It was the spirit-lifter the Casey Demons needed.
After losing its first nine games of the season, the Dees secured their first win on Saturday, with a bevy of Melbourne AFLW-listed inclusions helping the Dees to a 10.13(73) to 2.6(18) victory over Essendon at Windy Hill.
After a dogged opening quarter, Casey broke the game open, kicking the next eight goals, reward for their midfield dominance led by experienced AFLW midfielder Elizabeth McNamara.
McNamara finished with 40 disposals, adding an element of class to the Casey on-ball brigade and complementing the aggression of Megan Fitzsimon to help the Dees win clearances and contested ball.
While the AFLW-listers added plenty of class, the win was great reward for the continual growth of a young VFLW outfit that has shown weekly growth.
“We’ve been thereabouts and then fall away for a quarter so it was good to play four quarters with the AFLW girls,” coach Matt Brewer said.
“It was good to play a consistent brand of footy for four full quarters.
“Most of the girls who played on Saturday have been playing all year and in some ways forget how to win so it was good that the AFLW girls were there to help them get through and play a consistent brand.
“They’ve been very good all year, the VFL girls so we’re trying to build a team around them.”
Back-to-back goals midway through the second quarter to Georgia Gall got things rolling for the Dees, before two of Alyssa Bannan’s three goals came in six minutes of game time either side of the main break.
It was all one-way traffic thereafter, with the experienced Eden Zanker, teenager Maggie Mahony and Gippsland Power graduate Zahri Burn all key contributors.
Burn was recalled to the side for her seventh game of the season to lead the ruck duties and gave her midfielders first use masterfully to finish with a game-high 24 hitouts.
“The girls were loving the way she was connecting to our mids,” Brewer said.
“I think she got a buzz hitting it down to Eden Zanker and ‘Liz McNamara.
“One of our girls who is young in football terms and is relishing the opportunity to play with AFL girls and the AFL girls getting around our youth and making her feel valuable to the team.”
While overshadowed by the returning AFLW talent, with whom many of the VFLW core get to train with every Friday, Brewer was also full of praise for the relentless seasons of 19-year-old Sydney Academy graduate Olivia Morris and the experienced Meg MacDonald.
“Meg’s just a warrior.
“Every week you know what you’ll get from Meg: consistent, contested footy.
“She’s leading our tackling count and all our midfield stats.
“Every single week she puts her heart and soul on the line for Casey and is consistently in our best six.
“We’ve thrown (Olivia) around in a few different positions – she likes inside mid/wing but with the AFLW girls coming in, we had to throw her down to halfback to keep her in the team. She’s versatile and is very raw.”
Casey remain on the bottom of the VFLW ladder but will have a chance to climb off against 11th-placed Geelong.
Meanwhile, Casey’s men suffered a 15.7(97) to 13.10(88) loss to Gold Coast at People’s First Stadium on Saturday morning.
Playing catch-up for much of proceedings after falling behind by three goals early in the second quarter, Casey threatened briefly to overturn a 23-point three-quarter-time deficit.
Jack Billings kicked two final quarter majors to give the visitors belief and Mitch Hardie booted a goal at the 22-minute-mark of the last quarter to get Casey within three points, before Gold Coast sealed it.
Melbourne coach Simon Goodwin wielding the axe at selection gave the Dees access to brilliant defender Jake Lever and winger Caleb Windsor.
Lever finished with 13 marks as a general in defence, while Windsor had 17 disposals and, fresh off signing an AFL contract extension, untried Melbourne forward Luker Kentfield kicked three goals.
Hardie led the way among VFL-listed players, while Rowville halfback Tyson Sruk looked assured at the level following a promising first two games earlier in the season and Riley Baldi was typically reliable.
The Dees face Coburg in what shapes as an eight point game at Casey Fields on Sunday afternoon, with both teams currently within a game of the top 10.
