AFL 2022: Blues take another hit with Matt Kennedy ruled out for the season, Adam Cera in doubt
Injury-ravaged Carlton will be hoping it can recover from another untimely setback for its virtual elimination final against Collingwood, predicted to be played in front of 90,000 fans.
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Carlton suffered another heartbreaking setback to its finals hopes on Sunday with Matt Kennedy ruled out for the season and Adam Cerra no certainty to take on Collingwood.
Carlton and Collingwood will fill the MCG in a clash with ramifications for both teams but the Blues having to win to play in their first finals campaign since 2013.
MCC boss Stuart Fox told the Herald Sun on Monday the ground expected to host more than 85,000 fans for one of the game’s most hotly anticipated home-and-away games this decade.
The game is already sold out to general admission and if club and MCC members turn up as expected over 90,000 fans will be in attendance.
Carlton can still make finals if the Western Bulldogs lose to Hawthorn but given the experimenting Hawks played James Sicily in the midfield on Sunday the Blues will likely need to beat Carlton.
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Kennedy has missed the past two weeks with a broken jaw after a head clash against Adelaide in round 20 amid a brilliant season of hard ball gets.
But Carlton confirmed a lisfranc fracture in his foot had ruled him out for the season.
Surgery would put him out for a significant part of the summer but players including Tom Stewart and Tom McDonald who haven’t needed surgery can return in about 10 weeks.
It means the Blues will have to win without the brilliant midfielder, who ranks third at the club for average clearances (4.59) behind only Patrick Cripps and George Hewett.
The Blues said Cerra, a late withdrawal with groin soreness after pulling up tight from Thursday’s training, was a test to take his part in the side.
MCC boss Fox said footy-starved fans were now turning out in droves with the ground hopeful of huge crowds for that clash and the Essendon-Richmond clash on Saturday night.
“We are thrilled to have a couple of huge contests in round 23 leading into a really exciting finals series. We are expecting a crowd in excess of 85,000 fans.
“The crowds have been returning in a really strong sign of recovery. We haven’t had finals footy in the last two years at the ‘G so we are very confident that Victorians want to get out and experience finals back in the state.”
Michael Voss has already pitched the Collingwood contest as a virtual elimination final and believes the Blues can cover the loss of their prime movers.
Former captain Sam Docherty added another chapter to his remarkable recovery from testicular cancer when he went into the midfield with strong effect against the reigning premiers.
Docherty had 28 possessions, six clearances, 10 tackles and 473m gained in his first real midfield contest of the year.
Will Setterfield came into the side and did a reasonable job tagging Clayton Oliver, who still had 29 possessions but only 10 uncontested possessions.
Voss said the contest was “effectively an elimination final” but backed his side to use the grit and determination of early-season wins to qualify for finals.
“We had to try some different things in the game. You walk away looking at (the Docherty role) as a real positive, so we know he brings enormous run, he was able to get on the outside and he’s a great leader.
“He had a great impact. I thought (Will) Setterfield also played through the middle as well, not just on the wing, he took a great match-up there. So we walked away with a couple of real positives.”
Dees matchwinner hit with ‘abhorrent’ racial slur
Melbourne will work with the AFL Integrity department to investigate a racist social media post directed at Demons match-winner Kysaiah Pickett.
The club released a statement on Sunday condemning racial vilification of any kind after Pickett was subjected to racist comments online following the Demons’ thrilling win over Carlton at the MCG.
In a strongly-worded statement, Melbourne said the behaviour was “abhorrent and needs to stop” adding it was beholden on the football community to call it out.
“The Melbourne Football Club strongly condemns racial vilification of any kind,” the club’s statement said.
“Last night a Melbourne player was again subjected to racism on social media. This sort of behaviour is abhorrent and needs to stop.
“It is saddening, angering and unacceptable that this behaviour continues to occur.
“It is important that we, as a football community, call this behaviour out and hold these individuals to account.
“It is simply not okay to remain silent.”
This is not okay + it must stop. pic.twitter.com/2BUUgT366B
— Melbourne Demons (@melbournefc) August 14, 2022
Melbourne said it had already spoken to the AFL about the incident and would work with the league to determine if the social media account owner could be identified.
“The club will work with the AFL Integrity department to see if the account holder responsible for the comments can be identified,” the club said.
Pickett kicked the winning goal in the Demons’ five-point win over the Blues at the MCG on Saturday night, producing a brilliant gather and snap with 11 seconds left on the clock.
The livewire small forward has kicked 34 goals for the Demons this season.
Melbourne captain Max Gawn shared the club’s statement on social media, while midfield star Clayton Oliver also called out the racist comments on Instagram.
