Summary
Casey inflicted more pain on the struggling Coburg side on Saturday, defeating the winless Tigers by 77 points at Casey Fields. Despite a poor start to the season, Coburg started the game strongly and did most of the attacking in the early stages of the match. But the Demons class shone through, kicking thee overlap goals with sharp ball movement, before Billy Stretch extended Casey’s lead to 17 points on the quarter-time siren.

The rain began to fall throughout the second term, making conditions difficult for clean football, but the Demons were stronger around the contest and able to control the ball forward of centre. Casey went on a run of seven consecutive goals to blow the game open, as Coburg managed just one-major in each of the four quarters.

Casey re-shuffled its side on Saturday, trialling some structural changes on the back of Cameron Pedersen’s move to defence. Captain Jack Hutchins was the shining light with his three-goal haul, while Goy Lok enjoyed a run on the ball with James Munro playing a role down-back.

It was another consistent team performance by the Demons at home, bringing up a sixth win in a row to see Casey sit second on the ladder – just percentage short of top spot.

Telling stat
The inside 50 stat is often lopsided in a big win, and that proved accurate on Saturday. The Demons went forward on 67 occasions – 31 more times than their opposition. This allowed Casey to hit the scoreboard in a big way, with repeat entries eventually translating into goals.

Disposals
Bugg, Kennedy-Harris, Stretch 27, Johnstone, Lok 22, C. Wagner 21, J. Wagner, Weideman 19.

Goals
Weideman 7, Hutchins 3, Stretch 2, Baker, Garlett, Kennedy-Harris, Stockdale.

3 Votes: Sam Weideman
In a career-best outing, Weideman booted a sensational seven goals. The young key forward has had a very consistent season and his hard work has often gone unrewarded, but on Saturday Weideman finally had some luck and cashed in fully. He created a strong contest inside 50, marked the ball well and kicked straight when the opportunities came. It was great to see Weideman hit the scoreboard after a consistent patch of form.

2 Votes: Billy Stretch
Stretch couldn’t have had a more impressive run with Casey this season. He’s been one of the best afield almost every game, finding the ball with ease and delivering it inside 50 efficiently. On Saturday, the classy midfielder had 27 disposals and two goals, but it was his first quarter performance when Coburg challenged the Demons which was most valuable. Stretch had a dominant start with 10 disposals and a goal in the opening term to provide resistance against the Tigers fast start and help Casey get on top.

1 Vote: Sam Frost
While the entire Demon backline operated well, restricting Coburg to just four goals, Frost was the standout in his role at half-back. The 194cm defender read the ball well all afternoon, leaving his man to take intercept marks and provide plenty of run up the field. He looked as confident in his own game as he has all season, backing his ability and rebounding consistently for Casey with 16 disposals and eight marks.

Apologies to
It seems Tom Bugg has been unlucky to miss out on votes most weeks, and he gathered another 27 disposals on Saturday, while Jay Kennedy-Harris was dominant with the same tally of possessions. Kennedy-Harris is in a strong vein of form, arguably playing as freely as he ever has.

From half-back, Dion Johnstone and Josh Wagner were two who provided penetration for Casey. Johnstone has improved as much as any Demon in 2018, while both of the Wagner brothers are extremely consistent performers.

Good to see
With a few spots opening up at Casey on the weekend, Cory Stockdale made his debut and provided the highlight of the match in the dying stages. The last goal of the game came off Stockdale’s boot, causing all Demon players on the ground to run over to the 21-year-old and celebrate the moment with him. Although the Casey team changes regularly, there is a strong culture amongst the extended squad and the players are truly embracing each other.

Coaches say
“I’m very much a week-to-week prospect because of the changes in personnel. This week there was another five or six changes to when we played our last game. So we’ll just keep churning through each week and respect each opposition. But I’m pleased with how we’re playing together.” – Jade Rawlings

Looking ahead
As the Demons will be looking to remain at the top-end of the ladder when they take on Essendon at RAMS Arena on Saturday. Casey is just percentage shy of Richmond at the top, and after six consecutive victories, the Demons are full of confidence with eight games left in the home and away season.