Dees_In_October

Kat Smith presented her jumper so maybe her? Glad Sarah gets another go around this week, but as soon as someone else becomes fit, unfortunately that's it for her per the rules.

Yep, we sure did look better. The flow on effect of having L.Pearce was crucial, freeing up Zanker, Scott and Cordner to play more of their natural roles and in turn taking pressure off each line. Agree with others that, while they didn't exactly set the world on fire, Cunningham and Newman were improved. Seven individual goalkickers reflected a team effort - especially that chain of handballs to set up Scott, started by Newman on the boundary. We had the 2nd highest number of marks i50 and 2nd best disposal efficiency for Round 4. Was great to see Parry do so well on debut, joining the "goal with first kick" club. Time will tell if her massive goalkicking numbers in the Canberra league will translate at the top level. Clearly recruited to help our goalkicking, wish she could've been out there sooner. This was the 25th game for both Paxman and O'Dea, meaning they've played every possible game for us so far. No mean feat across 4 seasons. Scott will likely notch up her 25th in R5. For reference, the players with the most games in the league are 2 Adelaide players with 28. Some stats for the mid-way point of the season: league-wide Paxman is 7th for disposals (avg. 20.3 at 70% eff.), 7th for metres gained, 10th for contested possessions and eq. 5th in i50s. Daisy is averaging 14 at 71% and is eq. 5th in intercept possessions (Birch is eq. 6th). Scott is equal 4th in score involvements, Hore is eq. 6th, Zanker is eq. 12th. Hanks is 8th in tackles. Looking ahead to next week, we might actually face some selection dilemmas! Mithen is apparently ready to go. The obvious switch would have been Heath, but she already went out last week. With appendicitis because, of course. Our injury stress lessens slightly, with now 3 fit players outside the 21, although we're clearly not going to be as fresh as other teams. Every game's a danger game from here on out! We have two games left at Casey, so get along if you can.

My thoughts are mainly: WHAT A SHOCKER! Yep, that classic danger game. When I said last week "watch out for Greiser", who knew it would come to such devastating fruition. What a kick though. Wish she was ours. Patrikios too. 18 years old! Scott's kick was pretty good too. It seems like the conditions in the first few weeks really did disguise our flaws, the same ones since year 1: goalkicking and fwd 50 efficiency. And it felt like our ruck situation really started to have its toll. Cordner is 9th in the league hitouts, which is a good effort and all for a non-ruck but can't come close to the quality of L.Pearce. And there isn't a single Demon in the top 10 clearance players (Paxman and Gay are 13th). Cunningham was MIA and needed to capitalise when she did get it, which she failed to do. Wasn't alone there, of course. What bothered me was the number of times a Saints player was able to touch set shots on the line, uncontested. Where were our talls? I actually thought Newman was quite lively, but she needs to hit the scoreboard soon. Still, we haven't got much choice in selections. Unless L.Pearce, Parry and Mithen are recovered, with Guerin out, we're at 22 players and need to select 21. This was the kind of performance I'd actually expected in the first few rounds. To be honest, both North and the Bulldogs really failed advantage in the way they should have. The Saints played our weaknesses well. The way they'd pushed Adelaide the week before marked them as the expansion side with the most potential. Their defensive pressure was great and played a part in preventing us from getting the scrappy goals we've relied on in the first two rounds. We needed to put them away early or they were always going to put everything into getting that first win. Two players down didn't help, but we still should have been able to grind it out. We won basically every stat except the one that matters, so none of this was through lack of effort. We had the top 5 fantasy point players (not always the most reliable of measures, but does say something). It was just the finishing. Daisy is 3rd in the comp in intercept possessions - but do we need her to be the one making more of those i50s? I appreciated the efforts of Paxman (26 disposals), Hore, Zanker (8 tackles) and Hanks (who led with 9 tackles) in particular. After our great marking performance in the wet, Hore seemed to the only one who brought her hands to this game! As an aside, well done to the Saints who really pulled out all stops to make for a great atmosphere at Moorabbin. Even in the frustration of a defeat and a woeful attacking performance, I was pleased for their fans. Next week? Who knows. The potential return of L.Pearce and Mithen could give us a much-needed shake-up. Do we persist with the likes of Cunningham and Newman? At Docklands...I lean towards yes but am by no means confident. Still, at the start of the season, all things considered, I would have seen 2-1 as a win.

