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Casey Demons vs Box Hill Hawks |
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|---|---|---|
VFL Grand Final |
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| Etihad Stadium | ||
| Casey Demons | Box Hill Hawks | |
| 62 | SCORE | 72 |
| 8 | Goals | 10 |
| 14 | Behinds | 12 |
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Kicking off a massive Grand Final week in the AFL is the conclusion to the VFL Season at Etihad Stadium on Sunday, when the Casey Scorpions take on Box Hill Hawks at 3:20pm. Join us here at The Roar for a live blog of the game.
The two teams have entered the most important game of the season with very different formlines, with the Scorpions having only played the two games thanks to their top four finish, while Box Hill have snuck over the line in two grueling encounters in its three games.
Having played twice in the home-and-away season, each team were dominant victors at their home grounds, making this Grand Final at a neutral venue, a tantalising prospect. Combined with the inclusions in each team, and we could have another match for the ages at the end of a VFL season.
Casey finished second on the ladder but, much like the senior team, mixed in brilliant form with some concerning performances.
A 12-match winning streak in the middle of the season perhaps masked some disappointing displays, although conditions always seem to be a factor in Casey’s games.
The team has benefitted from having a number of experienced senior players running around this season, with guys like Tom Bugg, Bernie Vince, Jeff Garlett, Cam Pedersen, Jayden Hunt, Jay Kennedy-Harris and, this week, Bayley Fritsch in the team.
Those players, combined with the likes of James Munro (who has given away a free kick in every game this year), Corey Wagner and Jay Lockhart, really did a good job leading the Scorpions to a high position on the ladder and forming the most dangerous team in the competition.
From a Box Hill perspective, the Hawks benefit greatly from Hawthorn’s straight-sets exit in the AFL. James Worpel, David Mirra and Conor Nash have returned to give the Hawks greater security in all position on the ground, with Worpel and Mirra in particular having had big seasons to date.
Much like the Casey team, Box Hill has plenty of experienced players in its team, with 16 of its 23 players having played in the AFL in recent times.
Marc Pittonet could hold the key to this match, having enjoyed an extremely good season at VFL level. The big ruckman was best-on-ground in the preliminary final, and has created a presence around the ground that allow the likes of Andrew Moore, James Cousins and Jono O’Rourke to go about their clearance work in the best possible way.
Casey possesses the more dangerous forward line, particularly with clean ball users such as Fritsch and Vince sending the ball inside 50, which means it is critical for the likes of Brand, O’Brien and Glass to do a job in defence. David Mirra’s role in the team will be interesting, given how effective he was as a forward against Casey a few weeks ago. He may need to play on Garlett if the situation arises.
On the other hand, Box Hill’s strength will be stretching the field, with its midfielders and rebounding defenders able to run in waves and into smart areas.
Freeing up Willsmore, who has played as more of a high half-forward this season, could be a game-winning move for the Hawks. The quality of Box Hill’s midfielders need to be creative going forward however, with Mitch Lewis being heavily targeted by the Scorpions.
There are quality players all over the place in this game, and it will likely come down to who is the fitter team.
Box Hill’s run has been magical at times, given how close results have been, but Casey have no doubt been a better team with a higher ceiling this season.
Given there are fresher players in the Scorpions team, and the entire football club is on a high thanks to the senior team, it may well be the year of the Demons.
Prediction: Casey Scorpions by 17
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