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The pattern of squandering a handy lead before capitulating continued for the Casey Scorpions when they went down to Collingwood by six points in difficult conditions at Casey Fields on Saturday. Heavy rain met the teams at the start which caused a scrappy affair. The teams went goal for goal throughout most of the first half with a late goal to Dean Kent, his second for the game, giving the home side a 5 point lead at the main break. At that stage, Casey was leading in most of the key performance indicators with Jordie McKenzie picking up a swag of possessions out of the middle. After an early third quarter goal gave Collingwood back the lead, the Scorpions took full control of the game and when Kent kicked his third at the 16 minute mark, they held a 17 point lead. It was at this stage that the now familiar pattern took hold. There was a sudden drop in Casey's momentum and it was all Collingwood and they finally hit the lead at the 30 minute mark. A free kick to Pat Rosier on the siren gave Casey the lead at the final break. The Scorpions have had a three week break with a bye followed by the VFL representative game and despite Rohan Welsh's call to arms, they gave away two goals in quick succession early in the fourth. Despite an arm wrestle which saw them wrest the lead back with a Tim Smith goal from a difficult angle, the latter part of the quarter was played almost entirely in Collingwood's forward half and the Magpies broke through to lead by the 18 minute mark and held on without much trouble. The lack of urgency at the end when the game was in the balance was like a slap in the face to those who work hard at the club and to the hardy supporters who brave the elements to follow the team. Casey's cause was not helped when the prolific Jordie McKenzie was taken from the field after half time, presumably as he is needed for emergency duties at Melbourne. While many of them are young, there were too many AFL listed players not putting in for the full four quarters and the VFL contingent were weakened by the absence of Troy Davis, Mitch Gent, Nathan Page and Will Petropoulos leaving very few seasoned players or leaders to help skipper Evan Panozza. The club introduced two first gamers and several others have only played a handful of games. Debutant Matt Rennie kicked two goals. On a tough day for marking forwards, Casey really had very little up there and relied heavily on a solid performance from Kent. Aidan Riley and James Strauss were solid at times while Sam Blease gave good run out of defence. The defeat has left Casey at 3-5 and well off the pace in the race for the finals, facing a difficult trek to Eureka Stadium North Ballarat next Saturday. 2014 Peter Jackson VFL Casey Scorpions 2.1.13 4.3.27 9.5.59 11.7.73 Collingwood 2.2.14 3.4.22 8.8.56 11.13.79 Goals Casey Scorpions Kent 3 Barry Rennie 2 Michie Rosier Smith Tapscott Collingwood Allan Reid Martin Suckling 2 Armstrong Ferguson Mooney Casey Scorpions Kent McKenzie Riley Strauss Smith Blease Collingwood Suckling Kennedy Williams Hellier Hudson Marsh Statistics Dom Barry 2 goals 13 disposals 8 kicks 5 handballs 2 marks 3 tackles 54 Dream Team Points Sam Blease 26 disposals 19 kicks 7 handballs 1 marks 3 tackles 86 Dream Team Points Michael Evans 16 disposals 12 kicks 4 handballs 8 tackles 67 Dream Team Points Jack Fitzpatrick 1 behind 10 disposals 6 kicks 4 handballs 1 mark 1 tackle 40 hit outs 71 Dream Team Points Alexis Georgiou 6 disposals 6 kicks 2 marks 3 tackles 35 Dream Team Points James Harmes 13 disposals 5 kicks 8 handballs 1 mark 3 tackles 33 Dream Team Points Dean Kent 3 goals 21 disposals 17 kicks 4 handballs 5 marks 3 tackles 1 hit out 103 Dream Team Points Jordie McKenzie 22 disposals 9 kicks 13 handballs 12 tackles 94 Dream Team Points Viv Michie 1 goal 1 behind 19 disposals 16 kicks 3 handballs 2 marks 5 tackles 87 Dream Team Points Dan Nicholson 14 disposals 10 kicks 4 handballs 4 marks 6 tackles 46 Dream Team Points Aidan Riley 18 disposals 5 kicks 13 handballs 12 tackles 77 Dream Team Points James Strauss 1 behind 14 disposals 9 kicks 5 handballs 6 tackles 63 Dream Team Points Luke Tapscott 1 goal 12 disposals 9 kicks 3 handballs 2 marks 9 tackles 74 Dream Team Points Jimmy Toumpas 12 disposals 8 kicks 4 handballs 1 mark 4 tackles 45 Dream Team Points The Development Team was thrashed by the Box Hill Hawks. 2014 AFL Victoria Development League Casey Scorpions 1.1.7 3.3.21 4.4.28 7.4.46 Box Hill Hawks 8.5.53 12.10.82 18.12.120 22.16.148 Goals Casey Scorpions Del Papa 2 Wyatt 2 Corry Murray Shiels Box Hill Hawks Gordon 9 McEvoy 4 Tatupu 2 Cassidy Exon Franetic Northe O'Donnell Thompson Wood Best Casey Scorpions Paredes Shiels Corry Drew Welsh Wyatt Box Hill Hawks Gordon Wood Tobin Thompson O'Donnell Tatupu

