SUMMARY
THE DEMONS continued their winning ways this time exacting some revenge on the Box Hill Hawks, thumping the VFL reigning premiers by 34 points in atrocious conditions at Casey Hill on Saturday.
Big man Braydon Preuss played one of his best games in the red and blue, finishing with 17 disposals and an insane 63 hit-outs.
While fleet-footed Jay Kennedy Harris was on song recording 23 disposals and booting three goals in the rout.
View this post on InstagramFirst-gamer Ariek Lual with the Gatorade shower!! Well done Dees!! #caseydemons #caseyfc #vfl
THE NUMBERS
DISPOSALS: Maynard 24, Kennedy Harris 23, C. Wagner 21, McDonald 20, Gent 19
GOALS: Kennedy Harris 3, Bedford, Lefau 2, White, Munro, Dunkley, Jordon, Buxton
Braydon Preuss is dominating the VFL
The man-mountain is racking up some incredibly consistent performances this season in his seven matches for Casey, averaging 14.7 disposals, almost a goal a game, and an absurd 46.1 hit-outs per contest.
After Max Gawn sustained what appeared to a slight tweak to his ankle in Melbourne’s game against Brisbane and can’t go, Preuss will be ready and waiting if his number is called on Thursday night.
Kennedy Harris continues his stellar run
In some of the worst conditions of the season so far, Kennedy Harris didn’t let the poor conditions affect his game, showcasing his class in the dominant victory.
Looking like he was playing with a dry ball, JKH was sensational, beginning the game with a bang, taking the first tap from Preussy and converting a breeze-assisted 70m bomb in what could have been one of the fastest goals in VFL history.
If the savvy winger continues this level of play, look for him in the AFL side soon.
Oscar McDonald makes a successful return to footy
McDonald returned to Casey in Round 13 and quickly showed why he is a key contributor to the Melbourne club.
The 196cm tall defender looked really strong in the contests and strong in the air, finishing with 20 disposals and four marks.
It was a good welcome back to football for Oscar.
Ariek Lual makes an immediate impact
It was a sensational debut for Ariek Lual contributing to the decisive victory.
After signing with Casey during the week, the 20-year-old tall utility pulled on the red and blue guernsey and made an immediate impact finishing with 11 disposals.
Not bad for the youngster nicknamed “Dell” considering last week he is playing at Noble Park, and now this week he is lining up against a Box Hill side littered with AFL-listed talent.
As Lual continues to learn the Casey gameplan look for him to become better and more comfortable on the field.
The Corey double act
It was a day for the contested football beasts, thankfully Casey has two of the best in the league as Corey Maynard and Corey Wagner dominated the midfield, combining for 44 possessions and an absurd 28 tackles, providing the drive for the Demons engine room.
Both had huge tackle numbers something Wagner has done in the past few weeks, with a season average of 9.5 tackles in eight matches.
While Maynard continues to build his season after missing a significant part of the early season.
Averaging 22.8 disposals in six matches this season, Maynard is providing the drive in the Casey engine this year.
A word from the coach
“A fantastic win… To come up against a really good quality team with plenty of AFL talent, I am rapt with how the boys went about it,” Casey Demons head coach Sam Radford told Melbourne Media.
“Preussy’s contest work was brilliant.
“Kennedy Harris was just so clean in difficult conditions… so clean with the ball, and his finishing was outstanding.
“A really good game for both him and Preussy.”
Looking forward
With the victory, the Demons move into ninth place on the VFL ladder and within striking distance of the top eight but appear poised to make a barnstorming run home in the second half of the season.
Next up Casey welcomes the Northern Blues to Casey Fields on Saturday July 6th at 2pm.
Losing to Geelong today, the Blues will be looking to get back on the winners' list in Round 14, while our boys will be looking to make it four victories in a row.
