Collingwood coach Craig McRae was in disbelief that his team had climbed into the top four after finishing second bottom last season, while Carlton coach Michael Voss told his shattered players to use Sunday’s heartbreaking loss as motivation when they front up next year.
Appropriately it was a win by the smallest margin, one point, over Carlton in front of 88,287 people at the MCG that affirmed the Magpies’ spot in the top four and denied Carlton a place in the finals.
The Magpies celebrate after the final siren in their last-gasp win over Carlton.Credit:Getty Images
The Magpies will play minor premier Geelong in a qualifying final on Saturday September 3 at 4.35pm at the MCG. The Western Bulldogs, who snatched the final spot in the eight, will play an elimination final that night against Fremantle in Perth.
Following a pre-finals bye that will feature the start of the AFLW season, the men’s finals series will kick off on the night of Thursday September 1 when Brisbane Lions face Richmond at the Gabba. And on the Friday night, Melbourne will host the Swans at the MCG.
Carlton had been in the eight at the end of every round this season except the last round. They were the first team to do that since Carlton in 1977.
“From last year, no one in their wildest dreams would have thought we would finish in the top four, us included. And our VFL finished sixth. It’s a terrific affirmation of the work we have done,” McRae said.
“I don’t know what to say, I really don’t. I am speechless. I can’t believe it, I really can’t. We found another way to win,”
Craig McRae
He was again stunned by what his team had done, coming from 25 points down in the last quarter to kick five unanswered goals to win. Amazingly Carlton kicked eight third-quarter goals yet only two in the rest of the match. Again it was Jamie Elliott who kicked the match winner for Collingwood.
“I don’t know what to say, I really don’t. I am speechless. I can’t believe it, I really can’t. We found another way to win,” McRae said.
“It’s hard to realise what we just did. This is a unique thing, the history of the game says that. No one has won as many close games in the history of the game as what we have been able to do this year. It’s been quite remarkable.”
McRae admitted that all numbers again pointed to a Collingwood loss and while his team seized critical moments he knew his team could not keep being beaten in those critical areas.
“The reality of what is happening in the game is we are getting smashed in all the numbers,” he said.
Collingwood players sing the team song after the heart-stopping win.Credit:AFL Photos
“Look at the numbers again today, contested ball, inside 50 minus 20. You can’t sustain that. It is not sustainable, but we have found ways, it was the same against Melbourne, we have found ways to challenge the opposition when we need to.
“If we get to a final and the game is close this group is going to believe.”
A disappointed, yet upbeat Voss told his shattered players not to forget this feeling.
”Let’s not forget about this,” Voss said he had told the Blues, who missed finals by 0.6 per cent to the Western Bulldogs.
“Let’s use how we feel right now as a motivation.” Voss said the defeat to the Magpies, who had trailed by four goals at three-quarter-time, would serve as motivation during pre-season training.
“Tonight’s going to hurt,” he said. “They’re disappointed. We didn’t want the season to end.”
Voss still said Carlton’s season was a step forward. “We had a goal to create a transformation and we’ve come a long way in that.”
Voss said the Blues aspired to be great, not simply making finals. “We want to be a top-four footy club, we want to be sustainably great.”
Voss attributed the defeat to inefficiency – the Blues booting 0.6 to Collingwood’s 5.1 in the last term. “When it came to key moments, we couldn’t get it done.”
He said the finals appearance “was on our boot. We had a chance to get it right and we didn’t. You get what you deserve in this game.”
Voss said key midfielder Sam Walsh wasn’t really that close to playing, having been sore in the last-second loss to Melbourne. “He got through last week’s game pretty sore and he just couldn’t get going yesterday, the call was made it wasn’t even worth trying.”
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