KC from Casey

Quarter Time: Port Melbourne 3.4.22 Casey Scorpions 3.2.20 A good quarter against the breeze. Brendan Fevola has two goals and Max Gawn one.

Port lead 3.2.2 to 2.2.14. Gawn doing well in the ruck for Casey but he's going to have to do it himself.

A pre game blow to the Casey Scorpions with the withdrawal of Robbie Campbell who had a great game in the ruck last week. Apparently, injured himself doing weights. Casey are down to only eight Melbourne listed players including Michael Newton who is back after being out since May with a foot injury. His only game since was a limited run in the reserves last week against the Bullants. Today's team is: CASEY SCORPIONS Backs Mohr Warnock Davis Half backs Stockdale Panozza Macdonald Centreline J Wall McNamara McGough Half forwards Petropoulos Dunn Lawrence Forwards Waite Fevola Matthews Followers Gawn Lees Nicholls Interchange Bell Bolton Collins Lindsay* Newton * 23rd player

After Coburg levelled the scores, a Scorpions goal got them in front but the Tigers fought back to level the scores again. It was Coburg that got up to win with a point on the siren. Casey Scorpions 6.0.36 7.2.44 10.1 .71 11.13.79 Coburg Tigers 1.2.8 5.5.35 6.5.41 12.8.80 Goals Casey Scorpions McShane 4 Costigan 3 Tynan 2 Dowse Carew Dowse Coburg Tigers Murphy 3 Cartelli Hore Lirosi Thomas 2 Ambrose Casey Scorpions Weekes McShane Tynan Patti Corry Allen Coburg Tigers Cartelli Kahlefeldt Duhau Thomas Dahl Murphy

Scores level in time on.

Scorps in trouble as Coburg fight back to within a goal. Plenty of time left.

Casey lead by 5 goals at the final break - 10.11.71 to 6.5.41. The Scorpions were off target with 3.9 to 1.0 for the quarter and might yet rue their wastefulness in front of the goals. Despite the good lead the game is still evenly poised with Coburg coming home with a gale. Cameron Johnston best for the Scorpions. Weekes and McShane also playing well for the Scorps.

Not in the Ressies. You'll probably find that he'll line up in the main game.

At half time, it's Casey up by 9 points - 7.2.44 to 5.5.35.

There are no rules for this week - anyone not in the Melbourne team to play Port Adelaide can play with Casey. Once your AFL aligned team is out of business then the eligibility rules apply and I'll write about them next week. In the Ressies, Casey started well - 6.0.36 to Coburg 1.2.8.

The news for Casey doesn't get any better. According to today's Herald Sun, "premiership ruckman Robbie Campbell is in doubt."

SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 3 VFL RESERVES - FIRST ELIMINATION FINAL CASEY SCORPIONS v COBURG TIGERS at TEAC Oval, Port Melbourne 11:00 am CASEY SCORPIONS Backs Pollard Salton Tynan Half backs Allen Patti Corry Centerline Gent Bell Bolton Half forwards Purves Waite Dowse Forwards Fieldsend Newton McShane Followers Cleven Johnston Petropoulos Interchange Burke Carew Clay J Costigan Dearaugo Hill McKenna Purdy J Roberts Riseley D Wall Weekes COBURG TIGERS Backs M Ambrose Hore Duhau Half backs Morris P Ambrose Saville Centreline Groves McLeod Masters Half forwards Kahlefeldt Fahey Thomas Forwards Barrack Westhoff Cartelli Followers Dahl Pound Grosso Interchange (from) Bisetto Garland Lawton Lirosi Lucin Madden Meli D Murphy Price Sullivan

SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 3 VFL SENIORS FIRST QUALIFYING FINAL PORT MELBOURNE v CASEY SCORPIONS at TEAC Oval, Port Melbourne 2:00 pm (ABC1TV, SEN2-Aussie Digital) PORT MELBOURNE Backs Brewer Dalton Sandilands Half backs Dillon Pleming Baird Centreline Batsanis Pinwill Valenti Half forwards McMahon Edwards Lynch Forwards Deluca Galea Rose Followers Skipper Cain Dwyer Interchange (from) Bonaddio Burge Burstin Dermott* Fanning Francis M Johnston CASEY SCORPIONS Backs Bail Warnock Davis Half backs McNamara Mohr Tapscott Centreline Bate Macdonald J Wall Half forwards Matthews Fitzpatrick Lees Forwards Dunn Fevola Nicholls Followers Gawn Nicholson Howe Interchange (from) Bell Bolton Campbell Collins Lawrence Lindsay* McGough McShane Newton Panozza Petropoulos Stockdale Waite * 23rd player

