Port Adelaide embarrasses Carlton in Marc Murphy’s final AFL game
Port Adelaide thoroughly embarrassed Carlton on Saturday in a loss that could prove the final nail in the coffin for coach David Teague.
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A top-two finish is within Port Adelaide’s grasp after the surging Power kicked 19 unanswered goals to lock up a coveted double chance with a demoralising 95-point thumping of Carlton that will ratchet up the pressure on under-siege coach David Teague.
The Blues were brave early, leading by as much as 23 points, but their resistance completely crumbled in the face of ruthless Port’s astonishing blast of unanswered goals that set up the 21.14 (140) to 5.15 (45) belting at Adelaide Oval on Saturday.
It was a sour note for Marc Murphy to end his decorated 300-game career on, but it was also the latest planet to align for a fit-and-firing Power side that now has the momentum of a five-game winning streak with one round left before finals.
The result sets up a blockbuster clash against the Western Bulldogs at Marvel Stadium in round 23 with a top-two finish potentially on offer.
There was a lot for Ken Hinkley to like in the emphatic showing.
Aliir Aliir followed up his Showdown Medal-winning performance with another polished display across half-back, with Travis Boak, Karl Amon and Ollie Wines all prominent in a midfield unit that had plenty of contributors.
Port had 12 goalkickers as the Blues were reduced to witches’ hats, with Charlie Dixon leading the way with four.
“They were able to put a bit of scoreboard pressure on us, but after that it became pretty much the way we like (the game) to be played,” Port Adelaide coach Ken Hinkley said.
“It was a pretty strong performance by the end, obviously.
“I don’t think you could wish to be in too much more control than we were able to be in that game, but let’s be fair to Carlton – they couldn’t have had much of a worse week when it comes to injuries.”
Feel sorry for teague. This has been beyond disappointing, it’s humiliating. No surprise if he walks tonight, salvaging what honour and dignity he can. Sad to see it come to this last 3 weeks for a good bloke, i think. #AFLPowerBlues#CFC
— ron reed (@reedrw) August 14, 2021
Adam Saad crying on the bench. This is so grim.
— Daniel Cherny 📰 (@DanielCherny) August 14, 2021
At the other end of the footy spectrum, Teague will face intensified scrutiny after his, albeit injury-depleted, team was overrun from the midway point of the second quarter, with Sam Walsh his side’s best player.
“I thought the way the guys cracked in early was really good, but against their bigger bodies we weren’t able to maintain it,” Teague said.
“Once they really got going they were hard to catch, they ran hard forward and used the ball well, and we couldn’t win enough of the ball ourselves or control the ball once we won it.”
Showdown letdown?
Hinkley’s men were coming off a tight win against Adelaide in a typically intense showdown clash and the Power wasn’t switched on early.
Murmurings of discontent rippled through the Port Adelaide faithful as the unfancied Blues took the fight up to the hot favourites, with Walsh leading the charge with 13 possessions in the first quarter.
The visitors led by four points as the second term got underway, and that margin blew out to 23 with Josh Honey booting back-to-back goals in his fifth AFL game.
Power restored
Boak’s kicking was a bit off early in the game, but the star veteran was instrumental as a sputtering Port roared to life in the second quarter.
Todd Marshall booted his second major 18 minutes in and it proved to be the first of the withering salvo of unanswered majors that tipped the contest on its head.
Orazio Fantasia gave his side the lead with a smooth snap on the run and Dixon, who had been blanketed by Jacob Weitering, made it a 15-point advantage with a goal shortly before half-time.
Killer instinct
The margin was 41 points at three-quarter time and the Power finished off the job in brutal fashion, despite losing Scott Lycett, who was subbed out as a precaution after he copped a kick to his left knee.
Dixon added two more goals as Port rained down nine majors on the hapless Blues, who didn’t manage a goal in the second half.
Port Adelaide’s 16th win of the season was its biggest of the campaign and Carlton’s largest losing margin this year as Teague’s side slumped to an 8-13 win-loss record.
