AFL news 2024: Patrick Cripps keeps wounded Carlton’s finals hopes alive with win over West Coast
Last week Michael Voss said this week would show where Carlton was at after being decimated by injury. He would have been thrilled by what he saw against the Eagles.
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Carlton coach Michael Voss said Sunday’s win over West Coast in Perth was a good reminder to the squad about the way they can play.
The Blues ended a three-game losing streak with a 65-point thrashing of the Eagles.
It was just their second win in seven outings, but it was enough for them to climb back into the top eight.
A win over St Kilda in round 24 will see them play finals.
Voss said it was a great response from the big round 22 loss to Hawthorn that also saw the injuries to key players pile up.
“It was huge,” he said.
“It’s been a been a big week. From taking stock after the game last week and trying to count the bodies, it was just a really hard week.
“Last week, what I did say was we’ll find out a little bit about us as a footy team and, and as a footy club. I just thought the response was outstanding and sort of a nice little reminder about how we play footy, and what is the Blues brand and how we want to play.
“It took a squad. And when I mean, it took a squad, it took the whole squad to be able to get that one done.”
Kicking a winning score was seen to be the Blues biggest hurdle, as among the absences from the loss to Hawks were Harry McKay and Charlie Curnow.
Brodie Kemp was given a rare opportunity in attack and responded by kicking four goals.
Matt Owies kicked three and Matt Kennedy two.
The Blues recorded their biggest score since round 20, 14.15 (99).
Voss liked what he saw.
“I thought our forwards were absolutely magnificent tonight,” he said.
“I thought they were incredible, whether it was the ball in the air, attacking it in the air, or when the ball was on the floor.
“I just felt we were able to bring that pressure, that real sort of brand that we know works for us and identity that we want to play to.”
The Blues were able to produce some stats on Sunday that they haven’t been able to recently.
They dominated possession, with 407. It’s the first time since round 11 they reached 400.
They won the contested possession count by 27 and inside 50s by eight.
These are areas the Blues have fallen down in over the past couple of months.
“We probably just needed that reminder about the way we play,” Voss said.
“We’ve put a lot of work into that over the last two or three years. So, it’s very easy to sort of look over the last month and say, ‘well, where’s the brand gone?’
“I understand where West Coast are at. I understand all that, but for us and the stage of the season and players coming in, and what was being said about us, that was an enormous win.”
CRIPPS INSPIRES BLUES INTO THE TOP EIGHT
Patrick Cripps has played Carlton to the verge of another finals campaign.
The Blues skipper dominated the clash against West Coast at Optus Stadium on Sunday, leading his side to a much-needed 65-point win.
With an injury list 17-players long, Carlton needed something special to keep them in the hunt to see September action.
Cripps delivered, again.
The Brownlow medallist collected 35 disposals, 21 of them contested, and had 10 clearances.
The Blues had been less than impressive over the six weeks leading to round 23. They had slipped from second on the ladder to ninth.
But after the 14.15 (99) to 4.10 (34) win, the scenario for them in round 24 is simple, beat St Kilda and play finals.
Lose to the Saints, and they rely other results to go their way.
Sunday’s result also makes playing finals very difficult for Collingwood, who is now a win and more than 10 per cent shy of eighth spot.
VOSS MOVE PAYS OFF
Among that long injury list at Carlton are its two main forward targets, Charlie Curnow and Harry McKay. The pair have kicked 101 goals between them this season.
Michael Voss had to come up with something.
The move of Brodie Kemp from defence to attack was it. And it paid off.
It looked initially like he was there to run with West Coast intercept defender Jeremy McGovern.
But Kemp found himself in the right spot to earn the first shot on goal for the game.
He missed that, but made up for it on the quarter-time siren, kicking a goal after a strong mark, to give the Blues a two-point lead.
Kemp finished with four goals, beating the total of two he’d kicked in 41 previous games for the Blues, over four seasons.
JUMP BALL
Kemp was unlucky not to have a third goal before halftime, or at least a set shot for another.
He got under a high ball, 20m from the Blues goals, playing in front of his opponent, McGovern.
Both players seemed to have equal grab on the ball, which would usually result in the player in front being awarded a mark.
That was Kemp. That didn’t happen.
Instead, the umpire called for a throw-up, undecided who marked it.
GOOD NUMBERS
Cripps wasn’t the only Blue providing good numbers against the Eagles.
George Hewett had 34 possessions and Matthew Kennedy had 35 and kicked two goals.
Matthew Owies was also in the goals, with three.
The Blues had almost 100 possessions more than the Eagles and went forward eight times more. Some of the key stats were a complete turnaround from what they had produced recently.
With such a long injury list, Carlton was forced to debut two players, in Cooper Lord and Ash Moir. Both marked the occasion with kicking goals in the final term, Moir’s a clever mid-air soccer from the goalsquare.
FAREWELL TO A CHAMP
West Coast used Sunday’s clash to farewell a former star, Andrew Gaff.
The midfielder has played most of this season in the WAFL, but needed two more games to reach 280 AFL appearances. Combined with pre-season games and state representation, he’ll finish with 300 games and AFL life membership.
He was the sub in round 22 against North Melbourne.
He was serviceable against the Blues, although not as damaging as he has been in the past. He finished with 25 touches.
Elliot Yeo and Harley Reid provided the much-needed run for the Eagles, with 28 and 26 disposals respectively.
BLUES TAKING CONTROL
Carlton fans would have been nervous when the Eagles kicked the first two goals of the game.
Jake Waterman slotted them both through and the Eagles led by 12 points early.
But the Blues started to control the game from late in the first term, kicking the last two of the first term and the only four goals of the second.
They had 16 inside 50 entries to the Eagles seven in the second term, and added 4.4 to nil.
They held a controlling 31-point lead at the main break.
Cripps had 10 touches in the second term, following on from his 11 touches in the first.
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