Desperate, superior, stronger in the contest, but woefully inaccurate.
That was the story for Casey on Saturday night as it held on for a 7.15(57) to 7.6(48) victory at Mission Whitten Oval against a Collingwood VFL side it should have put away by halftime.
Collingwood’s only two goals to the break came via free kicks to tall ruck/forwards Iliro Smit and Mason Cox, yet Casey kicked just three goals itself to lead by 10 points at the main break.
Underlining their first half dominance, led by AFL-listed Jack Billings, the Dees were plus-12 in contested possessions and plus-eight in tackles, while only allowing the Pies three uncontested marks in their forward half to the main break.
Billings was well supported by VFL-listed Mitch Hardie and consistent youngster Bailey Laurie in the midfield, the latter scoring the only first quarter goal.
A holding the ball tackle by teenaged halfback Mitch Kirkwood-Scott late in the second quarter was symbolic of the intensity and defensive application the Dees brought.
Casey continued to flex its muscle after the break, with Bailey Laurie helping Casey win 10 consecutive clearances at one point in the third quarter.
Taj Woewodin missed two gettable shots in quick succession to continue the frustrating lack of polish in front of goals, before a deliberate rushed behind by Pies defender Sam Glover gifted Luker Kentfield a straight forward goal.
First year AFL rookie Ricky Mentha’s sustained forward half pressure was then rewarded in stoppage time of the second quarter, with his major extending the margin to 25 points.
But the Pies went on to kick the next three either side of the last break, trimming the margin to just seven.
The Dees were able to neuter the Pies momentum, though, with Billings extending the margin beyond two goals at the 22-minute-mark of the last quarter, with a set shot deep in the pocket.
Flashy Nar Nar Goon local Paddy Cross then kicked the sealer, an accidental soccer off the ground in the goal square that dribbled through.
The victory lifts Casey into the top 10 ahead of a winnable clash against Essendon this Saturday night at ETU Stadium, Port Melbourne.
IRELAND DEBUTS
Buln Buln junior and first year Casey Demon Patrick Ireland broke through for a debut on Saturday night.
It follows five goals in his past two games in the Gippsland League, and he has been named emergency multiple times in 2025.
The medium forward kicked a second quarter goal in the low-scoring affair, taking a mark and converting the set shot from 40 metres out.
The Gippsland Power graduate made the list following his fabled 111-goal season for 2024 Ellinbank premiers Buln Buln last year.
The debut came on a weekend of great significance for Ireland’s 2025 local club, Leongatha.
Parrots junior and former Essendon captain Dyson Heppell played his first game back at his home club since retiring from the AFL, with his VFL club Port Melbourne having a bye.
Ireland made the move to the Gippsland footy powerhouse for the betterment of his footy.
BALDI PLAYS HIS ROLE
Riley Baldi’s brilliant season back in the VFL continued on Saturday, containing Collingwood Brownlow Medallist Tom Mitchell.
Mitchell finished with 25 disposals but had his impact nullified, with the hard-nosed Baldi playing well to contain him at stoppages.
Baldi had just 15 disposals, his lowest possession tally of the year, but laid 14 tackles to deny Mitchell first hands on the footy and the ability to feed the Pies ball users with his usual work at the coalface.
FORMER DEE PERFORMS
Speaking to the Pakenham Gazette last week, Dees coach Taylor Whitford spoke glowingly of 2023 and 2024 runner up best and fairest Roan Steele’s rise to the AFL via May’s Mid-Season Draft.
But he also quipped that he hoped for a quiet performance from the newly-listed Pie when Casey faced them the following week.
He would’ve been nervous when Steele got Collingwood within seven points midway through the final term, giving the Pies a chance of sniffing victory of a game they trailed in all the key metrics.
Casey went on to win, but the former Casey Demon ran hard and had some important moments across his 20 disposals.
