CASEY Demons have soared into the Smithy’s VFL Grand Final as overwhelming favourites on the back of a very simple philosophy – appreciate the opportunity.
After two years of Covid chaos which saw the entire 2020 season cancelled and the 2021 version abandoned mid-season, coach Mark Corrigan has spent this year drumming into his players that it is a privilege to be running onto a football field at all and not to waste it.
It’s a motto that has paid off handsomely so far, with the Demons qualifying for their third Grand Final in five seasons, and a third chance to break a Springvale premiership drought stretching back to 1999, when the Scorpions beat North Ballarat by 60 points at North Port Oval for their fourth flag in five years.
Casey enters Sunday's Grand Final against Southport at IKON Park with a powerful 19-1 win-loss record for the season, their only defeat coming to the Brisbane Lions at Moreton Bay in Round 22 – a loss they emphatically avenged by 51 points in last week’s first preliminary final at Casey Fields.
“The message I’ve been trying to convey to the players is to have an appreciation for the opportunity that is at hand every week,” Corrigan said.
“We’ve got a greater perspective given what’s unfolded over the past two years, so for us we don’t take for granted the opportunity to be out there playing, and that’s brought us the opportunity to play off in a Grand Final, which has more significance and is probably a little bit more special given what we’ve gone through the past two years.
“We’re really excited, we obviously played some really good footy throughout the year and now we’re at the last one, but that gives us the opportunity and now it’s about who can play their best footy for the next two hours on Sunday.
“The boys are up and about and it’s good to be playing footy at this time of year.”
The edict takes on an even stronger meaning this week, given Casey will run out for the Grand Final without the desperately unlucky Fraser Rosman, who has been ruled out with concussion suffered in the preliminary final after playing 15 of the team’s 20 matches this year.
“He (Rosman) won’t play, he’s going through the concussion protocol now, which is paramount, but it is terribly disappointing for him,” Corrigan said.
“He came back from a hammy (hamstring injury) and has been playing some really good footy – there’s always some disappointing stories and unfortunately Fraser won’t be there.”
Despite Rosman’s bad luck, and the fact Jake Bowey will also come out of the preliminary final team after being ruled ineligible when Melbourne’s AFL campaign ended last week, selection still looms as a nightmare for Corrigan and his committee, with four AFL-listed players potentially available to come into the team.
“A couple of those guys (Taj Woewodin, Deakyn Smith and Bailey Laurie) need to get through this week and then potentially Jake Melksham is coming back as well.
“There’s a few guys need to get through their week, Taj was concussed, but if they do it will be interesting at selection.”
Corrigan said the experience of heart-and-soul pair in captain Mitch White and Jimmy Munro will help them as they look for third time lucky after playing in Casey’s losses to Footscray in 2016 and Box Hill Hawks in 2018, while also stating there would mostly be no fear factor coming from those two defeats.
Other than Melbourne AFL players Bayley Fritsch, Harry Petty, Jayden Hunt and Joel Smith, no other players remain at Casey Fields from those two Grand Finals, with Jay Lockhart to play against the Demons for Southport.
“They’ve been close but not quite close enough and for those guys that experience will hopefully be invaluable for them … but ultimately it’s a pretty new group so for those guys it’s just about what we can do on Sunday, and that is to play our best footy,” Corrigan said.
Casey remains wary of what the Sharks are capable of, but the Demons will focus on their own game, which is to be ready to go from the first bounce – a focus that worked when they kicked the first eight goals in their only other meeting earlier in the season.
“(Southport has) been outstanding, they’ve played a really strong brand of football that is consistent every week, they’ve got mature bodies, experienced players, they’ve got youth, and in the finals they’ve been able to play their best footy,” Corrigan said.
“They’re going to be a real challenge, strong in the contest, they play a good forward half brand of football and they’ve got threats all over the ground.
“We’ve played them once, albeit at the start of the year and that was a challenge in itself and we got over the line but it was a really close game, so we know what we’re in for and it’s going to be a great game.
“(Fast starts are) not something we make mention of, but a consistent theme for us is putting our best foot forward from the beginning so it certainly helps – I’d rather be on that end of the ledger than chasing, so it’s just about knowing our role, going out and being ready from the first bounce.
“Yes, the start is really important but we’ll back ourselves in that if it is not going our way, similar to what Saturday looked like, we’ll be able to play our best footy.”
Twitter: @BRhodesVFL
THIS WEEK
2022 SMITHY’S VFL GRAND FINAL
Casey Demons v Southport Sharks
Sunday September 18, 2022
IKON Park, 12:50pm AEST (previously 2:30pm AEST)
Ticketing: For the 2022 Smithy’s VFL Grand Final, admission prices are adults $20, concession/pensioners $15 and children under 15 free. Tickets can be purchased at the gate or online via: www.intix.com.au/events/vflgrandfinal2022
Broadcast/streaming: Seven Network from 12:30pm (Vic - Channel 7 / Brisbane and Gold Coast – 7mate / National - 7plus). Free live stream on AFL.com.au and the AFL Live Official app. Radio: Casey Radio 97.7FM and caseyradio.com.au from 12pm.
Download the VFL/W Official App from the Apple or Google Play stores to access live scores, results, ladder, stats and to link to live streams/replays.