‘Gutted’ Voss pinpoints how Blues let finals slip in seconds
Carlton will quickly regroup in preparation for a mouth-watering “elimination final” against arch-rival Collingwood next week, coach Michael Voss says.
The Blues simply must beat their old foes to cement a finals berth after Saturday night’s heart-wrenching loss to Melbourne, with the ninth-placed Bulldogs a game behind and set to start as favourites in their own do-or-die clash against Hawthorn.
Carlton, vying to feature in September for the first time since 2013, will take on the miracle-working Magpies in a sequel to the thrilling round 11 affair in which they went down by four points.
Coach Michael Voss says his troops will relish the opportunity to take on the in-form Collingwood in front of an MCG crowd likely to push 90,000.
“It’s effectively an elimination final,” Voss said. “We know what the week holds.”
“We’ll get back to work and turn up here next Sunday, in what will be a really big game. I’m sure it’ll be really built up.”
“The energy that we brought today was just real excitement to be able to play these sorts of games. I hope we bring that same energy.”
Voss said he was proud of his side’s gallant effort against the premiership-contending Demons, putting the loss down to “detail” in the dying stages.
“(It was a) bit of detail the last couple of minutes (we) didn’t quite get right.
“It leaves you gutted, leaves you disappointed.
“But I’m also really proud at the same time and I thought our players were really brave right through our whole night.
“You find one extra mark, you win one extra contest. Some of the structure was there (to win) but some of the detail we needed to be able to finish off the game, we couldn’t get that right in the last two minutes.”
The Blues brought the heat in a high-pressure contest, Voss added, confident his side offered a style that would “stack up” in finals.
The coach was also pleased with Sam Docherty’s move into the midfield amid the Blues’ on-ball injury woes, with Will Setterfield a chance to be called on again as Hewett (back) and Kennedy (jaw) continue to recover.
“We had to try some different things in the game and you walk away looking at that as a real positive,” Voss said.
The Blues are likely to regain Adam Cerra, who was a late withdrawal on Saturday night due to groin tightness but Voss conceded his side won’t have the luxury of bringing fellow midfielders George Hewett and Matthew Kennedy back into the lineup despite the high-stakes nature of the clash.
“(Cerra) just couldn’t quite get going this morning,” Voss said.
“George (Hewett) is starting to get going a bit but I think the prognosis for him is that if he does actually start to train it might be more towards the finals.”
Match report: Blues’ fate to be decided on final day as Dees win epic
Melbourne has sensationally stolen a Carlton finals berth from the jaws of almost-certain defeat, claiming a heart-racing win in the final minute of a Saturday night nail-biter.
The Blues looked all but home at the death, before a scrappy Melbourne surge forward somehow ended in a stunning Kysaiah Pickett crumb and goal to crush a gallant Carlton’s September dream.
It was scrappy, relatively low-scoring and at times a little ugly. But it might’ve been the match of the season.
The Demons’ place among the double-chance finals contenders looked wobbly at stages, with a stubborn Blues outfit desperate to confirm a September berth led by a rampant Patrick Cripps – who was meant to be suspended – and an unlikely almost-hero in key defender Lewis Young, who was unwavering in defence with a spoiling clinic.
But Melbourne ultimately claimed the all-important five-point win in front of an anxious MCG crowd.
The roar of impassioned Dees fans – who knew their club had just regained its grip on the top four – was deafening as the siren sounded.
Angus Brayshaw continued his starring season with 38 disposals, while Clayton Oliver (29 touches, nine tackles) and Christian Petracca (24 and a goal) made the most of Carlton’s undermanned midfield.
The Blues, already without George Hewett and Matthew Kennedy, were dealt a cruel blow when Adam Cerra (adductor) was a late out.
But captain Cripps made the most of his freedom after successfully appealing a two-match suspension on Thursday, very nearly leading his side into September with 26 disposals and 12 tackles.
Sam Docherty stepped up, too, moving into the centre-bounce setup and racking up 28 touches.
Yet the spirited performance wasn’t enough, with the Blues now needing to beat Collingwood next weekend if they are to keep their finals fate in their own hands.
A loss to Collingwood would mean relying on Hawthorn to beat the ninth-placed Bulldogs, setting up a thrilling Sunday afternoon of final-round football.
Melbourne, meanwhile, have stormed back into the top two – at least for now – setting up yet another mouth-watering clash against Brisbane at the Gabba on Friday night.
Back in round 10, one might have pencilled in this Dees-Blues game as a clash between premiership contenders.
An optimist might’ve even labelled it a grand final preview.
Somehow, it turned out to be a contest between sides battling to recapture their mojo only weeks out from September.
It didn’t disappoint.
