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Everything posted by Dees_In_October
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Rested and ready to learn some forward craft.
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Re: whether Grundy is being omitted, dropped or managed. Assuming that someone is omitted because of team balance, dropped because of poor form or managed due to a need for a rest/niggle (or because of a bigger picture schedule of managing players' loads), I can easily imagine a scenario where all three of those converge. There's too many factors involved for it purely to be one thing most of the time. Sometimes it's splitting hairs anyway. A player out of form might need a rest. Team balance is both a week-to-week thing and a season-long project. Omitting someone for team balance might (through not accident) coincide with a good time for a rest! There's also surely a difference sometimes in how the situation is presented to the player and to the media/fans/opposition. That last group contains a pretty wide array of audiences, with very differing levels of priority for the proper running of a football club - and fans expect a much higher level of transparency than they'll ever realistically get. Edit: I see that "omitted" is the word of choice this time!
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If I had the time, I'd keep a record of all the confidently put forward opinions of the main footy pundits for a whole season and then tally up their accuracy. I reckon it'd be about 25%...at best. I don't even know how I'd measure the ones that do a complete 180 every couple of weeks in a knee-jerk reaction to results. Or the ones where they can somehow hold one view of a team for reasons that are completely contradictory to their stated reasons for their view of another. The free range they currently have to just wildly speculate with no accountability is ridiculous. I know it's because they need to fill a huge amount of airtime and get clicks but still. They just say whatever. It's turned me off so much footy media that I've lost track of who the reputable voices left actually are (if any). Well, that just turned into a rant. @Bitter but optimistic was much more succinct!
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A little science fiction for Demonland on a Tuesday arvo: The year is 2050. It's late in the third quarter of the Grand Final. Schache Jnr., a number one draft pick who demanded a trade to powerhouse club Melbourne after not being eligible for drafting via the parent-child rule, is having a shocker. The skills are there, the footy IQ is there, he's just lacking that special something, that little bit of beast mode. And the Dees need their forward line firing, in what looks likely to be a close finish against the Tasmanian Pademelons, who are fresh off their first premiership (having entered the league in 2040 after the ribbon was finally cut on their floating stadium off the coast of Hobart). Melbourne has already used its injury sub, concussion sub and tactical sub. But never fear. Because the Demons are about to activate their IPATS (injured player asset transferal sub). Schache leaves the field and disappears into a chrome-plated structure at the back of the interchange area, what is colloquially known as the "phone box" by old-timers. When he emerges, the guessing game begins. Despite the answer being obvious, the commentators are, as usual, flummoxed. Which injured player's asset have the Demons transferred to Schache using their IPATS? There was never any doubt. After all, Melbourne lost three-time premiership hero and father-son steal Silton Oliver to concussion protocols in the lead-up to the finals. Schache re-enters the field of play. Beast-mode activated. Victory for Melbourne!
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My brother says he saw the STILL WOEWODIN sign in the crowd on the replay! Was he dreaming? That's some impressive commitment to storage.
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AFLW Preseason & Season Start Dates
Dees_In_October replied to Demonland's topic in AFLW Melbourne Demons
Good interview with Tyla Hanks - future captain, I reckon! https://www.womens.afl/news/120478?_ga=2.32986622.1772807141.1688720886-182446412.1688720886 1.07 – The only girl at Nar Nar Goon Auskick 5.42 – The stacked 2018 AFLW Draft 7.23 – Adjusting to playing against women as a small player 10.52 – AFLW Rising Star win in 2021, Hanks' third season 13.10 – That Bunnings ad 14.37 – Developing belief and leadership 17.30 – Season seven premiership 22.20 – The influence of Mick Stinear 24.45 – Life beyond Daisy Pearce 28.00 – Juggling AFLW with teaching year 11 PE 30.27 – Leadership with Hanks -
AFLW Preseason & Season Start Dates
Dees_In_October replied to Demonland's topic in AFLW Melbourne Demons
Glad to hear this, after some games for Casey this season. Gets a mention here: https://central.rookieme.com/afl/2023/07/05/aflw-u18s-surprise-packets-allies-vs-vic-metro/ -
I'm so happy for McNamara! Yeah, the ruck's always been a worry if L.Pearce goes down. Gillard? Or maybe we should just trade in another All-Australian ruck, seems like it's the done thing haha.