Great win last weekend. Daisy - 100% kicking efficiency before half time in the wet. Tyla Hanks - getting a young footballer's education as a negative mid; great to see, since her offensive side is so strong as well. The Irish duo - all class, please run the clip from the 1987 prelim during the week, just to be sure. Kemp - super sad, deserved some luck. Hoping we can bring our hunger and discipline to some dry and still (surely!) conditions tomorrow night. Cunningham and Newy, it's your time to shine. I wonder if we've been able to upgrade a train-on, as with Kemp out that takes the list down to 23, assuming that Parry isn't yet fit. Likely to be Guerin or maybe a debut for Brenna 'snakes in the library' Tarrant. The Saints were strong against an injury-stricken Crows last week and have a solid mix of experience and top-class youth. Watch for Patrikios and the new 'G-train' in Greiser.

Late to the game here, but I welcome any and all research on this topic. It absolutely falls under reasoned and justified discussion of the league, purely because, for top-level footy, it's a completely new area that all (or most) players, teams and clubs have to learn to address. This goes down to changeroom design, training of coaches in this regard, and so on. People who say that if there is a link to injury, then women shouldn't be playing, blatantly ignore the massive health and social benefits that the many players who'll never do an ACL enjoy. More research can only help, given that men's bodies have historically often been the default in medical science. There'll be more and more data as women's sports (particularly contact ones) move into better-resourced, semi-professional territory. Probably if menstruation is a factor in ACL injuries, it's likely to be a risk factor that coincides with several others to create a 'perfect storm' scenario. Anecdotally, it feels like there are fewer ACL injuries at VFLW level, for example, but that's just an impression not actual numbers. On a slightly different angle, openness about menstruation, while uncomfortable to some, is of vital importance for girls and young women's continued engagement with sport. It's not so much about someone's cycle impeding their ability to play (there's wide variation in the impact for individuals), it's the stigma and silence around it that causes worries - without going into too much detail - about uniform design, facilities and access to knowledge about how to manage it or even who to turn to for that support. I hope AFLW can be part of addressing that - I've gone into it here just because, how often does this topic come up on Demonland! ?

Usually I'd have something to add when I stroll in here mid week but everyone's already covered the main points. (Plus the traditional derail that must occur in every AFLW convo, yawn. Got to say that most Dees supporters commenting here seem to understand the context of the league better than the average AFL men's fan...no surprise there, of course ?). Love seeing the enthusiasm for an unexpected win here after the loooong offseason! My favourite thing about watching footy is seeing players develop and improve, picking out the ones with potential and then (hopefully!) seeing that realised at the highest possible level. Obviously, AFLW has that in spades, so for that and many other reasons, I find it very enjoyable. So there are are two players I do want to highlight who I didn't see mentioned up thread. Shelley Heath and Harriet Cordner. Heath is one that I could see great potential in when she debuted in 2019. Her game on the weekend, especially when it was there to be won in the last quarter, showed all of that starting to come together. She just went and went and went, super tenacious and looked really fresh as other players tired. Harriet is a sentimental favourite for obvious reasons but she's improved so much over the first 3 seasons and had a big VFLW campaign, winning Casey's B&F (Birch, Zanker and Jakobsson were joint Runners-up, for those playing at home). It was a massive task for her to shoulder most of the ruck duties against North's ruck duo, particularly King, who is some 10 cm taller and much more experienced in the role. Harriet did a great job and was well supported by her teammates. Here's some photographic evidence of her efforts (credit to Cassidy Captured photography). Ok, so I guess I had a bit to say after all. Go Dees!

With no true ruck available, Cordner/Zanker/Scott it is for now. In retrospect we were lucky to get away with 1 ruck in the last few seasons. We'll no doubt be looking to develop L.Pearce's eventual replacement sooner rather than later. As for this game...if it's open and free-flowing, we're probably doomed. A scrap is the only way I can see us getting over the line, we're really up against it. Maybe Casey conditions can help us instead of hindering for once! Looking forward to seeing some new players and the continued development of the rest. Go Dees!

