Darcy Moore, Tim Broomhead and Paul Seedsman have been named amongst the best players in Collingwood’s VFL loss to Casey at Olympic Park.

With the VFL season fast approaching, both sides featured strong line-ups on a picturesque day in Melbourne’s sporting precinct.

The game appeared set to be a battle of the midfields, with the likes of Broomhead, Seedsman, Sam Dwyer, Ben Kennedy and Nathan Freeman clashing with Casey’s Melbourne contingent of Bernie Vince, Dean Terlich, Shannon Byrnes, Viv Michie and Rohan Bail.  

The high-profile nature of the game ensued, with a fast-paced tone in warm conditions delivering an entertaining contest.

With the ball frantically entering both forward-lines, Moore was sent to defence to work in tandem with Jonathon Marsh to quell the impact of Melbourne-listed forward Max Gawn.

Despite Gawn finding the scoreboard, Moore’s defensive pressure and ability to turn defence into attack impressed both his coaches and teammates.

“Darcy was pretty crucial down back. He held their forwards well,” midfielder Nathan Freeman told collingwoodfc.com.au.

Freeman also praised the performance of fellow midfielder Sam Dwyer who was also named in the best players.

“I thought Sammy Dwyer on the wing was massive. Just his work-rate and putting his head over the ball and going back with the flight. He was one of best today.”

Having played seven VFL games in 2014, Seedsman once again proved dominant as he staked his claim for AFL selection.

In perfect conditions for football, he worked hard to break away from opponents and was one of many Collingwood players who used the ball cleanly by foot.

After maintaining a fast-starting Casey outfit, the Magpies kicked four goals to two in the second quarter with Jake Williams, Michael Still, Ben Kennedy and Mason Cox adding majors.

After being recruited from West Adelaide in the off-season, Still continued his form in the third quarter, kicking the opening two goals of the quarter to finish with a best-on-ground performance for the Mapgies.

Jake Williams also added two, as did Brenden Abbott who proved to be a strong target in the forward-line.

Despite the encouraging signs, the experienced Scorpions found another gear in the final term and proved too powerful.

They won the contested possessions 23-15, had five more clearances and 13 more marks as Collingwood was held goalless in the final quarter.

“I thought it was a pretty even affair for three quarters,” Sam Dwyer told collingwoodfc.com.au post-match.

“We dropped off a little bit in that last quarter… but it was hard fought for three quarters. I think we held up pretty well and it’s given us something to build on.”

With all eyes turning to the performance of the AFL side against Brisbane, today’s performances will encourage those seeking an array of talent beyond the selected 22.

While Moore is a highly-anticipated rookie, Seedsman, Broomhead, Kennedy and Dwyer have all tasted AFL action and are more than willing to receive a future call-up into the seniors.

If performances like today are anything to go by, it’ll be a problem Nathan Buckley and the coaching staff will be more than happy to have come selection time.