AFL Finals Carlton vs. Sydney: Carlton hold on to beat Sydney 74-68, Harry McKay concussed
Carlton’s selectors hold the club’s finals fate in their hands as they debate two huge selection dilemmas this week — who replaces Jack Martin and Harry McKay?
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A camera focused on AFL boss Gillon McLachlan and commissioner Andrew Newbold at the MCG stands as Nic Newman took the final mark of a thrilling elimination final would have been fitting.
Did the head honchos open their lungs to belt out a famous rendition of, ‘We are the Navy Blues’ that was 10 years in the making?
You suspect not … but privately they must have felt like it. Sydney has been eliminated at the first September hurdle and that must be a relief at league headquarters.
The Swans stole Adelaide’s September slot in a crime that was committed by an Adelaide Oval goal umpire.
The last thing the AFL needed was Sydney steamrolling its way through September by knocking out the Blues and then a weakened Melbourne in a semi-final.
The integrity of that would have stank for a competition that doesn’t even believe reigning Brownlow Medallist Patrick Cripps was the best and fairest player last season (Cripps overturned a suspension on a legal technicality at an appeal).
McLachlan joked pre-game that Carlton president Luke Sayers was one of the few people enjoying their football job more than their day time job.
Sayers, of course, used to serve as the chief executive of PricewaterhouseCoopers – under investigation over the tax-leak scandal.
But McLachlan has Sayers and his Blues to thank for helping de-stress his final few weeks in the big chair.
Three powerful strikes from the pockets during the third quarter appeared to have placed Carlton back on the path to victory.
First, there was Jack Martin out-marking Dane Rampe and drilling a beautiful drop punt.
Then, there was Adam Cerra receiving a handball and flushing another goal off one step from the same spot as Martin.
That was followed by quelled captain Patrick Cripps roosting a goal from the opposite pocket after nailing Jake Lloyd in a tackle.
Some might say it is shallow to simply focus on the goalkickers rather than those doing the grunt work to get it to them.
But the Blues were only in this predicament because Harry McKay fluffed a soda … again.
McKay’s simple set-shot in the third quarter should have shot the Blues 35 points in front. Somehow a Coleman Medallist missed from 20m, and moments later the lead was cut to 11.
Suddenly what had been a so-so game had the September shaken into it. Those three counter-strikes had catapulted Carlton back out to a 28-point lead.
But the Swans refused to slip over. Youngster Brodie Kemp won his battle with Logan McDonald … but so much of those credits were refunded when he gave one away in the tense finish.
Kemp should’ve stepped over the line to rush a behind — but he didn’t, and Luke Parker used his extra 261 games of experience to pick his pocket and snap a goal.
The lead was whittled to nine points with the bulk of the last quarter to play.
It was suddenly bordering on code blue for the Carlton crowd.
Oh boy. They ended last season known as the chokers and started this season the same way with a draw against Richmond.
As Luke Hodge noted: “This wasn’t the style of footy that got (Carlton) back into the finals”.
Some sticky fingers from Charlie Curnow and Tom De Koning took some of the sizzle out of Sydney’s dominance and when Jack Martin handballed to Blake Acres in the goalsquare it, once again, looked all over.
There were critical contests everywhere. In round 22 against Melbourne there was Caleb Marchbank’s hand of god and in the elimination final against Sydney there was Acres’ hand of god.
Then there was Sam Walsh’s spoil of spring.
The only worry for Vossy was an apparent concussion to McKay and the possible suspension of Martin, who foolishly connected Nick Blakey’s and his fist.
A suspension would probably see substitute Jesse Motlop elevated into the starting 22 and perhaps teenage gut-runner Ollie Hollands into the 23.
Could the Blues bring Motlop, Hollands and Paddy Dow into the 23 should McKay and Martin both miss?
Because if the desperately-unlucky Dow misses again then that could cement a change of scenery for the explosive onballer.
The talk has been that Dow would seek a fresh start at St Kilda, but the pre-game scuttlebutt at the MCG suggested the Western Bulldogs may also have a look at the No. 3 draft pick.
Anyway, trade time is for next month. It is September and the Baggers are three wins from becoming Flaggers.
BLUES 3.2, 7.5, 10.6, 11.8 (74)
SWANS 1.5, 2.6, 7.9, 9.14 (68)
LERNER’S BESTBlues: Acres, Cottrell, Walsh, Cerra, Hewett, Marchbank, McGovern. Swans: McLean, McCartin, Gulden, Lloyd, Parker, Blakey, Melican.
GOALS Blues: Cottrell 2, Martin 2, Docherty, C.Curnow, Owies, Cuningham, Cerra, Cripps, Acres. Swans: Gulden 2, McDonald 2, Parker 2, Amartey, Hayward, McLean.
INJURIES Blues: McKay (concussion). Swans: Nil.
UMPIRES Nicholls, Broadbent, Findlay, Mollison
VENUE MCG
Watch: Blue to face MRO heat after reckless hit
Carlton’s hot start at the MCG has been tempered by the possibility livewire Jack Martin could be sanctioned by the Match Review Officer.
Martin’s clenched fist appeared to strike Sydney linebreaker Nick Blakey in the head shortly after the Blues shot to a two-goal lead on Friday night.
Blakey was taken down to the medical rooms only minutes later, presumably for a concussion test.
The Swan passed a concussion test and made his return.
Should the MRO decide to charge Martin then it could be classified as careless conduct and high contact. The impact grading is likely to be influenced by the diagnoses on Blakey.
But even a medium grading would see Martin offered a one-match ban.
“It was late, he’s hit him high and he’s got a clenched fist. There’s no doubt it will be looked at,” Matthew Richardson said on Channel 7.
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