Yep. And ACL rate is definitely higher. Around 5 times the rate of the men per 1000 playing hours (has declined each season though). I think there are lots of reasons behind this. Obviously, women's bodies are built differently but Aussie Rules-based sports science has focused on men's bodies, so research is needed into best preparation for women for the top level, which is happening. Plus not having access to the same level of coaching/preparation/resources in their junior careers (if they had one at all). Then, to get their bodies right for a whole new level of competition for 8 or so weeks of the year, and trying to squeeze it all into 10 hours a week of training...prehab/prevention might be first to go out the window. All speculation on my part. Interestingly, there are some injuries where the men suffer much worse than the women. From memory, hamstring, hip, groin type injuries haven't occurred with anywhere near the same frequency for women. Again probably comes down to the differences in bodies and the different loads due to the season structures. It's interesting but difficult to compare at this early stage.

The hits keep coming (Mithen now out til Round 4; Cunningham, Hore and Kemp facing tests) and I don't feel any the wiser about our best 21. So, instead of trying to put together a best 21, I've attempted to group the list by automatic selections, the rest in contention and those who are ruled out completely. It's too close for me to call between the 9 potentially fit players outside the automatic selections. It's a mix of unproven/young players like Parry, Goldrick, McEvoy, Petrevski and Tarrant, plus slightly more seasoned/known quantities like Sherriff, Kemp, Guerin and Colvin. Very exciting for many of these players who now have a good look at a debut - who knows what we might uncover! With Mithen out, do we run Daisy more in the midfield than expected? Or give more time to Heath/Hanks/Guerin. If Cunningham's out, do we put Cordner forward or put pressure on potential debutant Parry to hit the scoreboard? Worst case scenario, no Cunningham, Hore and Kemp available for R1 would leave us with just 1 fit player outside the 21...easy for selection, very rough for our chances against the Roos (who are a strong premiership contender by my reckoning). I'm not sure if the ability to upgrade train-on players kicks in at 23 fit players including all injuries/absences or just season-long injuries/absences. Some teams seem to have been able to do this without getting down to 23, so not sure what the exact rule is. Either way, any more injuries short or long-term will sink us completely. Automatic selections (16): Downie, Cordner, Birch, Lampard, D.Pearce, O'Dea, Scott, Hanks, Newman, Zanker, Paxman, Gay, Emonson, Heath, Cunningham (test, quad), Hore (test, shoulder) In contention (9): Guerin, Colvin, Goldrick, Parry, Kemp (test, ankle), Sherriff, Tarrant, Petrevski, McEvoy Ruled out until around R4 (2): L.Pearce (knee), Mithen (ankle) Ruled out for season (3): Sloane (knee), Smith (knee), Jakobbson (work)

