Stinging attack targets Scorpions

By Glen Atwell
The Casey Scorpions should save their swinging elbows for the football field, according to Cranbourne and District Ratepayers Association president David Banner.
As the Victorian Football League (VFL) season kicks into action this weekend, finishing touches are being applied to the Scorpions home ground at the Casey Fields complex in Cranbourne.
But Mr Banner believes the Scorpions, who are sharing grounds with other groups while their own is completed, are beginning to side-bump their community co-tenants out of bounds.
“Community clubs at the complex are playing second fiddle to the Casey Scorpions,” Mr Banner said.
“All tenants should have equal access to every facility at Casey Fields, but for most the VFL ground will be a no-go zone.”
Mr Banner said the financial backers of the complex had rolled out the red carpet for the Scorpions, but forgot the community groups in the process.
“Remember with or without the Casey Scorpions, Casey Fields would still have been built,” he said.
“But now the whole de-velopment is focused on the Scorpions.
“Local groups paying to use the facilities, are being shoved around by the Scorpions while their ground is finished,” Mr Banner said.
President of the Devon Meadows Junior Football Club Kevin Salerno said there had been minor teething issues, but that was expected.
“When you have two clubs that are not affiliated sharing the same ground some problems occur,” he said.
“But I have sat down with Brian Woodman (general manager of Casey Scorpions) and everything is great.
“The Scorpions are even giving us free tickets to award to our junior players and provided players for our handball competition,” Mr Salerno said.
Mr Woodman said the Scorpions were working hard to be a part of the community.
“We are working closely with the club committees of the grounds we are sharing while the VFL facility is completed,” he said.
The Scorpions play their first game at Casey Fields against Box Hill on 29 April.