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Clearly I fell off the bandwagon once finals were out of the picture! Have I become THAT kind of supporter?! For shame! In the interests of completion, I'll finish this off briefly: Casey rounded out the season with a 27-point loss to Box Hill and a stirring 10-point win against Port Melbourne (who went on to finish the H&A season 2nd). A mid-season slump cost our team the chance at finals - by the time they'd regained some form and team cohesion, the bye interrupted the momentum and there weren't enough games left. The strong start to the season, retrospectively clearly aided by some AFLW talent, seems a long time ago! But the Dees did build throughout and found some connection towards the end. Certainly, our players' endeavour and hunger for the contest never wavered regardless of the opposition. A few close results in the other direction and it could have been a different story. It was good to see some stalwarts continue their VFLW careers plus a wide array of new talent including plenty of debuts and other young players who improved week on week. Congrats to all who featured. While there was no Eliza West-esque "get her now" standout, I enjoyed watching players like O'Neill, Hogg, Woolcock and Neal, just to name a few. Danckert is one I can see making it back onto an AFLW list, actually. And it was a highlight to watch the first Demon father-daughter prospect where I remember the father, in Rigoni.
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I think they've always done it as a player vote. From memory, it's often announced around photo day. Hore would have to be the front runner. Paxman has stepped away from formal leadership. Birch? Gay?
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Absolutely, and it's easy to forget how important a player Colvin was in Season 6 (2022A) before the rise of Gillard. She was our best player in the losing Grand Final. If she can recapture that form, there'll be selection headaches. This is probably the one role that we've never filled successfully on a consistent basis. I'd hoped Duffy was the answer. Perhaps Fitzsimon will find more scoring opportunities. I've got high hopes for A.Mackin too, but obviously it's a big ask - I think we still underestimate how huge her sister's achievements were last season, breaking into the premiership side from another sport. Aimee is building back from injury nicely in the LGAA though: Although I prefer her forward, we could go back to Zanker in there occasionally to mix it up... I'd like Goldrick in there just for chaos, but that's true of pretty much every position on the ground for me! Other teams will be focused on breaking down our ball movement through the middle. We were able to weather that pretty well last season by sticking to the plan and wearing teams down. So it's a matter of if we can improve on that further to counter the improvement of other teams. These are the big ones aside from injuries. I'm less concerned about #1 because I think Daisy was never a "cult of personality" type leader. I'm confident she's planted the seeds for others to step up. The process has been noticeable for a few seasons now, but last season it really felt like Hore was co-captain in all but title.
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Haha this is what I always feel when commenting on the men's - it's been said before by the time I get there. Hence why I comment here a lot more!
