KC from Casey

Leaving aside Brendan Fevola a couple of years ago, Casey has done well in the past with "no name" recruits who make good in the VFL. Best comes from the Leongatha Parrots and is a 22 year old goalkicking half forward. It will be interesting to see if he takes up the offer to join the Scorps. Cranbourne ruckman/key defender Michael Boland has also signed.

Every year the bookies underestimate Casey and this year's no exception. VFL flag odds - $3.30 Williamstown $4.00 Port Melbourne $5.50 Werribee $7.00 Geelong $11.00 Essendon $15.00 Box Hill $21.00 North Ballarat, Northern Blues $31.00 Sandringham $34.00 Casey Scorpions $41.00 Collingwood $51.00 Frankston $81.00 Coburg $101.00 Bendigo

TAC Cup young guns sign The Casey Scorpions have announced the signing of five TAC Cup youngsters for the coming season:- Jarryd Drew, Tom Fusinato, Darcy Irwin and Daniel Jackson, from Gippsland Power and Jackson Anderson who played with the Eastern Ranges. Anderson's father is a former premiership player with the Scorpions in the days when they were located in Springvale.

AFL Victoria VFL Academy The preliminary squad of 34 players for the 2013 AFL Victoria VFL Academy has been selected and three Casey Scorpions are in the squad: Brayden Fowler, Tim Smith and Luke Tynan. Well done lads.

In addition to the Melbourne v St. Kilda NAB Cup match on March 9th, Casey Fields will host at least three Scorpions' practice matches during March:- March 16th v Frankston March 23rd v Port Melbourne March 30 v Box Hill

I'm not privvy to any of the politics involved but I'm happy with the choice.

There's an article in the local Casey newspaper on new Casey coach which should be of interest to Demon fans:- VFL: Clean slate for Scorpions' coach "This year, the former Frankston player will be in charge of guiding future Melbourne stars such as Jack Viney, Jimmy Toumpas and Jesse Hogan at the Demons' VFL affiliate." Here's some info on new recruit Ben Hughes who was on the North Melbourne rookie list a few years ago:- Born: August 30, 1988 Playing Height: 192cm Playing Weight: 93kg Position: Forward Drafted: Round 2, Pick #19 2006 Rookie Draft

I believe that last year the VFL selected their televised games in four week blocks so I wouldn't be concerned about the situation with telecasts yet.

