ball as well (I'm told he had 18 touches). His marking is solid and he took another speccy this week which seems to augur well for him. I think it's unfair to hold the same expectations for him as people have for Jesse Hogan who, whilst not as tall at 195cm is very solid for a 20 year old. King has plenty of development in him and if the club can mould him into say, a Tippett type of forward foil for Hogan, then we can look forward to some high scoring excitement in the future. But that's a bit of a way off. He is currently finding it hard to break into the Casey team because of the fact that the Scorpions are fielding at least two of Jamar/Spencer/Gawn/Fitzpatrick each week and because of the good early form of Casey recruit Jordan Moncrieff who got promoted into the seniors ahead of him a few games ago and has been kicking goals and therefore kept his place in the team until now. Perhaps his chance will come next week - Coburg aren't traveling all that well so it might be his time. Jayden Hunt is being nursed through the development league team after a bad back injury. He's not showing many good signs but he certainly has pace and was impressive as a schoolboy footballer two years ago. Perhaps he needs to get his confidence back after a long time out of football but perhaps, he just doesn't have what it takes. He was a late selection in a shallow draft so it won't be a disaster for the club but I wouldn't write him off just yet.

Back into the side immediately.ANB could join him. ^You can add Viv Michie and ANB's mate Billy Stretch into that lot while Scorpion player Ed Morris was fantastic today as well.

That's it! 2015 Peter Jackson VFL Casey Scorpions 1.2.8 5.8.38 7.8.50 10.12.72 Collingwood VFL 4.4.28 5.6.36 8.13.61 9.14.68 Goals Casey Scorpions Bail Morris 2 Byrnes Jamar Michie Moncrieff Muir Page Collingwood VFL Blair Gault 2 Cox Goodyear Gray Monkhorst Still Best Casey Scorpions Neal-Bullen Tyson Morris Michie Stretch Jamar Collingwood VFL Williams Karnezis Wallace Reid Marsh Dwyer

Four point game as Pies goal. Two minutes left.

A Casey shot hits the post and it's back to 9 points at the 25 minute mark.

Casey now lead by 9 points after the goal from Bail but it's not over yet.

Miss from in front by the Russian and it's a two point game.

Goal to Nathan Page and Casey leads!

From the boundary throw in, Mark Jamar kicks the vital first goal of the final term.

Late in the third quarter, Casey trail Collingwood by 17 points and there goes the siren for three quarter time with Morris kicking one on the buzzer. Casey 7.8.50 trail Collingwood 8.13.61 Goals Morris 2 Bail Byrnes Michie Moncrieff Muir Casey have struggled to finish some of their games off this year (apart from the week before the bye) so they're going to need more than the wind advantage alone to get up.

A goal against the run of play to Rohan Bail after some good play from Dom Tyson makes it 16 points the difference. Spencer and Jamar are both doing well in the ducks against the big American guy who isn't really up with the finer points of the game but he did kick a goal earlier.

Collingwood right on top and lead by 22 points with plenty of time to go in the quarter. Casey struggling to get the ball into their forward half.

Son of Monkhurst goals for the Pies.

Second half has started and the Pies are back in front by 7 points after 5 minutes with the wind. It seems to me that the Casey Scorpions are on the nose with both television and radio. They've been televised once this year and there are no further telecasts on the horizon. I thought there was a ray of hope when Casey Radio started doing football broadcasts again but they seem to have more of a liking to local competitions and Sandringham. A bit strange.

If he keeps it up and has no after-effects this should be a boost to his confidence.

Half time and Casey leads by 2 points. Casey Scorpions 5.8.38 to Collingwood VFL 5.6.36 Goals Byrnes Michie Moncrieff Morris Muir Disposals Morris 16 Michie Tyson 15 Neal-Bullen 14

Muir goals for Casey to level the game up at 5.6.36 apiece. The Scorpions have the last four goals.

It's become a bit of an arm wrestle with Collingwood holding on and neither side scoring 36 - 24. Wait. There's a goal to Viv Mich and Casey now trail by just 6 points! Tyson, Michie and Neale-Bullen starting to take over in the midfield. Casey small Ed Morris doing well.

Halfway through the second quarter and Collingwood leads 5.5.35 to 3.5.23 but the Scorps have the last two goals to Moncrieff and Byrnes (from a free kick).