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AFLW Preseason & Season Start Dates
Dees_In_October replied to Demonland's topic in AFLW Melbourne Demons
In better preseason news, I tuned in to watch some Gaelic footy on the weekend, hoping to catch a look our new recruit in Aimee Mackin. And, of course, to see Blaithin in her native sport. Their team, Armagh, were dominant for much of the game before holding off a fast-finishing Laois. Blaithin was a key player in the scoring chain and got a couple of points herself - she loves to have a crack from long range, which is definitely something I see in coming into her Aussie Rules game as she gets more experience. Aimee is coming back from injury and was only subbed into the game near the end. She definitely has a presence and is clearly spoken of with respect by the commentators, which is saying something as they're very understated in how they call the game, it's quite refreshing actually! Meanwhile the rest of the squad were at preseason camp down at Lorne. The winners of some kind of trail running challenge that involved dress-ups were the "pig" team comprising Hore, Purcell, Wilson and Zanker. No surprises - that's a highly competitive bunch. -
AFLW Preseason & Season Start Dates
Dees_In_October replied to Demonland's topic in AFLW Melbourne Demons
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-06-19/aflw-season-length-still-being-negotiated-incoming-afl-chief/102497688 This from Andrew Dillon is particularly galling as an excuse for not adding an extra two H&A games this season (which is what the AFLPA is asking for): "But we also want to have a three to five-year vision about how we expand the competition." Yeah, that's literally what the players and fans have been crying out for since at least 2019. A plan that lays out how many games will be added year on year, not just a wishy washy end goal. Yet now that lack of a plan is suddenly a reason to hold back on adding a couple of games? Right. 10 H&A rounds in an 18-team competition is frankly ridiculous. The longer it continues, the wider the gulf will become between the best and the rest. Which will lead to more intervention in the draft and trading rules to artificially bring the best back to the pack. Really these are just snowballing problems from the AFL's previous obsession with getting to 18 teams ASAP... Just like the Grand Final venue was flagged as a potential problem MONTHS before they finally made the last-minute decision, the need to get started on these negotiations ASAP was also raised by many straight after last season, foreseeing the current situation. Likely it's more complex being a joint negotiation and needing to wait for TV rights to be sorted, but still. Completely foreseeable. -
Round 12 vs. Essendon Bombers Close, but not cigar! Watched this one in a COVID-induced haze, so I'll defer to the match report provided by Ethan Hibbert on the MFC website: https://www.melbournefc.com.au/news/1360457/vflw-demons-leave-it-too-late On a day that had wind conditions more suited to an empty paddock then a football field saw the Casey Demons VFLW team go down to the Essendon Bombers by five points, the finals score 3.7 25 to 4.6 30. It was extremely windy at Casey Fields with the goalposts themselves struggling to stay upright. A tight contest was on display with a Casey side looking to knock off a fellow final’s contender on their charge to a place in the final 6. Given the conditions, the game was extremely contested, and it became a battle of who can win the ball in the stoppage first. Casey were against the wind in the first term and their main objective was to prevent the advantage with the wind that the Bombers would build. Stoppage after stoppage was a story of the game with the Demons midfielders working overtime to allow no time and space on the ball and tackle at every opportunity they could. Essendon didn’t kick their first goal until halfway through the quarter and it was a decent start for the Demons. Another goal followed from a perfect centre clearance saw the Demons concede three for the first quarter. Roles reversed in the second and the Bombers were excellent, not allowing Casey to get the ball forward with the wind at all. Unfortunately, Ciara Burke’s goal was the only major for the term with the home side inaccurate in front of the goal, kicking five behinds. A factor that would prove costly later in the match. The third period for Casey was all about limiting the damage and keeping the margin as small as possible so they could try and claw it back in the final quarter. Also, inaccurate in front of