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The world “gallant” is not one that is readily acceptable to losing teams in our game of football so when it was used in the context of the Casey Demons’ loss to Sandringham in yesterday’s match at Casey Fields, it left a bitter taste in the mouth. The Demons went into the game against the St Kilda affiliated Zebras with the advantage of playing on their home turf (not that this has been a major asset in 2024) and with very little else going in their favour. The Saints have close to a full list from which to select their team and, as a consequence, Sandy fielded a strong team with a solid group of AFL campaigners. The Demons, on the other hand, managed to provide ten AFL players, most of them short on AFL experience and also lacked the VFL experience of recent years. Skipper Mitch White was the exception to that rule and he was indeed, magnificent all afternoon in an outstanding leadership performance that produced a game high 38 possessions as well as two goals and ten clearances. He was responsible for Casey’s strong first half showing and then, led the charge at the end with the goal that led his side’s run of five unanswered goals in the middle of the final term that had them so tantalisingly close at 1 point in arrears before the Zebras kicked away with the game’s last two goals. Earlier, the Demons kicked themselves out of the win with errant kicking for goal that proved fatal to the cause in a half of football that saw several lead changes. The half time score of 6.10.46 to 7.2.46 said it all. With Membrey and Hotton taking control in the third term, the Zebras looked to be on their way to an easy win until the late Casey comeback. For Melbourne fans, the form of Matthew Jefferson who booted 5.3 and took eight marks was heartening. His display of forward craft and thirst for the contest were his best in the year and a half in which he has been with the Demons. Ben Brown’s 3.3 after the main break showed that he is by no means a spent force. Andy Moniz-Wakefield continued with his rich vein of form covering plenty of ground and collecting 17 kicks, 17 handballs and taking six marks. Bailey Laurie (25 disposals), Jack Billings (24) and Koltyn Tholstrup (23) were all busy. With plenty of young talent being groomed for the future, the club should not expect too many “gallant losses” going forward. The Casey Demons next outing is next Saturday at Piranha Park against fellow cellar dwellers Coburg Lions. CASEY DEMONS 4.4.28 6.10.46 8.12.60 14.14.98 SANDRINGHAM 5.0.30 7.2.44 14.4.88 17.9.111 GOALS CASEY DEMONS Jefferson 5 B Brown 3 Laurie White 2 Cross Szybkowski SANDRINGHAM Membrey 6 Hotton 5 Lowe 2 Allison Butler Heath Watson BEST CASEY DEMONS White Moniz-Wakefield Jefferson Laurie K Brown B Brown SANDRINGHAM Heath Membrey Crouch Campbell Hotton Paton Statistics Jed Adams 8 kicks 2 handballs 10 disposals 6 marks 1 tackle 51 dream team points Jack Bell 5 handballs 5 disposals 1 mark 1 tackle 6 hitouts 20 dream team points Jack Billings 13 kicks 11 handballs 24 disposals 4 marks 1 tackle 77 dream team points Ben Brown 3 goals 3 behinds 9 kicks 3 handballs 12 disposals 9 marks 1 tackle 82 dream team points Kynan Brown 10 kicks 6 handballs 16 disposals 4 marks 8 tackles 86 dream team points Paddy Cross 1 goals 6 kicks 3 handballs 9 disposals 1 marks 5 tackles 55 dream team points
