A Casey team backed with experienced Melbourne listed players buried North Ballarat by 56 points at Eureka Stadium on Saturday leaving the reigning premiers winless heading into round four, as Sam Landy reports.
The Roosters were no match for a Scorpions side who boasted 15 AFL listed players and rookies in a contest plagued by strong winds and dominated by tight, congested play.
Forwards Ricky Petterd and Matthew Bate shone for Casey, contributing four and three goals respectively. Matthew Warnock and Joel Macdonald were solid in defence, with Warnock taking five contested marks to pose a serious challenge to the Roosters forwards. Daniel Nicholson was arguably best afield, racking up 31 disposals. He was supported in the midfield by Sam Blease, who played his best game yet “running off halfback” according to coach Brad Gotch, with 27 possessions. Lucas Cook was also a strong contributor.
Lachlan George, Ryan McKenzie, Oliver Tate and Daniel Pratt were among North Ballarat’s best, each notching up twenty-odd touches. Daniel Jones was solid, amassing 22 disposals and kicking two goals, while Matthew Sharkey and Luke Delaney tried hard in defence and Orren Stephenson affected 25 hitouts in his 100th game. However North appeared to lack an x-factor throughout the match, having lost standouts from last week in Aaron Edwards and Ben Cunnington, to AFL selection.
Casey raced away to a 25-point lead in the first quarter, keeping the home team goalless by piling on relentless defensive pressure. The Scorpions flooded North Ballarat’s forward 50, preventing the Roosters from obtaining clean possession or taking marks in their attacking end, a play which Casey sustained throughout the match. The visitors also looked much stronger in the midfield, affecting a clean, fast running game in defiance of the strong breeze blowing across-field, which the reigning premiers were unable to keep pace with.
Casey’s first goal came at the five minute mark of the term when a Roosters error allowed Nicholson to mark and goal from 20 metres out. Petterd then slotted the first of his four goals courtesy of a free kick, gliding it through from the 50 metre line. Jeremy Howe contributed with a beautiful running goal to give the Scorpions their third, and Bate rounded out the quarter with a skilled goal from the boundary.
The visitors extended their lead in the second quarter; imposing a 51-point deficit despite a strong start to the term from the Roosters. North Ballarat’s Jye Walker and Jason Linke opened the goal kicking to bring the home team within 13 points at the six minute mark. However, Casey hit back with two quick goals, the second a kick expertly crafted to swing with the wind from Neville Jetta. The Scorpions converted four further goals and continued to shut down the Roosters’ forwards by congesting their attacking 50 and applying unyielding pressure. Warnock starred in this area, affecting a number of spoils and contested marks.
The Rooster’s mascot tried to give disappointed Ballarat supporters something to smile about at halftime by gallivanting around the field with a line of young fans in toe. However, the game was effectively over a quarter later with Casey having added another five points to their halftime lead. The term started ominously for the Roosters, with the visitors piling on two goals in three minutes. But North did show improvement in this quarter, slotting five goals in spite of relentless winds which rendered goal kicking extremely difficult for both sides.
The game fizzled out in the final quarter, with Casey only able to convert seven behinds and North managing only one goal from Walker. Highlights of the quarter included a specky from Howe and Melbourne rookie Kelvin Lawrence displaying his lightning-fast speed with a run up the boundary line. The Scorpions finished the game 56-point victors.
Casey coach Gotch, while happy with the win, expressed his disappointment as his side’s lacklustre second half. He said: “After the loss last week it’s always good to bounce back. North Ballarat are always tough to beat at home, and in any weather.
“I thought we just got a little bit ahead of ourselves in the second half when we had a chance to bury an opposition. We were playing good football, and we got a little bit too confident with the way we were doing things, which you can do when you’re eight goals up.”
Gotch was particularly impressed with the way his Melbourne listed players stood up, noting that it was a good sign for season 2011:
“Warnock never plays a bad game when he’s with us. Blease and Bate always work hard. Both those guys had about 26 touches, so certainly had a big impact on the game. I thought Joel Macdonald was another one too; he had a big impact. And Jeremy Howe. And I thought Lucas Cook was really good.
“We had 15 Melbourne guys in today so if we have that average every week, I mean gee whiz, they’re pretty talented players to have running around in your VFL side. So that always gives you a better chance throughout the year.”
Final score:
North Ballarat Roosters: 8.8.56
Casey Scorpions: 16.16.112
Photo by: Morgan Hancock
Last Modified on 20/04/2011 15:18