Dees_In_October

I remember when Gillard was drafted they said that would make her close to tallest in AFLW at the time. She and Caris are both 190cm. This being Lucy's first year in VFLW, those are some good signs. Both Wales are basketballers as well. It seems they haven't come through footy pathways like NAB league etc.

Yeah, both have put together some good games, with Lucy particularly influential in the ruck. I agree we ideally need Gillard, Zanker etc. taking or developing in the positions you mention. In terms of back-up rucks, there's also Caris, who did play games earlier this year. It's a gamble. It seems unlikely there'll be a serviceable ruck available to us in the draft. So a ruck/depth defender whose game is a known entity could be a smart choice.

ELIMINATION FINAL After a tight contest in the first quarter, in which Collingwood had much of the play, the Demons built off a strong defensive effort to take control in the second. It was a really switched on and professional performance to the end that saw Casey win its first ever final in the VFLW! A great result for the VFLW program off the back of five years of effort. Kudos to all involved. CASEY 1.0.6 4.1.25 4.3.27 7.3.45 COLLINGWOOD 0.0.0 0.2.2 1.3.9 1.4.10 Casey goalkickers: McCrossan 3 Angelis Harasimiuk Mitchell Dowler Casey disposal leaders: Hogg 23 Grant 18 Chaplin 17 McCrossan West 14 VFLW standouts: McCrossan – 3 goals, 14 disposals. Really crafty around the forward line and had a hand in many of Casey's goals. Hogg – 23 disposals, 4 tackles, 6 clearances. A real leader's game, a great competitor with poise and hardness when needed. Chaplin – 17 disposals, 5 marks, 7 tackles. Directed traffic off the back line and had numerous key defensive stops. Grant – 18 disposals, 3 marks. Cut off many forays forward by the Pies and helped set up attack the other way with effective disposal. Wales – 27 hit outs, 12 disposals, 3 clearances. Another strong ruck performance with great presence around the ground too. Also liked the game of Angelis (5 marks), who provided the marking option that this forward line often lacks. She showed some footy smarts and has a reliable set shot when she gets the chance. AFLW-listed: West – 14 disposals, 6 tackles, 4 clearances. Another good game with some strong midfield extractions and classy work by hand. Gillard – 8 disposals, 2 marks, 4 tackles. An influential game with great positioning, becoming a brick wall down the line that the Pies struggled to pass. Campbell – 2 disposals, 2 tackles, 7 hit outs. A quiet game but plenty of opportunity to improve in a big game next week. NEXT: It's a tough ask and a big challenge against an undefeated Essendon outfit who've had a dominant season. The winner goes through to the Grand Final, while the loser gets a second change in the Prelim. Second Semi Final: 11:05am, Sunday June 19, Windy Hill.

On the surface signing on a 34 year-old ruck who'll miss this season with an ACL seems unwise... But she'll go straight onto the inactive list, so won't take up a list spot. An ex-captain and described as a 'heart and soul' player for the Saints, so their decision to delist has not been well received. Apparently Melbourne listened to her ex-teammate's endorsement:

I guess not! By my reckoning, we've got 24 existing players listed, plus Ivey and Wilson. So 26. Updated Vic picks are 24, 27, 42, 51. Possibly could still elevate Goldrick and/or West from the rookie list if there are options there.

Petrevski departure made official and we've also lost youngster Simmons, who was yet to crack the team and had just made it back from injury into VFLW. https://www.womens.afl/news/94656?_ga=2.60496302.249922842.1654152283-2039777732.1654152283 Changes so far: IN OUT Wilson (Carlton) Pick 42 (Vic 23) Ivey (Geelong); Pick 51 (Vic 26) Parry, Scott (Geelong) Pick 50 Petrevski, Simmons (WC), Pick 77 Tarrant (Sydney)

Thanks Meggs. West, yeah, a remarkable rise. The kick - I was going to mention in a previous report but decided to refrain to wait and see some more. But on a small sample, I would say her technique has improved even since the AFLW season...in the sense that she has more of a technique. Though not the actual target-hitting part yet. It's not that she has bad habits formed, though, so just needs to get the hours in. Maybe one for Chocco and his taped footies :) I really hope we can keep Gillard. Goes against the usual wisdom about tall players' development - and she's the tallest of them all!

