Carlton, and their fans, are licking their wounds after suffering one of the great upset defeats at the MCG on Thursday night – from 41 points up – to a youth-laden Richmond team forecast by some to go without a win this season.
Coach Michael Voss was bitterly disappointed post-match, but how hard this result hit the club was best highlighted on Friday when a scheduled SEN Radio membership day was cancelled. Carlton players were supposed to speak and pitch to fans about why they should pay for a membership. This was clearly not the day for it.
The Blues fumbled the big moments.Credit: AFL Photos via Getty Images
Jacob Weitering, Patrick Cripps and Tom De Koning were outstanding, but they lacked allies.
This was the worst start possible for a Blues squad hoping to be a premiership contender this year. Here’s what went wrong in the shock 13-point loss to the Tigers.
McGovern, Haynes fumble the big moments
All-Australian defender Weitering cannot do much more. But if there were concerns about Weitering’s support crew before Thursday night, they only grew on the evidence against Richmond. Ex-Giant Nick Haynes – who turns 33 in May, and played only eight games last year – is not the answer, on what we saw in his first game for the Blues.
Cripps and Weitering lead the Blues from the field.Credit: AFL Photos via Getty Images
And how can Voss trust Mitch McGovern in big games, let alone finals, when he makes so many basic mistakes? Haynes and McGovern were fumbly and bumbly, turned the ball over repeatedly and recklessly, and were generally awful. At one point in the last quarter, Haynes ran in front of McGovern, dropped a sitter, they both went to ground, and Tigers first-gamer Harry Armstrong found Jacob Bauer for an easy goal. Haynes also ran in front of Weitering with no Tigers in sight in the second term, so chemistry was a major problem. Only three of Weitering’s 11 marks came in the second half, and opposition teams will go to work on ways to limit his impact and leave more responsibility for those around him. Jack Silvagni started down back, too, but showed more life when Voss desperately swung him forward late. Carlton may need to turn to Lewis Young again.
Third-quarter calamities
Simple errors kill you, and the Blues were their own worst enemy. There were signs in the second term that Carlton was going off the boil, including a poor George Hewett kick inside 50 that went straight to Tiger Jacob Blight and a wayward Jesse Motlop checkside attempt at goal. But everything went awry from the time Motlop half-heartedly kicked at a ball coming towards him early in the second half, and Nick Vlastuin easily scooped it up and charged Richmond forward.
Then there was a sloppy, rushed kick from Adam Saad that went out on the full. Mitch McGovern fluffed a handball to Ollie Hollands moments later. Blake Acres missed Motlop on a straightforward kick, too – and the Sherrin flew back the other way for a Sam Lalor goal on the line. Worst of all was McGovern’s lazy, ill-advised soccer kick in defensive 50 that landed in Jacob Hopper’s arms for another goal.
The errors kept coming: Haynes handballed over Cooper Lord’s head, Saad tucked the ball under his arm then kicked straight to Vlastuin, then Lachie Cowan inexplicably skied a kick in defensive 50 that was marked by Tiger Tom Brown, who levelled the scores after the three-quarter-time siren.
Three embarrassing kicks in half an hour
Seth Campbell celebrates the goal that sealed it for the Tigers.Credit: Getty Images
The game was on the line in the final term, but it was Richmond and their 12 players with fewer than 50 games’ experience, including three debutants, who stood up rather than Carlton’s finals-hardened veterans.
As soon as the Tigers’ pressure lifted, the Blues’ errors began to flow as they frittered away a match-high 41-point first-half lead. Substitute Sam Docherty was a bit jittery once he entered the match in the fourth quarter (but he did win 14 disposals in the term). His backwards handball into his defensive 50 missed Jack Silvagni, and saw Tom Lynch swoop then dish a handball to Lalor for the opening goal of the term to give Richmond the lead – and Carlton were never in front again.
Unheralded Tigers such as Thomson Dow, James Trezise, Rhyan Mansell and Sam Banks out-hustled the Blues and appeared to want the ball more, while Tim Taranto and Jack Ross were excellent. The Blues’ mistakes continued to flow, often because of perceived pressure. Haynes dropped a handball from McGovern, who had three embarrassing kicks in the final half hour. He missed Hollands from about 10 metres away, then turned the ball over three times from there, including on a kick inside 50 in the final four minutes.
The form line is a concern, so what’s next?
Carlton have won only two of their past 10 matches since smashing Richmond by 61 points at the MCG in round 16 last year, including exiting the finals with a whimper to Brisbane in a game they trailed by 10 goals in. The only victories in that stretch were over lowly North Melbourne and West Coast. The Giants, Western Bulldogs, Port Adelaide, Collingwood, Hawthorn and St Kilda also got the better of them.
There were some narrow losses among them, but also a 74-point shellacking from the same Hawks they must defeat next Thursday night to avoid an 0-2 start.
Voss had a pep in his step last Sunday morning at Ikon Park, with thousands of fans turning out for an open training session. He buoyantly declared to the faithful: “I think we expect a really exciting season.” It is far too early to panic, and the Blues will gleefully welcome back Charlie Curnow for the Hawthorn clash, but they have a recent history of making life difficult for themselves – and they have done it again.
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