The Casey Demons have fallen to the Box Hill Hawks at Box Hill City Oval on Saturday morning.

The Demons started strongly, with pressure around the contest helping them stay with the Hawks early. Casey matched Box Hill’s intensity through the opening quarter, but the home side began to gain control after quarter time and gradually created separation on the scoreboard.

The Demons found it difficult to win the clearance battle throughout the morning, despite another strong performance from Zahri Burn in the ruck. Burn competed hard around the ground and finished with a game-high 35 hitouts, giving Casey plenty of opportunities to generate possession from stoppages.

Defensively, Delany Madigan and Siena Lane were important in repelling Box Hill’s forward entries. Madigan recorded eight intercept possessions, while Lane finished with seven as the pair worked hard to limit the Hawks’ opportunities inside 50.

It was also great to see Kasey Phillips back in the side, with the defender putting her experience to work as she looked to repel Box Hill’s attacking entries and provide stability across Casey’s backline.

At the other end of the ground, Melbourne AFLW-listed players Alyssia Pisano and Tahlia Fellows provided plenty of pressure inside forward 50. Pisano produced a classy finish for Casey, while Fellows continued to apply pressure and make life difficult for the Hawks’ defenders.

Laela Ebert and Amelia Dethridge both had their moments throughout the contest, while Zoe Mitchell showed her composure in front of goal to slot a well-taken major.

Lily Snow continued to provide flexibility for the Demons, moving between the midfield and defence and making an impact at stoppages with five clearances to go with 13 disposals.

Tylah Burn led Casey for disposals with 17 and was relentless defensively, finishing with eight tackles as she continued to work hard across the ground.

While the Demons were unable to close the gap on the Hawks after half-time, there were plenty of individual efforts to take from the contest as the side looks ahead to the final two games of the season.

Casey will return to Casey Fields for its final two matches, with both games set to be played as double-headers alongside Melbourne’s AFLW side. The Demons will be looking to finish the season strongly in front of their home supporters.

BOX HILL HAWKS                 1.3    5.5   8.6   12.6 (78)
CASEY DEMONS                    0.1    0.1   1.2   2.5 (17)

GOALS
Box Hill Hawks: Neaves (2), Matin (2), Antony (2), Vozzo (1), Stuart (1), Stoddart (1), Dillon (1), Cattle (1), Allen (1) 
Casey Demons: Mitchell (1), Pisano (1) 

DISPOSALS
Box Hill Hawks: Stuart (30), Kavanagh (23), Cattle (19) 
Casey Demons: Burn (17), Pacevski (16), MacDonald (15)