Experience and versatility - sounds good to me! Figure she'll play forward for us and hopefully be the lead-up marking target we've lacked.

Carlton fans not happy, say she didn't get enough game time this season. So that's a good sign. Definitely fills a need of ours. Also has Grand Final experience from 2019.

Sorry to see Scott go as an original player and one who gave a lot, often under the radar, in seasons past. I thought she might sneak in another season with us, even as depth. She obviously wants to play on, good for her, and expansion has helped with that. Seems like a win-win for all involved. Her experience will be highly valued at the Cats. Finger's crossed! So far, so good, I reckon. Agree Chaplin would be a good one to bring back on if possible. I really really really hope so. Apparently the new pay deal has caught attention in Ireland, so maybe she's got some more mates she can bring as rookies, too.

VFLW Round 14 Looking at the score you wouldn’t necessarily think this game was anything to write home about, but make no mistake, this was a really close, tough, contested game, with finals-like intensity. I’m pleased to report that Casey was more than able to match Essendon in this regard. The Demons had plenty of chances to take the game away from Essendon but just lacked the polish going forward to finish it off. They were without a big forward target and had to scrounge their goals on the fly. Casey dominated the clearances for much of the game; no mean feat against a powerful Dons side. The backline is also to be commended for keeping a star-studded forward line mostly under control. Casey was right in the game til the end and had some late chances but just couldn’t land a final blow, while Essendon were deadly with fewer opportunities throughout the game. ESSENDON 1.0 2.0 3.2 4.3.27 CASEY 0.2 1.4 2.8 2.9.21 Casey goalkickers: Fitzsimon 2 Casey disposal leaders: West 32, Johnson 28, Hogg, S.Wales 16, Fitzsimon 15 VFLW standouts: Blair – 10 disposals, 6 tackles, 2 clearances. While not in the best, she had some good moments, and showed some real run and flair in her second game for Casey. Hogg – 16 disposals, 4 tackles, 4 clearances. Another great game. Johnson – 28 disposals, 4 marks, 6 tackles, 6 clearances. Influential game—hitting the scoreboard for a major was the only part missing to top it off. S.Wales – 16 disposals, 26 hit outs, 4 marks, 6 tackles, 3 clearances. Played her part in the ruck in a game with plenty of ball ups plus got involved around the ground. AFLW-listed: Brown – 13 disposals, 6 tackles. Had some important moments and good under pressure. A bit of a forgotten player at AFLW level last season but could be handy. Campbell – 7 disposals, 4 marks, 5 hit outs. Has built her game across the season, crashing packs with more regularity and slowly but surely starting to take the marks she’s capable of. Chaplin – 9 disposals, 4 marks. Strong under pressure down back and often creative with the footy in hand in some tight situations. Fitzsimon – 2 goals, 15 disposals, 7 tackles. Clean and really classy around goal, which was obviously much needed. Gillard – 7 disposals, 4 tackles. Played in the backline and put in a solid game, showing off some more versatility. Heath – 13 disposals, 7 tackles, 4 clearances. Had a great start in the middle, finding the footy, and then played a big part given the contested style. West – 32 disposals, 9 tackles, 10 clearances. Another huge game. So good in close and busts through packs like few others. That brings the home and away season to a close, with Casey achieving their best ever finish in VFLW: 3rd. It's been a steady rise since joining the league: 10th in 2018; 8th in 2019; and 4th in 2021 (with the 2020 season called off). NEXT: Pre-finals bye and then an elimination final. According to the Second McIntyre Final 6 System, that will be a home final against 6th-placed Collingwood, who have a 7-7 win-loss record but have finished the season strongly.

