A second-half fade-out against Werribee saw the Casey Demons fall out of the VFL’s top four on Saturday afternoon.
A neck-and-neck battle for the duration of the day, the Tigers kicked six of the final seven goals of the contest, including the only three of the fourth term, to finish 28-point winners 16.10 106 to Casey’s 12.6 78 at Werribee’s Avalon Airport Oval.
Goals to Matthew Jefferson and Jake Melksham in the opening three minutes of the game gave the Demons a quick start, but by the halfway mark of the quarter the home side had evened the ledger.
It would be a sign of things to come, as neither side was able to steal a march on their opponent until the final term when Werribee pulled away.
A three-goal run at the end of the second quarter in favour of the Tigers was the longest streak of consecutive goals that either team was able to achieve for the first half, but their dominance in that period only saw the Demons trail by six points at the long break.
For that, they have Bailey Laurie and Andy Moniz-Wakefield to thank, after the small forward sharked an overhead handball from Laurie to convert a tough snap in traffic just before the siren.
Concerningly for senior coach Taylor Whitford and his brigade of talls, two of those three consecutive goals came from contested marks to Werribee key forwards, who showcased their aerial prowess.
Five goals each in the third quarter continued the rise and fall of the seesaw, but the Tigers’ midfield begun to grasp the ascendency.
Without James Jordon, James Harmes or Luke Dunstan, the Demons were short three prime-movers in the middle of the ground, but critically, the Demons were more efficient going inside the forward 50.
AFL-listed talent in Josh Schache, Joel Smith and Jake Melksham all hit the scoreboard to ensure the reigning premiers remained in the hunt.
But Melksham’s goal in the shadows of three-quarter-time would be their final major of the afternoon.
The Tigers were wasteful in the final quarter with a run of five straight behinds but broke the goal-scoring drought in the 14th minute through Bior Malual.
The Demons’ defence was resolute but became overwhelmed with the number of opportunities on goal that the home side created, and were unable to sustain their defensive effort for long enough.
Weight of numbers told in the second half for Casey, who found themselves on the wrong side of a lopsided inside 50 count (43-54) and were out-hunted around the ball, finishing -83 on the disposal count and -17 for tackles.
It means a third loss in the last five outings for the reigning premier, who has been unable to maintain the rage of an undefeated six-game run to begin the season.
They’ll fly north next weekend to battle Southport in a rematch of the 2022 grand final.
