Ex-AFL power forward Brendan Fevola has spurred the Casey Scorpions to a 77-point drubbing of Frankston with an 11-goal haul on Sunday as James Hunter-Smith reports.
In front of ruthless Dolphins supporters, the once-great full forward was able to block out the distractions and lead his side to a 25.9 (159) to 12.10 (82) win at Frankston Oval.
Michael Evans and debutant Stefan Baumgartner were superb for Casey finding plenty of the ball, while Lynden Dunn (4 goals) and Ben Waite (4) also got among the action.
For Frankston, Rob Clements and Mark Baguley were clear standouts and battled hard all day however didn’t receive enough support from fellow teammates, especially at the stoppages.
21-year old Khan Haretuku was the leading goalkicker for the Dolphins with three majors, and continued to impress spectators given his limited Australian Rules experience.
The win finds Casey in fifth place on the Peter Jackson VFL ladder, only one game outside of the top-four with a healthy percentage of 127.37. Frankston on the other hand remain on the wrong end of the table, securely in last place.
Scorpions coach Brad Gotch said he was pleased with his troops’ ability to adapt to the different sized ground at Frankston and put in an overall solid effort.
“I’m really pleased that we could play four quarters today,” he said.
“I thought we opened [the ground] up really well today, and to adapt from our big wide Casey ground to this ground, I was really pleased with that.
“We put a bit of work into it during the week, and to change the normal way our blokes play.”
Gotch made special note of the Casey listed players, who he said demonstrated great hunger for the ball and high intensity.
“We only had 12 Melbourne boys today, that was our lowest for the year,” he said.
“It was good to be able to play with that level of commitment and intensity; I thought there was real spirit among the boys, and some good footy.”
Casey are primed to play beyond round 22 this season, and are focusing on shaking up top sides in the weeks to come.
“Now we look at it, I think we’re pretty safe as far as playing finals,” Gotch said.
“We’ve just got to keep thinking we’re building towards something towards the end of the year.
“So whatever happens over the next five weeks, we can only control the way we play, and the ladder will take care of itself.”
Fevola’s form was evident early in the opening quarter, slotting the two first goals including a clever soccer out of mid air sailing over the head of his direct opponent.
While Baguley and Greeley worked hard to keep the home side in the contest, unselfish football allowed Casey to kick the last three goals of the quarter sending them into the first break with a 17-point lead.
Lynden Dunn opened the Scorpions account in the second term with a brilliant dribbled goal from tight in the forward pocket, with Fevola slamming home his 4th for the day shortly after.
Sloppy defending by Matthew Warnock saw Luke Clark beat him to a contested ball inside Frankston’s attacking 50 allowing the Dolphins to reduce the margin back to under three goals, but an increased work rate from Michael Evans and Neville Jetta allowed Casey to get first hands on the ball and kick away, entering the main break with a 36-point advantage.
A six goal to two third term saw the game well and truly over, with Fevola booting another three majors including a superb drop punt on the siren from 50 metres out on a tight angle.
Youngsters Rob Clements and Paul Kennedy tried to spur their side on through tough, gritty football, but it wasn’t enough to stop the onslaught of goals from the visiting team.
The final quarter was much of the same for Frankston, who seemed unable to control the bigger, more developed bodies and experienced passages of play from Casey.
The Scorpions faithful were desperate for Fevola to break the double-figure goal haul, but were forced to wait as he sprayed a straightforward set shot from 25 metres out which would have given him his 10th.
Only moments later saw the man of the hour receive a free kick and 50-metre penalty, sending him straight to the goal square as he casually drilled home the all anticipated goal.
His sublime performance was appreciated and acknowledged by teammates, coaches and onlookers as they applauded Fevola off the field, who led the Scorpion troops into the rooms post game sporting a 77-point victory.
Coach Brad Gotch said Fevola’s day out was a result of his hard work on the track during the past few weeks.
“It’s good to see him get some reward for weeks of just knuckling down and working away at it and sort of fitting into the team,” he said.
“I suppose he got a bit more reward today than what he’s been getting.”
Next week both Frankston and Casey have the week off with a bye.
Last Modified on 18/07/2011 11:12