Scorpions bomb a winner

By Marc McGowan
IT SOMETIMES only takes one moment to turn around a team’s fortunes.
And the Casey Scorpions will be hoping defender Peter Faulks’ incredible match-winning goal against second-placed Williamstown at Casey Fields on Sunday does exactly that.
The former Sydney Swans player gathered the ball in the middle of the ground as time ticked past 30 minutes and thumped a wind-assisted kick towards the goals and watched as it bounced through.
Faulks’ team-mates flocked around him, the crowd went into raptures and the Scorpions’ coaching box was similarly chuffed.
Casey’s top-four hopes were still alive.
Scorpions’ youngster Wade Lees had the last shot on goal – a point from a 50m set shot – as the siren sounded.
Faulks still couldn’t believe what had taken place half an hour after the game.
“I just kicked it as far as I could. I remember seeing an open goalsquare and tried to kick the living crap out of it and it carried the distance,” he said.
Casey coach Peter German was relieved his team finally had a change of luck after five losses of 16 points or less this season.
“It’s about time something went our way. The footy gods smiled on us,” he said.
“To actually come out on the positive side of the ledger in that type of a game is just so important for us.”
Ruckman Tim Mohr (25 disposals), who was close to best afield in a sterling performance, looked to have won the Scorpions the contest when he booted his second 50m goal of the quarter at the 25-minute mark.
But opposing big man Wayde Skipper marked and goaled barely a minute later to restore the Seagulls’ advantage and spark the final frantic moments.
Casey needs to win its last home-and-away match against fifth-placed Box Hill, and for Frankston to beat the fourth-ranked Northern Bullants, to snatch the double chance.
The Scorpions set themselves for last weekend’s victory with a strong first half.
They restricted William-stown to just 2.7 in the opening term and a 15-point margin despite the visitors kicking with a gale force wind to the Tooradin end.
Casey also initially struggled to make the most of the conditions in the second quarter, but late goals to Melbourne-listed Trent Zomer and Ben Waite – his second of the term – gave it a 13-point edge.
Mohr, midfielder Ben MacReadie (27), small defender Michael Stockdale (34) and Alex Silvagni – the Scorpions’ Mr Versatile – played pivotal roles in establishing the lead.
Lees, in just his fourth senior outing, also impressed again with 25 possessions for the afternoon.
Williamstown emerged from half-time hell-bent on wiping out the disadvantage and, after four more behinds, Western Bulldogs team-mates Guy O’Keefe and Brennan Stack kicked consecutive goals to do just that.
The Seagulls continued peppering the goals, but a measly return of 3.12 for the term garnered just an 11-point buffer at the final break.
Mohr cut that to five in the opening 20 seconds of the last quarter with an extraordinary running goal, but Williamstown hung tough and looked set to inflict further pain on the Scorpions before Faulks’ heroics.
The Seagulls came from 35 points behind to defeat Casey in round 11 in June.
German, who used that loss as a spur for his players in his three-quarter-time address, praised his team’s spirit.
“We had (only) two Melbourne players (Zomer and Jamie Bennell) … we’re doing it with all Casey players,” he said.
“The group we’ve got has a real strong desire to have a red-hot go and in conditions like that it can be a bit fluky, but we were able to, through sheer perseverance, get across the line.”
The Scorpions’ clash with Box Hill is on Sunday from 2pm at Box Hill City Oval.