Yeah, harsh but not surprising. They've always been content to weaken the established clubs during expansion, and as one of the most established clubs, yep, we lose out. They didn't 'punish' the successful clubs during the other expansions, so of course now that our success has shown through, they've added that while Adelaide have cruised along for years unrestricted. To be fair, we've done very well out of the previous expansions compared to most others, though that seems to be down to good list management and a good culture, plus very little 'go home' factor among the recruits selected (the latter being a big thing for Brisbane, for example, who initially recruited heavily from Vic). Again, victim of our own success. Of the three confirmed losses, only Tarrant qualifies as a loss to expansion so far. I don't know the ins and outs of the points system, but annoyingly I bet her points value won't reflect her actual talent - she'd have broken into and stayed in most other teams this season. Hopefully there'll be transparency about the totals as the trading unfolds. As for who else would be ok to let go, it's a tough one. Tarrant, Parry and Petrevski were the obvious ones. Then there's Scott (but she'd be unlikely to play on elsewhere). Magee - again, would she be picked up by an expansion team? Unlikely. That's if she's continuing Aussie Rules. Sherriff and Mithen if we're really that keen on the first round pick? At risk of being lured? No clue! The vibe is extremely positive, but it always looks like that from the outside. Who knows, maybe they're all deeply dissatisfied and we'll get to those 28 points with ease?

Agree, we need some spark in that role and I thought Fellows was an obvious fit - has played a great VFLW season at Casey, tohugh I guess that's over now. Left field, but Heath played up forward this week at VFLW. She's so important in the backline, so not sure about that as a long-term idea, but think of the forward pressure. Hopefully the recruiters have something up their sleeve.

VFLW Round 13 Big shake-up at selection with several changes, including some AFLW names and Charlotte and Amelie Blair on debut from the Dandenong Stingrays. I think I also spotted maybe ex-Dee Petrevski as the runner, which was good to see. Casey set up the win early with five goals in the first. Carlton had a revival in the third, scoring three unanswered goals, with some defensive lapses and poor decision-making from Casey’s backline, plus a few turnovers in dangerous parts of the ground. At the three-quarter time address, based on a bit of lip-reading and the maxed-out volume on my video, Casey was asked to lift their work rate and hardness at the footy. They responded to take back control in the last, though they didn’t do the scoreboard damage they’d have liked. CARLTON 1.0.6 1.1.7 4.1.25 5.1.31 CASEY 5.4.34 7.7.49 7.10.52 9.12.66 Casey goalkickers: Fitzsimon 2, Angelis, Conroy, Heath, Johnson, Mitchell, Simmons, Wales Casey disposal leaders: West 30, Johnson 19, Fitzsimon 18, Chaplin, Hogg 17 Standouts: Conroy – 1 goal, 12 disposals, 3 marks, 5 tackles, 4 clearances. Liked her presence and physicality around the ground. Johnson – 1 goal, 19 disposals, 4 tackles. Benefited from having West in there to share the grunt work and found plenty of space. L.Wales – 24 hit outs, 15 disposals, 3 marks, 4 tackles. Great work in the ruck with pressure around the footy and marked strongly to kick Casey’s last goal. AFLW-listed: Chaplin – 17 disposals, 5 tackles. Solid defensive work, especially under fire in the third. Fitzsimon – 2 goals, 18 disposals, 4 tackles. A class above and such a hard worker. Big things coming in AFLW Season 7. Heath – 1 goal, 14 disposals, 8 tackles. Didn’t realise she was out there such was Casey’s dominance in the first. Then I spotted a player tackling hard and with a familiar-looking tenacity, and yep, Heath. She was swung forward in the second half and crumbed a good goal and sprayed another. Simmons – 1 goal, 9 disposals, 4 tackles. Caught a few times but a patient, 40-metre plus kick into the forward fifty late in the game was a positive. West – 30 disposals, 6 marks, 9 clearances. Was in everything particularly in the first half, having a direct hand in at least three of Casey’s first goals. Casey remains third on the ladder, two games clear of Geelong, and half a game short of Hawthorn. NEXT: The last game of the H&A season is against ladder leaders Essendon 11.15AM on Saturday May 28 at Windy Hill.

