Scorpions crushed

By Marc McGowan
AN overmatched Casey Scorpions’ side suffered a 115-point humiliation at the hands of Collingwood to exit the finals’ race at the first hurdle at TEAC Oval on Saturday.
The Scorpions twice looked set to challenge during the day – firstly when they kicked three straight goals in the second term, and again after scoring the opening major of the second half – but were ultimately overpowered.
Eleven unanswered Magpies goals in the third quarter sealed Casey’s fate and ensured a disappointing end to a season that once promised so much.
The Scorpions’ AFL partner Melbourne’s shabby treatment of its VFL affiliate was the major story to arise from the heavy defeat.
Only three Demons players – Shane Valenti, Michael Newton and Trent Zomer – competed for Casey compared to the 21 AFL-listed stars in action for Collingwood.
The Magpies’ 22nd player was their captain and former Essendon hard-nut Damien Peverill, who retired from the AFL last year.
Thirteen Melbourne players were eligible to play for the Scorpions and there were genuine excuses for only four of them.
A diplomatic Peter German stopped short of criticising Demons’ officials.
“I felt that over the last four or five weeks we have been fighting out of our weight division (with minimal Melbourne players),” he said.
“The players have been giving everything and sooner or later it was going to take its toll.
“Today, in a big game and certainly against a quality opposition, we just got exposed for lack of experience, strength, skill and, in a lot of ways, footy ability.
“We haven’t got any Dicks (Brad Dick) running around and players like that, so it certainly fell into place for them, but it showed we’ve still got a lot of improvement to do.”
Dick, Danny Stanley, reigning Morrish medallist and former Gippsland Power midfielder Jarryd Blair and Anthony Corrie kicked 15 goals between them to bury Casey.
Scorpions’ skipper Kyle Matthews was typically inspirational, particularly in the second half, and was his team’s best player, while Valenti, Newton and James Wall also worked hard.
Ruckman Tim Mohr admirably fought what was always going to be a losing battle against Collingwood beanpole Cameron Wood. But key forward Ben Waite and backman Glenn Chivers led a host of Casey players who produced forgettable performances.
The Magpies kicked four majors from 11 scoring shots with a slight breeze in the first term to state their intentions early.
The Scorpions, on the other hand, barely went forward and managed just one point in response. Matthews took it upon himself to lift his side in the opening minutes of the second quarter. He leaped high to smother a Collingwood kick before a perfectly weighted pass landed in the arms of Waite, who bent his shot back perfectly for Casey’s first goal.
But the Magpies responded immediately with back-to-back goals and the difference blew out to 46 midway through the term.
The Scorpions looked gone, but a miraculous Newton major off the ground sparked some unlikely resistance.
Newton added a more routine set-shot goal before Wall roved opponent Chris Dawes’ ruck tap in Casey’s forward-50 and dribbled through another – capping three in four minutes.
The Scorpions looked set to charge forward again, but turned the ball over in the middle of the ground and Collingwood excitement machine Johnny Bennell booted his second to quash their mini-comeback.
The Magpies turned for home 35 points ahead, but a Ryan Creed major in the first 90 seconds of the third quarter renewed Casey’s hopes.
Dick put a stop to that with a brilliant term of football. The indigenous forward snapped consecutive goals to kick-start 11 in a row that only ended when Creed kicked his second as time ticked past 30 minutes. Dick had three for the term and five for the game.
Blair blasted the margin beyond 100 with a beautiful finish on the run from 40 metres at the 12-minute mark of the final term and a seven-goal-to-three quarter kept it that way.