By Bruno Visentini
The winless season continues for the Lions after the Casey Demons inflicted a 42-point defeat on Coburg at Piranha Park on Saturday. With Casey fielding a side that boasted plenty of AFL-listed talent including superstar ruckman Brodie Grundy, winning was not going to be an easy feat, but there were plenty of efforts that showed the Lions had fight in them despite the result and made the Demons work hard for the result.
The match was part of TAC and AFL Victoria’s Road Safety Round with players and officials wearing a blue armband to serve as a reminder that we all have a responsibility to drive safely and were worn in honour of every life lost on the road. As the game began, Casey were in charge of the contest as they held the Lions goalless for the term. The Demons were able to make Coburg pay for any errors along the way and their accuracy was the main factor that kept the margin from ballooning out too far.
Tyler Edwards scored the first goal for Casey after a few missed attempts from his side and James Munro backed it up with one of his own.Josh Schache notched up the third goal for Casey and with the slew of behinds along the way, Casey led at the first change 3.6 (24) to 0.2 (2). It was clear a big effort would be needed to turn the tide around. Scoring in the second quarter was opened by Brodie Grundy who missed a tight shot but after a scoreless patch for both sides, George Grey made it harder for the Lions to fight back when he kicked a goal and pushed the margin to 29 points.Fortune turned in Coburg’s favour slightly when Aaron Clarke was the beneficiary of a quick centre clearance from the Lions’ midfield. His set shot was accurate and gave the Lions a much needed first goal.
Charlie Spargo would eventually reply with a goal to give Casey their buffer back and after some time it looked like Coburg were on track for another goal when an end-to-end passage of play unfolded. Clarke had an opportunity to double his goal tally but he was less fortunate this time as his snap from a tight spot unluckily hit the post. Casey were unforgiving as an equally fast passage of play saw Josh Schache kick his second from directly in front and the Demons found themselves leading by 35. Needing to lift urgently, Coburg were able to do exactly that when Kyle Weightman snapped a goal after a passage of handballs, and another goal ensued when the Lions forced a Casey turnover at half back and Sam Mason was able to net a goal at the 20-minute mark.Up to this point, both sides had been evenly matched in the second quarter having both scored 2 goals and 3 behinds. It was moments of brilliance that were what changed for Coburg, something they couldn’t do with ease in the first term.
That patch would not last forever though as Matthew Jefferson slotted an easy set shot and Brodie Grundy notched up his first out of the ruck late in the quarter to lead 8.9 (57) to 3.4 (22).
The margin was 13 points more than at the first change, but still not insurmountable given the run of 7 unanswered goals against Carlton.
Both sides came into the second half needing to be on their A-game and the high pressure both exuded meant neither team could score a goal for almost 10 minutes when Charlie Spargo broke the deadlock for the Demons. Max Simpson had an opportunity to reply with one of his own but his set shot was off line. Thankfully for Simpson though he was able to atone for it with a goal. After a goal to Matthew Jefferson, Coburg replied through Aaron Clarke and Ryan Sturgess who combined for a goal each to trim the deficit to 31 points.
Luke Dunstan would kick the final major of the term to thwart off the lead Coburg had over the course of the third quarter, and instead Coburg continued to trail 6.7 (43) to 11.13 (79) and the deficit was just one point more than it was at half time. Not an impossible deficit to chase, but with only a quarter left to play it looked less and less achievable.
The final quarter was a tense and low scoring affair as fatigue had well and truly set in, but it was Casey who were the side to break through first with goals to Oliver Sestan and Andy Moniz-Wakefield to put the result beyond doubt. Even after a goal to Mitch Podhajski, Casey were well and truly the better side after their first quarter set them up for a solid win away from home, the final score was Coburg 7.11 (53) def. by Casey 13.17 (95).
Our next game is on Friday night against fellow standalone side Port Melbourne at their home ground of ETU Stadium where we hope to see as much of the Coburg faithful as possible.GOALKICKERS:A. Clarke 2, M. Simpson 2, M. Podhajski, K. Weightman, R. Sturgess, S.Mason
FINAL SCORE:
Coburg: 0.2 (2) | 3.4 (22) | 6.7 (43) | 7.11 (53)
Casey: 3.6 (24) | 8.9 (57) | 11.13 (79) | 13.17 (95)
