CASEY has been dealt a tough fifth round loss, falling to the Northern Blues by 55 points at Preston City Oval on Sunday afternoon.
Northern Blues 14.14 (98) defeated Casey Demons 6.7 (43).
Angus Brayshaw left the field just two and a half minutes into the match after being involved in yet another head-high clash.
“It was inconspicuous a little bit,” senior coach Justin Plapp told melbournefc.com.au.
“Obviously he’s not good … he looked pretty ordinary coming off the ground, so fingers crossed he’s OK.”
Brayshaw missed the last two games following a head knock against North Ballarat in round two, which was his third concussion suffered in the past 12 months.
“They will go through the same protocols that they have to and make that assessment throughout the week,” Plapp said.
With 19 Carlton-listed players taking the field, the Blues ended a five-year losing streak to Casey, recording their fourth consecutive victory this season.
Casey was severely undersized, with a lack of tall targets proving to be an issue.
But Plapp thought the problem was deeper than that.
“I was disappointed in the way we defended,” he said.
“They were plus-76 in uncontested marks, so we were disappointed we allowed that part of the game to get out of control.”
A tough opening term set the tone for the match, with Casey managing just the single behind.
The Blues dominated the majority of the game, controlling possession of the ball and continuously peppering the goals.
In the second quarter, a simple set shot miss from Dennis Armfield sparked an animated brawl, with a free kick reversal allowing Armfield to capitalise on a second shot at goal.
It was a spirited term, with an increased intensity from the Demons, but the Blues remained on top to increase their lead to 39 points at half-time.
Unfortunately for Casey, the Blues asserted their dominance in the third term and added five unanswered goals in the first 18 minutes of play.
A 65-point three quarter-time deficit was too much for the Demons to combat, but they fought out a tight last quarter before going down by 55 points.
The Northern Blues were composed with the ball and applied constant pressure on its opposition all day.
“Our skill level was very poor,” Plapp said.
“It was a bit of a mixture of mental attitude and also skill.
“I can think of about five or six [players] off the top of my head that were above par, but we need more.”
After coming fifth in the J.J. Liston Trophy in 2016, Alex Neal-Bullen returned to the VFL for his first game at the level this season. Neal-Bullen had no trouble finding the ball, collecting 35 disposals and kicking a goal, as he ran hard through the centre.
James Harmes was also a bull in the middle, collecting an impressive tally of 41 disposals. He was fierce at the contest for Casey, although he found himself under constant duress. The pair operated well together, but were unable to consistently penetrate the forward 50.
“They were both pretty solid and they didn’t have much help,” Plapp said.
Following a three game stint in the seniors, Jay Kennedy-Harris returned to the VFL. He booted Casey's only first half goal and had 25 disposals.
Casey-listed 20-year-old Bayley Fritsch provided a rare highlight for the Demons, thrilling the crowd with a brilliant flying mark on the wing in the second term. He also contributed three of his side's six goals from limited opportunities and was a livewire inside 50.
Jack Trengove worked his way into the game to contribute with a solid 22 touches.
For the Blues, ex-Giant Kristian Jaksch caused the most damage kicking five majors.
It has been a difficult start to the season for Casey, travelling on four occasions in the opening five rounds.
“We want to be a team who compete anytime, anywhere,” Plapp said.
The Demons will return to Casey Fields next Saturday night to take on Port Melbourne, in desperate need of a second victory.
“It’s not panic stations, but we need to get some more momentum around the way we want to play the game.”
NORTHERN BLUES 3.4 7.9 12.12 14.14 (98)
CASEY DEMONS 0.1 1.6 2.7 6.7 (43)
CASEY GOALS
Fritsch 3, Kennedy-Harris, Neal-Bullen, Dwyer
CASEY BEST
Harmes, Neal-Bullen, Fritsch, Kennedy-Harris