Kozzie Pickett with the winning goal 🤯
— Fox Footy (@FOXFOOTY) August 13, 2022
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DEES’ SURPRISE WEAPON
Starting Jake Melksham out of the goal square while Ben Brown sat on the bench was an unorthodox way to kick off proceedings – but it worked.
Melksham, playing just his eighth game for the season, drifted to the front of a forward-50 pack to pluck a surprise overhead mark in the Dees’ first attacking play of the night.
The 30-year-old’s set shot sailed across the face for no score, but moments later, he sprung up again to boot his side’s first major.
Melksham missed last year’s premiership – a disappointment he was infamously reminded about by teammate Steven May in a restaurant scuffle earlier this year – but after finishing with four goals and seven, his place in the AFL outfit is clearly worth persisting with.
FREED CRIPPS COPS IT
The Melbourne faithful belted out the boos from Cripps’ opening touch.
Of course, it wasn’t Cripps’ decision to free himself from suspension – perhaps the Dees fans’ aggrievement would’ve been more rationally directed at the AFL appeals board – but why let logic obstruct an opportunity to vehemently jeer at the opposition captain?
Boos echoed around the ‘G in the first half but a typically prolific Cripps – he’d racked up 15 touches, five clearances and six tackles by the main break – silenced much of Melbourne’s home crowd as the match wore on.
FISHER’S FANCY FOOTWORK
The highlights reel was in dire need of some spark in the shadows of halftime and Carlton speedster Zac Fisher answered the call.
The slippery wingman, possessing the Sherrin about 35m from goal minutes before the main break, looked all but boxed into the boundary line as Dees defenders closed in.
Deciding instead to go for the unlikely play, Fisher danced around the opposition, sold some hand candy, swung onto his right foot and snapped home a beauty, injecting a sense of class into an otherwise scrappy affair.
Scoreboard
Melbourne: 1.2 4.6 7.11 11.13 (79)
Carlton: 1.3 3.4 7.8 10.14 (74)
GOALS
Melbourne: Melksham 4, Pickett 2, Brown, Gawn, Petracca, Fritsch, Langdon
Carlton: Martin 3, McKay 3, Curnow, Silvagni, Durdin, Fisher
BEST
Melbourne: Brayshaw, Melksham, Oliver, Petracca, May, Gawn
Carlton: Cripps, Young, Docherty, McKay, Saad,
UMPIRES
Donlon, Stevic, Broadbent
CROWD
55,705 at the MCG
LEONARD’S VOTES
Brayshaw 3
Melksham 2
Cripps 1
Gawn hails clutch Kozzie
- Nick Smart
Melbourne skipper Max Gawn hailed the “clutch” ability of Kysaiah Pickett after the Demons goal sneak broke Carlton hearts everywhere with a stunning last-minute winner on Saturday night.
In a remarkable match at the MCG that had 11 lead changes, Carlton looked to have secured a finals spot when Coleman Medal leader Charlie Curnow put the Blues up by eight points at the 29-minute mark.
Although, forward Jake Melksham’s fourth goal and then Pickett, who snapped the winner with just 15 seconds remaining, was enough for the Demons to pinch it and stay in the top four.
“To be honest I’m speechless and don’t know what to say,” Pickett said on Channel 7.
“I just want to celebrate and sing the song.”
Pickett may not have known what to say, but his skipper was full of words after the dramatic escape.
“How long was left when he kicked it? 15 seconds? That’s pretty clutch,” Gawn said.
“Kosi’s a good player and he’s been playing some good footy this year.
“It was Kosi’s moment and we were on the wrong end of those moments last week (against Collingwood).
“We’ve been playing forward half footy for about four weeks now and unfortunately we lost to Collingwood, but the brand is there.”
Demons coach Simon Goodwin paid tribute to his players for finding a way to win.
“It (the heart rate) is coming down now but footy’s a great game, isn’t it,” Goodwin said.
“It’s full of emotion and it’s the second week in a row we’ve played in a finals like game.
“The tackle pressure, the intensity around the ball, the defensive nature of the game, it was just a cracking game of footy.
“Our players have worked incredibly hard to continue to be in this situation and obviously tonight was an important game for us.
“To win a close game of footy, we haven’t done that all year really.
“I think this is the type of win this group can embody and continue to move forward.”
The Demons will be fighting to cement their top-four spot in the final round against Brisbane at the Gabba next Friday night
“It’s big, and I think when you get to this time of year the stakes are high,” Goodwin said.
“That will be no different for us next week going up to the Gabba.
“We know how strong they are up there and the challenge they present.”
Carlton will be fighting for a finals spot when it faces old enemy Collingwood at the MCG next Sunday in a September-shaping clash that should attract over 80,000 fans.
Originally published as AFL 2022: Blues take another hit with Matt Kennedy ruled out for the season, Adam Cera in doubt
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