VFL Casey 2026 thread

[jhong]

Melk doesn't look right at all.

 

[Lampers]

Heath another poor kick. Looked more like a poor choice than poor execution there.

 

[Lampers]

Casey listed Ethan Stanley has got some real leg speed. He was delisted by Fremantle after a couple of games a few years back. Should help to offset the loss of Mitch Hardie.

 

[jhong]

Getting beaten out of the middle .

 

[jhong]

Dogs up by 34 pts at 3/4 time. Would have been more if they had kicked straighter .

 

[Lampers]

Nice goal from Max Heath picking it up off the ground and finishing. He moved with the agility of a Moose but got it done.

 

[MartinPrince]

Nice snap from Matthews. Casey been getting smashed since half time. 17.19 vs 12.8

 

[Lampers]

Matthews has been given a chance on ball in the last quarter and has looked lively and found a bit of the ball. It looks like he went forward again and kicked a good left foot snap that floated through from about 35 out.

 

[jhong]

Melksham avoiding kicking on his right .

 

[Lampers]

Melksham avoiding kicking on his right .

It seems odd that they are risking Melksham by continuing to play him with his knee injury in what is a "nothing" game. And even if they wanted to win the game, it's gone now with the margin near 50 points.

 

[Lampers]

Melk finally kicks a Joe-the-goose but is moving about as well as I move after spending 90 minutes mowing the lawn.

 

[jhong]

43 pts loss to start the season , Dogs took control after half time . Probably just as well we have a bye next weekend then .

 

[Bluelegs]

AMW got a lot of the ball I see. How’d he go?

 

[Lampers]

Laurie - swapped between half forward and midfield. Had a purple patch during the second quarter where he found a heap of the ball but wasn't vey prolific otherwise. His kicking is not quite there unfortunately and it needs to be better IMO for a player like him who doesn't have speed or strength and relies on agility and guile to make an impact.

Melksham - he was looking lively early playing as a deep forward but he injured his right knee in the second quarter and was clearly hampered after that. He left the ground towards the end of the third quarter after looking immobile but came back on. He was kicking off his left instead of his right even from a set shot late. He eventually kicked a goal but probably more due to his lack of mobility and staying in the goal square after a bad turnover by Footscray.

Taylor - played the entire game in the backline and his confidence seemed to grow as the game progressed. He had some good moments and some others where his lack of strength and size against grown men showed. He was frequently in and around the play which was a positive. If he wants to play the style he's playing now he will need to put on another 10kg of size.

Matthews - he was a small forward for the first half game and struggled to get involved aside from a couple of difficult chances. He had one very memorable chase down and tackle in the third quarter which showed off his pace. Later in the game he moved up the ground into the midfield and found a bit of the ball. He also snapped a left foot roving goal late and if he'd taken some tough chances earlier could've finished with two or three goals. He looks promising to me.

Adams - in the first half this was the best I've seen him play. He has had prior games where he got quite a bit of the ball, but in the first half in particular he did a bit of everything. Spoiled, marked, made himself an exit option and disposed of it well. He also defended ground balls well against smaller and more agile opponents. His second half was not as good with one bad spilled mark that stood out and some shakier moments. But he showed a bit today.

Heath - I didn't see him play anywhere other than ruck. He was good in ruck contests and with his physicality. His kicking however was poor. He did kick an unlikely goal picking up a loose ball and kicking around the corner from 30 out. Heath wasn't given too many spells on the bench that I saw so his endurance must be pretty decent.

Berry - He played in the backline but seemed to spend quite a bit of time off the ground so potentially his endurance isn't up to playing the majority of the game yet. I was pleasantly surprised with his game because I had low expectations. He didn't do anything outstanding but he made sensible decisions and disposed of the ball neatly when he had his chances.

Mentha - had a new role in the backline and started prominently with quite a bit of ball and some good tackles. As is his way he then went large parts of the game without seeing much action. He had a little bit of time up the ground but still couldn't get very involved until quite late where he got a few more touches.

Onley - played a bit of a Swiss army knife as a forward, in the backline, on the wing. He's athletic but struggled to get super involved in the game. He flew at marks plenty of times but didn't bring any of them down.

Cross - he was half forward and also a bit of time in the midfield. Started strongly but wasn't involved much in the second half.

Henderson - mostly played as a forward with some stints up on the ball later in the game. He just seemed a bit behind the pace and didn't impact much. I don't really know what the point of having Henderson on the main list is. He just seems too small and not athletic enough for making an impact in the AFL.

Moniz-Wakefield - played in the backline and got a heap of disposals in an attacking, running role. A lot of disposals were from kick outs (Footscray kicked 21 behinds) so take that into account. He didn't seem to try anything too adventurous but didn't make any howlers I can recall either. I recall his kicking as being a bit erratic but today it was consistent. A positive return from him given how long he's been out of the game.

 

[Lord Nev]

Henderson - mostly played as a forward with some stints up on the ball later in the game. He just seemed a bit behind the pace and didn't impact much. I don't really know what the point of having Henderson on the main list is. He just seems too small and not athletic enough for making an impact in the AFL.

Great write up mate. Agree that Henderson likely won't have much impact for us, but I think he's there now for cheap insurance for players like Chandler, Sparrow, etc. Pretty sure today was his first hitout this preseason due to a couple of injuries, so wouldn't take much from today's game.

 

[PerfectFooty]

I've said it before but it is still surprising that we almost threw having Culley away (if not for AMW going down last year) to select Henderson

 

[Lord Nev]

I've said it before but it is still surprising that we almost threw having Culley away (if not for AMW going down last year) to select Henderson

TBF, at the time we were desperate for a small forward.

 

[danster168]

Henderson - mostly played as a forward with some stints up on the ball later in the game. He just seemed a bit behind the pace and didn't impact much. I don't really know what the point of having Henderson on the main list is. He just seems too small and not athletic enough for making an impact in the AFL.

Totally agree. Laurie and Mentha also fit this description. List cloggers.

 

[Deelighted]

Totally agree. Laurie and Mentha also fit this description. List cloggers.

Mentha is a Cat B I think so a bit more of a free hit, seems a fair way off though.

Not sure how Laurie has survived so long given he's never been trusted with a string of games in the seniors & has shown very little in the chances he's had. Doesn't seem a class above VFL either.

 

[Lampers]

Totally agree. Laurie and Mentha also fit this description. List cloggers.

I’m willing to give Mentha more time.

If Laurie was going to make it he would’ve by now.

But with Tassie coming in we will see more “list cloggers” on lists. You can’t magic up an additional 50 AFL players from nowhere.

 

[Theseventhhamster]

Mentha will play games this season.

 

[Theseventhhamster]

Give us an opinion mores you coward.

 

[mores]

St

Give us an opinion mores you coward.

Sticks and stones may break my bones but names will never hurt me.

 

[Proper Gander]

This thread suddenly has some great gear

 

[jhong]

An early one ....

Casey Demons v Box Hill Hawks
Round 3 • Sunday 5 April 2026 • 11:05 AM (GMT+10)

Casey Fields, Melbourne • Wurundjeri/Boon Wurrung