Search the Community

The Casey Demons caused the boilover of the season to date when they took on and beat the undefeated ladder leaders Essendon VFL by 41 points at Windy Hill. The stunning result which was achieved with a season low of eight AFL-listed players, will surely kickstart the Demons’ ailing season after they lost their last two matches as a result of some poor third quarter fade outs against quality opposition. Casey got off to a great start with a mid-air soccer volley goal from Jimmy Munro about three minutes into the opening term. Playing strong contested football with a winning ruck and with the wind at their backs, the Demons had the bulk of the play and scored the game’s first three goals before the Bombers struck back with a late goal with a minute to go before the siren ended the quarter. The crowd was expecting Essendon to assert itself with the breeze but it was Tim Smith who struck a devastating blow with two goals in the the first five minutes of the second term. A couple of turnovers and a fifty metre penalty temporarily turned the tide but a late goal just before half time to Braydon Preuss, his second for the afternoon, had the Demons in front by 16 points. Casey’s expected third term fade out did not materialise but, to the contrary, it became the “premiership quarter for the team. After a slow start in which scoring was at a premium and skipper Mitch White scored his team’s only goal in almost 20 minutes of play, the floodgates opened. Smith took a strong mark to goal and added another a minute or so later. By quarter’s end, the margin was 46 points. The Demons retained their total dominance well into the final term and relaxed in the later stages of the game to allow the home side a few junk time goals to run home 41 point winners. It was Preuss, and to a lesser extent, his partner in crime Liam Wale-Buxton, who were the catalysts for the Demons’ turnaround such was their dominance in the ruck throughout the game. This division has been Casey’s Achilles Heel since Jake Spencer left at the end of 2017 but it was its strong point against the Bombers. Preuss had 40 hit outs to go with his 16 disposals and two goals and between the two talls, they gave their midfielders an armchair ride. The beneficiaries were Jimmy Munro, Tom Sparrow, Corey Wagner and Oskar Baker who is starting to return to his pre-injury form of last year. Skipper White and Smith gave the team a focus in front of goals while youngster Tom Freeman also continues to develop nicely. James Jordon and Kade Chandler were also good contributors on the day and Harry Petty continues to develop as a key defender. The Demons return to Casey Fields next Saturday for another tough assignment - this time against stand alone Port Melbourne. 2019 Hard Yakka / Totally Workwear VFL Casey Demons 3.2.20 6.2.38 11.4.70 15.6.96 Essendon VFL 1.2.8 3.4.22 3.6.24 7.7.49 Goals Casey Demons T Smith 4 White 3 Baker Munro Preuss 2 Chandler Essendon VFL Ridley 2 Begley Fennel Gown Hocking Langford Younan Best Casey Demons Preuss Smith Petty Baker T Freeman Munro Essendon VFL Dea Langford Clarke Hocking McNiece Hartley Statistics Oskar Baker 2 goals 1 behind kicks handballs disposals marks tackles 82 dream team points Toby Bedford 1 behind 2 kicks 2 handballs 4 disposals 1 mark 1 tackle 19 dream team points Jaxon Briggs 5 kicks 2 handballs 7 disposals 1 mark 2 tackles 33 dream team points Kade Chandler 1 goal 5 kicks 3 handballs 8 disposals 3 marks 1 tackle 40 dream team points Jake Di Pasquale 8 kicks 5 handballs 13 disposals 5 marks 3 tackles 63 dream team points Tom Freeman 15 kicks 1 handball 16 disposals 12 marks 4 tackles 100 dream team points Mitch Gent 9 kicks 6 handballs 15 disposals 5 marks 2 tackles 60 dream team points Jack Hutchins 10 kicks 2 handballs 12 disposals 8 marks 1 tackle 59 dream team points James Jordon 15 kicks 2 handballs 17 disposals 6 marks 68 dream team points Mykelti Lefau 1 goals 3 kicks 3 handballs 6 disposals 1 mark 2 tackles 26 dream team points Mitchell Lewis 8 kicks 3 handballs 11 disposals 4 marks 41 dream team points Nick Lowden 8 kicks 3 handballs 11 disposals 6 marks 48 dream team points Tom McCaffrey 6 kicks 2 handballs 8 disposals 3 marks 4 tackles 47 dream team points James Munro 2 goals 9 kicks 9 handballs 18 disposals 2 marks 8 tackles 92 dream team points Harrison Petty 10 kicks 3 handballs 13 disposals 6 marks 2 tackles 63 dream team points Braydon Preuss 2 goals 9 kicks 6 handballs 15 disposals 6 marks 1 tackle 40 hit outs 113 dream team points Aidan Quigley 3 kicks 1 handballs 4 disposals 2 marks 1 tackles 21 dream team points Tim Smith 4 goals 1 behinds 9 kicks 3 handballs 12 disposals 4 marks 5 tackles 1 hit out 86 dream team points Tom Sparrow 12 kicks 3 handballs 15 disposals 5 marks 4 tackles 69 dream team points Cory Stockdale 3 kicks 1 handballs 4 disposals 2 marks 1 tackle 22 dream team points Corey Wagner 10 kicks 5 handballs 15 disposals 3 marks 9 tackles 83 dream team points Liam Wale-Buxton 1 kick 5 handballs 6 disposals 1 mark 4 tackles 30 hit outs 59 dream team points Mitchell White 3 goals 1 behind 11 kicks 11 disposals 3 marks 3 tackles 74 dream team points

