By Jonty Ralphsmith
The Casey women are three from three and sitting handsomely in second spot on the Vic League One ladder.
The Cannons were last year promoted from Vic League Two, and have transitioned seamlessly, backing up strong wins over Brunswick and PEGS with a 2-0 win over West Vic on Saturday.
Based at Ballarat, an away trip to West Vic is an acknowledged tough assignment, but the women were unaffected by it, scoring two goals in the first half to set the game up.
Both came courtesy of Emma Harris.
The Cannons played as a cohesive unit with their work ethic an important component of the win.
The quality of the recruits has lifted them to the next level this season, but it was a test of depth on the weekend with two key players missing to the under-18 trials.
Usual goalkeeper Sarah Sutton-McLellan was out, with Shannon Barnes impressing as she stepped into her teammate’s shoes.
Jenna McLauchlan was also missing, but the versatile April Picton’s skill and effort and Mel Light’s steady defence helped the Cannons carry on the momentum.
A slow start has cost the Casey men, meanwhile, which went down 3-0 to Old Xaverians.
All three goals were scored in the first period as it was played on the opposition’s terms, with Old Xavs having 15 circle penetrations in the first half to the Cannons’ three.
The visitors were able to regroup and edge their way into the contest after the poor start, but were unable to turn patches of dominance into scores.
In the second half, Casey had 12 of the 14 circle penetrations and had several shots on goal, but were unable to find the back of the net as things seemed to fall against them.
“After the quarter break, the boys switched on more and played more aggressively on the ball, and played better than them for the remaining three quarters,” said coach Steve Noney.
Despite three losses upfront, the club remains confident it will be able to make something of this season.
With six players in the team who weren’t part of the squad last season, synergy was always going to take some time to come.
Conceding 15 goals in that time is also a concern but there have been enough glimpses to suggest there is the potential to turn it around.
The Cannons will have the perfect opportunity to do that this week in a bout with fellow winless club Yarra Valley.
