Catch live Peter Jackson VFL action, the Preliminary Final between Casey Demons and Essendon on our sister station Aussie Digital on DAB+ digital radio in Melbourne, the SEN App or via the player below.
Here is a quick preview of today's match-up courtesy of VFL.com.au.
LAST ENCOUNTER
Rd 13 @ RAMS Arena: Casey Demons 8.6 (54) d Essendon 6.10 (46)
The Demons caught Essendon napping by kicking the game’s first five goals by midway through the second quarter and weren’t headed again, their fierce tackling pressure ensuring a late charge from the Bombers fell short.
FORM COMING IN
The Demons (15-4) lost back-to-back games to the Box Hill Hawks and then Williamstown in the last two home-and-away rounds before responding emphatically with a 91-point defeat of Geelong in their qualifying final. / Essendon (11-9) has kept its season alive in four straight weeks with victories over Footscray, the Northern Blues, Collingwood and then Richmond by five points last week.
Listen Live to VFL Live on Aussie Digital
Match starts at 2:10pm AEST
KEY QUESTION
Can Casey resist the momentum of the Bombers? Essendon’s season was on life support following a sixth straight loss in Round 19 that sent it down to 10th position on the ladder. However, the Bombers have effectively won four elimination finals in a row to steam into the season’s penultimate week, bringing back memories of their run to the 2015 preliminary final against eventual premier Williamstown from fifth position. The Demons arguably have more to lose with their AFL affiliate potentially entering its own preliminary final next week and will have to overcome a spirited team with a particularly vocal supporter base in order to reach a second VFL Grand Final in three years.
KEY STAT
This clash is going to be red-hot at the coalface. Both teams rank in the VFL’s top three for inside-50s per game, but their methods of winning the ball to drive it forward differ. Casey ranks first for tackles (Essendon ranks 12th) and excels at generating opposition turnovers thanks to pressure kings such as James Munro and Corey Wagner, while the Bombers rank second for clearances (the Demons rank 9th) on the back of Sam Draper’s rapidly developing ruck work. If Casey’s makeshift ruck division can’t compete, Essendon ball-winners like Kobe Mutch and Aaron Heppell – who torched the Tigers at stoppages last week – could run riot.