The VFL fixture for 2013 was recently released. These are the games for the Casey Scorpions:- PETER JACKSON VFL SENIOR FIXTURE Round 1 (Split Round) Sunday 7th April Casey Scorpions vs. Frankston at Casey Fields 2:00 PM Round 2 Saturday 13th April North Ballarat vs. Casey Scorpions at Eureka Stadium 2:00 PM Round 3 Saturday 20th April Essendon vs. Casey Scorpions at Windy Hill 1:00 PM Round 4 Saturday 27th April Casey Scorpions vs. Williamstown at Casey Fields 6:00 PM Round 5 Saturday 4th May Port Melbourne vs. Casey Scorpions at North Port Oval 2:00 PM 11th & 12th May State Game - WAFL vs. VFL Round 6 Saturday 18th May Casey Scorpions vs. Box Hill Hawks at Casey Fields 2:00 PM Round 7 Friday 24th May Geelong vs. Casey Scorpions at Simonds Stadium 6:00 PM Round 8 Saturday 1st June Sandringham vs. Casey Scorpions at Trevor Barker Beach Oval 2:00 PM Round 9 Saturday 8th June Casey Scorpions vs. Collingwood at Casey Fields 2:00 PM Round 10 - bye Round 11 Sunday 23rd June Casey Scorpions vs. Coburg at Casey Fields 2:00 PM Round 12 Sunday 30th June Casey Scorpions vs. Northern Blues at Casey Fields 2:00 PM Round 13 (Split Round) Sunday 14th July Werribee Tigers vs. Casey Scorpions at Avalon Airport Oval 2:00 PM Round 14 Sunday 21st July Casey Scorpions vs. Essendon at Casey Fields 2:00 PM Round 15 Saturday 27th July Collingwood vs. Casey Scorpions at Victoria Park 12 NOON Round 16 Sunday 4 August Casey Scorpions vs. Geelong at Casey Fields 2:00 PM Round 17 Sunday 11th August Frankston vs. Casey Scorpions at Frankston Oval 2:00 PM Round 18 Saturday 17th August Casey Scorpions vs. Bendigo Gold at Casey Fields 2:00 PM Round 19 Saturday 24th August Box Hill Hawks vs. Casey Scorpions at Box Hill City Oval 2:00 PM Finals Week 1 Saturday 31st August & Sunday 1st September Finals Week 2 Saturday 7th & Sunday 8th September Finals Week 3 Saturday 14th & Sunday 15th September Finals Week 4 Sunday 22nd September (Grand Final) 2013 AFL VICTORIA DEVELOPMENT LEAGUE FIXTURE Round 1 (Split Round) Sunday 7th April Casey Scorpions vs. Frankston at Casey Fields 11:00 AM Round 2 Saturday 13th April North Ballarat vs. Casey Scorpions at Eureka Stadium 11:00 AM Round 3 Friday 19th April Casey Scorpions vs. Frankston at Casey Fields 6:00 PM Round 4 Saturday 27th April Casey Scorpions vs. Williamstown at Casey Fields 3:00 PM Round 5 Saturday 4th May Port Melbourne vs. Casey Scorpions at North Port Oval 11:00 AM Round 6 Saturday 18th May Casey Scorpions vs. Box Hill Hawks at Casey Fields 11:00 AM Round 7 Saturday 25th May Williamstown vs. Casey Scorpions at Burbank Oval 11:00 AM Round 8 Saturday 1st June Sandringham vs. Casey Scorpions at Trevor Barker Beach Oval 11:00 AM Round 9 - bye Round 10 Sunday 16th June Werribee Tigers vs. Casey Scorpions at Avalon Airport Oval 11:00 AM Round 11 Sunday 23rd June Casey Scorpions vs. Coburg at Casey Fields 11:00 AM Round 12 Sunday 30th June Casey Scorpions vs. Northern Blues at Casey Fields 11:00 AM Round 13 (Split Round) Sunday 14th July Werribee Tigers vs. Casey Scorpions at Avalon Airport Oval 11:00 AM Round 14 Sunday 21st July Sandringham vs. Casey Scorpions at Trevor Barker Beach Oval 10:00 AM Round 15 Sunday 28th July Casey Scorpions vs. Sandringham at Casey Fields 11:00 AM Round 16 Sunday 4th August Casey Scorpions vs. Box Hill Hawks at Casey Fields 11:00 AM Round 17 Sunday 11th August Frankston vs. Casey Scorpions at Frankston Oval 11:00 Round 18 Sunday 18th August Casey Scorpions vs. Port Melbourne at Casey Fields 11:00 AM Finals Week 1 Saturday 24th August & Sunday 25th August Finals Week 2 Saturday 31st August & Sunday 1st September Finals Week 3 Saturday 7th & Sunday 8th September Finals Week 4 Sunday 15th September (Grand Final)

Well, one player who Casey will miss in 2013 due to his purchase of a banned supplement trying to lose weight. I reckon he might have been unlucky because his motive wasn't sinister but it's probably a warning to professional athletes not to be so careless. Twitter: "Casey Scorpions Wade Lees has copped a 18 month ban from the ASADA over a fat burning product he never even received. Wade can not play until season 2014." Lees suffered a facial injury early in the season in the same game when Jack Viney and Jordan Gysberts had their jaws broken.