The stars aligned for me to attend the practice game at Olympic Park in lovely conditions today. Plenty of fans from both teams in attendance, plus lots of tennis fans in the vicinity, with one American overheard to ask, “Is this rugby?” No doubt the Dees were happy with the lack of travel to the venue and to head back to base at half time and post-game. The game started off with some class shown by the club: The injured: Saw L.Pearce, walking fairly well (no crutches) but she looks a ways off yet. Kat Smith and Shae Sloane were also both in attendance. Jakobsson (sitting out the season to join the police) was also around, which was great after a tough but wise decision. Players who sat out the game: Kate Hore and Tegan Cunningham (slight strapping on a quad but moving fine). By my reckoning, all of the other 24 fit players took to the field at various stages. I was struck immediately in the warm-up by how sharp, focused and well-organised our drills were compared to Collingwood’s whose (in my biased opinion) seemed a little lacklustre and lacking intensity. Some rambling impressions: McEvoy (one of the Irish recruits) is super quick. In fact, her and the other Irish player, Goldrick, were both noticeably pacey. I was impressed by their attack on the footy and involvement with the game, in particular their pressure and movement with ball in hand. There was a classic cross-code moment when Goldrick broke the lines off half back and dashed through the centre square, only to forget to bounce. No running over the mark 50-metre penalties though ;) They’re clearly both excellent athletes who’ve come far already. Goldrick is apparently one of the best ever ladies Gaelic defenders and both are stars at Dublin. Colvin (an ex-Darebin player) is exactly as expected and will hopefully give us some of the physical presence we’ve lacked since Cranston’s departure. I was most impressed with our marking, especially in the backline. Several players (Cordner, Parry or maybe it was Colvin, Birch, Sherriff, Zanker, Downie and Daisy) took strong contested marks or positioned themselves well to intercept. This is the area we’ll most miss Jakobbson, who has some of the best hands in the league, but hopefully others (particularly Birch) will fill that void and others have clearly improved. Collingwood did a fair amount of dump kicking which did help. It seemed like Guerin and Heath were playing negative mid roles against some of Collingwood’s big names. Love it when Emonson’s got the ball in her hands—always got time. Good game by Heath as well. I can see Hanks playing more midfield in the future. Zanker, Scott and Cordner shared the ruck. They went okay up against the taller Collingwood duo. It’s not going to be easy, but all 3 are players that can be relied on to give it a crack and sacrifice their games for the team. Paxman was her usual self. O’Dea looked a little rusty with her disposal. Daisy played about 3 quarters and I might be over-stating it, but it was pretty much like she’d never missed a game. As predicted by many, she played off half back, which suits her ability to read the play and set up others very well. I reckon they all walk a little taller with her out there. *Disclaimer: All of the above opinions are based on possible misidentification of new players and less than focused attention in the second half due to running into friends and several phone call distractions! The goalkickers were Kemp, Sherriff, Heath, Hanks, Cordner and Scott. We controlled the ball better and were able to hit the scoreboard in the second half when play opened up. Collingwood made many more forward entries, especially in quarters 1 and 3, but were inaccurate, their first goal coming in the 3rd. FINAL SCORE Pies 3.6.24 Dees 6.3.39 Considering the absence of Hore and Cunningham, and with Zanker pushed up the ground for ruck duties, it’s not shabby. Most set shots were goals, which should be a major focus this season. Injuries: Mithen – ankle early on, didn’t seem overly concerned. Newman – taken down hard in a tackle as she tried to sprint for goal in typical style. Is wearing a helmet this season so hopefully taken off just as a precaution. Kemp – started off up forward and kicked a nice goal. Later came off (apparently an ankle injury). I believe she’s playing without an ACL after re-doing it early in the 2019 VFLW season…I just hope the injury gods can smile on her for once. Guerin – minor calf complaint. According to Stinear, aside from Kemp, all should be right to go Round 1. All in all, the best 21 is more hotly contested than I'd expected after the player losses, but I’ll have a go at some point before Round 1.

FIXTURE UPDATE Melbourne will now play their Round 4 game on Friday 28th of February against Collingwood at Marvel Stadium. The game was originally fixture at Victoria Park. It will be a double header with the men's State of Origin Bushfire Relief event. Times TBA (hopefully not 4pm or something ridiculous). Really glad this has come together as I wasn't looking forward to choosing between events. And glad that both comps can be involved in a very worthy cause.

True, it's all very unpredictable. I was trying to figure out what we'll need to do for a top 3 conference finish and I kept ending up with different teams in the top 3! I have a sneaking suspicion about the Saints... Possibly we could put Daisy in Smith's place? It'd be a real luxury to ease her in mainly behind the ball. I'll get down to training soon to get a better idea of where we're at and what the ruck plan is. And figure who's who of the new players.

Another update, again not great news. Shae Sloane and Kat Smith will both miss the season due to ACL injuries. Same knee as last year for Sloane. This is apparently Smith's first serious injury in 13 years of footy, so new territory for her. Best of luck to both for a smooth recovery. Not sure if replacements can be added for season-long injuries like this. As always, the silver lining is this does open up some opportunities for new players who, especially in the case of Smith's position, might have struggled to break in otherwise. A month to go!

Some updates on preseason so far and the plan for the next phase after Christmas. https://www.melbournefc.com.au/news/550619/aflw-program-just-ramping-up-stinear In some bad news, Lauren Pearce will miss the first half of the season due to injury. https://www.melbournefc.com.au/news/550498/ruck-pearce-to-face-delayed-start I was just thinking the other day (after Freo's ruck did her ACL) that she's the only player we'd hate to lose! The upside is that she hadn't returned to full training anyway, so they'd been effectively training with her absent already - clutching at straws perhaps... I guess we put Zanker in the ruck, Cordner to pinch hit and maybe one of the tall newbies gets a chance up forward. Unfortunate that we play North first up, since we struggled with their height last time. This doesn't do our chances any good at all. Still, the return of the 'other' Pearce and the continued improvement of our young players are some things to look forward to! I aim to get along to training in the new year and would be interested in everyone's thoughts on best 21 for round 1 as it gets closer.

