Having entered the season primed to challenge for the rebel VFLW flag and sitting on top with a record score in Round 2, Casey Demons were unable to maintain the rage.
BY THE NUMBERS
Position: 10th
W-L-D (%): 6-8 (106.8%)
Players used: 50
Played every match: 2 – Ally Kirkwood and Niamh O’Neill
AFLW players used: 13
Debutants: 18 – Steph Barnett, Alicia Bertrand, Ciara Burke, Tylah Burn, Sophie Butterworth, Shannon Danckert, Georgina Fowler, Georgia Gall, Sinead Goldrick, Amber Kinnane, India Lehman, Bianca Lyne, Ella Morris, Niamh O’Neill, Kasey Phillips, Jemma Rigoni, Ciara Sexton and Siobhan Sheerin
STAR PERFORMERS
Best and Fairest: 1st: Shree Fairchild, 2nd: Shannon Danckert, 3rd: Marla Neal, 4th: Belinda Woolcock, 5th: Tylah Burn
Lambert-Pearce Medal votes: Shannon Danckert (11), Shree Fairchild (8), Leah Swain (6)
Coaches MVP votes: Shannon Danckert (25), Belinda Woolcock (25), Shree Fairchild (21)
VFLW Team of the Year representatives: Shannon Danckert
Goalkickers: Ciara Burke (14), Niamh O’Neill (9), Megan Fitzsimon (5), Claire Keohane (5)
STAT LEADERS
(Averages – Minimum 6 matches)
Disposals: Shannon Danckert (18.4), Belinda Woolcock (14.8), Shree Fairchild (14.3)
Kicks: Belinda Woolcock (12.1), Shannon Danckert (9.9), Shree Fairchild (8.9)
Handballs: Shannon Danckert (8.5), Shree Fairchild (5.4), Marla Neal (4.8)
Marks: Alexandra Kirkwood (2.8), Belinda Woolcock (2.7), Ciara Burke (2.1)
Tackles: Shannon Danckert (8.9), Shree Fairchild (8.5), Amber Kinnane (7.8)
Hitouts: Leah Swain (39.3), Teagan Williams (11.5), Caitlin Conroy (2.7)
Clearances: Shannon Danckert (6.4), Leah Swain (4.2), Marla Neal (3.7)
Inside-50s: Ciara Burke (2.7), Leah Swain (2.4), Claire Keohane (2.3)
Rebound-50s: Belinda Woolcock (4.5), Melanie Hogg (2.1), Tylah Burn (1.8)
WHAT WENT RIGHT
Casey’s season started in promising fashion with a hard-fought win over the Western Bulldogs in Ballarat before breaking the club’s scoring record by piling on 130 points against Darebin in Round 2. Another spike came in Rounds 8-9 including a win over finalist Williamstown and starting Geelong’s slide out of the finals in Round 11 before costing Port Melbourne the minor premiership with a wonderful finish to the season. First-year player Shannon Danckert enjoyed a strong debut season to make the rebel VFLW Team of the Year.
WHAT WENT WRONG
The Demons fell away badly following that promising start to the campaign. Several games resulted in big defeats to teams they would have expected to at least run close, if not defeat. That is demonstrated by the fact that six of the eight losses came by an average of almost four goals. Losing four of their six home games also didn’t help.
SUMMARY
The slide from a preliminary final all the way to 10th was a cause of great disappointment at Casey Fields. Having entered the season seemingly primed to challenge for a flag and sitting on top of the ladder after Round 2 with a record score under their belt, the Demons went on to lose their next five games to fall out of contention by mid-season. They had 18 debutants, which bodes well, and it must be remembered that the 10th-placed team in 2022 went on to win the 2023 premiership.
GRADE
3/10
2023 REBEL VFLW REVIEWS
Western Bulldogs
Darebin Falcons