You don't have to feel sorry for me Demonsterative. I'm excited about the future for the Casey Scorpions because of the excellent groundwork laid by Brett Lovett over the past twelve months after the departure of a number of "name" players at the end of 2011. Lovett gave many young local kids their chances at the club and they really kicked on during the season. I thought a few might even be lost to the rookie draft (e.g. Riseley, Smith, L. Tynan) but it looks like they'll be back next year along with a few other impressive youngsters who got their chances during the season. Having a coach with good development credentials is going to help these players as it would help those up and coming young Demons.

Rohan Welsh will be a part-time senior coach at Casey Scorpions. He's meeting the players tonight.

The VFL has issued its 2013 fixture and the Casey Scorpions will take on Frankston at home in the first round of the season. The only thing the Scorps need now is a coach. Despite media reports over the past month that an announcement is imminent, the team remains without a coach less than two weeks before the Xmas break. With many of Melbourne's young recruits likely to spend a fair amount of time at Casey next year, the situation could hardly be described as satisfactory.

Still soon - http://www.caseyweeklycranbourne.com.au/story/1158743/vfl-retooled-scorps-set-to-name-new-coach/?cs=1187'>VFL: Retooled Scorps set to name new coach

The Casey Scorpions have started training for 2013 without a senior coach although an appointment is imminent. According to this article in the Leader Newspapers circulating in the Casey area - Casey Scorpions squad still strong ■ the Casey Scorpions have retained the bulk of their senior players; ■ departures include Rian McGough (Tatura), Dave Collins (local football) and Matt Fieldsend (Port Melbourne); ■ training with the Scorps are Gippsland Power graduates Anthony Tipungwuti, Daniel Jackson, Jarryd Drew, Tom Fusinato, Darcy Irwin and Brenton Hillard as are former North Melbourne-listed Ben Hughes and Cranbourne ruck prospect Michael Boland. Northern Territorian Tipungwuti, who came to Victoria in his early teens to further his prospects in the game, was with the Power for three seasons and is a chance to be drafted in next month's rookie draft. ■ George Morgan (former Warragul senior coach) has been appointed an assistant coach; and ■ Simon Pasinati (Keysborough) will coach the Development League team.

Interesting tweet from Sam Landsberger which suggest that things are looking up for the Casey Scorpions -

Sad news for the Scorpions community. Casey Scorpions David Biagi dies Such a young life. Condolences to the family.

I'm certainly out here but have been interstate visiting family while the storm was raging. Hopefully, things will settle down with the start of training and the appointment of the new coach. As far as I'm aware, the club will retain most of its players from last year save any who might be drafted into the AFL. One concern that I have is that some very promising players coming out of the Gippsland Power TAC Cup Under 18s are tending to go to other VFL clubs because they are drawn to work and/or apprenticeships in the city. I understand that two very good players who have gone to Williamstown would be on the verge of being drafted or rookie listed. In any event, I trust that this scenario is not affecting the club's recruiting.

Here's an article in the local newspaper - Will Tipungwuti tip draft scales?

A few snippets from the twitterverse in the wake of last night's Casey B&F. • congratulations to Tom Couch on winning the Gardiner Clarke Medal for club best and fairest. Tom was also runner up in the JJ Liston Trophy after missing a few games while on AFL duties; • it appears that the large majority of the group are sticking together for 2013 and are a keen to improve on a successful 2012. The club has an exciting future. • a few key people around the club are leaving. We know Brett Lovett has retired as coach and there is no news yet of his replacement. His long time assistant of nine years, Rob "Rat" Railton is moving on next year to be the senior coach at Wonthaggi and the club wishes him luck in the new position. • also moving on after five years at Casey is highly respected Head Strength & Conditioning coach Alex Sakadjian who has taken a full time role at Melbourne Football Club as Sport Scientist/Rehabilitation Coach. It's a big job and he will be working with the best in the field in David Misson and Neil Craig already at the club.

