It was all too much for captain, Kyle Matthews, punching the ground as Casey Scorpions were facing a 62-point deficit and had been eliminated from another finals series in straight sets as Brittany Shanahan reports.
Unsuccessful finals performances have plagued the Scorpions in recent years and it was all but over by half time. Werribee was already boasting a 42-point lead, which looked beyond the Scorpions.
Brendan Fevola struggled to get on the board, registering just three points before being reported for striking Ben Sharp in the final quarter.
The Scorpions had an non functioning forward line, not able to convert and put the scoreboard pressure on, unlike their Tiger counterparts.
Coach Brad Gotch was in disbelief of what his side had dished up at TEAC Oval right from the beginning.
“This was the worst result we could’ve had,” Gotch said.
“(We) didn’t measure up to the big occasion, coughed it up, turned it over and (it) cost us four goals out of five in the first quarter.”
“We just didn’t really recover.”
Werribee flourished in the conditions, utilizing the smaller quicker bodies, evidently through the pace of Ben Ross who had been delisted from North Melbourne earlier in the week.
The 23-year-old kicked four goals and obtained 21 possessions, proving to be what the Scorpions could only have hope for.
Along with Ross, Brad Mangan proved his worth, thriving on the challenge set by coach Paul Satterley to restrict Fevola’s impact on the game.
Satterley admitted it was a gamble but certainly one worth taking when he believed that in order to win, stopping Fevola in his tracks was vital.
“(We had to) stop Fev, which was a bit of a pun putting young Mangan on,” Satterley said.
“I thought that just paid dividends.”
“He (Ross) was a little bit of an x-factor today.”
“He was down and we just reiterated how much we believe in him. “
“Hopefully today what he did is just showcasing how good of a player he could be.”
This week the Tigers will take on Williamstown in a western derby which Satterley is looking forward to. Along with potential inclusions Michael Still, Rhyce Prismall and Ben Moloney.
“We have had some good battles,” Satterley said.
“We were pretty ordinary last time we played them. We only lost by 13 points.”
Last Modified on 13/09/2011 20:12