By Hayley Wildes
With three games remaining in the home and away season, Casey is undoubtedly the form team of the VFL.
Currently riding an incredible 11-game winning streak – their latest scalp a 91-point thrashing of the Northern Blues at Casey Fields on Saturday – the Demons (13-2) sit second on the ladder, just percentage behind Richmond in top spot with a game in hand.
Due to injury, captain Jack Hutchins was sidelined until Round 10, but he could tell something special was brewing at Casey Fields.
“There were a couple of games early on where we lost to Richmond and Geelong when we were still trying to find our feet and when we did get challenged, we weren’t able to move on from it, deal with it and process it accordingly,” he said.
“After those two losses, I think we found our feet and I noticed it sitting on the sidelines; how the group had come together and what they were able to achieve.
“Then it was great to be able to jump back into the side and be a part of it.”
Being a part of it is an understatement. Hutchins, since joining to the club in 2016, has given his all and is the type of player anyone would want on their side; a team-first player who competes all day and is rarely beaten in a contest.
The contest, and being a monster defensive team, is what Casey is all about and with a skipper that lives and breathes that mantra it’s a match made in heaven.
Hutchins spoke about the driving factors of Casey’s dominant season thus far.
“The whole defensive side of our game has been key,” he said.
“We want to be known for our contest and being able to outnumber at the contest, while playing for each other and with a real spirit.
“The last couple of weeks we’ve been challenged and we haven’t lost our cool – we’ve been able to acknowledge it and work through the process to get the job done.”
Hutchins also points to coach Jade Rawlings – in his first season with Casey – as having a huge impact on the playing group.
“He’s been fantastic,” he said.
“The beauty of him is that he’s honest and up-front with you and you always know where you sit with him.
“He drives really high standards and he’s been able to rally the group together.”
In a season full of highlights, perhaps the greatest of them all was the stunning come-from-behind win on the road against Geelong in Round 16.
“It was unbelievable and they’re the sort of games you want to be a part of,” Hutchins said of the thrilling three-point win.
“In the time I’ve been at Casey that was probably one of the best wins I’ve been a part of.
“When you get challenged and find a way to win, those are the wins you can look back on when you get in a similar situation and have the confidence that you can play through it and you’re never out of it.”
With three games remaining before finals, Hutchins’ mind is set firmly on the task at hand, but he can’t wait for September football.
“It’s a wonderful time of year and anything can happen in finals,” he said.
“You just want to be thereabouts to give yourself the best chance and I think we have done that.
“We’re in a good position to be able to give it a really good crack at the end of the year.”
Although Hutchins is under no illusions about the challenges that lie ahead, the thought of captaining Casey to the ultimate prize in Victorian football is a tantalising one – adding: “To be able to captain a side and be part of a premiership, that’s the dream isn’t it?
“We missed out in the grand final two years ago. To make it and come so close, that still sits in the back of the gut and I’d love the opportunity to have another go at it.”
The Demons will be looking to make it a dozen wins on the trot when they face Sandringham at Casey Fields on Saturday from 2pm.
