AFL round 20: Carlton v Port Adelaide, news, analysis and SuperCoach scores
If this was a battle of master versus apprentice, then Ken Hinkley schooled Michael Voss when it mattered. CHRIS CAVANAGH explains why and what a crucial result means for Carlton and Port Adelaide.
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Ken Hinkley must have thought he had taught Michael Voss too well.
Voss spent seven seasons working as an assistant under Hinkley at Port Adelaide, but since the apprentice left to take Carlton’s top job for the 2022 season he hadn’t lost to his former master.
PLAYER RATINGS: VERDICTS ON EVERY POWER, BLUES PLAYER
The record was 3-0 in favour of Voss – until Friday night.
Hinkley finally got one back on his former coaching box partner and showed in the process that he still has his players eating out of his hands after 12 years in the hot seat.
In a game where both sides traded blows and momentum swung violently, Hinkley and Port Adelaide had looked lost for answers early.
The Blues brought the pressure, the thirst for the contest and the strategic plans to hold sway in the first half.
Carlton covered the corridor – Port’s preferred ball-movement area from defence – and punished the Power on the scoreboard when they turned it over in that area of the ground.
They also blanketed prime midfield mover Zak Butters.
After a review, Darcy Byrne-Jones was awarded a goal for this effort.@cryptocom | #AFLBluesPowerpic.twitter.com/UH6Hit6E73
— AFL (@AFL) July 26, 2024
Butters had 10 touches and little impact to halftime, with his side trailing by as much as 31 points late in the second quarter.
The Blues booted 7.2 to 3.3 in that second term to appear in complete control.
But whatever Hinkley said at halftime worked.
The Power came out with a new level of intensity after the main break, particularly through the midfield.
They outworked the home side and piled on the pressure, laying 53 second-half tackles on their way to 91 for the game.
That second-half tackle total is more than many teams record in an entire match.
Carlton didn’t adjust, lost its run and gun and managed just one goal for the second half as Port Adelaide run away with the game.
That is incredibly skilful stuff from Mitch Georgiades!#AFLBluesPowerpic.twitter.com/3MLBNiUz2Y
— AFL (@AFL) July 26, 2024
It could prove a costly loss for the Blues, but there were reasons why.
Coming off a five-day break, they had lost ruckman Tom De Koning and wingman Blake Acres to injury during the week and were then dealt a further blow on game day when star key forward Harry McKay fell to a mystery “illness”.
However, that’s now three losses in four weeks for the team that many had considered to be the competition’s second seed.
“I could sit here and say it (the five-day break) is not a factor, but the reality is it has something to do with it,” Voss said.
“As a football club we don’t use that as a reason for the loss.
“There are always advantages and disadvantages in the draw. Sometimes you have the advantage and sometimes you have the disadvantage.”
The only win in the past month has been a 19-point triumph over 17th placed North Melbourne last week.
“We were losing territory bad but we were still able to hold on so we defended for a pretty large part of that (third) quarter and maybe just having to defend for that long and took the energy out of us for the last quarter,” Voss said.
“I will try to say contest and pressure five different ways if you want. Effectively, that is where it all started and where it all finished.”
The Blues still have plenty of finetuning to do in the lead-up to September, but so do the Power.
As much as they secured the points in a must-win game, the forward line is still a worry.
Charlie Dixon is struggling for fitness and was given a bath by Jacob Weitering for much of the match, while goalkicking is continuing to let down the competition’s least-accurate side.
That said, with the midfield that beat Carlton 43-33 in the clearance count, Port are a dangerous proposition for any opposition.
The Power host Sydney next week, before games against Melbourne (MCG), Adelaide and Fremantle (Optus Stadium) to round out the year.
Hinkley is looking forward to playing more of the best sides in the competition in Port’s run home.
“That’s the challenges we face and we look forward to them,” Hinkley said.
“We want to be a good team and we want to be one of the best teams in the comp.
“If you’re going to do that, you’re going to have to beat them.
“We’ve probably got perfect preparation to go through the back five games of the year where we’re going to find out whether we’re worthy, and that will be really nice once we get that answer.
“We’ve always had some belief ... and we’re trying really hard to continue to improve late in the season.
“We’re building, but you’re going to have to keep building. It’s tough.
“It’s so tight, like, lose next week and we’re probably 10th.”
For Carlton, next week’s clash with arch rival Collingwood is now crucial for top-four calculations.
Originally published as AFL round 20: Carlton v Port Adelaide, news, analysis and SuperCoach scores
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