Essendon needed barely nine minutes after half-time on Sunday night to tear Carlton apart and inflict more misery on the Blues’ nose-diving season.
Peter Wright marked his return from shoulder surgery with five goals as the Bombers erased a nine-point deficit with a rampaging eight-goal burst either side of the main break in the inaugural Kings Birthday Eve clash at the MCG.
Peter Wright marked his return from shoulder surgery with five goals.Credit: Getty Images
Essendon are only percentage outside the top four thanks to the 34-point victory as one of the biggest surprises this year, producing the type of campaign most instead expected Carlton to. The hapless Blues have not scored more than 59 points in any of their past five matches and have lost six games in a row.
Carlton will end the round in the bottom four, after Greater Western Sydney leapfrogged them with a win over North Melbourne in Hobart earlier on Sunday. That follows them being unbeaten through the first month.
Blues president Luke Sayers restated the club’s ambition to play finals this year before their latest loss but even the most optimistic Carlton person would struggle to believe that is possible.
Second-year coach Michael Voss spent the night on the bench rather than the coaches’ box and his mood visibly soured the longer the match went.
The Bombers were fortunate to be two points up on the wasteful Blues at half-time, but resumed a different team and grabbed the ascendancy for good with four quick goals to start the third quarter. They finished with seven goals to two in the match-swinging term, with the Blues laying only four tackles in a dark half hour.
It all started with captain Zach Merrett, who was shifted forward after Ed Curnow blanketed him in the first half but kicked the first of the Bombers’ goals after resumption.
There was a brief respite before Wright and Jye Menzie piled on two more majors, with reigning Coleman medallist Charlie Curnow finally snapping the goal streak after being a first-half culprit with four behinds. But the damage was done by then.
After a competitive opening quarter, Voss’ men did everything but bury Essendon on the scoreboard in the second term. They had 29 more disposals, were plus-19 in contested possessions and had 18 inside 50s to Essendon’s seven for the quarter – but kicked only 2.5 to 2.2.
Those two Bombers goals, to Will Snelling then Wright, came right before half-time, too, and saw them snatch the lead from the hapless Blues by two points.
Essendon instantly made Wright, who won the club’s Crichton Medal last year after kicking a career-most 53 goals, their main target in attack, playing alongside Sam Weideman and Kyle Langford.
But the man who got them going early was Nic Martin, whose excellent season continued with 30 disposals, including 13 to quarter-time, and seven clearances.
What to do with Harry?
Coleman medallist Harry McKay’s wayward goalkicking is one of the biggest stories in Carlton’s underwhelming season.
The Carlton star looked to have made progress in his previous game against Melbourne, although his last attempt – one of his trademark set-snap attempts – fell short from a gettable distance.
Garry McKay of the Blues catches his breath during the round 13 clash.Credit: Getty Images
The murmurs through the crowd began as soon as McKay received a free kick inside 50, and he again chose to kick around his body despite being inside 40 metres. The same result followed, with the 25-year-old’s snap touched before the goal line.
Blues coach Michael Voss has been reluctant to instruct McKay to change his approach, but that time might soon be coming, especially since he flushed a drop punt for a goal later in the second quarter.
Brandon Zerk-Thatcher limited McKay to only four marks and that solitary major.
Making matters worse was McKay’s usually accurate partner-in-crime, Charlie Curnow, kicked four behinds without a goal to half-time on Sunday night.
CARLTON 1.5 3.10 5.10 6.16 (52)
ESSENDON 2.4 4.6 11.7 13.8 (86)
Goals: Carlton: C. Curnow 2, Cincotta, Martin, McKay, Owies. Essendon: Wright 5, Menzie 2, Langford, Snelling, Merrett, Guelfi, Phillips, Caldwell.
Best: Carlton: Cerra, Walsh, C. Curnow, Docherty, Weitering, E. Curnow. Essendon: Wright, Martin, Caldwell, Ridley, Stringer, Zerk-Thatcher, Hobbs, Redman.
Injuries: Carlton: None. Essendon: None.
Umpires: Donlon, Deboy, Findlay, Mollison.
Crowd: 83,638 at the MCG.
