Just two years after lifting the premiership cup, the Casey Demons slid into the bottom-five as they battled to maintain their dominant track record at Casey Fields.
BY THE NUMBERS
Position: 17th
W-L-D (%): 5-13 (83.8%)
Players used: 48
Played every match: 3 – Tyler Edwards, Roan Steele, Mitch White
AFL players used: 22 (218 matches)
Ex-AFL players: 4 (33 matches)
Debutants: 11 – Jack Behnk, Jesse Craven, Roy George, Andrew Green, Luker Kentfield, Eddie King, Brayden LaPlanche, Shane McAdam, Kobe Shipp, Koltyn Tholstrup, Noah Yze
STAR PERFORMERS
Best and Fairest: 1st: Mitch White (130 votes), 2nd: Roan Steele (100), 3rd: Matt Jefferson (97), =4th: Bailey Laurie and Oliver Sestan (92)
J.J. Liston Trophy: Mitch White (11 votes), Bailey Laurie (10), Oliver Sestan (4), Shane McAdam (3), Tom Sparrow (3)
Coaches MVP Award: Mitch White (40 votes), Bailey Laurie (30), Andy Moniz-Wakefield (15), Tom Fullarton (13), Ben Brown (12)
Leading Goalkickers: Matt Jefferson (29), Shane McAdam (21), Ben Brown (15), Oliver Sestan (15), Josh Schache (14)
Smithy’s VFL Team of the Year: Nil
STAT LEADERS
(Averages – Minimum 6 matches)
Disposals: Andy Moniz-Wakefield 25.8, Adam Tomlinson 24.0, Bailey Laurie 23.8, Jack Billings 23.5, Mitch White 23.2
Contested possessions: Tom Fullarton 11.4, Bailey Laurie 11.4, Mitch White 11.1, Will Verrall 8.8, Koltyn Tholstrup 8.0
Kicks: Adam Tomlinson 18.2, Marty Hore 17.1, Andy Moniz-Wakefield 16.4, Mitch White 15.7, Blake Howes 15.0
Handballs: Bailey Laurie 9.9, Koltyn Tholstrup 9.6, Jack Billings 9.5, Andy Moniz-Wakefield 9.3, Kynan Brown 8.7
Marks: Marty Hore 8.7 (6th), Adam Tomlinson 7.6, Blake Howes 6.2, Andy Moniz-Wakefield 6.0, Josh Schache 5.5
Tackles: Bailey Laurie 6.8, Kynan Brown 6.4, Mitch White 5.4, Koltyn Tholstrup 4.9, Shane McAdam 4.0
Hitouts: Will Verrall 18.5, Tom Fullarton 12.4, Ben Brown 1.4, Josh Schache 0.2, Jack Bell 5.2 (five matches)
Clearances: Mitch White 5.5, Bailey Laurie 5.4, Koltyn Tholstrup 4.2, Tom Fullarton 4.1, Will Verrall 4.1
Inside-50s: Mitch White 5.8 (4th), Bailey Laurie 5.2, Koltyn Tholstrup 4.2, Roan Steele 3.8, Andy Moniz-Wakefield 3.7
Rebound-50s: Adam Tomlinson 7.6 (5th), Marty Hore 6.4, Andy Moniz-Wakefield 6.4, Blake Howes 5.5, Jed Adams 3.3
What went right: 2024 yielded just five wins for a team that enjoyed a dominant premiership campaign just two years ago, but Mitch White was once again in the conversation for most inspirational captain the competition. The premiership skipper won the club’s best and fairest and was in the top five in almost every stat. His retirement will be keenly felt. Roan Steele was runner-up in the best and fairest voting for the second year in a row as he develops into an impressive State League player, which West Perth will benefit from next year. The Demons were the only team to beat the fast-finishing Essendon in the last seven weeks and pushed preliminary finalists Footscray and Brisbane Lions, showing there is still something to work with.
What went wrong: Melbourne’s issues filtered down to Casey, with AFL-listed players managing 50 less games than last year due to a variety of reasons. The defence was an issue with only the bottom-three teams conceding more points, while Campbell Hustwaite’s serious foot injury sustained on rep duty for the VFL robbed the Demons of their best recruit for most of the year. A lack of VFL experience behind White cost them, with only four players older than 23, including Hustwaite. They went 1-5 in games decided by 14 points or less.
Summary: Dropping from premiers to seventh to 17th in the space of two years would be frustrating to everyone at Casey Fields. But those close games mentioned above shows they weren’t as far off as it seemed. Matt Jefferson is getting closer to breaking through for an AFL debut, booting 29 goals while also being trialled in defence to broaden his skill set, but only Shane McAdam (21) joined him in passing the 20-goal mark. The Demons ranked 18th in points for and points against, meaning both ends of the ground need work. They can bounce quickly if they can re-establish their home fortress at Casey Fields, where they uncharacteristically went 2-7 in 2024.
Grade: 3/10
2024 SMITHY'S VFL SEASON REVIEWS
Coburg
Carlton
Collingwood
Northern Bullants
