The Casey Demons have fallen short against the Western Bulldogs at Casey Fields on Sunday afternoon, going down after a challenging opening quarter proved difficult to overcome.
The Bulldogs came out with strong early intensity, slotting three first-quarter goals to put immediate pressure on the Dees. While Casey continued to compete strongly throughout the contest and showed encouraging signs late in the game, the early deficit ultimately proved too much to reel in.
Despite the result, the Demons never stopped fighting and produced some of their best football in the final term. Their ball movement began to open up, they looked more composed in transition and were able to generate forward entries as they searched for momentum.
Casey’s defence stood up under significant pressure for much of the afternoon. The backline was forced to absorb repeated inside 50s from the Bulldogs but consistently found ways to intercept and repel attacks. Their ability to win the ball back in the air kept the Dees in the contest, however the connection and transition from defence into attack was an area that prevented them from fully capitalising on their hard work behind the ball.
Although the scoreboard did not reflect the effort, there were a number of strong individual performances across the ground in Casey’s Round 2 clash.
With the match taking place during Sir Doug Nicholls Round, a special best-on-ground award was presented post-match, with the recipient selected by coach Oli Platt. The honour went to Zahri Burn, whose influence in the ruck was enormous throughout the afternoon.
Coming up against an experienced former AFLW ruck, Burn competed strongly all day and gave Casey’s midfielders first use at stoppages. She finished with 22 hitouts and 11 disposals, while her physicality and follow-up work around the contest were standout features of her game. Her performance played a major role in the Demons winning the clearance battle 36-28.
The midfield group battled hard all afternoon, led by Tylah Burn who once again showcased her toughness and work rate around the contest. She recorded 17 disposals, 10 tackles and nine clearances in a determined four-quarter effort. Her ability to pressure defensively while also winning contested ball was crucial in helping Casey remain competitive throughout the game.
Jess Pacevski also made a major impact with her relentless pressure around the stoppages. She laid an incredible 12 tackles to go alongside five clearances, consistently applying pressure to the Bulldogs and refusing to allow easy possessions around the contest.
In defence, Lily Snow stood tall under immense pressure. She read the play superbly throughout the afternoon and continually positioned herself well behind the ball to cut off attacking opportunities. Snow finished with 17 disposals and an impressive 12 intercept possessions in one of the strongest defensive performances for the Demons.
Up forward, Alice Robinson provided Casey with energy and scoreboard impact. Robinson finished the day with two goals and five tackles, working hard both in the air and at ground level to create opportunities inside 50. Her pressure and competitiveness were important in helping spark Casey’s late push.
While the result was not the one the Demons were after, the performance still provided valuable learnings for the young side as they continue to build consistency early in the season.
The upcoming bye now presents an important opportunity for the playing group and coaching staff to reset and refine areas of their game before their next challenge. Oli Platt and his coaching team will use the break to continue sharpening Casey’s transition and ball movement as the Demons prepare to face Collingwood in their next outing.
CASEY DEMONS 0.0 1.0 1.0 3.0 (18)
WESTERN BULLDOGS 3.0 4.1 5.4 6.5 (41)
GOALS
Casey Demons: Robinson (2), Madigan (1)
Western Bulldogs: Sandral (3), McLeod (1), Klingbeil (1), Bishop (1)
DISPOSALS
Casey Demons: Snow (17), T.Burn (17), Macdonald (16)
Western Bulldogs: Bishop (26), Livingstone (24), Sansonetti (20)
