By Jonty Ralphsmith
An 11-goal-to-zero last quarter has lifted Casey to an enormous 24.11(155) to 9.7(61) victory over Sydney VFL on Saturday afternoon at Tramway Oval.
Two goals deep in stoppage time in the third quarter gave the visitors a 28-point buffer heading into the last change, before back-to-back Paddy Cross majors to start the fourth quarter kick-started an unbelievable chain of goals.
For the second consecutive week, developing AFL-listed key forward Matt Jefferson led the forward line with five goals, while Jack Billings and Mitch Hardie helped give Casey the midfield ascendancy.
The last quarter blowout followed a hard fought first half where both teams had periods of momentum, with Casey nine points ahead at the main break.
In his second VFL game, Tyson Sruk was solid with 14 disposals.
It followed a debut game that garnered praise from coach Taylor Whitford, gathering 21 disposals to go with a goal in last weekend’s big win
“It was a pretty awesome debut,” Casey coach Taylor Whitford said of Sruk ahead of the weekend’s match.
“He looked like he belonged at the level.
“I’ve known ‘Tys’ for a few years and he’s just been waiting for an opportunity as that 23rd player and he came into the side in form.
“He played at halfback in the first half and then got midfield exposure in the second half which was great and just showed we have another one there who’s at the level.
“It’s one of the more impressive VFL debuts I’ve seen in terms of his ability to adapt to the level straight away and look calm and composed with the ball but also execute his role and know what he needed to do.
“To have him, (Mitch) Kirkwood-Scott and (Jesse) Craven as young local guys who were able to do that this year is really positive for our future.”
Sruk’s state league debut comes in his second year on Casey’s list, with his 2024 season punctuated by injury, but he earned his debut with scintillating form for local club Rowville to start 2025.
Tyson is the brother of Mitch, who has played seven VFL games for Box Hill.
Nar Nar Goon’s Cross is another player who is building nicely, kicking three last quarter goals on the weekend to take his tally to 12 from nine games as a high-impact, versatile player.
“We played him on the wing (last) the weekend but the week before we played him as a deeper forward, a pressure type player,” Whitford said.
“Now, it’s about building consistency in his game.
“The pressure forward role lends itself to his strengths quite well, he was involved in a lot of scoring chains for us and his scoreboard impact was high.
“Playing on a wing, it’s around his ability to cover the ground and build some exposure around getting more possession, being involved in more chains.
“We’ll look to play him in that role now that he’s found his feet again.
“He’s another one who you never know what will happen if he’s able to work and grow in the next 12-24 months.”
Of Casey’s four wins this season, three have been by more than 70 points, giving the Demons a healthy percentage of 122 despite sitting two points outside the top 10.
Whitford’s men would likely jump into the top 10 with a win this Saturday night at Whitten Oval over the 6-3 Collingwood.
