Casset booked in spectator spat

By Brad Kingsbury
A SENSATIONAL round 16 saw champion Doveton spearhead Danny Casset charged with misconduct and redcarded in a fiery exchange with a spectator on the weekend.
Casset was involved in the incident and booked at threequarter time during Doveton’s clash with Cranbourne for allegedly spitting in the direction of the spectator, forcing the Doves to finish the game with 17 players and putting Casset’s finals campaign in the hands of the league tribunal.
Three umpires reported the star forward who has kicked 89 goals for the Doves this year, including six before being sent off in Saturday’s match.
The charge was a result of Casset’s reaction to the taunts of the unnamed spectator who had entered the field as players made their way to the threequartertime huddle.
The incident puts a spotlight on the issue of player safety as finals approach with the onus on home clubs to ensure that players and officials from both competing clubs are protected from possible harm at their grounds.
Pakenham forward Simon Ponter and Devon Meadows big man Matt Timmerman also wound up in the umpires’ books for alleged striking offences in a fiery round of football.
The final five is still open after the weekend’s results with the makeup of the top group likely to come down to the last homeandaway round.
The games left for the four teams still in with a finals’ chance are:
Pakenham: Narre Warren (away), Berwick (home).
ROC: Beaconsfield (home), Devon Meadows (away).
Hampton Park: Cranbourne (home), Keysborough (away).
Devon Meadows: Dingley (home), ROC (home).