SANDRINGHAM has gone down to Casey Scorpions on Sunday afternoon, with the Melbourne affiliated outfit putting the Zebras away by 46-points at Casey Fields.
The Scorpions have now beaten the Zebras twice in 2016, the first defeat coming in round six by 31-points at Trevor Barker Beach Oval.
Despite the dry conditions at Casey Fields on Sunday, the swirling winds kept temperatures low and cold in a match that produced very little highlights.
It was a pretty even opening quarter with seven goals kicked between the two sides and Sandringham holding a three-point advantage at the first break, a lead that didn’t last long.
Casey added another three goals in the second term and kept the Zebras goal less, the visitors suffering injuries before the half time siren.
Brandon White (hamstring) and Bailey Rice (concussion) went down before the main break, restricting Paul Hudson’s rotations to just two players on the interchange bench.
The Scorpions 19-point half-time lead gave the Zebras the challenge to respond, and they outscored the home side three goals to one in the third quarter.
The visiting Zebras produced three goals that gave the visiting fans reason to cheer, classy finishes from both Cam Shenton (2 goals, 23 disposals, 6 tackles) and Tom Lee (1 goal, 18 disposals, 4 marks) on the burst.
Shenton, returning to the VFL fold after being the AFL emergency for St Kilda last weekend, kicked two goals in a row - one a high bouncing finish into a vacant goal square and another on the run with clear space inside 50.
Reliable defender Lee snapped his first and the Zebras’ third for the quarter, his kick evading opponents in the goal square through a lucky high bounce to clear the packs for sudden applaud from the Sandringham camp.
The Zebras, though, appeared out of gas in the last quarter when the Scorpions went on a rampage to kick five consecutive majors and run out significant victors.
SCOREBOARD
CASEY SCORPIONS 3.4 6.9 7.13 12.20 (92)
SANDRINGHAM 4.1 4.2 7.4 7.4 (46)
GOALS: Shenton 2, Cook, Templeton, Lee, O’Kearney, Delaney
BEST: Shenton, O’Kearney, Lee, Templeton, Lonie