Tommy Couch wins Gardiner Clark Medal (b&f) Luke Tynan runner up Jack Fitzpatrick third. Roy Holbrook announced as a life member. General Manager Brian Woodman has presents Brett Lovett with an award to recognise his involvement in 150 games of VFL football. Senior Awards Steve Harrison Rising Star award: Tim Smith Goal kicking award: Jack Fitzpatrick Most improved player award: Luke Hill Senior Coach's award: Chris Clay Respect Earner award: Troy Davis Captains award: Chris Clay Club Person of the Year: property steward Chris James

It's Casey Scorpions awards night and here are the main Development League team results:- Best & Fairest (Snowy Fenton Medal) We have joint winners - Gus Patti (62 votes) Jordan Pollard (62) 3rd D.Cleven (40) 4th T.Corry (38) 5th N.Page (37) Most Improved award: Dave DeAraugo Coaches award: Nick Lang Respect Earner award: Aiden Lindsey

I think we should all be thankful for Brett Lovett's contribution at Casey both the the Melbourne Football Club and to the Casey Scorpions. I was sceptical about Casey's finals chances at the beginning of the year but to get the team to the top of the tree at the end of the home and away season was a magificent achievement without any big name VFL recruits and limited numbers of AFL players. This was particularly frustrating when the finals came around but that's the nature of alignments these days. Those suggesting that the MFC goes it alone and ditches the alignment with Casey are entitled to their views but I wonder how the team would have fared a couple of weeks ago with only six players available. Sure, they would have used supplementary players but what's the difference between that and establishing yourself in a fast growing community like the Casey/Cardinia corridor?

Two Casey Scorpions players Michael Risely (pictured below) and Tim Smith are in the squads for the annual Young Guns game be played at North Port Oval on Sunday as curtain raiser to the Werribee-Geelong clash. The squad contains VFL and top-age TAC Cup players, and a sprinkling from country and metropolitan teams.:- Dean Putt (Bendigo Gold), Gene Pallazzo, Nick Mee, Harry O'Meara (Bendigo Pioneers), Sean Gregory (Calder Cannons), Michael Riseley, Tim Smith (Casey Scorpions), Tom O'Sullivan (Caulfield Grammarians), Leigh Masters, Willie Wheeler (Coburg Tigers), Nick Riddle, Lachlan Wallace, Patrick Flynn, Brede Seccull (Collingwood), Nathan Mill (Eastern Ranges), Matthew Farrelly (Echuca), Shaun Marusic, Chamberlain Patrick Ndongo, Riley Heddles (Frankston), Matt Sully (Geelong), Scott Simpson (Mt Eliza), Tim Knowles (Mulgrave), Kaiden Antonawicz, Matt Taberner, Joseph Cousins (Murray Bushrangers), Lucas Anderson, Sam Conroy, Cam Valentine, Coleman Schache (North Ballarat Roosters), Tim Totevski (Northern Blues), Jarryd Coulson, Keenan Posar, Tom Grimes, Anthony Bonaddio (Northern Knights), Damien Mascitti (Port Melbourne), Justin Van Unen (Rye), Jackson Coleman, Jack Beech, Michael Sikora (Sandringham Zebras), James Flack (South Mildura), Luke Williams (St Albans), Brent MacLeod (Thomson), Ajdin Elkasovic, Josh Bench, Spencer White, Jack Walker, Scott Greenhough (Western Jets).

The game's all over as is the season. Casey Scorpions 0.0.0 1.4.10 3.4.22 5.8.38 Williamstown 3.3.21 4.6.30 9.8.62 11.9.75 Goals Casey Scorpions Gysberts Nicholls Sheahan Smith Thompson Williamstown Panos Veszpremi 3 Hill 2 Carr Conway Roberts Best Casey Scorpions L Tynan Pollard Smith Sheahan Nicholls Gysberts Williamstown Wall Jolley McNamara Goodes Carr Lockwood