The Irish players are rookies so we didn't use any picks to get them. Freebies! The lack of early picks was basically due to expansion and our trade for Birch. The Daisy thing kind of makes sense to me. We lost her, got Sherriff as her replacement. To bring Daisy back, we either had to get rid of Sherriff or use a pick to keep her. Based on her VFLW form, I think worth it for a known quantity. It's hard to know how we'll go next year. St Kilda and Richmond's lists have essentially played together in the state league; less the case for West Coast and Gold Coast. Brisbane and Freo were ravaged by expansion. As were the Bulldogs, but they've got the cream of the crop in the draft, players that might have immediate impact like Prespakis this year. The Pies come in off a VFLW Premiership and looked very strong at that level - will it translate? As for us, we do have one of the most stable lists and have been on the edge of finals each year. Never forget that we had more H&A wins than the Runner-up this year! Still, we'll certainly need some players to step up because the standard continues to rise. I have zero concerns about Birch though. I can see the thinking behind the players we got at the draft, which is reassuring! I love that Colvin's highlight reel is pretty much bumps and tackles. It was good also to see a couple of Casey players get picked up: co-captain Garner and Bentvelzen.

Rounding out the VFLW season, here are the Casey B&F awards for 2019. Unsurprisingly, the AFLW-listed players dominated the B&F count, with that famous Dees name ending up top. It might be in the blood, but you'd be hard pressed to find a more committed and hard-working player than Harriet Cordner. Best & Fairest Winner - Cordner Joint 2nd - Birch, Jakobsson, Zanker Most Improved - Dyson Rising Star - Winbanks Coaches Award - Garner Casey Trademark & Values Award - Hanks

Also of note for Dees fans - Melbourne's AFLW ruck, Lauren Pearce, won the VFLW Best & Fairest (albeit not playing for Casey). I won't duplicate here, but more info on the VFLW awards on the other forum!

The winner of the VFLW Best & Fairest is Melbourne's own Lauren Pearce, who dominated in the ruck for Darebin in 2019. Pearce won with 18 votes from Conti (Richmond, 16 votes) and McIntosh (Essendon, 14 votes). The award itself is now named partly after the 'other' Pearce, Daisy, herself a 6-time winner. A humble and deserving winner, Lauren is a great asset to our AFLW team and a loyal player for Darebin. After being the runner-up in the 2018 count, Lauren led the way in an inexperienced 2019 Darebin side. While this meant there weren't many players to take votes off her, gaining votes so consistently in a team that won few games speaks to her influence across the league. Pearce was named in the VFLW Team of the Year as captain. Casey Demons Libby Birch and Bianca Jakobsson also won Team of the Year honours. Casey's votes in the VFLW B&F: Jakobsson 10 (5th overall) Cordner 8 Birch 5 Winbanks 4 Emonson, Scott 3 Smith, Mithen, Guerin, Garner 2 Johnson, Bailey, Tatterson 1

