Put simply, it just wasn’t Casey’s day on Saturday at Casey Fields. A four-goal blitz from Port Melbourne in the third quarter proved costly for the Demons, as they went down 5.5 (35) to 8.1 (49) at Casey Fields.

Coming into the game, both the Demons and the Borough were coming off losses and were looking to rebound in the lead up to the finals. 

For Casey, it was simply not making good use of its opportunities and it proved damaging, as the Demons could have jumped to third on the ladder. 

Casey got out of the blocks early in the first quarter and looked to be in a good position. The midfield was driving the ball forward consistently and providing opportunities for its forwards. 

Eden Zanker kicked the first goal of the game for Casey and the Demons looked in control. A few lapses in skill errors and decision making however cost Casey a couple of goals, including one from a 50m penalty, handing Port Melbourne a three-point lead at the quarter-time break.

The second quarter saw the Demons start well with Eliza West making the most of a free kick in front of goal, before the Borough replied with one of their own. 

The quarter was soured a little when Brenna Tarrant went down with an injury and took no further part in the game. 

Casey was then able to regroup and get back on the scoreboard with another goal through Imogen Milford. 

Again, late in the quarter, Casey lost Isabella Simmons and was only down to two on the bench by halftime. On a positive note, however, they held the lead by three points. 

In the third quarter, it was all Port Melbourne. Everything that they kicked towards the goals went through as they slammed on three unanswered majors, giving themselves a 15-point buffer. 

Casey just didn’t have an answer until late in the third when Chantel Emonson chimed in with a set-shot goal to put some pressure back on the Borough. Port Melbourne replied quickly with its fourth goal of the quarter and took a 14-point lead into the last quarter. 

The Demons were still in belief that the game was within reach and did all the attacking early on in the term. 

Milford kicked her second goal of the day from a set shot. Casey had several chances to score in the last quarter but couldn’t make the most of its opportunities, then giving Port an easy goal from a 50-metre penalty all but sealed the game. The final margin was 14 points. 

The Demon defence battled hard all day, with Libby Birch and Gabby Colvin doing as much as they could, while Meg MacDonald’s pressure around the ground was unquestionable. 

You could see the hurt in the players’ eyes when they walked off the ground. Looking ahead though, they will need to regroup quickly to turn things around to find some form before heading into finals over the two final rounds.

“It started off pretty well,” Casey Demons forwards Coach Ben Friggi said when speaking with Melbourne Media. 

“We fixed up some areas that we wanted to from last week, in terms of holding our structure and around the contest.

“As the game went on our basic fundamental skills let us down, including our ground balls and trying to access the open side of the ground. 

“And at critical times we just didn’t use the ball as efficiently as we wanted to.”

Whilst the loss wasn’t the intended result, Friggi still found some positives and things to work on during the week.

“Our forwards look their best when we are hitting up at the ball and moving as a group and applying the forward pressure to allow the ball to stay in our forward 50,” he said.

“There were glimpses of that today, especially in the last quarter, but again we left it far too late to execute those fundamentals.

This week we will work on staying connected to the game and making sure that we are in the play at all times and kicking goals as simple as it sounds.

Next week the Demons hit the road again with a late Sunday afternoon game out at the kennel to take on the Western Bulldogs. The Bulldogs are holding onto hopes of still making the finals as they currently sit seventh on the ladder. 

It will be the second game in a doubleheader with the men’s side playing Footscray earlier in the afternoon.

Casey Demons           1.3       3.3       4.4       5.5.35
Port Melbourne           2.0       3.0       7.0       8.1.49

Goals: 2 Imogen Milford, Eliza West, Chantel Emonson, Eden Zanker

Best: Libby Birch, Meg MacDonald, Gabbie Colvin, Eliza McNamara, Monica Harasimiuk, Caitlin Conroy

Next Game: Away v Western Bulldogs Sunday 30th May @ VU Whitten Oval, 4:00 pm