THE Casey Demons have lost their fourth straight game at the hands of the Box Hill Hawks who proved too strong at Wonthaggi Recreation Reserve, the final score 7.8 (50) to 2.5 (17).
It was an improved performance by the Demons compared to previous weeks, however, it was again the team’s fundamental errors that was the contributing factor to how the Hawks were able to storm away.
The game was scrappy and heavily contested early on, as a wet ball from a dewy ground was causing issues for both sides.
The pressure was on from the Demons right from the start and it seemed like the preparation and work on the training track was paying off for Peter Mercoulia’s team.
Once the players began to settle, it was the Casey side that was finding routes to goal, getting the ball over the back of the Hawks’ strong defence.
However, the slippery surface and unpredictable ball movement on the ground prevented the Demons from converting.
Brooke Smith kicked a remarkable goal from the pocket, crumbing the ball out the back of the contest and dribbling it in from 25m.
The goals then dried up for the away team as the game progressed, Box Hill attacking the ball harder and getting to the contest faster than the Demons.
This meant that Casey was unable to rebound the ball from their defensive 50, repeatedly finding themselves defending for long periods at a time.
Coming out of the backline, the Demons fundamentals struggled and it was costly.
In the third quarter it was more of the same, with the Hawks able to get out the back of the Casey defence to find a path to goal.
The Demons did show plenty of fight and determination in the last term, winning the quarter and showing the coaching staff the potential within the team.
“We need to flush out these fundamental skills errors and we will be a very good football team,” Mercoulia told the team post-match.
“We are working really hard at the fundamentals at training and once we can remove some of these mistakes from our game, I think we will be much better out there then what we have been showing,” Shree Fairchild said to Casey Media post-match.
The Demons will travel away again next week, this time to tackle the Blues at IKON Park with the side more determined than ever to break the losing streak and come home with a win.
CASEY DEMONS 1.2 (8) 1.2 (8) 1.4 (10) 2.5 (17)
BOX HILL HAWKS 2.1 (13) 4.4 (28) 7.7 (49) 7.8 (50)
BEST: Fairchild, Fowler, Neal, Woolcock, O’Neill, Hogg
GOALS: 1 Smith, Gall
DISPOSALS: 19 Fairchild, 19 Danckert, 14 Kirkwood, 14 Gall, 13 Woolcock
