Ben MacReadie will remain in the Scorpions side for the 2010 season.By Ben Hope
CASEY Scorpions head coach Brad Gotch is hoping for as much community support as possible at the team’s first practice game for the season.
“This weekend’s game will show us how the support for the club has progressed in the local community,” Gotch said.
“It is definitely shaping up to be an exciting season and the team is coming together really well.”
The Scorpions will kick off their pre-season with a practice match against Frankston this Saturday before the Melbourne Football Club’s NAB Challenge clash with West Coast.
The game is the first of three practice matches before their season starts with a clash against Geelong on 10 April. Gotch expects the reserves will kick off about 9am with the senior team hitting the field at 11am.
“We will have to fit in with the main game which is due to start about 2pm,” Gotch said.
“Hopefully people will turn up early to support us; it will be a lot of fun.”
The Scorpions will welcome Danny Nicholls from Collingwood and Scott Simpson from Geelong for the 2010 season.
“Scott is still coming off an ankle injury and hasn’t been able to do most of the pre-season training yet, we are hoping to ramp it up as the season progresses,” Gotch said.
“He’s had another scan and operation during the pre-season so we are hoping that will do the trick.”
Gotch said he was not far off finalising the team for the season, with only one or two positions to go.
“We went from 80 or 90 players training in November and have cut that back to about 45,” he said. With a recent spate of injuries in the Demons team, Gotch said he would watch for 10 or so players from the practice games to step up in case of injuries.
“We have been training three times a week since November and are monitoring the players’ fitness closely,” he said.
The 2010 season will be Gotch’s first with the Casey side, after coaching at Williamstown since 2002. In his time at Williamstown Gotch coached the side to six finals and Scorpions supporters will be hoping he can do the same at Casey.
“You always have high hopes for any team you take on but the Scorpions made it to the finals last year even with a number of injuries in the Demons team,” Gotch said.
“We have kept our core group of Mathews, Wall and MacReadie. We still have the depth with our returning players.”
“I would like to think we will end up in the top eight with the players we have kept from last season as well as our new arrivals.”
After this weekend’s match the Scorpions will play a practice match against the Northern Bullants on Friday 19 March and the Bendigo Bombers the following Saturday.
