AFL Round 23 Carlton v Collingwood: All the latest news and fallout as the Blues miss the finals
After the fourth-term choke, Carlton is in the record books for all the wrong reasons. Coach Michael Voss opens up on how the Blues will recover from the latest heartbreak.
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Carlton coach Michael Voss wants the ultimate heartbreak of missing finals by one point to burn deeply over summer after the Blues’ blew their September dreams with a wasteful fourth-term.
Voss said the Blues were devastated after surrendering a 24-point lead at the last change despite dominating contested possessions by 54 and inside 50s by 21 in the gut-wrenching loss to Collingwood at the MCG.
The fourth-term choke means the Blues will become the first team since 1977 to be inside the eight for every round except the final game of the season.
Voss said the club must find ways to become more durable and efficient over summer after it was forced to play a patched-up defence and makeshift midfield which had been hard hit by injury throughout the season.
But it was missed shots in front of goals and skewed entries in the last term in particular that will cause nightmares for months.
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“They’re devastated because we didn’t want this season to end, and we felt like we had more in us,” Voss said.
“Clearly, when we were in the position we were (8-2), we wanted to play finals footy and fought pretty hard as a footy club to get us back into a place like that, so they will all really feel that (hurt of missing).
“But in the end it was our efficiency. They (Magpies) go down the other end and kick 5.1 and we kick 0.6, so it is just being a little bit inefficient at the wrong time.
“That doesn’t sit on individuals. It would be easy to pick through who that is, but the reality is there are key moments right throughout the game that we could have done a bit better on and we weren’t able to get it done.”
In a major loss, the Blues lost Sam Walsh to back injury before the game with Voss revealing the superstar midfielder played sore last week.
Walsh continued a savage run of injuries for the Blues who missed George Hewett, Zac Williams, Mitch McGovern and Jacob Weitering throughout the year.
The Blues will review the fitness program which suffered the heavy injury toll as well as consider tweaking their game style and approach in the trade period.
Voss said the Blues could not be deterred and must use the disappointment to fuel the club over the pre-season.
“We step up the intensity. We stepped it up last year and we will step it up again because we need to go another rung,” Voss said.
“The continuity of the group (is a focus), and establishing a group that is out there week after week. We nearly got there but we fell just short.
“The second half of the season got a hold of us. There was huge demand on them this year but we are not going into another pre-season doing exactly (the same thing). We need to step it up again.
“We have to get ourselves prepared for that. We have to increase our capacity.
“Whether that is the way we play, or the way we run, our ability to sustain intensity, that is what we have got to go after pretty hard.”
Voss said he had little doubt the club could bounce back under the leadership of Patrick Cripps who was outstanding in the loss.
“He is pretty hungry and the group will stay hungry,” Voss said.
“He was really determined to right a few wrongs. He didn’t like what was being said about him last year and he went about working really hard as a leader and a player.”
“We tried to wrap around him a system to support him as best as we possibly can and what I’m grateful for is our system has not relied on individuals.”
Voss also slammed Essendon for its handling of Ben Rutten’s departure, saying the club was “better than that”.
‘The best I’ve ever seen’: Shocked McRae’s high praise
- Ronny Lerner
Collingwood coach Craig McRae admitted that he “absolutely” did not think his Magpies could pull yet another victory out of the fire against Carlton at the MCG on Sunday.
But the Pies kicked the final five goals of the match to pinch a one-point win – their ninth by seven points or fewer this year – and an all-important top-four spot.
“Absolutely,” McRae said when asked if he thought it was a bridge too far post-game.
“I didn’t tell the players that but I did think that ... particularly when they were peppering in the last quarter, too, I thought if they get one of those goals then we’re done.
“This group doesn’t need much hope.
“This group is probably the best I’ve ever seen at being able to manage the moments and play the minutes and that’s been a consistent language we’ve used ... you have to play the minutes to beat us and again today we showed that.”
Much like their win over Melbourne two weeks ago, Collingwood managed to snatch a victory despite being well beaten in inside 50s (65-44), as well as contested possessions (174-122), and McRae said his team might be playing a different type of game that doesn’t apply to traditional KPIs.
“I think the last quarters we’re potentially playing like not many teams have,” he said.
“We’re certainly winning games that potentially all the numbers say we shouldn’t.”
Having such reliable shots at goal up forward like Jack Ginnivan, Jamie Elliott, Ash Johnson and Brodie Mihocek might also be allowing the Pies to buck the trend of the numbers.
“It’s part and parcel of the game – you’ve got to execute,” McRae said.
“If you don’t execute, four or five chance from the Blues in the last quarter could’ve put us away potentially.”
But McRae warned the Magpies couldn’t keep giving up huge advantages to the opposition in crucial statistics during the finals.
“You can’t sustain that - that’s not sustainable,” he said.
McRae said he felt bad for his old teammate, and Carlton coach, Michael Voss whose Blues ended up missing out on the finals by 0.6 per cent. A draw would’ve been enough for them to qualify.
“I put my arms around him at the end of the game and I somewhat wish it was draw, maybe,” McRae said.
“I just really care for him, I do, I told him I love him at the end of the game and I hope he’s OK.”
McRae was in a state of shock at the start of his press conference as he attempted to compute the fact that his team had won yet another thriller this year.
“I don’t know what to say. I really don’t,” he said.
“I’m speechless, I just can’t believe it. I really can’t. We’ve found another way to win.
“I tried to get a couple of minutes by myself in a bit of a quiet space just to take it all in because it’s hard to realise what we just did.”
McRae was part of the famous triple premiership Brisbane sides from a couple of decades ago, but he has never encountered a team with as much self-belief as his Magpies.