 Tyler Edwards 1 behind 11 kicks 8 handballs 19 disposals 5 marks 3 tackles 78 dream team points Tom Freeman 8 kicks 8 disposals 3 marks 33 dream team points Max Gregory 4 kicks 6 handballs 10 disposals 3 marks 6 tackles 54 dream team points Matt Jefferson 5 goals 3 behinds 8 kicks 3 handballs 11 disposals 5 marks 1 tackle 82 dream team points Brayden LaPlanche 10 kicks 3 handballs 13 disposals 6 marks 2 tackles 59 dream team points Bailey Laurie 2 goals 1 behind 14 kicks 11 handballs 25 disposals 6 marks 5 tackles 115 dream team points Andy Moniz-Wakefield 17 kicks 17 handballs 34 disposals 6 marks 3 tackles 115 dream team points Harvey Neocleous 1 behind 1 kick 2 handballs 3 disposals 1 mark 1 tackle 15 dream team points Ollie Sestan 2 behinds 9 kicks 3 handballs 12 disposals 6 marks 3 tackles 65 dream team points Roan Steele 1 behind 13 kicks 6 handballs 19 disposals 4 marks 3 tackles 76 dream team points Mitch Szybkowski 1 goal 6 kicks 1 handball 7 disposals 3 marks 3 tackles 47 dream team points Koltyn Tholstrup 9 kicks 14 handballs 23 disposals 5 marks 1 tackles 74 dream team points Ziggy Toledo 1 handball 1 disposals 2 dream team points Ryan Valentine 5 kicks 4 handballs 9 disposals 3 marks 4 tackles 48 dream team points Will Verrall 1 behind 6 kicks 13 handballs 19 disposals 3 marks 3 tackles 14 hitouts 77 dream team points Mitch White 2 goals 26 kicks 12 handballs 38 disposals 8 marks 5 tackles 158 dream team points Kai Windsor 4 kicks 5 handballs 9 disposals 4 marks 1 tackle 35 dream team points

The Casey Demons held all of the advantages over their rivals from Sandringham as the teams played off in the long-awaited VFL season opener on Sunday. For starters, they were playing on their home turf and secondly, they outnumbered their opponents 16 to 9 in AFL listed players which, at this level, is enormous. They also were well above the Zebras in class and general preparation for the contest and this was reflected in the way they took charge of proceedings after a slow beginning and romped to an 83-point win that sees them sitting comfortably on top of the ladder after Round 1. Veteran forward Mitch Brown led the way with seven goals for the day, including three in the second term, that should put him in contention to join his key forward namesake with a senior berth against his old side Essendon on Friday night at the MCG. He moved well, marked strongly and proved a handful for the Zebra defenders. He was aided and abetted up forward by recruit Jacob van Rooyen who booted three goals for the day in an outstanding debut at the club. After the break, with the visitors tiring, it became a case of how far the Casey lead would extend by the end of the game. The home side was well led by seasoned VFL campaigners in Mitch White and Jimmy Munro whose efforts helped create team dominance in every sector of the ground. The game also underlined the club’s great depth with Luke Dunstan showing that he isn’t far off a return to the AFL in his new colours despite the fact that the Melbourne midfield is a formidable place to break into. Toby Bedford who sat on the sidelines as substitute in the sticky conditions on the Gold Coast on Saturday night shook off the Zebras with pace, poise and three goals. Youngsters on debut in Blake Howes and Taj Woewodin were excellent and Deakyn Smith showed definite signs of improvement with a strong display in defence. Bailey Laurie who was rarely sighted last year due to injury and a truncated VFL season looked the goods up forward with a lively two goal performance. Rookies Judd McVee and Andy Moniz-Wakefield are also likely prospects for the future. The Demons will take their home ground advantage into Round 2 when they play the Bombers’ VFL team next Saturday at Casey Fields. CASEY DEMONS 4.2.26 11.5.71 16.8.104 21.14.140 SANDRINGHAM 2.3.15 5.3.33 6.7.43 8.9.57 GOALS CASEY DEMONS M Brown 7 Bedford Van Rooyen 3 Laurie White 2 Chandler Dunstan Weideman Woewodin SANDRINGHAM Carey Geary Henness Kent Kyle Lohmann McHale Ryder BEST CASEY DEMONS Brown Munro Van Rooyen Dunstan White Smith Bedford Baker SANDRINGHAM Ryder Windhager Connolly Owens Heath Geary Seaton STATISTICS Oskar Baker 18 kicks 5 handballs 23 disposals 6 marks 1 tackle 87 dream team points
 Toby Bedford 3 goals 1 behind 10 kicks 3 handballs 13 disposals 5 marks 5 tackles 91 dream team points