goal, the Bombers kicked four straight behinds and only one goal in the third quarter and would have been worried that they didn’t kill the game. 19-points down, with the wind and Casey had all the belief going into the final term that they could claw back a result. Contest to contest, stoppage to stoppage, Essendon played the conditions perfectly to not allow the Demons opportunities to bring the game back. The Bombers forced the ball wide and out of bounds to kill the clock and make the task grow for the home team. In the hunt for a potential finals place, Casey had all the hope and motivation they needed. A Brooke Borchard goal in the sixth minute gave an even bigger boost of momentum and Casey could see the light at the end of the tunnel. Amber Kinnane converted to make it a one goal game with 4 minutes left. A behind from the centre clearance meant that a goal would be a game winning score for the Demons, but as they had done so expertly throughout the game, the Bombers held on. Flooding the backline with every player on the field and preventing any loose ball, the away side where able to hold on, winning by five points. The loss sees Casey now face an almost impossible chance of making finals. Mathematically, they can still slip in but the job at hand is enormous and requires other results to go their way, for the Demons to have the slightest of opportunities to play finals in 2023. Despite the disappointing outcome, Casey will be sure to play their best football and finish the year on a high for the remaining two rounds. CASEY DEMONS: 0.0 1.5 1.5 3.7 (25) ESSENDON BOMBERS: 3.2 3.2 4.6 4.6 (30) BEST: Burn, O'Neill, Fairchild, Phillips, Proy, Kinnane DISPOSALS: 25 Danckert, 21 Fairchild, 16 Burn, 14 Neal, 13 O’Neill
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Daisy Pearce calls time on a stellar career
Dees_In_October replied to Redleg's topic in Melbourne Demons
Obviously some kind of top-secret intel that will hold the key to the Dees' success when she gets back here. -
Daisy Pearce calls time on a stellar career
Dees_In_October replied to Redleg's topic in Melbourne Demons
I saw that too - so random! (I'm assuming it was some kind of glitch, but I like your conspiratorial thinking) -
Round 11 vs. Geelong Cats MATCH REPORT In for Casey were Bertrand (returning for her first VFLW game in almost four years), while the teenager Barnett from Old Melburnians came in for her debut. The Cats were weakened by a few injuries and also rested a couple of players. QTR 1 Casey got on the front foot straight away, trapping the ball inside fifty and peppering the goals. In stark contrast to games where attacking has been difficult, in the blink of an eye the Demons had five scores—unfortunately all points. You had to wonder if the inaccuracy would come back to haunt us, but it was a positive start against the ladder leaders. The pressure from our players was immense. This caused the Cats to struggle to hit a target as they were forced into repeated turnovers. Neal, working hard in and under, earned a HTB free kick thirty metres out, directly in front, and took Casey out to an 11-point lead. O’Neill with repeated efforts to lock the ball in was also rewarded with a holding the ball free and kicked truly. Late in the quarter Geelong finally managed some composed ball movement, trying to shift the Casey defence by changing the angles. They had some success in picking their way through, but the backline structure held up to ensure it was a shallow entry and spoiled to ground where there was plenty of support. A quick transition down the field saw Kirkwood, who’d been everywhere, find a paddock of space and she put one through on the siren to give Casey an impressive 24-point lead at the first change. QTR 2 In a similar pattern to the first, the Demons began the quarter with several shots on goal to no avail, though none were particularly straightforward. Midway through the quarter, Geelong got some control of the footy and finally got a mark inside fifty, which they converted into their first goal. Buoyed by that, they upped their intensity around the footy, but Casey responded in kind. A lot of the play was between the arcs, with neither side able to get much happening in an attacking sense. After a solid first quarter, the Dees managed to sustain the pressure and took a 21-point lead into half time. QTR 3 The first seven minutes of the third are lost to the sands of time, due to some kind of camera malfunction, or perhaps the cameraperson went to blow their nose after sniffing their way through the first half? According to their muttered