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From Cranbourne Leader
Reported by Paul Amy
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THEY won by 129 points on Saturday, but all told the losses outweighed the gains for the Casey Scorpions on the weekend.

By Sunday night a combination of injuries, retirements and qualification rules had significantly reduced their pool of players for the VFL finals.

The same happened last year.

It seems to happen every year.

It began when Jesse Hogan hyperextended a knee early in the match against Bendigo at Casey Fields on Saturday, causing the hearts of Melbourne supporters to sink.

He will miss the rest of the season.

There goes Casey's best forward.

On Sunday James Strauss (shoulder) and Sam Blease (ankle) suffered season-ending injuries when playing for Melbourne.

There go two of Casey's best running men.

Joel Macdonald played for the Scorpions on Saturday but he has retired and chosen to skip the rest of the season.

There goes Casey's experienced and dependable backman.

So that's four players out of the selectors' reach and there will be more given that Jack Fitzpatrick, Cam Pedersen, Jordie McKenzie, Luke Tapscott, Dean Kent, Jimmy Toumpas and Rohan Bail are all one game short of the six needed to play in the finals.

Pedersen was a Melbourne "hold-over" on Sunday and didn't play.

If he'd appeared in the VFL he would have qualified for the finals.

In the absence of Hogan, Rory Taggert and Jake Best carried the attack with five goals each against Bendigo.

They will have to perform similar feats in the next three weeks as coach Rohan Welsh reconstructs his forward division.

But the Bendigo match was all about James Magner. He had 51 possessions in what Welsh called an "awesome" performance.

And he probably would have had 60 if Welsh, perhaps fearing he would keel over from leather poisoning, hadn't sent him to the bench halfway through the last quarter.

Poor Magner.

He's had a superb season and will go into the JJ Liston Trophy count as one of the favourites.

He gives his everything, and then some.

But Melbourne has repeatedly and bewilderingly overlooked him.

The Scorpions, third, meet Box Hill Hawks, second, at City Oval on Saturday and the loser must face minor premier Geelong in the first week of the finals, possibly under lights at the Cattery.

Being bumped to the other side of the draw would be the positive of such a trip and likely loss.

Casey Scorpions 5.0 8.3 13.6 23.11 (149)

Bendigo Gold 1.4 2.4 2.7 2.8 (20)

Casey Scorpions goals: Best 5 Taggert 5 Gawn 3 Rodan 3 Gent 2 Macdonald 2 Page Bail Smith. Best: Magner Gawn Rodan Toumpas Macdonald Best

Bendigo Gold goals: McInnes Toman. Best: Magin Aarts Heavyside Stroobants Kelm Beck