THE CASEY Demons VFLW side started their 2021 campaign in fanatic style with a six-goal victory over Carlton last Saturday.

The Demons lead at every break increasing the margin as the match went on, with the final scoreline of 36 points being the greatest of the day.

Whilst the Dees had control of most of the game, some wayward kicking in the first half almost let the Blues back into the game early in the third quarter, before Casey was able to straighten up and put the game beyond doubt for Carlton.

Early wins

Early in the game, whilst it was still in the balance, Casey was able to consistently provide more drive into the forward line and put more scoreboard pressure on the Blues. 

They kept Carlton scoreless up to half-time whilst having six scoring shots themselves.

Along with ferocious tackling and hardness at the ball, it was an exciting brand of football to watch.

Slight scare

While the Demons had all the momentum for the first half of the game, they failed to capitalise on opportunities to put the game beyond Carlton’s reach with inaccurate kicking. 

After half time, Casey had kicked two goals and six behinds before the Blues came out and kicked the next two goals and reduced the Demons lead to just five points. 

To the Demons’ credit, they kept to the task at hand, replying with the last two goals and taking the lead back out to 20 points at three-quarter time.

Strong finishing

The last quarter was certainly Casey’s strongest in terms of scoring power. The Demons had seven scoring opportunities to kick three goals and four behinds. 

Even when Carlton scored a goal early on in the last quarter, Casey had the reply straight away with a goal from the next centre bounce, shattering any confidence the Blues had left in a comeback.

It will be pleasing to both coaches and players to know that the Demons finished out the game strongly.

The standouts

It’s difficult not to say it was a great team effort, but you cannot go past Brenna Tarrant’s five-goal haul. 

Tarrant’s four goals in the second half were brilliant to watch as she provided a great target for the Casey midfielders to kick too.

Kelly Thompson was another player that you couldn’t miss as she was involved in everything. 

Thompson provided much-needed grunt in the engine room, created plenty of opportunities for the forwards and was damaging around the ground. 

A word from the coach

“It was an exciting start and fantastic to see the players get an opportunity to play again which is really important, it was just great to see them smile,” head coach Peter Mercoulia told Melbourne Media post-game.

“Our player’s ability to be cleaner at ground level and hold some nice shape around contests and take the ball forward gave us more scoring opportunities.

“But it was a good team effort, and I thought the girl’s ability to stay connected was really strong towards the end of the game.” 

Looking ahead

Round 2 v Essendon @ Casey Fields - Saturday 6th March 2021, 1:00pm AEDT

Casey will take on Essendon in Round 2 of the rebel VFLW premiership season for their first home game at Casey Fields. 

Last week the Dons went down to the Southern Saints by 18 points and will be looking to secure their first win of the season. 

The Demons though will want to make Casey Fields a fortress in season 2021 and hold their position on top of the ladder.