voiceover, they’ll “get blamed for this somehow”, so good luck to them! Regardless, when vision returned (and the sniffing), the crowd was vocal, the score was still 21 points, and there was a real scrap for the footy on the wing. Soon after, O’Neill took a great lead-up mark and belted it to the advantage of Burke, who kicked a classy running snap to put Casey in a likely winning position. The intensity at the ball carrier continued and the game became quite congested, so there looked to be little danger of the game opening up to Geelong’s advantage. Their hopes were further weakened by the fact they were completely outsized in the ruck, though really Casey could have done more with that advantage at times. QTR 4 While there wasn’t much scoring action in the final term, Casey concentrated of sticking to the game plan that had set up things up in the first. They didn’t allow the Cats to get any kind of momentum and ground out the game to the siren for a well-earned win. This was a really even team effort, with the midfield’s pressure helping a well-structured backline and the forwards creating plenty of opportunities while making sure there were few easy exits for the opposition. While Geelong had more of the footy, Casey made sure they couldn’t do much with it, restricted them to 15 inside fifties compared to 39. The only flaw was the goal kicking, but coming into the game we’d take that score line every day of the week! The win means Casey’s finals chances are still alive with three rounds remaining and our players should take confidence that they can match it with the best. FINAL SCORE: Geelong Cats 2.2.14 Casey Demons 4.11.35 Casey goalkickers: O’Neill, Neal, Kirkwood, Burke VFLW standouts: Woolcock – 18 disposals, 5 marks, 6 tackles Fairchild – 20 disposals, 10 tackles, 7 clearances Neal – 18 disposals, 6 tackles, 5 clearances Kinnane – 16 disposals, 6 tackles, 5 clearances Danckert – 16 disposals, 11 tackles, 5 clearances AFLW listed: N/A Next week: BYE
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AFLW Preseason & Season Start Dates
Dees_In_October replied to Demonland's topic in AFLW Melbourne Demons
Pre-season starts today! A bit of news here and there- Interview with Lily Mithen, commenting on the upcoming season, the stability of the list and the next group of leaders: https://www.womens.afl/news/119677/dees-go-from-hunters-to-hunted-as-flag-defence-starts Another article notes that: "Melbourne's Irish sisters Blaithin and Aimee Mackin won't hit Australian shores until mid-August, as they represent their County Armagh in the All-Ireland Championship". Some interesting info here about the state of things regarding training times. https://www.womens.afl/news/119682 West Coast and Melbourne began having a daytime training session last year, with most other clubs now following. More players are now in part-time rather than full-time work/study, as a result of the pay increase last season and the focus on recruitment of younger players. Thanks to Kev's training reports, I'm also aware that in the past few weeks a couple of AFLW players have joined the men's training for a few sessions. I have no idea if this is happening at other clubs but wouldn't be surprised if it's another example of Melbourne leading the way and using a 'one-club' approach. Max Gawn on AFLW season length (still TBA for season 2023): https://www.theage.com.au/sport/afl/the-fans-want-more-gawn-backs-frustrated-aflw-players-call-for-longer-season-20230527-p5dbqu.html And here's a not especially surprising stat: -
Round 10 vs. Southern Saints MATCH REPORT The ins for this game included Mel Hogg, Caitlin Conroy, Steph Rummel, Ella Dempster and India Makai, while Emma Horne went out with an ankle injury. Last time these teams met back in Round 5, the Saints were the easy victors, with a comprehensive 42-point win at Casey Fields. I watched the first quarter of this game before heading off to the ‘G. The Demons were under the pump from the start, struggling to get the ball beyond the halfway line. The Southern Saints were in full control, and yet, our players’ commitment in defence was unwavering under an absolute onslaught of inside fifties—but was that sustainable? The Saints had missed a few they should have taken, after all. Our players looked pretty exhausted after a quarter of frenetic defending… Checking the scores en route, at halftime the Saints were 4.5 to Casey’s 0.2. I was afraid that when I tuned back in for the final score that, under sheer weight of numbers, a real shellacking would have occurred. Though, I was confident that pride and determination would prevent