THE CASEY Demons had a solid 35-point victory over the Box Hill Hawks in a VFL practice match on Friday night, under lights at Casey Fields.
With only a four-day turnaround from their 105-point loss to Footscray on Monday, the Demons were keen to make up for their lacklustre performance.
Casey certainly made sure from the get-go that the previous game was just a flash in the pan, taking control of the match early on against a young Box Hill side.
Melbourne Media spoke to senior VFL coach Mark Corrigan on how the Demons were able to dominate the game from the start.
“It came from their work around the footy to get their hands on it first and then get it forward,” he said.
“Hence, we got more time and opportunity inside 50 and in our forward half to score.”
A relatively new squad, the Demons were able to keep themselves in front for the whole game, focusing on their efforts.
“I guess the main focus for us, given that the group is really new and a lot of them are still coming together for the first time, that we're getting to know each other,” Corrigan said.
“For me, it was just making sure that they played the right way, so the score was almost irrelevant.
“It was more about making sure that they controlled what they could in terms of their actions, their effort, their intent, and all little things that require talent but that everyone can bring to the game.”
It was a huge turnaround from Monday’s game against the Bulldogs, where Casey was just outclassed by a better side.
“Our pressure around the ball was much better than Monday, so was our ability to tackle, or at least put Box Hill under pressure, and win the ball back down the field,” Corrigan said.
“It was certainly a huge improvement.”
Melbourne-listed players certainly brought some great experience and leadership to the game for Casey.
“They all had a huge impact - around the ball, ‘Kozzy’ Pickett, Angus Brayshaw and Aaron vandenBerg were super impressive,” Corrigan said.
“Not only just what they did on the field, but ‘Vanders’ (vandenBerg) and ‘Gussy’ (Brayshaw), in particular were super from a leadership capacity.”
Draftee Jake Bowey also impressed down back, while Toby Bedford’s pressure up forward was fantastic.
Recently signed former North Melbourne player and now Demons rookie Majak Daw slotted four goals for the evening, feeling right at home in the red and blue.
While VFL-listed player Corey Ellison was solid down back, seasoned campaigner Jimmy Munroe lead the way with bringing the effort and energy intended.
Big key forward Josh Smith also impressed upon his return, after a bad run with injuries.
Whilst happy with the win, Corrigan was quick to point out that they were up against a very inexperienced Hawks line-up.
“We had a lot more experience out there from an AFL point of view, compared to Box Hill,” he said.
“It was flipped the other way when we played Footscray on Monday, where they had like 16 AFL-listed players to our seven or eight in the end.”
Casey has more practice matches to play, giving the team further time to gel before four points are on the line, with the Demons taking on the Northern Bullants at Casey Fields next Saturday.
The remaining games are against North Melbourne and Williamstown, before round one on April 17th.
Casey Demons 4.2 6.6 9.7 13.9.87
Box Hill Hawks 2.1 4.1 6.3 8.4.52
Upcoming Practice Matches
Northern Bullants - Saturday 20th Mar @ Casey Fields
North Melbourne - Saturday 27th Mar @ Casey Fields
TBC - Saturday 3rd
Williamstown - Saturday 10th April @ Casey Fields