The Casey Scorpions grabbed top spot on the VFL ladder and ruffled a few Magpie feathers after hammering finals aspirants Collingwood to the tune of a crushing 90-points at Casey Fields on Saturday. The Scorpion onslaught was led all day by midfield ball magnets Paul Couch who amassed 39 disposals and James Magner who had two touches less. Together, they dominated the stoppages and general play and were aided and abetted by some top notch ruckwork from Jake Spencer (19 hit outs to go with his three goals) and the emerging beanpole Max Gawn. Up forward, young key position player Jesse Hogan belied his tender age of 18 with strong marking and tireless work around the ground. The young tyro managed 15 possesions, taking 9 marks and had his kicking been on target (he scored 2.3) the rout would certainly have exceeded the 100-point mark. Former North Melbourne rookie Ben Hughes also chimed in with three nice goals. The Magpies opened brightly under the sunny skies and had most of the early play but once the home team adapted to the chilly breezes, it faced little resistance winning every quarter and coasting effortlessly to a 15 goal win. Indeed, apart from a little biffo and remonstrating at one stage in proceedings, the visitors hardly did justice to the jumper. However, they were beaten by a very good side. The Casey defence was strong with Troy Davis and Luke Tynan not only proving to be impassable but also providing countless springboards into attack. They finished with 27 and 26 disposals respectively and together with their fellow defenders, kept the Magpies down to a measly seven goals, less than half their average over their now broken three week winning streak against Geelong, Essendon and the Northern Blues. Davis, now in his third year on the Melbourne list and yet to play a game at AFL level is finally staking a claim for promotion. Casey's ruck dominance was achieved against a strong tall man division which included Ben Hudson and Jarrod Witts who along with Gawn at 208cm, is equal second tallest current AFL behind injured Docker Aaron Sandilands. Late inclusion Shannon Byrnes livened up the forward line with a couple of goals, a feat matched by Casey-South Melbourne cricket captain Jake Best. Twenty-third man Jarryd Drew got into the action with a goal after the final siren to cap off a great day on which the club also ran a successful debt demolition function before the game. The team has a break next week with the bye before taking on the Coburg Tigers at home on 23 June. The Development League team which rested this week, play away next weekend to fourth placed Werribee Tigers. HOW THE DEMONS FARED Shannon Byrnes 14 kicks 5 handballs 19 disposals 5 marks 2 tackles 2 goals Mitchell Clisby 11 kicks 8 handballs 19 disposals 5 marks 2 tackles Thomas Couch 11 kicks 28 handballs 39 disposals 5 marks 2 tackles 2 goals Troy Davis 14 kicks 13 handballs 27 disposals 5 marks 1 tackles Max Gawn 9 kicks 8 handballs 17 disposals 3 marks 26 hit outs 1 goal Thomas Gillies 8 kicks 7 handballs 15 disposals 4 marks 3 tackles Jesse Hogan 11 kicks 4 handballs 15 disposals 10 marks 2 tackles 3 hit outs 2 goals 3 behinds Neville Jetta 8 kicks 5 handballs 13 disposals 5 marks 8 tackles 2 goals James Magner 22 kicks 15 handballs 37 disposals 7 marks 5 tackles 1 goal 2 behinds Daniel Nicholson 16 kicks 11 handballs 27 disposals 1 mark 4 tackles James Sellar 6 kicks 7 handballs 13 disposals 6 marks Jake Spencer 9 kicks 5 handballs 14 disposals 7 marks 3 tackles 19 hit outs 3 goals 3 behinds James Strauss 7 kicks 7 handballs 14 disposals 3 marks 4 tackles Rory Taggert 7 kicks 4 handballs 11 disposals 4 marks 3 tackles Joshua Tynan 13 kicks 6 handballs 19 disposals 7 marks 8 tackles Casey Scorpions 5.3.33 9.7.61 14.11.95 21.15.141 Collingwood 2.1.13 3.3.21 5.6.36 7.9.51 Goals Casey Scorpions Goals Hughes Spencer 3 Best Byrnes Couch Hogan Jetta 2 Drew Gawn Gent Petropoulos Magner Collingwood Broomhead 2 Clarke Hudson Mooney Paine Best Casey Scorpions Couch Magner L Tynan Hogan Davis Spencer Collingwood Mooney Allan Yagmoor Broomhead Riddle Hellier

