Scorpions midfielder Kyle Mathews was at the peak of his powers on Sunday, but could not prevent Casey from going down by seven points to Bendigo at Casey Fields.By Marc McGowan
THE loss of four players in 24 hours proved too much for the Casey Scorpions to overcome as the Bendigo Bombers grabbed a last-gasp seven-point victory at Casey Fields on Sunday.
St Kilda ruckman Matthew Clarke was a late inclusion in the Saints line-up on Saturday, while Jayden Attard, Clinton Jones and Matthew Ferguson were withdrawn on the morning of the Victorian Football League (VFL) encounter.
Veteran playmaker Troy Makepeace also missed with general soreness after the previous round’s 61-point triumph over Tasmania.
To make matters worse, Bendigo fielded an imposing outfit, with demoted Essendon stars David Hille, Jobe Watson and Damien Peverill joining such players as Kepler Bradley, Bachar Houli, Courtney Johns and Mark Bolton in the VFL team. The Bombers’ talent and experience was on show early as they romped out to a 31-point lead.
Finally, after 27 minutes, the brilliant Kyle Mathews swept onto a loose ball for Casey and duly slotted through the Scorpions’ opener.
Bolton hit back almost immediately from 50 metres, but a desperate kick off the ground by St Kilda forward Fergus Watts brought the margin back to 25 points at quarter-time.
The rout continued in the second term, with the Bombers scoring three goals in the first four minutes – two to Nick Carter and one to Chris Heffernan – as the advantage blew out to 43 points.
But the Casey faithful have seen many a comeback from the side in 2007, and James Gwilt sparked the Scorpions after being moved into the centre.
Mathews, who was clearly the best man on the ground, joined in and helped Casey produce five straight goals, including two each to senior debutant Jarryd Allen and Stefan Garrubba.
Allen shone during the streak, with his marking and ability to lead to the right spots quickly endearing himself to his team-mates.
With Casey facing a 13-point deficit on resumption after the main break, Watts had two opportunities to slash it further, but his unreliable right boot let him down both times and did not change the score.
The missed chances hurt even more moments later when Bendigo’s Aaron Connaughton snapped truly. Watts went some way to making amends by snaring a strong, contested mark and goaling from 20 metres before Sweeney kicked his second major for the afternoon on the run to make it an eight-point game.
The Scorpions had all the play, but Bombers Jay Neagle and Courtney Johns drilled goals against the flow.
Jason Cloke then pulled down a towering grab just before the three-quarter time siren and kicked another major to suddenly extend the difference to 27.
Casey braced itself to fight back again and it did not disappoint.
The teams traded goals before Phillip Raymond, David Armitage, Mathews and Garrubba added majors for Casey to have Bendigo clinging to a three-point buffer.
The Scorpions then hit the front for the first time 19 minutes into the fourth quarter, when Andrew McQualter fired off a handpass to Garrubba who kicked his second goal in succession – a feat he had already achieved earlier in the day.
Casey looked the likely winner, but the twists and turns continued when Neagle snatched back the ascendancy for Bendigo two minutes later.
The result was sealed when Houli’s long shot at the sticks was marked in the goal square and converted by Jarrod Atkinson. Scorpions coach Peter Banfield praised his side’s performance and believes it was great preparation for the finals.
“They had guys out there who are not qualified and won’t play finals. They had a good side and there was a lot of quality out there, so I’m really happy,” he said after the match.
“We didn’t win – I’m disappointed about that – but it was a good effort.”
Banfield also commended his players’ effort to reel in the Bombers after twice falling well behind.
“We have a lot of quality and character in the group, and we’re very fit, so there’s always the chance to run over the top of teams,” he said.
Casey will lock horns with 10th-placed Frankston at Casey Fields on Saturday at 2pm in the final round of the home and away season.
Unless the Scorpions suffer a massive defeat and Port Melbourne enjoys a huge win, Casey will play finals after Williamstown belted the Borough by 115 points on the weekend.
