The Casey Demons' tough start to the 2025 VFLW season continued in Round 3, going down to the Box Hill Hawks by 50 points at Box Hill City Oval on Saturday afternoon.
Box Hill came out firing from the opening siren, dominating early on the scoreboard and putting Casey on the back foot. Anna Vrsecky managed to slot the Demons’ only goal of the first quarter, as the Hawks dictated the tempo and created scoreboard pressure.
The Demons responded with a more composed and competitive effort leading into half time. They disrupted Box Hill’s quick ball movement, lifted their midfield pressure, and found greater connection up forward. This led to goals from Alice Robinson and Jo Lin, helping Casey claw their way back into the contest.
Despite the improved performance, missed shots in front of goal saw the Demons kick more behinds, allowing the Hawks to maintain control and stretch their lead heading into the final quarter.
In the fourth quarter, Box Hill capitalised on Casey’s missed chances and ran away with the game. Their pace and polish proved too much, sealing a convincing win and their third straight victory of the season.
Demons captain Ally Kirkwood reflected post-match on the team's efforts and areas for growth.
“We’re just a little slow to react,” she said. “There were lots of positive moments from girls who were playing their role and turning up for one another. Our forwards created goals that helped us get really close, and it was just that final quarter that we couldn’t get it together and continue our repeat efforts.”
Casey saw Tylah Burn, Meg Macdonald, Zoe Mitchell, and Sophie Casey, who worked tirelessly to generate opportunities and apply pressure around the contest.
The Demon's go into Round 4 still searching for their first win of the season, which they will now aim to build on their promising middle quarters and deliver a complete four-quarter performance.
BOX HILL HAWKS 3.3 5.6 7.6 11.9 (75)
CASEY 1.0 3.2 3.4 3.7 (25)
GOALS
Box Hill: Zielinski, Embelton & Collingwood (2), Stevenson, Price, Matin, Cattle, Baldwin
Casey: Vrsecky, Robinson, Lin
DISPOSALS
Box Hill: Baldwin (25), Cattle & Cariss-Brett (17), Van Berkel, Stevenson & Embelton (16)
Casey: Burn (14), Macdonald (13), Mitchell & Casey (12)
