CASEY’S women’s team has just fallen short of the Western Bulldogs, going down by three points in a thrilling contest at Casey Fields on Saturday afternoon.

Casey Demons 4.4 (28) defeated by Western Bulldogs 4.7 (31).

With just moments left in the third term it appeared as though the Dogs would run away with a comfortable win, but Casey’s co-captain Harriet Cordner had other ideas.

Cordner kicked a clutch goal on the three quarter-time siren and cut the margin back to nine points, giving her side a chance in a low scoring affair.

With players desperately scrambling for the ball, Aliesha Newman nailed the all important first goal of the final term to make it a one-kick game.

Casey played the majority of the last quarter up its end of the field, forcing the ball forward and trying to create chances for a match winning goal.

Eden Zanker came close to being the hero, but her rushed snap was the only score of the last nine minutes, as the Demons ran out of time to pinch a victory.

With rain coming down prior to the game, the ground was slippery creating tricky conditions for football.

The Bulldogs handled the wet ball better early, peppering the sticks with four behinds in the first three minutes of the match.

Casey struggled to clear the area, with the Dogs piling on two goals to open up a 15-point lead by the latter stages of the first term.

But star Demon forward Kaila Bentvelzen slotted a crucial goal just before the quarter-time siren to give her side life.

Casey began to gain some ascendancy in the second term and after 12 minutes of fierce forward pressure, Katherine Smith burst through a pack to draw the Demons within four points.

After a goalless period for the Dogs, Brooke Lochland got her side going with a major in the opening stages of the second half, before Kirsten McLeod followed suit just moments later, blowing the Dogs lead back out to 15 points.

The Bulldogs were in a position where they could have cruised home, but Casey showed resilience, working hard to stay in the contest.

Although the result didn’t fall the Demons way, their fight was admirable and success shouldn’t be far away.

It had been two weeks since Casey last took to the field with a bye on the back of the Queen’s Birthday weekend rest, but the Demons looked sharp, competing gallantly against a talented Bulldogs outfit.

Casey will be looking to register its second win of the season when it meets Essendon next Saturday at RAMS Arena.

CASEY DEMONS              1.1   2.3   3.3   4.4  (28)
WESTERN BULLDOGS    2.4   2.6   4.6   4.7  (31)        

CASEY GOALS
Bentvelzen, Cordner, Newman, Smith