PINK RIBBON DAY FOR CASEY by KC from Casey Gray skies, patches of drizzle and a big crowd were the order of the day as the Scorpions returned to Casey Fields for the first time in several weeks for their annual Pink Ribbon Day in aid of breast cancer research. In the end, it was a successful afternoon on both scores with Casey, wearing a predominantly pink strip for the occasion, winning the four premiership points on offer in its game against Collingwood as well as achieving the target of $15,000 and raising public awareness for this very worthwhile charity. The win also moved the home team into equal top position on the Peter Jackson VFL ladder after Port Melbourne's shock defeat down at Geelong as they move into yet another bye next weekend. The Magpies were full of running and had the first two goals on the board within minutes of the opening before Casey responded with four unanswered goals from Stef Martin, Rian McGough, Tom Couch and Lucas Cook. Despite kicking against a slight breeze, there was plenty of run in the legs for the Casey boys and they appeared in control although a late goal by the visitors saw the Scorpions up by just six points at quarter time. Casey was winning in the ruck through Jake Spencer and Martin whose dominance allowed Couch and Aaron Davey to turn it on at ground level. The latter was in scintillating form turning the clock back a few years with his brilliant footwork and pinpoint delivery of the football. The result was a goal feast for Martin and Cook who booted his fourth goal late in the second term. By that time the Scorpions were out to a commanding 37 point lead. Casey was winning everywhere and it surely must have been pleasing for coach Brett Lovett that his VFL listed players were blending in so well with their AFL counterparts and that they were led so admirably by skipper Evan Panozza who is in career best form. Luke Tynan continues to impress and he combined well in defence with brother Josh. Lesser known Scorpions such as Michael Riseley, Matt Fieldsend and Ricky Plummer were all important contributors on the day and underline the improvement that Lovett's coaching has brought to the team. The second half opened in scrappy fashion with both sides struggling to kick goals until Martin put his team up by six goals at the eleven minute mark. With Davey off for the rest of the game and Troy Davis, who had been the dominant defender in the game, off under the blood rule, the momentum of the game changed. The Magpies responded with four unanswered goals (the last a booming 70 metre kick from Paul Seedsman) to narrow the margin to 13 points before the lively Tim Smith marked and kicked a crucial goal on the siren. There were some nervous moments for Scorpion fans as Collingwood opened with the first two goals of the quarter before Smith kicked a steadier but the Pies were not to be denied and replied once more to nudge their way back to a seven point deficit with half of the term gone. Hard nut midfielder Couch, who was recruited from the Magpies' VFL side of last year and hasn't put in a bad game this year, was revelling in the tight going against his former teammates in the latter stages of the game. Josh Tynan finally bobbed up for a relieving goal - the last of the game although several tense minutes elapsed before Smith marked fifteen metres out as the siren sounded. Unfortunately, he played on causing the game to come to an abrupt end and his attempt at a third goal didn't count. What did count however, was Casey's eighth win from nine games, an excellent result from a team whose players were recently shunned by selectors when choosing the VFL representative side and currently missing key players co-skipper Kyle Matthews, Danny Nicholls and Wade Lees through injury. The results show that the future looks bright for the Scorpions who approach the halfway mark of the season in the pink. HOW THE DEMONS FARED Jamie Bennell - as always, looked good at this level and produced some classy patches of play but there wasn't enough intensity in his play to suggest he can step up to be a regular in an AFL side at the moment. Lucas Cook - a commanding presence up forward in the first half when he marked strongly and kicked well for his four goals but was held after that. Far more confident than when he first came to the club. Tom Couch - kept going all day adding grunt to the midfield and his stats for the day bore out his contribution. Combined well with others in the midfield mix, particularly Jordan Gysberts and, during the second quarter, with Aaron Davey. Aaron Davey - turned on a real cameo performance of balanced football and precision kicking. Had 15 disposals in one half of football before being removed from the game to maintain his eligibility for Monday's game if required. Troy