Casey VFLW finished on a high with a 57-point victory over NT Thunder! Also surely the first time the VFLW team has kicked the highest score of the weekend for the Dees? The match venue was changed from Casey Fields to Skybus stadium. It was clear and even sunny conditions, though there was a strong breeze about. For selection, I got my wish, with Casey fielding its lowest number of AFLW-listed players since mid-way through the season. On the other hand, NT Thunder has continued to be weakened by injury, plus all the travel, and apparently had 3 emergencies step in. Casey had the wind advantage in the first and were quick to capitalise. In fact, it was apparent from the get-go that the team was switched on and a step ahead. Suffice to say, bursts of 4 and 5 goals in the 1st and 3rd quarters, respectively, tell the story of the game. It was also young ruck Winbanks' best game of the year, a truly dominant performance (41 of Casey's 47 hit-outs, while NT were in the single figures). Not only was she impressive in the ruck, particularly her tap work to Mithen, but her second efforts and physicality around the ground showed how far she's come this season, often against more experienced opposition. There was some good marking (50 to 22), much of it uncontested given the space our players were allowed, however Hogg, Sherriff and Hore all had some strong contested grabs as well. Casey built the wall well to trap the ball for repeat inside 50s (50 to 11), with Downie (7 marks) intercepting plenty. Pratt worked hard in the midfield, while Hogg scored her first goal, judging by the celebrations. Despite having more of the ball, Casey ended up with 2 more tackles, showing their intent around the contest. They were desperate not to concede and to add more to the scoreboard right down to the dying seconds. Meanwhile, for NT, Ponter was good with 2 goals despite close attention, while ex-Dee Hickey (Jordann, not Mel) also showed a bit in defence. The most bizarre moment of the game occurred when Hore, dashing toward 50, was stopped in her tracks by an NT player who grabbed her ponytail and this was somehow deemed holding the ball. I guess technically her ponytail was 'below the shoulders', but still. Outrageous! There were some interesting positional changes for this game. Lampard played in the midfield, where her typical composure with the ball was again on display but with more attacking pay-off. In the last quarter, it was one of my favourite moves in footy, the classic swing, with Downie going one-out in the goal square and enjoying 2 well-celebrated goals. Leading the disposal count for Casey and the game was Mithen (35). She was pretty much doing as she pleased, including a super-slo-mo handball while the NT players simply watched on, presumably dazzled. Next best were Downie (21) and Guerin (20). I noticed AFLW coach Stinear on the bench - possibly he's been there for other games too. Also notable on the sidelines was our AFLW leading goalkicker, Tegan Cunningham. FINAL SCORE Casey: 11.9.75 NT 3.0.18 Casey's best: Winbanks, Mithen, Lampard, Hore. Goalkickers: Hore 3, Downie, Sherriff, Mithen 2, Hogg, Scott. Some final thoughts on the season. This was my first time paying proper attention to our VFLW team. From all appearances, there seems to be a great balance of competing needs in the Casey program, with very clear messaging and an environment focused on development for each player while also cementing a strong team culture. I'll be interested to see how the closer integration impacts AFLW 2020. In terms of the end result, we're trending in the right direction. In 2018, Casey finished 10th (3-11), while this year we're likely to finish 8th (6-8). Casey improved their result/s from last year (in terms of margin or win/loss) against each team, except for the Saints, WB and Richmond, all teams that will feature in finals. We went from 5 losses by 30+ points in 2018, to 2 in 2019. At the other end, from 0 wins by 30+ in 2018, to 4 in 2019. The 5 losses by under 15 points (WB 10, Uni 5, Pies 3, Hawks 3, Saints 11) were all against teams ahead on the ladder, so that ended up being the difference. Lastly, I hope those reading along have found these reports useful or interesting. I've benefited a lot from the info shared by others on this forum, so I figure this is the least I can do, to make sure that each of our 4 teams are represented. And the gap between AFLW seasons is so long that it was good to keep an eye on the 'off season'. Plus I guess I can now call myself a Casey fan. Go Dees!

Thanks Meggs, glad to hear it. Yeah, all the issues with the competition structure are frustrating to say the least. It's ridiculous that they're stilling making decisions year to year. As of now, players making decisions about study, leave from work, living arrangements etc. have no idea when the season will be, how long etc.... Don't even get me started on the conference system - if they base it off win-loss from this year, Melbourne will be screwed over again! I'm looking forward to getting some new draftees too. I think we did well out of the trade period, with very little impact from the expansion and picking up a gem in Birch.

