Scorpions defy odds

By Marc McGowan
NO Steve Harrison. No Nigel Carmody. No Casey Scorpions?
That was the question doing the rounds in the VFL community after watching the Scorpions’ two decade-long servants walk out in the wake of former mentor Peter Banfield’s resignation.
No major recruits and a list barely older than your average TAC Cup under-18 outfit hardly inspired much confidence.
But the naysayers underestimated the impact of Casey’s new coach Greg Hutchison, who waltzed in and united a shell-shocked group in his trademark no-fuss way.
Former Gippsland Power star Chris Dunne went from a bit-parts player to the Scorpions’ leading goalkicker, Alex Silvagni developed into one of the VFL’s top key defenders and James Taylor’s hard-at-it style made him an important cog in the senior side.
Kyle Matthews’ appointment as captain at just 22 years of age raised eyebrows, but there is arguably no more inspirational player in the competition.
Matthews endured an injury interrupted campaign, forcing him to play more across half-forward than his usual midfield role, but his tackling and desperate acts were as prominent as ever.
Delisted St Kilda backman James Wall’s decision to stay at Casey Fields was another critical factor in Casey reaching the second week of the finals.
Wall produced a stunning season, which was recognised with state selection and a spot in the VFL’s team of the year.
The Scorpions lost their opening clash of the season, but were defeated only twice in their next 11 matches, and spent much of the year ensconced in the top four before slipping to fifth in the final home-and-away rounds.
Casey’s defence, which conceded the second least number of points in the league, proved to be its greatest strength, with Wall and Silvagni leading the way.
But there was much more to its success, including Taylor’s, Evan Panozza’s and Steven O’Bryan’s unheralded contributions.
The Saints’ success and largely injury-free run at the elite level assured the Scorpions of a strong contingent of AFL players each week.
Midfielders Shane Birss, David Armitage and Jarryn Geary were outstanding, altering the direction of many games, while St Kilda talls Michael Rix, Jarryd Allen, Matthew Ferguson and Ben McEvoy filled a major void in the Casey line-up.
But the Scorpions’ attack – despite Dunne’s emergence – struggled at times to kick a winning score.
While Casey had many avenues to goal, it lacked one key man to turn to in the tough times.
Hutchison has identified his forward line as one of the major areas that needs addressing ahead of next season.
The Saints’ eight-year affiliation with the Scorpions ended with Casey’s 69-point semi-final hammering at the hands of Werribee.
St Kilda will join forces with Sandringham, while City of Casey-bound Melbourne is expected to begin an alliance with the Scorpions in the coming weeks.
Hutchison’s future – he still has a year to run on his Saints contract – is yet to be decided, although Casey’s general manager Brian Woodman and president John Sharkie have stated publicly that they would love to have him back.
Hutchison thoroughly enjoyed his time at the club this season.
“In hindsight, we were dreaming a little bit if we thought we’d get to the second week of the finals, given where we’d come from and the players we lost,” Hutchison said.
“I really wasn’t quite sure what I’d get out of any of them, but they worked really hard to get the maximum out of themselves and it was a very good result.
“We have a good core group of players who care for each other and we just need to add some other talented players.”
The youth of the Scorpions’ list suggests there will be natural improvement, but the club will need another three or four players to take a major step – much like Dunne, Silvagni and Taylor.
The likes of Ryan Creed, Joel Galvin, Beau Vernon and Andrew Campbell showed enough to suggest they could be those players next year.
Casey’s 2008 best-and-fairest player will be announced at the Gardner-Clark Medal presentation night next Friday at the Village Green Hotel in Mulgrave.
Wall, Rix, Dunne, Silvagni and Birss are the front-runners for the honour.