Davis - the pick of the tall defenders on the ground and he was undeterred by the fact that he was giving away height and weight to his Magpie opponents. He's another potentially classy key defender who should make the transition to bigger and better things in the next twelve months. Jordan Gysberts - in his first game back after returning from a broken jaw, he showed he was not afraid of throwing himself into the fray and shrugged off any doubts about his ability to make a swift return to the top level. Given his limited game time this year, he was interchanged a fair bit but was a more than useful contributor right through to the end. Kelvin Lawrence - was classy in patches but didn't quite do enough. Stefan Martin - a great game as the back up ruckman to Spencer and was dangerous when he went forward kicking four goals. Jai Sheahan - steady in defence without being as outstanding in his earlier games and he made a couple of errors under pressure. Still remains a very bright prospect Jake Spencer - won the ruck duels against the Magpie tall timber and although his kicking action looks awkward, his disposal was surprisingly effective on the day. Joshua Tynan - a real goer who covers a lot of ground and was in the thick of things for most of the game. Kicked a really important goal at the end to virtually seal the result. Casey Scorpions 4.3.27 9.7.61 11.9.75 13.12.90 Collingwood 3.3.21 4.4.28 8.8.56 11.11.77 Goals Casey Scorpions Cook Martin 4 Smith 2 Couch McGough Tynan Collingwood Boland 3 Farmer Ferraro Hahn Mooney Paine Seedsman Witts Wood Best Casey Scorpions Martin Riseley Spencer Fieldsend Cook Couch Collingwood Sundberg Hine Hellier Farmer Yagmoor Seedsman Final stats winners Couch 27 (10 hard ball gets & 8 tackles) L Tynan 26 Panozza (& 7 tackles) Fieldsend 20 Martin 19 (& 18 hit outs) 2012 AFL Vic Development League Casey Scorpions 2.4.16 5.6.36 5.10.40 6.11.47 Coburg Tigers 3.0.18 5.1.31 7.5.47 10.7.67 Goals Casey Scorpions Galvin Williams 2 Clay Johnson Coburg Tigers Hore 4 Jordan Murphy 2 Robertella Turner Best Casey Scorpions Troutman Rosier Williams Cleven Page Clay Coburg Tigers Venditti Bamblett Duhau Robertella Hore Price

PINK RIBBON DAY FOR CASEY by KC from Casey Gray skies, patches of drizzle and a big crowd were the order of the day as the Scorpions returned to Casey Fields for the first time in several weeks for their annual Pink Ribbon Day in aid of breast cancer research. In the end, it was a successful afternoon on both scores with Casey, wearing a predominantly pink strip for the occasion, winning the four premiership points on offer in its game against Collingwood as well as achieving the target of $15,000 and raising public awareness for this very worthwhile charity. The win also moved the home team into equal top position on the Peter Jackson VFL ladder after Port Melbourne's shock defeat down at Geelong as they move into yet another bye next weekend. The Magpies were full of running and had the first two goals on the board within minutes of the opening before Casey responded with four unanswered goals from Stef Martin, Rian McGough, Tom Couch and Lucas Cook. Despite kicking against a slight breeze, there was plenty of run in the legs for the Casey boys and they appeared in control although a late goal by the visitors saw the Scorpions up by just six points at quarter time. Casey was winning in the ruck through Jake Spencer and Martin whose dominance allowed Couch and Aaron Davey to turn it on at ground level. The latter was in scintillating form turning the clock back a few years with his brilliant footwork and pinpoint delivery of the football. The result was a goal feast for Martin and Cook who booted his fourth goal late in the second term. By that time the Scorpions were out to a commanding 37 point lead. Casey was winning everywhere and it surely must have been pleasing for coach Brett Lovett that his VFL listed players were blending in so well with their AFL counterparts and that they were led so admirably by skipper Evan Panozza who is in career best form. Luke Tynan continues to impress and he combined well in defence with brother Josh. Lesser known Scorpions such as Michael Riseley, Matt Fieldsend and Ricky Plummer were all important contributors on the day and underline the improvement that Lovett's coaching has brought to the team. The second half opened in scrappy fashion with both sides struggling to kick goals until Martin put his team up by six goals at the eleven minute mark. With Davey off for the rest of the game and Troy Davis, who had been the dominant