By Marcus Uhe
A slow start was not been enough to grind the Casey Demons juggernaut to a halt, claiming their third straight victory to open the VFL season against Frankston on Easter Sunday.
The post-game chocolate eggs will taste all the more sweeter for Taylor Whitford’s men, who held their opponent goalless through the middle two quarters of the contest on their way to a 60-point victory at Casey Fields, 16.13 109 to 7.7 49.
A goal to Dolphin Bailey Lambert in the first minute had the Demons on the back foot early, and when he added a second from almost the same spot on the field later in the quarter, it gave the visitors a two-goal cushion to take into the first break.
But that was where the excitement dried-up for the Dolphins, who would not put another through the big sticks until early in the fourth quarter.
Josh Schache flexed his muscle on the contest, intercepting a rebound 50 that led to a goal for Riley Baldi, before he got the better of his opponent at a boundary throw-in and snapped truly for their fourth of the quarter.
Kicking against the breeze, moving the ball out of the back half became harder and harder for the Dolphins as the tall timber for the Demons dissuaded the long kick down the line.
It was a 40-point swing in the second term, as Casey took a 28-point lead into half time.
Small forward Harvey Neocleous had a big third quarter, kicking a goal of his own in traffic before finding Miles Shepherd on his own inside 50, who unselfishly spotted Bailey Laurie in the pocket.
Laurie found the footy with ease once again, leading all possession winners on the ground with 35 to go with his 29 in round one.
His goal late in the third quarter was Casey’s ninth in a row, and gave the hosts a 49-point lead at the final break, with the gulf between the AFL-aligned and standalone programs on full display.
Frankston finally hit the scoreboard early in the last, and came with a rush of three goals in the first 10 minutes.
Livewire forward Ollie Sestan broke their momentum with a classy goal from a stoppage, before the Demons kicked another five on the bounce to slam the door on the contest.
Matthew Jefferson’s good form in front goal continued with another three goals after his four last week, while Schache and Tom Sheridan also finished with three each for Casey.
Franskton’s Beaconsfield pairing of Matt Johnson and Mitch Szybkowski made an impact for the Dolphins, as Johnson kicked a consolation goal towards the end of the game and Szybkowski had 15 disposals.
Casey remains at the top of the table after three rounds, ahead of fellow undefeated sides Gold Cast and Brisbane, and take on Essendon at Tullamarine on Sunday.
