TOM HAYES
FOOTBALL
AFLW By TOM HAYES IT’S not often an AFL premiership cup makes it way to the Latrobe Valley, but very few got a glimpse of it last week when Casey Sherriff arrived back in town. Fresh from her premiership celebrations on the back of Melbourne Demons’ AFLW success, Sherriff was spotted at The Morwell Club on Wednesday, December 21. Donning the Demon’s red and blue, Sherriff was gracious enough to bring the cup into the club to show her grandparents. While in Morwell, Sherriff had also shown the cup to her mother while at work and planned to continue to show friends and family as the day went on. Melbourne Demons won its first AFLW premiership at the conclusion of Season 7. The Demons edged in front and held on to win by four points, handing Brisbane Lions its third AFLW Grand Final loss. During the big dance, Sherriff had eight touches and boasted five tackles, she also kicked two behinds, which weren’t costly in the end. Following the final siren, it was ecstasy. “It was pretty surreal. It was probably something I’ve never experienced in my life. The feeling when the siren went was unreal,” Sherriff said. “It was a close game so (we) didn’t really know how it was going to go until the very end.” Sherriff and the Demons had drowned the sorrows of the Season 6 Grand Final defeat to Adelaide Crows. “Looking back on (Season 6) now, we probably weren’t ready to win a Grand Final,” she admitted. “Looking at that game and comparing it to this season… all of the staff and players were really well prepared… so it was a different feeling. “We probably almost needed to lose that (Grand Final) to understand what we needed to win a Grand Final.” Since their triumph in late-November, Sherriff and the Demons have celebrated accordingly, and rightfully so. “We’ve had four weeks off now, we’ve been celebrating pretty hard,” Sherriff said. “We’ve had a lot of club functions, just celebrating with family and friends… it’s been pretty wild, but it’s been a lot of fun. “We’re slowly getting back into running and gym.” Speaking of getting back into the things, Sherriff spoke about the season ahead and how the Demons might plan its premiership defence. “We should have a similar team to (Season 7), so we should do pretty well next year,” she said. “Most of the teams in the (competition) are getting stronger, so it’ll be pretty tight.” Season 8 will be underway in 2023, with the official fixture still pending.
