Casey won an after-the-siren thriller against Brisbane VFL on Saturday afternoon to lock in a spot in the VFL finals series.
Brisbane’s Curtis McCarthy won a holding the ball free kick 15 metres out on a slight angle when the siren went, but missed the ensuing set shot to give Casey its fourth win in a row.
While the Demons emerged with the four points, the narrative of the game continues a worrying trend which has plagued the club all season.
Casey has regularly been on top of teams in general play and been unable to put them away, with multiple losses as a result which endangered their finals hopes.
After grabbing the ascendancy early, the Demons hit back through the middle of the game to lead for much of the second and third quarters.
It was even at three-quarter-time, before Brisbane kicked two of the first three goals of the last quarter to lead by as much as nine points.
First year AFL forward Aidan Johnson narrowed the gap to three points at the 18-minute-mark of the last quarter, before Casey was unable to convert an avalanche of forward entries.
The ball lived in Casey’s forward half between the 20 and 33-minute-mark of the last quarter, but the Dees lacked poise and precision going inside 50 which allowed a desperate Lions defence to maintain their lead.
Mitch Hardie was the player to finally give Casey the lead at the 33-minute-mark, putting himself in the right place at the right time to receive a handball from Johnson and run into an open goal.
It continues a sensational season for the former Geelong AFL-listed player, whose forward presence has grown to complement his midfield excellence as the season has progressed.
It was a breakout game for Noble Park defender Wardell Lual, who has been highly rated internally all season by Casey.
In his eighth game at VFL level, Lual had 20 disposals and nine marks, both career highs, to go with six intercept possessions as he cut off Brisbane forward entries with great effect.
Lual also showed great athleticism and poise in a tight contest, as did top Gippsland Power AFL Draft prospect Willem Duursma, who had 19 possessions and helped Casey own territory for much of the last term.
The Demons have the table-topping Box Hill to finish the home and away season on Sunday afternoon, with the Hawks set to be smarting after an upset loss at the hands of Footscray.
Currently sitting eighth, regardless of the Dees’ result, they will progress to the wildcard weekend of the finals series, with Sunday’s result to determine whether they host their wildcard game or not.