"the AFL haven't learnt from their previous mistakes" - shock! Yeah, just imagine an eight team competition right now! That would be a great standard! Interestingly, there's a good percentage of AFLW fans who aren't "traditional" footy fans who follow the men's league. I saw some stats on this that were surprising! The fanbase also comprises a fair percentage of former fans returning to the game after becoming disillusioned or losing interest in the AFL for whatever reason. Getting the game out of summer might draw back some fans who've melted out at Casey along the way. I know for me that's been a major stumbling block in my attempts to recruit fans who are otherwise keen but don't want to stand around in 35 degree heat with no shade at the height of summer. Obviously the AFL will also be after the big numbers, being those who already follow men's footy. Club loyalty is the biggest driver there and (for the four new teams) that initial novelty factor. But you're right, the quality has to hold up or they'll lose interest. Notably, one of the obstacles to quality that players speak about constantly is how the standard reached so far has in part occurred on a voluntary basis during the off-season and outside of the 15 contracted hours per week in season. Hopefully the new pay deal will help with that. The AFL is also clearly banking on the quality of the draftees coming through...not sure what's happening for the Year 12s and the early draft and August season start, which again, a foreseeable problem! I guess the question is, would a longer season drive quality faster than better pay that allows a higher and more prolonged standard of training? I have no idea. Both and fewer teams would be the absolute ideal, but clearly that's not possible.

The AFL is going for the option that opens up the most pathways for as many players as possible, with the flow-on effect from the community-level up = more fans, more money. That's the idea anyway. If they wanted to prioritise quality at the top tier there are about a million things they'd have done differently starting seven years ago, so that ship has long sailed. They can't plead ignorance about about players wanting more games if there were more teams though. The exact same thing was the main sticking point in the last CBA, that caused that process to stall. The group of players who stood up in 2019 managed to force a 10 game H&A season plus finals series for the 2022 season just gone (the AFL were wanting 8, for a 14-team comp). Those players in 2019 were looking ahead as well, managing to get an agreement that 13 H&A games wouldn't be off the table for the current round of negotiations (this was before the final expansion was announced). Obviously that hasn't come to much, but at least it wasn't a foregone conclusion! The AFL put the negotiations under massive pressure by (unilaterally) bringing the next season forward, which at least seems to have worked in the players' favour re: pay. Without that pay increase, there would have been big player numbers lost after the tumult of this season. That would have put the AFL in a difficult position due to expansion. Additionally, the AFL has long held that working towards professionalisation/full-time hours in-season etc. was off the table until all clubs were in the comp. That's now, so that's another reason for the pay changes being pushed through. So, in prioritising expansion while simultaneously experimenting with the season timing, they've been forced into higher pay, but at the expense of a reasonable season length. Something had to give. May the fixturing gods be in our favour. On the bright side, to be the best you've got to beat the best...

Yeah, for these players it's often a choice being made in order to continue to play AFLW in the long term or even short term. I think Petrevski's got plenty to contribute, we just didn't get to see her best at the Dees due to injury and lack of opportunity. She's made some major sacrifices from a young age to follow her footy and I'm sure she'll get another go. The departures so far (Tarrant, Parry and Petrevski) have basically been those right on the fringe last season, which stands to reason. There are only a couple yet to debut on the list at this stage. Despite the strong season the coaches have managed, assisted by Covid, to have a look at what we've got. Interestingly, with those departures, apart from the Irish players and Harris, we now have a completely Victorian list. Age breakdown for the current list of 27 is: 18-21 = 8 players 22-25 = 12 26-29 = 3 30-33 = 2 34+ = 2

