Coaches often state that ‘attack starts from defence’, and that was no exception for Werribee on Sunday. North-listed backman Ayden Kennedy was pivotal during the second half of the Tigers’ 40-point defeat of Casey.

The Scorpions and in particular Tim Smith were dangerous in front of goal early, but Kennedy was able to nullify the influence of the key attacking threats when the game was on the line.

“He (Smith) got a couple of goals early, a couple over the back and a few good marks, but I feel I shut him down later in the game and I was still able to have an influence up the other end of the ground as well,” he told NMFC.com.au after the match.

In the absence of seasoned campaigner Scott McMahon, Kennedy stepped up when he was needed most. He finished with 20 possessions in a performance that caught the eye of the coaches.

“He was really steady back there and had a really good game," Kangaroos’ development coach John Lamont said.

“They (the Scorpions) were trying to drag him back and limit his run and influence, but he did his job back there and he did it really well.”

Daniel Currie (10 possessions, 38 hit-outs) was another strong contributor for Werribee, competing against Melbourne ruckman Max Gawn.

“It was another good game from Cuz, really good at times, it was a pleasing effort. He had a lot of hit-outs and followed up well in the ruck and took a few good contested marks.”

Will Sierakowski (23 possessions) was terrific across half-back and was named among the Tigers’ best.

“He played with good poise, composure, and considered offensive work as well. (It) was a really pleasing job from Will,” Lamont added.

Fellow midfielder Tim McGenniss (16 possessions) continues to show his improvement, playing a crucial shut-down role.

“Tim ran with James Magner for the day and he kept at it. It’s not easy playing on those good players and he did well on such a strong and experienced player.

“You want to make sure that Manger is only getting possessions under pressure and Tim did that. It was a pleasing effort.”

Playing against several former team-mates, Jordan Gysberts (27 possessions) earned praise for his effort through the middle.  

“Jordan ended up with a fair bit of the ball, did some good work around the stoppages and penetrated the game well at times. I thought he had a bit of slow start, but worked into it thereafter which was very pleasing.”

After a difficult week, recently delisted rookie Ben Speight was able to put the disappointment behind him to finish with 14 touches.

“Speighty was good. He played with good pace, kept the pressure on in the forward line, kept his feet in the contest and was pretty clean. He did well and worked really hard on a number of occasions.”

Development coach Jarred Moore was named in Werribee’s best yet again, ending the day with 22 disposals.

The Tigers take on Box Hill for a spot in the Grand Final on Sunday at North Port Oval.

Casey Scorpions   4.3  7.6  9.10  12.12 (84)
Werribee Tigers   5.2  9.4  15.5  19.10 (124)

GOALS:
Casey Scorpions: Smith 4 Best 2 Gillies  Petropoulos  Gent  Taggert  Lindsay  Magner
Werribee Tigers: Maric 4 Warren 4 Davis 2 Meredith  McDonald  Clouston  Bolton  Sherlock  Martiniello  Brown  Sullivan  Ross

BEST:
Casey Scorpions: Jetta Smith Riseley Petropoulos Panozza Sellar
Werribee Tigers: Clouston Maric Ross Bolton Moore Sierakowski