 Mitch Brown 7 goals 3 behinds 18 kicks 1 handball 19 disposals 14 marks 2 tackles 155 dream team points
 Kade Chandler 4 kicks 1 handball 5 disposals 1 mark 25 dream team points
 Majak Daw 1 behind 7 kicks 1 handball 8 disposals 3 tackles 22 hit outs 59 dream team points
 Luke Dunstan 1 goal 20 kicks 5 handballs 25 disposals 7 marks 4 tackles 113 dream team points Corey Ellison 6 kicks 4 handballs 10 disposals 2 marks 2 tackles 34 dream team points
 Tom Freeman 6 kicks 2 handballs 8 disposals 3 marks 2 tackles 33 dream team points Luca Goonan 13 kicks 5 handballs 18 disposals 4 marks 62 dream team points
 Blake Howes 1 behind 6 kicks 10 handballs 16 disposals 3 marks 3 tackles 58 dream team points Bailey Laurie 2 goals 10 kicks 10 handballs 20 disposals 3 marks 5 tackles 86 dream team points
 Judd McVee 1 behind 8 kicks 9 handballs 17 disposals 8 marks 4 tackles 83 dream team points
 Jake Melksham 8 kicks 6 handballs 14 disposals 4 marks 2 tackles 53 dream team points Bryce Milford 6 kicks 7 handballs 13 disposals 5 marks 1 tackle 51 dream team points 
Andy Moniz-Wakefield 5 kicks 9 handballs 14 disposals 2 marks 1 tackles 44 dream team points James Munro 13 kicks 13 handballs 26 disposals 2 marks 7 tackles 97 dream team points
 Aiden Quigley 2 kicks 1 handballs 3 disposals 8 dream team points
 Fraser Rosman 8 kicks 2 handballs 10 disposals 4 marks 41 dream team points
 Deakyn Smith 15 kicks 6 handballs 21 disposals 10 marks 1 tackle 91dream team points Sam Weideman 1 goal 1 behind 9 kicks 4 handballs 13 disposals 6 marks 2 tackles 4 hit outs 68 dream team points
 Mitch White 2 goals 1 behind 15 kicks 6 handballs 21 disposals 3 marks 4 tackles 94 dream team points Taj Woewodin 1 goal 12 kicks 6 handballs disposals 8 marks 1 tackles 84 dream team points Jacob Van Rooyen 3 goals 2 behinds 11 kicks 1 handball 12 disposals 8 marks 4 tackles 2 hit outs 98 dream team points

The Casey Demons made it 12 wins on end with yet another come-from-behind victory at home against Sandringham on Saturday night. The lowly Zebras jumped the Demons and took the lead at the two minute mark of the opening term and kicked the game’s first four goals to hold a game high 23-point lead just before quarter time. By then, the home side was one man down after Bernie Vince hurt his AC joint in a collision with an opponent. He immediately left the field and ended the day in hospital. His season is over. Casey’s first goal came early in the second term with a free kick to the diminutive Will Stephenson. They ground their way back into the game with four goals to one during this period to go into the sheds at half time only three points in arrears. During the main break, the consensus among the crowd was that the Demons would overrun their opposition in the second half but it was Sandringham that came out firing and booted the first two goals of the third term to retake the initiative. Casey fought back with a goal to Mitch King but when the Zebras immediately responded, they led 8.6.54 to 5.8.38. The goal to Sandy’s Ray Connellan came at the 10 minute mark and was to be the visitors’ last score for the game. The next 20 minutes or so were spent by Casey clawing back the deficit as they added goals to Corey Machaya and Dean Kent and four behinds to draw to level by the final break. The Demons finally hit the lead with a behind five minutes into the last quarter but the arm wrestle continued for what seemed an eternity but it took until the 13 minute mark for Sam Weideman to break the impasse with his second goal which gave his team a 7 point lead. There would be another two goals later in the term but the Zebras were cooked as the Demons pushed their lead out to 21 points at the finish. In the last 50 minutes of play, Casey scored 5.7.37 to nothing. The win put it on top of the VFL