You know it's been a truly crazy weekend for VFL football when Sandringham, held goalless in its last game, could manage 21 of them in its game against Port Melbourne yesterday and then the Casey Demons, known this year for their free flowing high scoring football, could score eight for the day (only two after half time) and still beat Essendon VFL by eight points in their vital top-four battle at RAMS Arena, Craigieburn. That outcome reflected Casey’s early dominance when it kicked the first five goals of the game to the midpoint of the second quarter, an almost impassible defence led by Declan Keilty, Sam Frost and Jay Lockhart and particularly after half time, the superior class of veteran Bernie Vince (25 disposals) who was making his VFL debut. He stood out like a beacon and his contribution was enormous when the Demons were under siege and it highlighted the difference in quality between this level and the high step up to AFL. Without him, the side would not be sitting with a record of seven consecutive wins this morning. The Bombers scored the first point early but a goal from Angus Scott gae the Demons a lead which they held throughout the rest of the game. They maintained the ascendancy throughout periods of heavy rain. When the rain stopped, the Bomber resurgence began and it was relentless for a while until Casey ruckman Mitch King took a mark from close in to restore three goal lead at the main break. Essendon had the better of Casey in most departments when the game turned into a battle of defences after half time. The Bombers had plenty of run but it was the fierce tackling of the Demons and the strong marking of Keilty and Frost that saved the day in an arm wrestle that saw the home team reign their lead to 10 points at three quarter time. A goal to Tim Smith, who had been so important earlier in the game with his strength and tackling, was the perfect start to the final term but the Bombers were not to be denied. They kept coming and the defenders kept repelling until the siren heralded the end of a dour struggle with Casey still on top. The game was a breakout match for ginger headed Oskar Baker who finished with 34 touches on a wing. Billy Stretch continued his strong vein of good form and kicked two goals and Corey Wagner was again an important cog in the Casey cause. Their next assignment is a home game - Casey's first meeting with the newly formed North Melbourne VFL. Peter Jackson VFL 2018 Casey Demons 3.2.20 6.3.39 7.3.45 8.6.54 Essendon VFL 0.2.2 3.3.21 5.5.35 6.10.46 Goals Casey Demons Stretch 2 Balic Garlett Hutchins King Scott T Smith Essendon VFL Boyse 2 Houlahan Merrett Stewart Younan Best Casey Demons Keilty Wagner Stretch Vince Frost Lockhart Essendon VFL Mutch Hind Merrett Draper Heppell Clarke Statistics Oskar Baker 20 kicks 14 handballs 34 disposals 9 marks 6 tackles 126 dream team points Harley Balic 1 goal 9 kicks 7 handballs 16 disposals 4 marks 1 tackles 63 dream team points Tomas Bugg 12 kicks 5 handballs 17 disposals 3 marks 5 tackles 75 dream team points Lachlan Filipovic 2 hit outs -4 dream team points Sam Frost 10 kicks 6 handballs 16 disposals 6 marks 1 tackle 58 dream team points Jeff Garlett 1 goal 2 behinds 7 kicks 2 handballs 9 disposals 1 mark 7 tackles 65 dream team points Jack Hutchins 1 goal 2 kicks 3 handballs 5 disposals 4 marks 2 tackles 36 dream team points Dion Johnstone 3 kicks 3 handballs 6 disposals 3 marks 4 tackles 37 dream team points Declan Keilty 7 kicks 8 handballs 15 disposals 7 marks 3 tackles 68 dream team points Jay Kennedy Harris 8 kicks 9 handballs 17 disposals 1 mark 11 tackles 88 dream team points Dean Kent 10 kicks 4 handballs 14 disposals 4 marks 1 tackle 45 dream team points Mitchell King 1 goal 4 kicks 4 handballs 8 disposals 2 marks 3 tackles 17 hit outs 56 dream team point Jay Lockhart 13 kicks 7 handballs 20 disposals 4 marks 4 tackles 78 dream team points Goy Lok 3 kicks 5 handballs 8 disposals 1 mark 4 tackles 36 dream team points Corey Machaya 6 kicks 1 handballs 7 disposals 2 marks 2 tackles 35 dream team points James Munro 7 kicks 5 handballs 12 disposals 3 marks 6 tackles 61 dream team points Cameron Pedersen 10 kicks 5 handballs 15 disposals 3 marks 3 tackles 55 dream team points Corey Stockdale 5 kicks 6 handballs 11 disposals 4 tackles 45 dream team points Angus Scott 1 goal 11 kicks 7 handballs 18 disposals marks tackles dream team points Tim Smith 1 goal 11 kicks 9 handballs 20 disposals 7 marks 2 tackles 78 dream team points Billy Stretch 2 goals 13 kicks 10 handballs 23 disposals 1 mark 9 tackles 110 dream team points Bernie Vince 18 kicks 7 handballs 25 disposals 6 marks 5 tackles 107 dream team points Corey Wagner 15 kicks 12 handballs 27 disposals 2 marks 9 tackles 106 dream team points