Casey has continued its wonderful start to the 2022 VFLW season, claiming a stunning 91-point win over the Western Bulldogs at Casey Fields on Saturday.
After conceding the first goal of the match, the Demons peeled off 15 straight goals to canter away to the 15.7 (97) to 1.0 (6) victory.
An intercept mark inside forward 50 and resulting goal from Eloise O’Connor set the tone in the first quarter, while another major to Brooke Borchard just before the first break gave Casey a lead it would never give up.
The second term was where the Demons cracked the game open. An exhibition of pace running back to goals from Tahlia Fellows gave her the first of her three goals on the day to kickstart Casey’s second quarter.
Fellows was brilliant all day with her trio of goals and 18 disposals, as her turn of pace and nous around the big sticks came to the fore the longer the match went on.
A sensational midfield performance from Brenna Tarrant (32 touches) kept Casey’s engine room ticking all day long, as the AFLW-listed player worked hard in defence while also helping her side transition into attack with ease.
Goals to Alexandra Kirkwood, Monica Harasimiuk and Tara Reiter gave the Demons an unassailable lead heading into the main break, as their relentless pressure meant the Bulldogs never got close enough to goal to mount any kind of comeback.
The onslaught continued in the second half, with an early snap goal out of a stoppage from Alison Dowler (19 touches) capping off a terrific performance.
When Samantha Johnson took off from an out of bounds on the full and slammed through a running goal from range, it was clear it was Casey’s day yet again.
A second remarkable goal to Tara Reiter, where she kicked through a loose ball out of mid-air, and another blistering running goal from Fellows meant the Demons went into the last break with a 59-point lead.
From there, it was all about completing another four-quarter performance, as Casey worked its way into the top two with a five-goal final term.
Fellows’ X-factor came to the fore early, as a wonderful mark and run allowed Dowler to snap through her second major, while goals to the busy Cara McCrossan (12 disposals) and Krstel Petrevski (18 touches, six tackles) had Casey dreaming of a three-digit score.
Late majors to Fellows and Melanie Hogg - the latter set up by a brilliant in-board kick from Tarrant - gave the Demons a 91-point win to savour.
Now firmly entrenched in the top two with Essendon, Casey faces a firm challenge when it takes on Geelong at Deakin University next week, while the Dogs will be looking to rebound against Hawthorn in Round 5.
CASEY DEMONS 2.1 6.4 10.5 15.7 (97)
WESTERN BULLDOGS 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 (6)
Goals: Fellows 3, Dowler, Reiter 2, Borchard, Harasimiuk, Hogg, Johnson, Kirkwood, McCrossan, O’Connor, Petrevski
Disposals: Tarrant 32, Magee 21, Brown, Hogg 20, Dowler 19, Fellows, Petrevski 18
