By JARROD POTTER
A SLOW start didn’t help Casey’s cause against Port Melbourne, but the signs are there for the Scorpions as the VFL pre-season starts to finally wind up.
Months upon months of pre-season matches are about to conclude as footballers prepare for a later-than-usual season start on account of the Cricket World Cup.
Casey could not muster much on the scoreboard after Patrick Rosier drilled the side’s opener as the Boroughs ran away with the clash at Casey Fields on Saturday.
With only a goal to their name at half-time, the Scorpions would have received some hard truths from new coach Justin Plapp and to their credit, some backbone was shown after the main break.
Hoping to work their way off bottom of the VFL ladder, Tim Smith and Dean Kent (two goals each) pushed the Scorpions back to within a few points of the Boroughs approaching the final whistle.
The ruck tandem Jack Fitzpatrick and Jake Spencer showed there’s plenty of improvement in Melbourne’s tall stocks this season while on-ballers Angus Brayshaw and James Harmes put their hands up for early AFL selection.
Also impressing were new recruits Jack Hutchins (Gold Coast Suns) and Paul Pattison (Gippsland Power) while Lucas Walmsley and Viv Michie also showed the flexibility of the Scorpions outfit approaching 2015’s first bounce.
Former Dovetonian Blake Pearson impressed for Port while former Scorpion and Garfield defender Luke Tynan also showed he’s still in the elite bracket of this competition as he consistently rallied the Boroughs down the wing.
Casey still has another three practice matches left to go in the longest footy pre-season in quite some time. The Scorpions will host Williamstown this Saturday from 1pm, before facing Collingwood at Olympic Park Oval at 10.30am on 4 April with their pre-season finale on 11 April at home against Werribee.
The agony of waiting for the VFL season proper to start is finally into its last weeks ahead of Casey’s clash with Frankston Dolphins at home on Sunday 19 April.
For those who are deprived of their football, Dandenong Stingrays will face Gippsland Power at Morwell on Saturday afternoon from 1pm in their TAC Cup season opener.
VFL PRACTICE MATCH
CASEY 1.0 1.4 3.6 7.6 (48)
PORT MELBOURNE 4.2 5.3 7.5 8.6 (54)
Casey Goals: Timothy Smith 2, Dean Kent 2, Patrick Rosier, Lucas Walmsley and Cameron Pedersen. Best: J. Fitzpatrick, D. Kent, V. Michie, P. Pattison, J. Spencer, A. Brayshaw.