It was a heart-breaker for Casey, with a 3 point loss to the Hawks putting us out of finals contention in 2019. Garner, Kirkwood, Archer and Lampard re-joined the side, with Zanker, Birch, Heath and Howes all out. It was by no means Casey's most experienced side, with Jakobsson, Emonson and Bentvelzen (who has been among the best of the VFLW-listed) all missing as well. With all that in mind, and the quality of the Hawks' team, this was a tough proposition that our girls clearly came prepared for. I chose to go to the MCG and witnessed Oscar McDonald's first goal, so there's how that decision worked out. Hence this report is again cobbled together from various sources. It was a game of two halves (as they so often are!) with rain in the first before a sunny second. Our mids battled hard from the get-go against the bigger-bodied Hawks, but the class of McWilliams shone up forward and they went into quarter time with a 10 point lead, with Casey scoreless. The rain continued in the second as the Hawks peppered the goals. Their inaccuracy cost them a greater lead and left the door ajar for the Dees in a low-scoring encounter. Hard work paid off for Casey with a dribbled goal for Notman, her first in the VFLW, while McWilliams got on the board again for the Hawks. Casey trailed by 11 at half time. The sun came out in the third and, with the season on the line, Casey rose to the occasion. Hogg in particular was persistent and determined. Again there was a goal scored either way, with Guerin the goalkicker for the Dees. Going into the last quarter it was the Hawks 3.7.25 to Casey 2.1.13. With the breeze in the last, Casey kept the Hawks scoreless for the quarter. However, some missed set shots cost us. Cordner's steal from a kick-in and subsequent goal (well worth the watch on the highlights) brought Casey within 3 points, but then the game was over and so were Casey's finals hopes. From all reports, effort and intent couldn't be faulted, just the finishing skills held us back against the reigning premiers. In her first game since Round 5, Lampard dominated the disposals for Casey with 28 (and 7 marks), followed by Guerin and Mithen with 16 each. McDonough (13 tackles) and Pratt were mentioned by coach Damien Keeping for their tagging efforts against the Hawks mids. Also earning the praise of the coach was co-captain Garner who had the job on veteran Meg Hutchins and restricted her to 7 disposals. Notably, Keeping commented that Garner has put together a season worthy of AFLW consideration. FINAL SCORE: Hawks 3.7.25 Casey 3.4.22 Casey's best: McDonough, Hanks, Hogg, Lampard, Hore, Winbanks Next week, it's Casey's last game of the season against NT Thunder at Casey Fields, Sunday 11.30. Will it be another demolition job? Changes are afoot with the NT-Crows alliance, so who knows what that means for VFLW 2020. Selection-wise, I'd actually love to see us play as much of the VFLW-only list as possible, especially the youngsters looking towards the draft. Time will tell, although it's clear they've had a very well-organised plan across the season.

Casey Fields hasn't been a happy hunting ground in the VFLW this season, with a record of 1 win and 4 losses there prior to Round 13. So it was good to get a victory there on the weekend, albeit by the slimmest of margins and not in especially convincing style! On debut was Notman, who played for Vic Country in U18 championships last month. Alicia Johnson became the first Casey Demons VFLW player to reach 50 games, after previously playing for Cranbourne. Clearly a much-loved and respected player! Downie returned after being sidelined with a shoulder injury and was a standout in defence. Co-captain Garner missed her first game of the season, while Jakobsson was another noteworthy out. The game was a scrap, with lots of stoppages. Heath set the tone early with a great tackle. Hore's goal in the first quarter was classy and included a well-executed fend off on the run. In the second, Darebin capitalised on a bad turnover to kick a goal from a free kick. Casey trailed by 1 point at half time. Costly free kicks and turnovers from both teams prevent scoreboard action in the third, with just 1 point added for each side. 1.4 to 1.2 in the last made for a frustrating but nail-biting finish. A neat pass from Birch set Hore up for her second goal, but Darebin were quick to reply after a kick-in error, leaving Casey 2 points down. Casey pushed hard to get ahead on the scoreboard by any means possible, clawing their way in front point by point. Scott hit the post, then Guerin took a strong contested mark and sneaked in a point to bring the scores level. In the last 2 minutes, L.Pearce tried to take the ball out of the ruck right in front of Casey's goal, no doubt hoping to get a quick exit and drive the ball forward for Darebin. However, Zanker, always determined in a tight situation, was able to make a lightning steal and slammed through what turned out to be the winning point. FINAL SCORE Casey 2.6.18 Darebin 2.5.17 BEST: Hore, Sherriff, Downie, McClean, Zanker GOALS: Hore 2. Of interest from an AFLW perspective, L.Pearce and O'Dea were clearly the best for Darebin. In the end, Pearce had 35 hitouts, followed by Zanker with 15 and Winbanks with 9. Mithen led the way for Casey in disposals with 26. The fact that Mithen also had our most marks is a good indication of how things went up forward. Sometimes you just have to win ugly, and they certainly did on this occasion. As a result of the last-gasp win, Casey's finals hopes still have a (faint) pulse, as we creep up to 8th on the ladder. Next week it's the 5th-placed reigning premiers, Hawthorn, at Box Hill at 1pm Saturday.