defender in the game, off under the blood rule, the momentum of the game changed. The Magpies responded with four unanswered goals (the last a booming 70 metre kick from Paul Seedsman) to narrow the margin to 13 points before the lively Tim Smith marked and kicked a crucial goal on the siren. There were some nervous moments for Scorpion fans as Collingwood opened with the first two goals of the quarter before Smith kicked a steadier but the Pies were not to be denied and replied once more to nudge their way back to a seven point deficit with half of the term gone. Hard nut midfielder Couch, who was recruited from the Magpies' VFL side of last year and hasn't put in a bad game this year, was revelling in the tight going against his former teammates in the latter stages of the game. Josh Tynan finally bobbed up for a relieving goal - the last of the game although several tense minutes elapsed before Smith marked fifteen metres out as the siren sounded. Unfortunately, he played on causing the game to come to an abrupt end and his attempt at a third goal didn't count. What did count however, was Casey's eighth win from nine games, an excellent result from a team whose players were recently shunned by selectors when choosing the VFL representative side and currently missing key players co-skipper Kyle Matthews, Danny Nicholls and Wade Lees through injury. The results show that the future looks bright for the Scorpions who approach the halfway mark of the season in the pink. HOW THE DEMONS FARED Jamie Bennell - as always, looked good at this level and produced some classy patches of play but there wasn't enough intensity in his play to suggest he can step up to be a regular in an AFL side at the moment. Lucas Cook - a commanding presence up forward in the first half when he marked strongly and kicked well for his four goals but was held after that. Far more confident than when he first came to the club. Tom Couch - kept going all day adding grunt to the midfield and his stats for the day bore out his contribution. Combined well with others in the midfield mix, particularly Jordan Gysberts and, during the second quarter, with Aaron Davey. Aaron Davey - turned on a real cameo performance of balanced football and precision kicking. Had 15 disposals in one half of football before being removed from the game to maintain his eligibility for Monday's game if required. Troy Davis - the pick of the tall defenders on the ground and he was undeterred by the fact that he was giving away height and weight to his Magpie opponents. He's another potentially classy key defender who should make the transition to bigger and better things in the next twelve months. Jordan Gysberts - in his first game back after returning from a broken jaw, he showed he was not afraid of throwing himself into the fray and shrugged off any doubts about his ability to make a swift return to the top level. Given his limited game time this year, he was interchanged a fair bit but was a more than useful contributor right through to the end. Kelvin Lawrence - was classy in patches but didn't quite do enough. Stefan Martin - a great game as the back up ruckman to Spencer and was dangerous when he went forward kicking four goals. Jai Sheahan - steady in defence without being as outstanding in his earlier games and he made a couple of errors under pressure. Still remains a very bright prospect Jake Spencer - won the ruck duels against the Magpie tall timber and although his kicking action looks awkward, his disposal was surprisingly effective on the day. Joshua Tynan - a real goer who covers a lot of ground and was in the thick of things for most of the game. Kicked a really important goal at the end to virtually seal the result. Casey Scorpions 4.3.27 9.7.61 11.9.75 13.12.90 Collingwood 3.3.21 4.4.28 8.8.56 11.11.77 Goals Casey Scorpions Cook Martin 4 Smith 2 Couch McGough Tynan Collingwood Boland 3 Farmer Ferraro Hahn Mooney Paine Seedsman Witts Wood Best Casey Scorpions Martin Riseley Spencer Fieldsend Cook Couch Collingwood Sundberg Hine Hellier Farmer Yagmoor Seedsman Final stats winners Couch 27 (10 hard ball gets & 8 tackles) L Tynan 26 Panozza (& 7 tackles) Fieldsend 20 Martin 19 (& 18 hit outs) 2012 AFL Vic Development League Casey Scorpions 2.4.16 5.6.36 5.10.40 6.11.47 Coburg Tigers 3.0.18 5.1.31 7.5.47 10.7.67 Goals Casey Scorpions Galvin Williams 2 Clay Johnson Coburg Tigers Hore 4 Jordan Murphy 2 Robertella Turner Best Casey Scorpions Troutman Rosier Williams Cleven Page Clay Coburg Tigers Venditti Bamblett Duhau Robertella Hore Price