AFL round 24 Carlton vs. St Kilda: St Kilda stuns Carlton 76-74 thanks to last-minute Jack Higgins snap

A Fremantle stumble has handed the Blues a top eight spot despite a shock, heartbreaking loss to St Kilda after a Jack Higgins miracle.

MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA – AUGUST 25: Jack Higgins of the Saints celebrates a goal during the round 24 AFL match between Carlton Blues and St Kilda Saints at Marvel Stadium, on August 25, 2024, in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Darrian Traynor/Getty Images)

Carlton have qualified for the finals after Port Adelaide got them out of jail by defeating Fremantle at Optus Stadium in the final game of the home-and-away season to cap off a rollercoaster Sunday.

The Blues’ top-eight hopes were hanging by a thread about three hours earlier after a miraculous Jack Higgins snap shot with 12 seconds remaining delivered St Kilda a thrilling two-point win over Carlton at Marvel Stadium.

A win for the Blues would’ve guaranteed them September action, but their crushing 11.10 (76) to 11.8 (74) loss ensured them considerable heartburn by being forced to sit through what was a tight Fremantle-Port Adelaide match, for the most part, to learn of their finals fate.

If the Dockers got up, they would’ve replaced Carlton in eighth spot and, for the second time in three years, the Blues would have been knocked out of the finals race on the last day of the regular season.

Jesse Motlop of the Blues celebrates a goal against St Kilda. Picture: Darrian Traynor/Getty Images.

But the footy gods were much kinder to the Blues than they were in that famous final-round match against Collingwood in 2022 and Carlton will now face the Brisbane Lions at the Gabba in the first elimination final in what will be a rematch of their preliminary final meeting from last year.

And while the Blues and their supporters were breathing big sighs of relief on Sunday night, they were doing anything but that when they fell short in an absolute thriller against the Saints.

After trailing by 20 points in the third quarter, and looking bereft, the Blues, led by inspirational captain Patrick Cripps, turned the tide dramatically and when Jesse Motlop kicked truly with 6:15 to go, he gave the Blues back the lead for the first time since the nine-minute mark of the second quarter.

With 2:10 remaining, Brodie Kemp had the chance to send the Blues into September without the aid of Port Adelaide when he was paid a dubious free kick for holding 40m out directly in front of goal, but the defender-cum-forward sprayed the set shot to give Carlton a five-point lead.

Disappointed Carlton players walk from the ground at Marvel Stadium. Picture: Darrian Traynor/Getty Images.

St Kilda youngster Mattaes Phillipou could have made Kemp pay dearly with 1:15 to go, but he too mucked up his set shot from directly in front to get the Saints within four points.

But just as the Blues looked like they were going to hang on for a hard-fought win, Higgins had other ideas with a sensational goal from congestion with four Carlton players bearing down on him.

Carlton had one last roll of the dice, but Elijah Hollands’ kick forward from 60m out was smothered by Zak Jones to seal a memorable St Kilda win.

The Blues were able to defy a massive injury list last week against West Coast but weren’t able to repeat the dose for a second game in a row without Charlie Curnow (ankle), Harry McKay (quad), Tom De Koning (foot), Mitch McGovern (hamstring) Adam Cerra (hamstring), Sam Docherty (knee), Jack Martin (hamstring), Matt Cottrell (shoulder), Caleb Marchbank (concussion), David Cuningham (shoulder), Jordan Boyd (adductor), Jack Silvagni (knee) and Lachie Fogarty (collarbone).

But with Curnow, McKay, McGovern, Marchbank and possibly De Koning all set to be available for their first final, Carlton are all of a sudden looking like they could have an impact in September.

Meanwhile, the Saints have hit the finish line with a full head of steam, winning six of their last eight games to be one of the most in-form teams in the league in what has been a frustrating reminder of what might’ve been for them this season.

Carlton finished with more clearances (40-33) and inside 50s (50-43), but with no recognised key forwards, the Blues struggled to capitalise on their territory dominance.

MARSHALL STARS

St Kilda ruckman Rowan Marshall restated his claim for an All-Australian jumper with another huge performance that saw him register 19 disposals (10 contested), 39 hitouts, five clearances and a goal.

Meanwhile, Nasaiah Wanganeen-Milera stood out again with 25 touches, as did Jack Sinclair (28 disposals) and Mason Wood (16 and two goals).

CRIPPS DOMINANT

Cripps was immense again for the Blues with 30 possessions (18 contested), nine tackles and seven clearances, but unlike last week against West Coast, he wasn’t able to drag his team over the line.

CROWD TROUBLE

A spectator will presumably be facing a lifetime ban from the footy after goal umpire Steven Piperno was hit on the back of the head with a bottle of water that was thrown with full force from over the fence in the second quarter. The incident forced Piperno to be subbed out.

Originally published as AFL round 24 Carlton vs. St Kilda: St Kilda stuns Carlton 76-74 thanks to last-minute Jack Higgins snap