Round 12 didn't deliver the result Casey needed, with our girls falling to the Southern Saints again, this time by 35 points. I was distracted by my mate in my ear most of the game, so just some general impressions today. Aside from the result, it was nice to watch a game in clear conditions at a ground I haven't visited since the Sandringham affiliation way back when. Coming into the side for her first VFLW game of the year was Scott and it was a typically solid game from a reliable type. The Saint's strong defense once again proved crucial, with our players unable to make the most of many forays forward. Just on that - only 1 team has kicked more than 25 points against the Saints this season! While they haven't always put on a big score themselves, that wasn't the case this week, as their rebound out of defensive 50 and forward entries were high quality. Their dominance in the third quarter put the game beyond doubt. In a quite contested game at times, the Saints dominated the ruck, were able to out-muscle our midfield and made it difficult to create clean chains forward. Based on that performance and their position on the ladder, the Saints have a lot to look forward to in their debut AFLW season. They've put together a good side and I expect they'll have a similar line up next year to what we saw Sunday. For Casey, all of the usual suspects put in some hard work and deserved more reward on the scoreboard. Of course, 2 goals total is hardly ever going to be enough and some major defensive lapses made it tough going. FINAL SCORE Saints 5.14.44 Casey 2.3.15 Casey's Best: Heath, Hanks, Hore, Smith. The goalkickers were Webber and Smith. Jakobsson, Mithen and Birch led the disposals, while Hore and Heath had 8 and 7 tackles, respectively. Casey remains 9th on the ladder and will now need to win 3 from 3 and have results go our way to make the finals. A good opportunity to see what our players are made of and some more valuable experience for the younger crew. Plenty of Dees AFLW action in the game vs. Darebin next week, with L.Pearce and O'Dea likely to line up for the Falcons against their teammates. Darebin's form has been on the up - L.Pearce had 24 disposals and 39 hitouts in their win against Geelong, which is great from an AFLW perspective but represents danger for our ruck group next week!

The drought is over for the Casey girls, as they snapped a 6-week losing streak to crush NT Thunder by 65 points in Alice Springs. For the record, their score of 13.7.85 was the highest in Casey's two seasons of VFLW so far. A win was definitely in the works soon, I just wasn't convinced it would happen on the road or in such style. It seems like things really came together and I reckon the conditions would have suited us. Possibly NT went in with a less experienced team (including some first-gamers), plus the absence of Ponter would have any defender breathing a sigh of relief. Having said that, whoever kept Stevie-Lee Thompson to one goal deserves a pat on the back. By all reports, Casey dominated much of the possession, which surely helped in that regard. There's been a tendency for our girls to really up the ante at the end of quarters and in the last. Nothing wrong with that, but consistency of intensity is obviously the ideal. 20 minute flat quarters mean time can run away quickly! So it's good to see the even spread of goals across the quarters in this game (3, 4, 2, 4), which suggests a really consistent 4-quarter effort. In her debut for Casey, Wearne slotted through 3 goals - I reckon she'll get another go! Also notably it was the first win at Casey for Mithen, Howes and Webber as well. Love the spread of goal kickers, especially youngsters Webber and Howes getting involved. Listed among the best were Hanks, Smith, Clayton, Bailey and Heath, while Birch led the way with 22 disposals and 8 marks, followed by Mithen (21 disposals), Zanker (20 disposals, 8 marks, 3 goals) and Hore (19 disposals, 6 tackles, 2 goals). It was clearly a strong team performance that should give the Dees some pep in their step for the run home. FINAL SCORE NT Thunder 3.2.20 Casey 13.7.85 Goalkickers: Wearne 3, Zanker 3, Hore 2, Sherriff, Jakobsson, Cordner, Webber, Howes Casey now sit 9th on the ladder and with 4 games remaining (plus a bye in the last round), there's not much room for error. Next week it's the 2nd-place Saints in Sandringham on Sunday. They've been big improvers and are very strong defensively. Will be interesting to see how this match-up compares to the 11-point loss in Round 4.

So far a successful trip for the Dees to Alice, with the Casey VFLW team having a 65-point win over NT Thunder yesterday. Their biggest win of the season so far and well-deserved by the sounds of it. Fingers crossed for an unlikely double!