The Northern Bullants have retained fourth place on the VFL ladder after accounting for Casey in what was an ugly affair in inclement conditions at Preston City Oval.

The Bullants took control of the match from the outset and held sway for the duration, as the quarter-by-quarter scores attest. Zach Tuohy with his rebounding off half-back, together with Brock McLean and Jaryd Cachia with their physicality at the stoppages, and Shaun Hampson with his committed ruckplay and two-goal return, were amongst the Ants’ standout performers.

Northern Coach Darren Harris noted striking similarities between the Ants’ game and Monday night’s contest at Etihad Stadium.

“What happened with Casey was really similar to what happened [with Carlton] in the St Kilda game. We didn’t take our chances even though we played the game in our half for most of it,” Harris said.

“The press was on through the excellent work of our backmen and midfielders. Mclean and Cachia were outstanding in terms of the amount of contested ball won, and in the end we stuck to the task to achieve a very hard fought victory.”

All roads lead to Frankston Oval next Saturday, when the Bullants confront the 13th-placed Dolphins in a match to be broadcast live on ABC TV.

Northern Bullants       3.2   5.7   5.10   8.13 (61)
Casey Scorpions          1.3   3.5   5.8     7.10 (52)

Goalkickers. Northern Bullants: Hampson 2, Carter, Bray, McCorkell, Meese, Saad, Thomas.
Best Players: Cachia, McLean, O’Keefe, Iacobucci, Meese, Tuohy