300 and done
Murphy’s chances of getting a winning send-off took a hit on match day when Patrick Cripps was ruled out with a quad injury, the star skipper departing the side along with mid-week casualties Harry McKay, Liam Jones, Jack Silvagni and Jack Martin.
Murphy was given a guard of honour by both teams, the No. 1 pick at the 2005 draft finishing with 24 possessions in his farewell game.
Teague’s Blues
Embattled Carlton coach David Teague is adamant he can turn his club’s fortunes around, but he admits the timing of the Blues’ 95-point drubbing by Port Adelaide won’t help him hang onto his job.
Speculation about Teague’s position reached fever pitch in the week leading into Saturday’s clash at Adelaide Oval and the pressure on his tenure will intensify after his side conceded 19 unanswered goals to slump to its biggest loss of a disappointing season.
“It doesn’t help, I understand that, but in terms of a pattern of behaviour that’s our first really big loss,” Teague said.
“The timing is not great, but in terms of where we’ve been and the way that the guys approached it at the start … I thought we cracked in.
“It may not help, but I think it was one game.
“Over the year we’ve been pretty competitive but we’ve got some growing to do.
“That’s where we’re at, at the moment.
“It’s disappointing, we’re shattered, but the thing that hurts most is that you never want to lose like that when you wear the Carlton football jumper.
“When it’s Marc Murphy’s 300th … to do that for Marc Murphy’s 300th it hurts more.
“I know the guys are trying but for whatever reason once (Port) got a bit of run on we went into our shells and we weren’t as aggressive.”
The Blues led by 23 points in the second quarter, but their resistance crumbled in the face of the Power’s resurgence, with the visitors kept goalless in the second half.
Teague conceded it had been an emotional week for his group that has dealt with the news of Sam Docherty’s cancer diagnosis and Eddie Betts’ response to the Taylor Walker racism furore on top of the speculation about his job.
“You’d have to ask each individual but it does make it challenging, the constant talk, but that’s the industry we’re in,” he said.
“We’ve got to find a way to continue.
“I thought we turned up to play, we had a crack early, but we just weren’t able to maintain it.”
Teague said the prevailing mood in the changeroom was one of disappointment from Murphy’s teammates at having sent off a club great with such a poor performance.
Teague could understand the pain Carlton fans would be experiencing following the loss, but is steadfast in his belief that better times are coming.
“We understand that was quite painful to watch, particularly at the end,” he said.
“(But) there’s some young guys coming through that I think are going to play some really good football and take this club back to where it needs to be.
“I thought there were some signs there.
“We need to continue to grow and help them improve.
“If I were a fan I’d be looking for some small glimpses there to hang onto.
“I think we’ve got a good group. We’ve got some guys that are hitting that age between 22 and 26, but we’ve got to work hard.
“I’m confident we’re going in the right direction and I think it can happen.
“I think we’ve got the people, attitude and culture to do that.”
POWER 2.2 8.6 12.11 21.14 (140)
BLUES 2.6 5.9 5.12 5.15 (45)
PHELAN’S BEST POWER: Aliir, Boak, Amon, Byrne-Jones, Wines, Rozee, Butters, Ladhams. BLUES: Walsh, Kennedy, Weitering, Murphy.
GOALS POWER: Dixon 4, Fantasia 3, Marshall 2, Georgiades 2, Bergman 2, Gray 2, Boak, Houston, Ladhams, Lycett, Mayes, Rozee. BLUES: Honey 2, Casboult, Kennedy, McGovern.
INJURIES POWER: S Lycett (knee). BLUES: Cripps (quad – late withdrawal).
UMPIRES Fleer, Gianfagna, Hefferenan.
ADELAIDE OVAL
PLAYER OF THE YEAR
JASON PHELAN’S VOTES
3 A Aliir (Port)
2 T Boak (Port)
1 K Amon (Port)
Originally published as Port Adelaide embarrasses Carlton in Marc Murphy’s final AFL game
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