By Jack Heverin
Casey Scorpions dished out some tough love to their local rival Frankston, smashing them by 98 points on Saturday.
In horrible conditions at Casey Fields, the Scorpions were simply dominant against weak opposition in the 17.21 (123) to 3.7 (25) victory.
The Scorpions took some time to adjust to the conditions, and trailed by 11 points at quarter time. Frankston came out hard and showed they wanted to make an impact, while Casey found it hard to get the ball inside 50 against the strong breeze.
The momentum was always going to shift in favour of Casey in the second term, when they took the opportunity to kick with the wind. The Scorpions slammed on six goals while keeping their opposition to just one point.
For most of the second term the ball stayed inside Casey’s forward half, as the Scorpions began to make their mark on the contest.
Only one goal was kicked for the third term, with both sides finding it difficult to get the ball into open space.
This season the Scorpions final quarter has been their best, and they showed why in the final term kicking nine goals to blow the game wide open.
The Scorpions took the ball forward purposefully and made very few mistakes for the term.
Frankston kicked three goals in the first quarter, and did not manage another major for the remainder of the afternoon, such was Casey’s dominance after quarter time.
Brad Miller and Matthew Newton were the focal points up forward for the Scorpions with four goals each. Both players were very good in the air, which was remarkable considering the conditions.
Clint Bartram again put his case forward for an AFL recall with another terrific performance through the middle of the ground, while ruckman Paul Johnson gave his onballers first use all afternoon.
Glen Chivers played his best game for the season after spending most of the season in the seconds, while James Taylor relished the poor conditions with a gritty performance.
For the Dolphins, it was very difficult to find any significant contributors. Michael Hibberd was again among his sides best players, though skill errors detracted from his performance, while Karl Lombardozzi tried hard. Marcus Marigliani also worked hard for four quarters.
It was a clinical display from the Scorpions, who have now firmly entrenched themselves among the top sides in the competition.
Casey Scorpions 1.2 7.7 8.9 17.21 (123)
| Frankston 3.3 3.4 3.6 3.7 (25)
GOALS:Casey Scorpions: Miller 4 Newton 4 Creed 2 Wall Stockdale Whelan Watts Bartram Hughes Matthews
Frankston: Magner Purves Whelan
BEST:Casey Scorpions: Bartram Johnson Taylor Creed Whelan Chivers
Frankston: Lombardozzi Marigliani Hibberd Magner Purves Winterton
Last Modified on 13/07/2009 16:27