By JARROD POTTER
VFL – ROUND 11
Turning around last week’s efforts in defeat against Collingwood, Casey took to its country journey with gusto – setting North Ballarat aside in a 91-point flogging.
Ballarat hasn’t been mined this hard since the gold rush as Casey made light work of picking off the Roosters defences.
Shifting from its North Melbourne alignment over the off-season, North Ballarat’s start to life without AFL top-ups has not been ideal … and it didn’t get any easier on Saturday when Casey came to town.
A hard-fought first term in trying conditions left Casey with a few things to adjust at the main break as the Roosters held strong.
But just like the Eureka Stockade of 161 years ago, the Ballarat brigade’s endeavours eventually crumbled under renewed pressure and overwhelming oppositional strength.
A six-goal-to-none second term erased any hope of a North Ballarat victory, with Casey slotting them from everywhere to rack up a whopping 65-point half-time margin.
James Harmes started to light the game up through the middle stages and alongside Matt Jones (38), Alex Neal-Bullen (30) and the returning Angus Brayshaw (29), the midfield started serving up the severely cooked Roosters.
Harmes made his return to the VFL ranks and immediately impressed – giving the Melbourne selectors plenty to consider with his 27-possession, three-goal performance.
Life on the goldfields didn’t get easier for the Roosters after the oranges were passed out either; the Scorpions struck time and time again to keep the scoreboard ticking.
With a coterie of Scorpions desperate to get back into the Melbourne ranks, no punches were pulled and no players took their feet off the pedals until the job was completely and thoroughly done.
Twin peaks Jake Spencer – who also had 52 hit outs – and Liam Hulett were untouchable in the forward half, booting four apiece in a sizeable performance from Casey’s inside-50.
In the end a little waywardness prevented carnage unfolding, but all told it was pleasing for Justin Plapp and his men as they return to form and take a win at a difficult venue traditionally.
“We were pretty disappointed in the way we performed the week before, so it was a really good way to respond,” Plapp said. “That trip to Ballarat isn’t the easiest in the world and certainly been a bit of a bogey for us in the last couple of years.
“We’ve been on the end of some pretty ordinary defeats, so for the players to go up there and play the way they did it was a credit to them.”
Plapp praised Harmes, the Devon Meadows/Dandenong Stingrays ex-player, who he thought was ‘AFL player playing VFL’ and a class above.
“James has been one of many who have come back – Ben Kennedy the week before was probably our best player against Collingwood – and was put back to address some issues, then was back in the senior team the week after and performed really well,” Plapp said. “He hasn’t played any VFL football this year until yesterday and the first thing that really captured me when you look at him this time last year he was a player really making his way and still building his craft.
“For whatever reasons, he was put back for yesterday … his power and speed and just the quickness of his decision making was so much more evident than any other player on the ground.”
With Williamstown on a bye this weekend, Casey takes the VFL top spot back for the time being and will have round 12 off on its own to recharge and look towards the second half of the season.
VFL SCOREBOARD
NORTH BALLARAT 2.0 2.1 5.1 7.2 (44)
CASEY SCORPIONS 5.7 11.12 16.12 19.21 (135)
NORTH BALLARAT Goals: S. Hooper 3, L. George, A. Hooper, L. Kiel, T. Templeton. Best: S. Hooper, R. Marshall, A. Hooper, L. George, L. Kiel, M. Austin. CASEY SCORPIONS Goals: J. Spencer 4, L. Hulett 4, J. Harmes 3, A. Brayshaw 2, A. Scott 2, T. Smith, J. Garlett, M. King, B. Newton. Best: J. Harmes, M. Jones, A. Brayshaw, A. Neal-Bullen, J. Spencer, C. Garland.
