Up to scratch Fev steals show

By Peter Sweeney
THE marketers – and coaching staff – from the Casey Scorpions would have been asking two questions during the first quarter of Saturday’s season opening match with Geelong.
Where are the spectators? And where are the players?
The answer to the first was probably because of a prospective Scorpion who turned up to watch some of Saturday night.
Earlier in the day, Brendan Fevola had played a practice game for Narre Warren – who years earlier he had played ‘real’ games for – and there were reportedly thousands at Fox Road in Narre Warren North.
However, being a nice night – albeit a tad fresh as it wore on – but especially with no footy or major events locally, Casey officials would have been disappointed with the turnout.
Not so, in the end, said Casey coach Brad Gotch.
When Geelong – who won only five games last year and could finish ahead of only two of its 13 rivals on the ladder – kicked five first-term goals and held a 25-point advantage at the first break, Gotch and his support staff had more worries than a principal on Year 12s’ last day at school.
Near the first buzzer – and just after the second stanza started – Michael Newton goaled for the Scorpions and showed there was some sting in the team.
Late in the second term, two old mates standing on the hill at Casey Fields, were yarning about everything football.
“We’re not out of this,” one said to his mate, in a part authoritative, part pleading type tone.
“One more before half-time would be great.”
One more did come, but it was a point, rather than what had been requested and the Scorpions went in trailing 7.6 to 4.6.
However, whatever the players were told, or took, at the main change worked.
There were seven scoreless minutes to open the third term, then four points in two minutes from the Scorpions.
Then they went bang, bang, bang, bang, while holding the now clawless and flustered Cats to just two points. And they both came in time-on. A 4.7 to 0.2 term was not only the turnaround, but the winner.
It was 11 points the difference at the last change of ends, but it may as well have been 111.
Casey, whose hard work was now being rewarded, was as straight as the highway on the Nullarbor in the last term, and kicked 5.1.
“We didn’t know what was happening in the first quarter and were all over the shop; but we sure lifted after that,” Gotch said.
“We had seven first gamers and a second gamer. (James) Wall started marking in the second quarter and his work rate for a big fella is great, (Michael) Newton kicked goals, Gysberts, Wonaeamirri and Nicholson were hard at the footy and we moved the ball better.
“We got better at the stoppages and we didn’t give them the space we had in the first quarter.”
And, what about Fev? “Gee, he had a few scratches on his face, they (Noble Park) must have been after him,” Gotch said.
“It was good to see him here tonight. I think he’d be better off playing reserves with us, rather than in that footy, as he will find more of what he got today.”
Geelong’s Paul Hood – who was a stand-in coach for regular leader Dale Amos, who was in Perth with the Cats AFL team – described Casey as being “outstanding” after quarter time.
“Our forward pressure early was good, but after the break they rebounded from defence and capitalised on the errors we made,” Hood, who last year coached the Geelong Falcons, said.
“We were happy with the stats, like tackles, spoils, inside 50s, but it’s a matter of methodology. We’ve got to work on that.”