SUMMARY 

AFTER a slow start, the Demons have come roaring home to defeat Essendon by three points on the final kick of the match.

Maddy Guerin iced the game-winner with less than 30 seconds left in the match to give Casey it’s first win of the new season.

Bianca Jakobsson and Eden Zanker were immense in a VFLW instant classic.

THE NUMBERS

GOALS: Guerin 3, Jakobsson 2

Maddy Guerin nails the game-winner

After trailing by 11 points heading into the final quarter, the Demons needed to lift.

Clawing their way back into the contest with some outstanding play, the game needed one last hero to stand up.

Maddy Guerin heard the call, earning a free-kick in the final moments and nailing the game-winner despite blustery conditions. Finishing with a game-high three goals in a superb performance.

 

Eden Zanker stands up to the pressure 

Needing some calm under the pressure, Eden Zanker showed experienced beyond her years pushing into the midfield repelling Essendon attacks and trapping the ball in the Casey forward half.

Zanker was colossal in marking contests and booming the ball back in the Casey fifty to give her fellow forwards a chance getting Casey back into the match.

A feat which resulted in the Demons recording the first win on the year.

Slow starts but fast finishes 

For the second time in as many games, albeit the first a practice match, the Demons have come fighting back in the second half to win.

After having all of the running in the first half and not being able to make it count on the scoreboard, the Demons never looked out of the contest.

Something co-captain Nicole Garner credits to the work her team has already put into season 2019.

“We have worked really hard over the pre-season so we back our fitness in 100%,” Garner said.

“We started to run over the top of them in the second half… We had full faith we could come back.”

An impressive victory

Making the win all the more impressive was the fact Casey was down a rotation for the majority of the match after losing speedster Ruby Edmeades in the first quarter.

Succumbing to a heavy tackle, Edmeades made her way to the bench under her own power but couldn’t go on what appeared to be a sprained ankle. But the team dug deep and found a way to victory.

Fielding 11 Casey debutants also proved this team is only growing in confidence and teamwork for the rest of the season.

A word from the coach

“That is one of the characteristics of this group, they have a lot of collective strength,” Damien Keeping told Melbourne Media.

“It took us a good half, three-quarters to get going… But once we did get the game on our terms, we didn’t look like losing.

“There is a really good feeling going around the group now.”

Looking forward

Next up the Demons welcome the Carlton Blues to Casey Fields on Saturday at 12 noon.

With an AFLW star-studded line-up themselves, it will be another challenge for our Casey Demons girls.