The VFL finals series starts on Saturday and the Casey Scorpions are involved in two ripper games at TEAC Oval. The Reserves are matched against the Coburg Tigers in the 11:00 am curtain raiser followed by the Seniors who take on the undefeated Port Melbourne at 2:00 pm in a qualifying final. The Scorpions lost narrowly to the Borough at the same venue when they met early in the season on a day when Casey gave away a big start to the home side. Both teams are in good form and the fixture should draw a big crowd if the weather holds up. Here is the complete fixture for the first round of VFL finals:- SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 3 Reserves 1st Elimination Final Casey Scorpions vs Coburg Tigers at TEAC Oval 11am Seniors 1st Qualifying Final Port Melbourne vs Casey Scorpions at TEAC Oval 2:10pm (ABC1TV,SEN2-Aussie Digital) Seniors 1st Elimination Final Werribee vs Box Hill Hawks at Avalon Airport Oval,Werribee 2pm (3WBC) SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 4 Reserves 2nd Elimination Final Port Melbourne vs Werribee at TEAC Oval 11am Seniors 2nd Elimination Final Northern Bullants vs Bendigo Bombers at TEAC Oval 2:10pm (ABC1TV) Seniors 2nd Qualifying Final Williamstown vs North Ballarat at Box Hill 2pm (SEN2-Aussie Digital) The latest odds for the 2011 JJ Liston Trophy have been issued by one of the betting agencies:- $5 Myles Sewell Sam Dwyer $7 Brock McLean $9 Shane Valenti $10 Sam Gibson $15 Adam Iacobucci $17 Malcolm Lynch $21 Tim Mohr Chris Cain Tom Sundberg $27 Sam Power Cam Richardson $34 Ben Sharp Mark Corrigan Jonathan Simpkin $41 Jarrod McCorkell Ahmed Saad Matthew Bate Sam Pleming $51 Brett Johnson Brett Duscher Matt O'Dwyer Travis Tuck Cruize Garlett Matthew Warnock Patrick Rose Brendan Fevola $67 James Magner Ben Jolley Orren Stephenson $81 Ryan McKenzie Lachie George Robbie Castello James Wall Kane Lucas Dean Galea Tory Dickson Nathan Batsanis Ben Davies Nick Carnell Willie Wheeler Kris Pendlebury Oliver Tate Hugh Sandilands Andrew McQualter $101 John Baird Mark Baguley Russell Gabriel Brett Goodes Mitch Wallis Jarrad Boumann Troy Selwood Cameron Guthrie Will Martienello $201 Will Minson Luke Rounds Jarrod Dalton Matthew Little David Mirra Andrew McLean Ben Clifton Luke Potts Jaryd Cachia Dom Gleeson Leigh Harding Ben Raidme Matthew Firman Thomas Lynch $301 Joshua Cowan Jack Hollmer Alex Fasolo John McCartney Mitch Bosward Trent Shinners Wayde Skipper $1001 Toby Pinwill Casey players in bold type I will endeavour to get you the teams early this evening.

There were so many highlights for the Melbourne/Casey alignment that one hardly knows where to start. The media will undoubtedly focus on Brendan Fevola and full marks to him because he came to the club as an overweight tormented soul, missed the early part of the season, struggled for form and finally hit his straps with two double figure totals on the run home to finish four goals shy of the Frosty Miller trophy for the VFL's top goalkicker. Moreover, he's been a model citizen on and off the field while at Casey and has well and truly justified the faith put into him by the club. He seems contented in his life and his work and I would be surprised if a club didn't draft him. As far as the MFC is concerned nobody would know as the decision would ultimately depend at least in part on the new coaching hierarchy. Overshadowed by the Fev story was the remarkable comeback game of Kyle Matthews. The guy was lucky to survive the attack which affected his brain functions and could have taken his life. He subsequently endured injury after injury on the comeback trail and spent several weeks in the reserves before earning his spot back in the team. He looks like a kid with his slight build and the helmet but his second, third and fourth efforts today were sublime. If the senior Melbourne players watched his attack on the football and the way he throws his body into the contest and strove to emulate his sheer determination, they would win many more games. Before the game I would have looked at you in disbelief if you suggested Matthews as a possible draft pick. I'm not so sure now. With the compromised draft and the multitude of GWS concessions, a couple more performances like that and the draft Kyle movement could easily gather momentum. However, you would have to say at this stage that it's a long shot. Then there's the young talls at the club like Gawn, Fitzpatrick and Davis who were all superb today.As these players mature they are going to become potent weapons in the club's armoury. Kelvin Lawrence and Dan Nicholson are a pacy duo each with a big future. There's lots more but I'll keep it for my report apart from my comment about televising finals. Casey featured only twice during the season in ABC telecasts - the least of all clubs. It would be very disappointing if the game v undefeated Port Melbourne wasn't covered by the ABC next week.

Casey win by 100 points and finish fourth! Casey Scorpions 4.6.30 13.8.86 19.10.124 28.12.180 Northern Bullants 3.3.21 5.3.33 7.8.50 11.14.80 Goals Casey Scorpions Fevola 10 Matthews 5 Fitzpatrick 4 Bate Dunn Petropoulos 2 Bail McGough Wall Northern Bullants Lambert Saad 2 Arrowsmith Austin Biffin Hampson Houlihan Iacobucci O'hAilpin Best Casey Scorpions Bate Bail Fevola Mohr Lees Matthews Northern Bullants Lucas McLean Iacobucci Russell Lambert Dare

The main scoreboard isn't working and the other one's behind me so it's hard to tell. The Bullants have come back with a couple of junk time goals but Fev chimes in with another - sorry but I might have lost count - I think it's 10!

James Wall gets among the goalkickers. Even the scoreboard attendant's exhausted!

And a checkside kick from Fitzpatrick for his fourth - sensational.

Just for a change, Fitzpatrick picks the ball off the ground like a rover and gets the goal.

And another one off the ground to Fev gives him his ninth and puts the Scorps up by 102 points.

Fev gets another and he has the Bullants defenders totally bamboozled it's a bit of a picnic for him in front of his former adoring fans.

Rohan Bail goals from a long way out. It's fair to say the Scorps will finish in the top four now. Fev marks 40 metres out and even the Carlton supporters here are cheering as he scores his seventh and suddenly, the Scorps lead by 90pts - 22.11.143 to 7.11.53.

The prolific Matty Bate opens the scoring for the quarter with a nice goal from 50 metres out. Picking up possessions at will.

He was but now on Bower. Fev has just goaled on the siren. The crowd are absolutely loving this. Fev has six and Matthews, playing his first game in almost two years, has five. Three Quarter Time Casey Scorpions 4.6.30 13.8.86 19.10.124 Northern Bullants 3.3.21 5.3.33 7.8.50