ladder after Richmond lost its second game in a row. The nature of this contest saw to it that very few players were on top throughout but special accolades must go to defenders Declan Kielty who admirably filled the large void left by Cam Pedersen in the key defensive post with his strong marking and attack on the football and skipper Jack Hutchins whose strength in the clinches was instrumental in holding back the tide early and then in shutting down the Zebras in the latter part of the game. They were very capably assisted by youngsters Dion Johnstone and Harry Petty who returned to the field after injuring his finger in the second term. Josh Wagner and Jay Lockwood were very solid as well in a strong defensive effort. Mitch Gent and Angus Scott were busy all day and Corey Wagner maintained his consistent high standard of play. With the loss of Vince, Tom Bugg stepped up to the plate with 31 disposals for the day and Dean Kent was excellent up forward with three telling goals when they were needed. Mitch King and Sam Weideman combined well in a game that saw a rare Casey win in the overall ruck duels. The latter also contributed two goals while up forward. Young rookie ruckman Lachie Filipovic spent much of the game on the sidelines with a hamstring injury. The Casey juggernaut moves on to Box Hill City Oval for what promises to be a hard fought tussle between two teams that will fight out the finals next month. Peter Jackson VFL 2018 Casey Demons 0.3.3 4.8.32 7.12.54 10.15.75 Sandringham 4.1.25 5.5.35 8.6.54 8.6.54 Goals Casey Demons Kent 3 Weideman 2 Freeman King Machaya T Smith Stephenson Sandringham Connellan 3 Haidon 2 Clavarino Langlands Weller Best Casey Demons Hutchins Bugg Lockhart Keilty Weideman Kent Sandringham Goddard Gilbert Mclean Dunstan Clavarino Seccull Statistics Tomas Bugg 21 kicks 10 handballs 31 disposals 4 marks 5 tackles 115 dream team points Lachlan Filipovic 1 kick 3 handballs 4 disposals 9 dream team points James Freeman 1 goal 3 kicks 2 handballs 5 disposals 2 marks 2 tackles 30 dream team points Mitch Gent 15 kicks 7 handballs 22 disposals 5 marks 1 tackle 79 dream team points Jack Hutchins 9 kicks 5 handballs 14 disposals 4 marks 3 tackles 62 dream team points Dion Johnstone 13 kicks 4 handballs 17 disposals 2 marks 4 tackles 66 dream team points Declan Keilty 12 kicks 9 handballs 21 disposals 8 marks 1 tackle 79 dream team points Dean Kent 3 goals 3 behinds 17 kicks 4 handballs 21 disposals 5 marks 6 tackles 117 dream team points Mitch King 1 goal 5 kicks 5 handballs 10 disposals 2 marks 1 tackle 26 hit outs 67 dream team points Jay Lockhart 2 behinds 13 kicks 1 handballs 14 disposals 4 marks 6 tackles 79 dream team points Pat McKenna 2 kicks 3 handballs 5 disposals 2 marks 2 tackles 26 dream team points Cory Machaya 1 goal 1 behind 8 kicks 9 handballs 17 disposals 3 marks 7 tackles 89 dream team points James Munro 4 kicks 3 handballs 7 disposals 3 marks 2 tackles 26 dream team points Harry Petty 13 kicks 6 handballs 19 disposals 6 marks 2 tackles 75 dream team points Tim Smith 1 goal 3 behinds 10 kicks 5 handballs 15 disposals 8 marks 4 tackles 6 hit outs 91 dream team points Angus Scott 16 kicks 4 handballs 20 disposals 4 marks 1 tackle 70 dream team points Will Stephenson 1 goal 3 behinds 9 kicks 1 handball 10 disposals 1 mark 1 tackle 76 dream team points Cory Stockdale 11 kicks 6 handballs 17 disposals 3 marks 54 dream team points Bernie Vince 4 kicks 1 handballs 5 disposals 2 marks 20 dream team points Corey Wagner 12 kicks 6 handballs 18 disposals 5 marks 7 tackles 91 dream team points Josh Wagner 19 kicks 3 handballs 22 disposals 8 marks 4 tackles 102 dream team points Sam Weideman 2 goals 1 behind kicks handballs disposals marks tackles 12 hit outs 76 dream team points Mitch White 9 kicks 1 handballs 10 disposals 2 marks 3 tackles 49 dream team points