“This is a unique thing,” McRae said.
“It’s been quite remarkable, really.”
And he might have to revise the order of his favourite wins from his first year as Collingwood coach.
“I thought the Essendon one was next level,” McRae said in reference to the Round 19 game decided by a goal after the siren from Elliott.
“But this is pretty close.”
And like the Elliott match winner against the Bombers, McRae let himself go when Elliott kicked the sealer against the Blues.
“I like to be really measured when things aren’t working for us and then show the emotion when things are,” he said.
“I was celebrating I’m sure like the fans were. It was a pretty special goal.”
Match report: More finals heartbreak as Blues blow it again
- Ronny Lerner
Carlton have thrown away a finals berth in the most heartbreaking circumstances imaginable, losing to arch enemy Collingwood by one point after squandering a four-goal lead at three-quarter time at the MCG on Sunday.
It was billed as the biggest clash between these two famous rivals in more than three decades, and it did not disappoint, as a record home-and-away crowd between these two clubs of 88,287 were left on the edge of their seats until the final moment.
If last week’s heartache against Melbourne wasn’t bad enough when Kysaiah Pickett booted the match winner in the final 11 seconds, it was Jamie Elliott’s turn this week to break Carlton hearts with a magnificent goal on the run from the boundary with 1:42 to go in the game to give the Magpies the lead back and they wouldn’t let go of it.
With just over a minute to go, Carlton’s Zac Williams chipped it forward but his kick missed its intended target in Harry McKay and Jeremy Howe took the relieving mark. Then with 31 seconds remaining, Josh Daicos laid a match-saving tackle on Patrick Cripps.
For the second week in a row, the Blues failed to secure a spot in the finals in the final two minutes.
After the Western Bulldogs entered the top eight earlier in the day following their win over Hawthorn in Launceston, the Blues slipped to ninth and had to beat the Magpies to play finals for the first time in nine years.
But they succumbed 11.9 (75) to 10.14 (74) to become just the third team in VFL/AFL history to drop out of the finals spots in the final round after spending the rest of the season sitting in a finals spot, and the first team to suffer that fate in 45 years.
The Magpies amazing record in close games this year continued. They’re now 11-1 in games decided by 11 points or fewer, and 9-1 in games decided by seven points or fewer.
The result saw Collingwood finish in the top four and earn the all-important double chance, completing an incredible first year under rookie coach Craig McRae after they finished 17th on the ladder last year. The Magpies will likely face Geelong in a qualifying final in a fortnight’s time.
Meanwhile the Bulldogs, who finished 0.6 per cent clear of Carlton, will travel to Perth to play Fremantle in an elimination final. The other elimination final will be played between Brisbane and Richmond at the Gabba.
PIES DON’T CAPITALISE HOT START
Collingwood made a quick and energetic start and began the game all over the Blues. If it wasn’t for a host of gettable missed shots on goal from Brodie Mihocek (two), Nick Daicos and Jordan De Goey, their lead would’ve been greater than 20 points at quarter-time. The Magpies dominated territory, with 10 of the first 14 inside 50s, and their manic front-half pressure forced Carlton into numerous defensive turnovers and fundamental errors.
COLLINGWOOD ANSWER CARLTON CHALLENGE
Carlton threatened to make Collingwood pay the price as the momentum swung their way in the second period. The Blues enjoyed a sizeable advantage in clearances, their pressure lifted and they had nine forward entries in a row at one stage as they cut the deficit to seven points. But Collingwood were cleaner with the ball, enjoyed aerial superiority, taking 16 intercept marks in the first half (which is the league average for a full game), and a couple of magnificent goals from the boundary via Jack Ginnivan and Ash Johnson saw them head into half-time up by 19 points.
BLUES ERUPT IN THE THIRD
However, Carlton came out of the main break breathing fire, booting eight goals to one in the third quarter, including the first six, to lead by 24 at the final change. Adam Cerra sparked the Blues into gear with two of the first three majors as his team proceeded to obliterate Collingwood around the ball. Their pressure went through the roof, they smashed the Pies for contested possessions (52-31) and their forward efficiency skyrocketed with 8.3 from just 16 inside 50s. Collingwood’s midfield were completely overwhelmed as Carlton’s overall lead of contested possessions ballooned to a whopping 47 at one stage.
PIES HAVE LAST LAUGH, AGAIN
The Magpies began the final term by evening things up around the contest, and the territory battle swung back their way. As Carlton continued missing shots for goal, Collingwood had no such issues down the other end, booting the final five goals, including two rippers from the boundary from Beau McCreery and Jamie Elliott.
Scoreboard
BLUES 0.3, 2.5, 10.8, 10.14 (74)
MAGPIES 3.5, 5.6, 6.8, 11.9 (75)
LERNER’S BEST Blues: Cripps, Cerra, Young, Docherty, C.Curnow, Weitering, Setterfield. Magpies: Moore, Pendlebury, J.Daicos, Maynard, N.Daicos, Ginnivan, Elliott.
GOALS Blues: Cerra 2, McKay 2, C.Curnow 2, Motlop 2, Owies, Docherty. Magpies: Ginnivan 3, Johnson 2, Elliott 2, Sidebottom, Crisp, Cox, McCreery.
LATE CHANGE Sam Walsh (back) replaced in Carlton’s selected side by Lochie O’Brien.
UMPIRES Gavine, Meredith, Fleer
VENUE MCG
PLAYER OF THE YEAR
LERNER’S VOTES
3 Patrick Cripps (Carl)
2 Darcy Moore (Coll)
1 Adam Cerra (Carl)
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ABSOLUTE SCENES!
— Western Bulldogs (@westernbulldogs) August 21, 2022
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