a goalless game from these players. The final score, while still a defeat, made for better than expected reading. I was impressed to see that the defence had remained strong, holding the Saints to a mere two points after halftime, plus our Dees had broken through for three goals in the last. That shows some fight, and the ability to play the game to the end no matter what, especially against more fancied opposition. Speaking of which, up next are ladder-leaders Geelong. Then to round out the season, Casey—now sitting in 9th, two games out of the six—plays Essendon (4th), Box Hill (3rd) and Port Melbourne (5th). We’re going to need every bit of that fight to make the cut! FINAL SCORE: Southern Saints 4.7.31 Casey Demons 3.5.23 Casey goalkickers: 2 Burke, O’Neill VFLW standouts: Woolcock – 21 disposals, 4 marks, 5 tackles Fairchild – 17 disposals, 7 tackles, 3 clearances Conroy – 8 disposals, 4 tackles – liked her defensive efforts in the part I saw Burke – 2 goals, 10 disposals, 3 tackles AFLW listed: N/A Next week vs. Geelong (1st) Saturday 3rd of June, 12:00PM Deakin University Geelong
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Round 9 vs. North Melbourne MATCH REPORT Casey lost Hogg to illness, while AFLW-listed Fowler and Sherriff were rested. Among the ins were former Magpie Proy, Neal, O’Connor and Woolcock. I tuned in just before halftime to see Casey stuck in a vortex of repeat stoppages in their defensive fifty. With the clock ticking down, the Demons were gritty. Just when I was celebrating their ability to prevent a score, a quick kick finally saw the ball exit the intense congestion, and Sheerin was waiting, switched on and ready to take the mark. A handy fifty-metre penalty saw her able to bolt up the field and send a spiral forward, which was collected by O’Neill who kicked truly from a distance. By playing right to the end, Casey was able to snag an important one in what had been a low-scoring affair to that stage. Casey by seven points at halftime, with both of the Demons’ goals coming via O’Neill. Casey was able to move the ball cleanly from the backline in the third, for goals to Fairchild and Danckert. We’ve definitely looked better in this regard in recent weeks and the forward connection is much stronger. Credit to the backline, who stood up when the ball was trapped in there for long periods. Special mention to Horne who despite being injured, went back into the fray before hobbling off. I guess we’ll never know what the goal for the Roos on the three-quarter-time siren looked like, as the cameraperson decided to focus on the scoreboard instead. That scoreboard showed the margin remained at seven points with two goals apiece for the quarter. Casey enjoyed some dominance out of the middle to start the last quarter and a third goal to O’Neill all but sealed the deal. From there, it was a bit of a scrap, with North kept to a solitary behind and the Demons, despite some good efforts, unable to make the most of some promising forays forward. Still, they kept the ball down there and got the win. That’s two wins on the trot and we climb to 8th on the ladder, in touch with the all-important top six. FINAL SCORE: Casey Demons 5.4.34 North Melbourne Kangaroos 3.3.21 Casey goalkickers: 3 O’Neill, Danckert, Fairchild VFLW standouts: O’Neill – 3 goals, 15 disposals, 6 marks. Such a crafty player when they can the ball in her hands. Just knows where the goals are and is super competitive at every contest. Swain – 62 hit outs (not a typo!), 4 clearances. Definitely making strides and adding to her game as the season goes on. She pretty much will always have size advantage, so loved seeing her taking it out of the ruck more, including for a goal (that was unfortunately disallowed). If she starts clunking those marks, watch out. Woolcock – 18 disposals, 3 marks. Was important in the defensive structure and had a big say in Casey’s ability to hold strong in that regard. Kirkwood – 13 disposals, 4 marks. Solid positioning and really led the way. Neal – 13 disposals, 12 tackles. Clean with the footy, intense without it. AFLW listed: N/A Next week vs. Southern Saints (2nd) Saturday 27th of May, 12:00PM RSEA Park
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Thankful to Kozzy and his family for allowing this to be filmed and shared with all of us, very generous. This was really thoughtfully put together. We've always got more to learn and there's so much opportunity through our connection with Narrm. I hope we can be better and better in this space. (On a side note, how about the kid greeting Trac, "Love your cooking TikToks"!)
