Casey have asserted themselves as a top-flight side, comfortably beating a hard-working Collingwood 22.10.142 to 15.10.100 at Casey Fields as Anna Harrington reports.
Ricky Petterd was a clear best-on-ground for the Scorpions, racking up 39 possessions and sticking 10 tackles, while tall forwards Lynden Dunn, Lucas Cook and Brendan Fevola shared the load up forward.
For the Magpies, VFL-listed players Tom Sundberg and Tom Couch were solid in the midfield while Brett Eddy snared three goals against a gritty Casey defence.
Scorpions coach Brad Gotch said while it was disappointing to see the second half turn into a shootout, he was still pleased with his team’s ability to kick a high score.
“Look, it’s good to get the four points,” Gotch said.
“I suppose I was expecting us to maybe restrict their score line a little bit more in the second half, I think it was ten goals each which is not exactly what I was looking for.
“But look we ran out of numbers a bit… [and] we kicked 22 goals so I suppose that’s not the worst thing going around.”
Casey struck early, Dunn weaving through congestion and snapping his side’s first after barely a minute.
While the Scorpions largely dominated the middle, they were ably assisted by a Collingwood team struggling to hit the scoreboard, the visitors only managing three behinds in response to Casey’s trio of majors.
Collingwood captain Kris Pendlebury kept big-name forward Fevola relatively subdued but Dunn and fellow forward Cook stepped up and dominated the Magpies’ defence with their height and athleticism.
The Magpies finally got off the mark through Eddy, the lively forward winning a free kick 50 metres out and duly converting to cut the margin to ten points.
But two quick goals to Casey ensured the home side went into quarter time ahead 5.1.31 to 1.3.9, Dunn and Cook giving the Collingwood defence plenty to think about at the break.
The second quarter opened much as the previous had finished, with a Casey goal, lively forward Adam Maric slotting his first to extend the lead to 29 early on.
Collingwood’s midfield grew more influential throughout the quarter but it was largely to no avail, with a Casey defence led by Matthew Warnock and Tom McDonald repelling all attacks.
Eddy continued to offer resistance for the Magpies, kicking two goals and taking the mark of the day but his efforts seemed futile against a Casey side unwilling to take their foot off the pedal.
The Scorpions consistently responded with force to Collingwood’s forward thrusts and when Fevola kicked his first major for the day, the home side kicked out to a dominant nine-goal lead.
Two late goals to Brad Dick and Sundberg pulled Collingwood back into contention but it seemed the Magpies couldn’t get any luck, with Dick stretchered off the field with an apparent knee injury shortly before halftime, his side down 5.6.36 to 12.5.77.
The third quarter proved to be somewhat of a Collingwood fightback, the visitors taking it up to Casey in the midfield and receiving their rewards, kicking five goals to four.
The Magpies’ AFL-listed players stepped up in the forwardline, with Declan Reilly, ballwinner Jye Bolton and ruckman John Ceglar among the goalkickers as the midfield attempted to kickstart a resurgence.
But Casey maintained their own offensive pressure, continuing to kick goals despite Collingwood’s attacking blitz, a major to Tom McNamara steadying the home side before two goals to the Magpies pulled the margin back to 34 at the final break.
At the final huddle, Gotch pressed the importance of scoring early, urging his troops to “get that first one on the board” and his side responded, kicking the first three goals to extend the lead to an insurmountable 53 points.
An early highlight came through Blease, who received a handball from Fevola and dashed through the Collingwood defence to kick his first for the day.
From there, the quarter turned into somewhat of a shootout, Dunn and Cook kicking their fifth and fourth goals respectively while Collingwood continued to press through their small forwards and midfielders.
Fevola turned on the party tricks, soccering a ball out of the air for his third, while a determined Eddy matched him at the other end.
While the Collingwood forwardline worked hard, the tenacity of the Scorpions’ defence was epitomised by a courageous mark from Warnock late in the quarter, the defender willingly contesting despite the game being well and truly decided.
Despite a courageous effort from the Magpies, it was Maric who closed the game, a 50-metre penalty handing him his third goal from the square and ensuring his side ran out 42-point winners.
Collingwood coach Tarkyn Lockyer said while his team’s early inaccuracy in front of goal proved costly, he was happy with their persistence throughout the match.
“We certainly didn’t give up which was pleasing and I thought til about half time the game could’ve probably gone either way,” Lockyer said.
“They sort of dominated that second quarter and to our boys’ credit we stuck at it and got a couple back in that third quarter.
“I thought early on we were a bit unlucky… we didn’t take our chances… and [got] put on the back foot straight away so that was a bit disappointing.”
Next week, Casey will remain at home for their game against cellar-dwellers Coburg while the Magpies have the bye.
Last Modified on 12/06/2011 19:55