Essendon is still searching for its first win after a final-quarter fadeout saw the Bombers fall by 26 points to Casey.
Momentum ebbed and flowed in the clash at a soggy and intermittently windy RAMS Arena, with Casey kicking four of their six goals across ten-minute bursts in the second and fourth quarters respectively.
The Bombers trailed by nine points at three-quarter-time and were looking resurgent after returning key forward Danielle Ponter kicked a pair of goals when Casey was looking to run away with the match.
Needing to score quickly and repeatedly, the Bombers were left wanting as Casey’s AFLW experience came to the fore and guided the Demons out of trouble in the 6.11 (47) to 3.3 (21) win.
The young Bombers are continuing to make a name for themselves in VFLW for their pressure around contests and were well led by the relentless tackling of Maddy Collier, Hayley Bullas and Tait Mackrill (although Mackrill’s aggression did see her get her number taken for a sling tackle in the second quarter).
The Bombers blooded two more debutants in forward Carlee Portlock and defender Liz Flack; Flack proved a revelation in her first match not only for Essendon but in VFLW as she held the fort deep in defence and saved a goal for her side on more than one occasion.
Luck rarely favoured the Bombers: their chances took a real blow when Tanya Hetherington and Beth Kearney clashed heads in a marking contest late in the third quarter.
Not only was Essendon forced to play out the match with just two on the bench, but the loss of the pair’s height and experience proved costly.
Essendon will play Richmond in a VFLW/M double-header at Windy Hill next Sunday from 11.30am.
ESSENDON 0.1 1.2 3.3 3.3.21
CASEY 0.1 2.6 4.6 6.11.47
GOALS
Essendon – Ponter 2, Moreau
Casey – Sloane 2, Hore, Cordner, Bentvelzen
BEST – Collier, Ponter, Flack, MacDonald, Mackrill, Ugle