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Gah! Not good! * goes to puppy thread *
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Round 8 vs. Williamstown Match report Coming back into the team were Borchard, Horne and Dowler, while Sherriff played her first VFLW game since the 2021 elimination final. On debut up forward was Mornington youngster Sophie Butterworth. This game was a pleasure to watch with that famous scenic backdrop down at Williamstown. FIRST QUARTER On return Borchard was quickly into the action, gathering a loose ball and kicking truly to get Casey on the board three minutes in. The forwards then combined well to set up an easy shot at goal for Williams, who converted. Casey was getting the ball forward, and deep forward, with more ease than I’d seen for many weeks. Then Williamstown started to find more of the footy and got a goal out the back halfway through the term. A quick reply came via the debutant in Butterworth who made the most of a downfield free kick with a nice set shot. A defensive lapse led to a late chance for Williamstown, but only a minor score. Casey by 11 points. SECOND QUARTER While no score eventuated, the quarter began with some of the cleanest work by Casey out of the middle for a while. A follow-up tackle from Swain at the forward stoppage opened the door for Danckert to gather. Keohane rode the tackle well and then released to Burn, whose quick kick under pressure was on target. Williamstown then trapped the ball in their fifty for much of the quarter, with the wall up. Enjoyed Burn on the mark as a Seagulls player was given an absolute age to take a set shot, yelling an exasperated “Hurry up!”, which I like to think played a part in the shank that followed. The Demons needed some composure to avoid dump kicking to get it out with more success. The inside fifties piled up and eventually Williamstown made good with their second and third goals, cutting Casey’s lead to four points at halftime. THIRD QUARTER More clean centre bounce work to start off the quarter, with Swain tapping neatly into the path of Sherriff who hit up a leading O’Neill. A scrap ensued and Casey peppered the goals for a bit, before the Seagulls did the same, with neither team able to land a blow. The pressure went up a notch, with both teams sniffing victory and having a red hot crack. The stalemate was broken after Williams cut off a Williamstown kick-in and sent a booming kick forward. Keohane was taken out of the subsequent contest and goaled from almost directly in front for a 12-point lead. The Dees then went back-to-back via Rigoni, who showed some dash out of the middle before following up inside fifty and earning a holding free kick and goal. Swain was crucial in this quarter, on the way to 35 hit outs for the game, and plenty of those to good advantage. Casey by 17 points at the final change. FOURTH QUARTER Williamstown nabbed an early goal after controlling a loose ball and pressed hard in the opening stages. Casey held up well under pressure, but with 10 minutes to play, it felt closer than the 12-point margin. Casey needed to keep attacking, but unfortunately, it was the opposition who managed to break free, with another goal out the back. A timely off-the-ball free kick was a gift, but the Dees were unable to capitalise, and it felt a little early to call it a handy point, which proved correct, as the Seagulls soon scored a point of their own, and there was again a straight kick in it. Off a last-touch free kick on the wing, with the clock ticking down, Williamstown opted to switch to the far side and eventually brought the ball all the way back inside fifty…where Swain held a crucial mark. Repeat stoppages, a nice spoil by Sherriff and the Dees were able to scramble the ball to the safety, metre by metre. And then came the sweet relief of the siren! Looks like it was nine players as first-time winners as Casey edged up to ninth on the ladder: FINAL SCORE: Williamstown Seagulls 5.6.36 Casey Demons 6.6.42 Casey goalkickers: Williams, Rigoni, Keohane, Butterworth, Burn, Borchard VFLW standouts: Hogg – 15 disposals, 3 marks, 3 tackles. Played a big role in defence and really led the way for her teammates. Easily the best mark in the team. Kirkwood – 14 disposals, 5 marks, 6 tackles. Crucial intercept marking and really stood up in the second half. O’Neill – 7 disposals, 2 marks. Was more impactful than the stats suggest, with strong hands and some good tackles. Danckert – 19 disposals, 10 tackles, 5 clearances. Showed off all her skills in one passage where she smothered on the wing, gathered the spilled footy, broke a tackle and then executed a one-two with a teammate before finding a free teammate by foot in the centre corridor. Borchard – 1 goal, 10 disposals, 3 marks. Was especially busy early. Rigoni (for our vested interest given her family ties) – Wearing #34, yes that’s the inverse of Guy’s #43, she played on the wing, for 1 goal, 10 disposals and 5 tackles. Switched on, quick and clean with the footy, including a tap to herself and gather at one stage. Her goal was a confident set shot from thirty or so metres out directly in front. AFLW listed: Fowler – 9 disposals, 6 tackles, 4 clearances. I’d actually noticed her dash of halfback a couple of weeks back, without connecting number to name. You can see she wants to break the lines and use her speed. Sherriff – 14 disposals, 5 tackles, 4 clearances. Still with some strapping on that arm she broke two AFLW Grand Finals ago. A little rusty at first but worked into it, running through the midfield and up forward, even a few cameos in the ruck. Next week: vs. North Melbourne (8th) Saturday 20th of May, 11:00AM Casey Fields