Round 12 This week I had a look at the replay and even managed to navigate to the video without seeing the score, a feat in itself! After an arm wrestle for the first several minutes, with the ball stuck between the arcs, Casey took control and were never challenged, though they'd have liked to take more of their chances around goal. Port hit the scoreboard with a point seven minutes into the third. PORT MELBOURNE 0.0.0 0.0.0 0.1.1 1.4.10 CASEY 3.2.20 5.7.37 7.9.51 9.12.66 Casey goalkickers: Harasimiuk, Mitchell 2, Borchard, Clarke, Fellows, Simmons, Horne Casey disposal leaders: Johnson 24, O'Connor 20, Chaplin, Hogg 19, Harasimiuk, Clarke 15, Kirkwood 15 Stand-outs: Fellows – 1 goal, 14 disposals. A highlight was the first major of the game, a three-bounce running goal in which she covered about 40m before steadying perfectly. One for the draft highlights video; she's the only Casey player to be invited to the draft combine and looks a likely prospect. Has been a train-on players with Dees AFLW. Johnson – 24 disposals, 5 marks, 6 tackles. So strong around the footy, capped off by effective forward entries. O'Connor – 20 disposals, 4 marks. Really solid down back. Harasimiuk – 2 goals, 14 disposals. Worked hard, was super involved and took her chances in front of goal. Hogg – 19 disposals, 4 clearances. A player to rely on, always makes an impact, loves to shrug a tackle and usually succeeds. Clarke – 15 disposals, 3 marks. A 17-year-old from the Dandenong Stingrays on debut, kicked a nice snap in close quarters to take Casey to a 56-point lead late in the game. Horne – 1 goal, 11 disposals, 3 marks, 4 tackles. Clean around the stoppages, good positioning. Kicked a somewhat flukey goal that was reward for effort, in which she shrugged a tackle to find space on the boundary, 40m out, and mongrelled a centring ball forward, which bounced through. Borchard – 1 goal, 10 disposals. Neat kicker and quick hands to set up teammates and was rewarded for her hard work with a goal. AFLW-listed Campbell – 12 disposals, 4 marks, 9 hit outs, 3 clearances. Took some strong marks, crashed some packs, found some good positioning and is working on her goal kicking. Chaplin – 19 disposals, 4 marks, 3 tackles. Read the ball well to cut off many Port forward attempts. Simmons – 1 goal, 13 disposals, 3 marks. She's working her way back from injury but definitely got more involved on the wing as the game went on, attempting two running goals on the left and finding success with the second. Another of those tall, athletic wing and midfield types with surprising agility for her size. The run home… Keeping an eye on the ladder, I hoped that first- and second-placed Essendon and Hawthorn would have a draw in their Sunday match-up…and they did! That means Casey is in striking distance of a top-two finish (for the double chance), but it will be a tough ask, with Hawthorn having two likely wins to round out the season and Casey facing top-placed Essendon in the final round. NEXT: 9th-placed Carlton at 11AM on Saturday May 21 at Ikon Park.

All the focus on Tayla should have helped out players like Scott and Parry, but it clearly didn't. Hopefully Scott can be re-energised for one last crack.

Yeah, I don't think anyone here will be surprised or overly concerned by this. Of course, just watch her start clunking everything and kicking bags wherever she ends up.

They've lost a couple more (Mules and Foley) but neither would be considered key players at this stage.

Brenna Tarrant (15 games, pick 72 in the 2019 draft) has requested and received a trade to Sydney after failing to hold her spot in 2022. No surprises here - she's too talented for VFLW and will get plenty of opportunities at Sydney, plus a move home to NSW. Other trade and signing news is slow due to everything waiting on the CBA and broadcasting negotiations. I guess the only player 100% confirmed so far is Daisy!

Round 11 Based on my viewing of the second half - in time to see the comeback that just fell short, though certainly not through lack of trying in slippery conditions. Worth it for Mitchell's goal of the year contender - left foot, from the pocket, awesome. CASEY DEMONS 0.1.1 0.1.1 3.2.20 3.3.21 COLLINGWOOD 2.1.13 3.2.20 4.3.27 4.7.31 Casey goalkickers: Conroy, Mitchell, S.Wales Casey disposal leaders: Johnson 20 Grant 19 Hogg 17 Gillard 15 Horne 14 VFLW stand-outs: Johnson - 22 disposals, 10 tackles, 5 clearances Grant - 19 disposals Hogg - 17 disposals, 6 clearances Horne - 14 disposals, 9 tackles, 3 clearances L.Wales - 8 tackles, 22 hit outs Mitchell - Goal of the year contender! AFLW-listed players: Gillard - 15 disposals, 5 marks, 5 tackles, 17 hit-outs Simmons - 5 disposals, 1 mark, 5 tackles Still impressed with Gillard; she does a bit of everything and most of all, top-notch second efforts at a really consistent level for a young player. Hopefully will see her get some more games in the AFLW team later this year. Casey have slipped to 3rd place, notably behind the two Victorian teams building towards their AFLW debut: Essendon and Hawthorn, who match up next week. Next: 11th-placed Port Melbourne at 1.10PM on Saturday May 14 at Port Melbourne