CASEY DEMONS 13.11 (89)
SOUTHPORT 8.11 (59)

THE undefeated Casey Demons made their most emphatic statement yet that they are the team to beat in the Smithy’s VFL this season after convincingly accounting for Southport by 30 points at Casey Fields on Sunday.

Despite losing Toby Bedford, Majak Daw and Bailey Laurie before the bounce, the Demons stomped on the Sharks’ hopes of an upset with fierce tackling forcing the visitors into mistakes that were quickly pounced upon with fast and accurate ball movement into Mitch Brown, who booted four goals - including his 150th in the VFL - as his team charged to a 6.2 to 0.0 lead at the first break.

Southport came out with renewed vigour after the break, but missed its first three chances, including one when Billy Gowers was run down by a desperate Deakyn Smith as he thought he was strolling into an open goal, and Brown’s fifth goal gave the home team a 47-point lead midway through the term at eight goals to nil.

Boyd Woodcock finally put the Sharks on the board 18 minutes into the quarter and with Jacob Dawson shaking off a tag from Jimmy Munro that had seen him completely negated, the visitors kicked three in four minutes to cut the half-time margin to 25.

But they weren’t able to get much closer as the Demons held them at arm’s length for the rest of the day to move six points clear at the top of the ladder, albeit with GWS having a game in hand, as Brown landed his second bag of the season with 6.2 from 12 marks and 17 disposals.

Casey won the game across half-back, with Adam Tomlinson rivalling Brown for best-on-ground honours in a dominant display that yielded 23 disposals, five marks and 10 rebounds as he intercepted beautifully and linked up well on the counterattack.

His influence was best displayed by Southport winning hitouts 66-21 and clearances 48-31, but losing the inside-50 count 53-40.

Kade Chandler (26, seven marks, seven inside-50s) was in everything and Andy Moniz-Wakefield (18, six tackles, two goals) impressed with his pace and skills, while Munro (16, five clearances, seven tackles) and then Jake Melksham (16, six tackles, one goal) kept Dawson below his usual dominant output.

The gun Shark still topped all comers with 27 disposals, 15 clearances, five inside-50s, five tackles and a goal to be his team’s best player again despite being under almost constant pressure, while ruckmen Brayden Crossley (32 hitouts, five clearances, one goal) and Fraser Thurlow (five marks including a hanger over Jack Bell, 34 hitouts, one goal) causing headaches around the ground and Aiden Fyfe (17, 10 rebounds), former Demon Jay Lockhart (18, six rebounds) and Jay Foon (eight tackles) all working hard, but they badly missed suspended key forward Jacob Townsend, who will be back to face the Giants this week.

ESSENDON 9.8 (62)
BOX HILL HAWKS 23.18 (156)

BOX HILL Hawks made a statement of their own, piling on nine goals in the first quarter on their way to a 94-point thumping of Essendon at Windy Hill.

The Hawks were irrepressible as they added another eight to none against the windy in the second term for a remarkable half-time score of 17.6 (108) that represents their second highest first-half score in VFA/VFL Division 1 history behind the 17.11 they kicked against Sunshine in 1989.

By that stage Box Hill led by 84 points, Emerson Jeka had kicked five goals, Fergus Greene four and Sam Butler three and the historians were reaching for the record books to find the highest score and margin between the two old rivals.

While the Bombers won the third quarter four goals to two, the Hawks regained control in the last and despite losing their radar and kicking 4.10, they still finished with easily their highest score and biggest winning margin against Essendon.

Box Hill won a stunning 129 more disposals (382-253) and claimed the inside-50 count 72-38 as Callum Porter (31 disposals, 10 clearances, seven inside-50s, five tackles) and Daniel Howe (30, 10 clearances, six inside-50s, seven tackles, one goal) vied with each other for best-on-ground honours, while Liam Shiels (30, five marks, six clearances, five inside-50s, seven tackles) also dominated.

When Essendon did venture forward, Josh Morris (22 disposals, eight marks, six rebounds, five tackles) was outstanding in also holding Anthony McDonald-Tipungwuti to just eight disposals and one goal, while Mason De Wit (22, eight marks, seven rebounds), Damian Mascittj (24), Stuart Horner (22) and third-gamer Dave Brinker-Ritchie (29 hitouts, one goal) also impressed.

At the other end, Jeka and Greene finished with five goals each and Butler and Ben Cavarra kicked three, with the only worry being unlucky forward Tyler Brockman, who lasted just nine minutes in his first game of the season before suffering an arm injury.

The Bombers were affected badly by the virus that swept through the AFL team, fielding just seven AFL-listed players as they remained the only winless team in the competition, with Joel Fitzgerald (21 disposals, eight rebounds), second-gamer Stefan Rasinac (19, five inside-50s), 290-game star Ben Jolley (18, five marks as a late inclusion) and makeshift rucks Cian McBride (five marks, 17 hitouts) and Lockie Rayner (13 hitouts, one goal) able to hold their heads high.

SMITHY’S VFL LADDER, ROUND 7 – click here

THIS WEEK

ROUND 8: Saturday, May 14: Collingwood v Footscray (AIA Centre, 2.05pm); Williamstown v Frankston (Williamstown, 7.35pm). Sunday, May 15: North Melbourne v Casey Demons (Aegis Park, 12pm); Northern Bullants v Port Melbourne (Preston City Oval, 1.05pm); Southport v GWS (Fankhauser Reserve, 1.35pm); Box Hill Hawks v Richmond (Box Hill City Oval, 2.05pm). Bye: Brisbane Lions, Carlton, Coburg, Essendon, Geelong, Gold Coast, Sandringham, Sydney, Werribee.

NEXT WEEK: ROUND 9: Saturday, May 21: Port Melbourne v Southport (ETU Stadium, 12.05pm); Footscray v Gold Coast (Victoria University Whitten Oval, 12.05pm); Coburg v Sydney (Piranha Park, 1.05pm); Brisbane Lions v Williamstown (Moreton Bay Sports Complex, 1.35pm); Richmond v Essendon (MCG, 3.05pm). Sunday, May 22: GWS v Werribee (Giants Stadium, 10.05am); Carlton v Sandringham (Ikon Park, 12pm); Northern Bullants v Geelong (Preston City Oval, 1.05pm). Bye: Box Hill Hawks, Casey Demons, Collingwood, Frankston, North Melbourne.

THEN: ROUND 10: Friday, May 27: Sydney v Richmond (Lakeside Oval, 2.05pm). Saturday, May 28: Southport v Brisbane Lions (Fankhauser Reserve, 12.05pm); Williamstown v Footscray (Williamstown, 2.05pm); Gold Coast v Box Hill Hawks (Austworld Centre, 3.05pm). Sunday, May 29: Essendon v Coburg (Windy Hill, 11.35am); Werribee v Collingwood (Avalon Airport Oval, 12pm); Geelong v GWS (GMHBA Stadium, 12.05pm); Northern Bullants v Carlton (Preston City Oval, 1.05pm); Frankston v Casey Demons (Skybus Stadium, 2.05pm); Sandringham v North Melbourne (Wilson Storage Trevor Barker Beach Oval, 2.15pm). Bye: Port Melbourne.

Twitter: @BRhodesVFL

All VFL matches in 2022 are live-streamed free. The match of the round can be viewed on Channel 7, while all remaining games are streamed live and on demand via www.afl.com.au and the AFL Live and VFL apps. Radio 3WBC is again broadcasting Box Hill Hawks matches.
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