Blues slammed for ‘horrible’ selection decisions amid finals disaster

The Blues went bold at the selection table ahead of their elimination final clash against the Lions, but it didn’t pay off.

The Blues went bold at the selection table ahead of their elimination final clash against the Brisbane Lions, but it ultimately failed spectacularly.

Michael Voss and his coaching staff made six changes from the round 24 loss to St Kilda, bringing in a host of big-name players in a bid to claim victory in their do-or-die elimination final.

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But with the scoreboard reading 60-0 the Lions way late in the second quarter, it was glaringly obvious that Voss’ bold call had backfired.

“Coming into this selection wise, they rolled the dice,” Melbourne champion Garry Lyon began on Fox Footy’s coverage.

“Not all of them worked – in fact none of it worked when it mattered most. It’s 60-zip.

“All of those selections were horrible. As the game wore on, they got themselves back into it.”

Tom De Koning / Michael Voss

Zac Williams, Mitch McGovern and Adam Cerra all returned from hamstring injuries, to varying success.

Cerra got busy early but was ultimately run off his feet by the match-hardened Lions on-ball brigade, while Williams began the night in the forward half before being moved into defence. McGovern was down on his usual output, recording just 14 disposals and six intercepts.

Star ruck Tom De Koning was also recalled despite dealing with a foot injury but was bizarrely named as the substitute for the match due to a lack of match conditioning.

Gun forward Harry McKay also came back into the line-up as did defender Sam Docherty.

“Williams didn’t look like he could go at all, De Koning starts as a sub and (Alex) Cincotta doesn’t play at all,” Lyon said.

“Cerra was the funny one. For Cerra to come in with soft tissue injuries against Lachie Neale, one of the hardest runners in the game, that really surprised me,” Brisbane Lions champion Jonathan Brown added.

Cincotta would have been incredibly valuable to the Blues given his lockdown capabilities, especially when Lions veteran and All-Australian halfback Dayne Zorko got off the leash.

Zorko wreaked havoc in defence, recording 29 disposals, eight score involvements and 611 metres gained.

It was he who instigated plenty of drive for the Lions out of their back half, breaking the lines with his pace and penetrating kick.

Richmond champion Jack Riewoldt was bemused by the decisions around De Koning’s role.

“I’m completely miffed by the De Koning one. He changed the game in the centre of the ground for Carlton when he came on,” Riewoldt told Fox Footy’s coverage.

“(Tom) is a competitive beast. He’s high in clearances, contested possessions. He just gives them energy around the ball and Marc Pittonet is not that type of player.

“He’s more of a lumbering type of ruckman who gets around the ground, I thought it was a misstep.”

The Blues activated their substitute 12 minutes into the second quarter, with De Koning introduced into the match at the expense of the versatile Matthew Kennedy.

“I’ve got no problem with rolling the dice, I just don’t think Tom De Koning is the right sub. He’s your number one ruck. Mid-year this year he was discussed as an All-Australian ruckman, or a prospect of an All-Australian ruckman. Get him in the middle,” Riewoldt exclaimed.

The Blues looked destined to challenge for the premiership at varying stages throughout the season, but a raft of untimely injuries in the second half of their campaign ultimately cruelled their quest for their first piece of silverware since 1995.

“The fact is their form wasn’t good enough going in,” Brown said.

“Carlton hasn’t been in form. They’ve beaten North Melbourne and West Coast in the last eight weeks – that’s it.”

Collingwood legend Nathan Buckley said that despite the injuries and selection dilemmas, the Blues simply weren’t good enough when it mattered.

“You can look at the selections … and be critical of them in some shape or form,” he began.

“The last two months of footy that Carlton put together, whether they had personnel or didn’t, just wasn’t good enough. They were trying to flick a switch.”

The Blues scraped into the top eight thanks to a trip up from Fremantle in the final match of the home and away season, but they were unable to make the most of their golden opportunity.

Originally published as Blues slammed for ‘horrible’ selection decisions amid finals disaster