Bronx cheers for De Koning amid robbing Peter to pay Paul dilemma

Tom De Koning is the subplot to the subplot of Carlton’s spiralling season.

Probably the best ruckman in the AFL in the first half of the year he is now not even Carlton’s first ruck. And yet, he is almost certain to leave for St Kilda at year’s end on a long-term deal that looks more bewildering by the day.

Due to injuries, primarily to Harry McKay but also to an extent with Jack Silvagni, De Koning is playing almost exclusively forward. As a forward he makes a very good ruck.

It is a matter of necessity due to those injuries, but it remains odd to see a player who can be so damaging as a ruck used as a forward and be so thoroughly anonymous.

In the last quarter he dived low for a ball and marked it. He got the Bronx cheers from the Carlton crowd who were still there on this cold Thursday night when the game was already a fait accompli. He at least kicked the goal.

Tom De Koning flies high for this mark.Credit: Getty Images

While De Koning’s form had tapered from its hot start, a fact that senior Carlton people privately admit probably has much to do with the weighty burden of his next career move, he is plainly still a good ruck. It begs whether he is being played there because the club is looking to the future without him and so is using Marc Pittonet in the ruck.

Michael Voss said after the game that was conspiratorial and wrong. He wanted the best team to win, and they needed another player forward.

It still feels like they have created a bigger problem by trying to solve a lesser one.

Voss admitted there was a case of robbing Peter to pay Paul by moving De Koning out of the ruck and playing him forward.

“There is probably a bit of that. Probably a bit of that,” Voss said.

“But we need him forward from a personnel view point and Pitto has more than earned his right to put his hand up to be in the team.

“I think he (Pittonet) did a great job today.”

Marc Pittonet’s massive torpedo kick on its way to a goal against the Lions.Credit: Channel Seven

Indeed, despite rucking he had more impact as a forward than De Koning did. He booted a magnificent 60-metre torpedo punt after the siren at the end of the first quarter, then kicked one from a metre out in the next term. He was good, but the disappearance of de Koning as one of Carlton’s best players is mystifying.

Charlie Curnow was willing and pushed himself up the ground, but he had no one else forward to be a presence.

Admittedly, it is an awful place to be in Carlton’s forward line at the moment. The field kicking, especially forward of the centre was again deplorable. Targets being missed was the rule not the exception and made Brisbane’s rebound game which they play with ruthless speed and efficiency so much easier to play.

Patrick Cripps was far better on Thursday night, as was George Hewitt, but they stood out because they used the ball well and played with desire

The match itself followed a similar plot as last week. The Blues were wiling in the first quarter and were in the match. The class of the opposition told in the second as they edged slowly out to a five-goal lead, the match was blown up in the third quarter and in the last term Brisbane, as Collingwood did last week, played not to get injured and to save their legs coming off a five-day break.

Carlton were trying but privately in the rooms after the game even senior players were baffled by why it was their field kicking that was again so poor. They train well and play badly. A truism of sport is you play how your train and Carlton feel a little cheated by that.

Voss was asked whether they had spent sufficient time on skill training in the summer, his response was candidly honest when he said he thought they had, but the evidence on the field would point otherwise.

“The outcome would suggest maybe not enough (skill work),” he said.

“We got more (effort intensity and tackling pressure) tonight. But it’s still not good enough. There are still things that are in our control that we can do a lot better.”

After the month of misery that began with losing to North, didn’t improve against Port and then ran head first into the two best teams now leaves Carlton able to come up for air.

Play should have been stopped and the umpires thrown the ball up after the first quarter collision between Lachie Cowan and an umpire, Blues coach Michael Voss said.

Instead, play was allowed to continue, and the ball tumbled free for a Lions goal, kicked by Charlie Cameron.

Voss, who agreed the moment did not cost the Blues the game even if it did cost them a goal, said he was unsure what the rules are covering such incidents, but common sense was that the umpire interfered with the player and the play should have stopped and ball up called.

Ump clash: Carlton’s Lachlan Cowan collides with umpire Andrew Heffernan.Credit: Fox Footy

“Absolutely [it should have been balled up],” Voss said.

“If you are interrupting the passage of play, I would have thought it’s commonsense to make that a ball up.

“If there is an adjustment [to the rules] I would suggest if there is general interference in the play the direct line of the ball the common-sense thing to do there is to ball it up.”

Charlie Cameron is congratulated by teammates.Credit: Getty Images

This year’s inaugural winner:

Carlton’s horror run has continued with a 37-point loss to the Brisbane Lions as embattled coach Michael Voss desperately seeks to release a pressure valve.

The Blues went goalless for a 40-minute period from late in the second quarter and the reigning premiers romped to a 15.13 (103) to 9.12 (66) victory at Marvel Stadium.

Brisbane’s Josh Dunkley (28 disposals, 13 tackles) was awarded the inaugural Robert Walls Medal, struck in honour of the dual-club great, who died in May.

The only sore point for the Lions (12-4-1) was Noah Answerth’s left Achilles injury, which led to the defender’s substitution before halftime.

Ump clash: Carlton’s Lachlan Cowan collides with umpire Andrew Heffernan.Credit: Fox Footy

Lachie Neale (31 disposals), Dayne Zorko (28) and Will Ashcroft (28) were all influential and Charlie Cameron (three majors) led a group of 11 Brisbane goal-kickers.

A fourth straight loss poured more heat on Carlton and Voss in a tough period for the under-fire coach, who has been the subject of a death threat.

Carlton captain Cripps (26 disposals, nine clearances) and George Hewett (33, nine) battled against the tide, while spearhead Charlie Curnow went goalless for a fourth straight week.

Tom De Koning, who is weighing up a huge contract offer from St Kilda, received Bronx cheers from Blues fans and finished with one goal from 14 disposals playing predominantly in attack.

AAP

Brisbane Lions forward Cam Rayner says the club will rally around Noah Answerth, who suffered an Achilles injury and was wearing a moon boot after the match, but other players will “fill that void” with their teammate out.

“We’ll rally around him, as we always do,” said Rayner after Brisbane’s convincing victory over the down-and-out Blues.

“It’s obviously a really tough injury … talking about me going down at half-time [with my minor injury] - he was on the crutches and asking how I was.

“That just speaks volume of his character.

“It’s a little bit unfortunate for him, and we’ll rally around him.

“But at this footy club we’ve got a lot of players who’ll step up, and hopefully we can fill that void.”

Chris Fagan and Noah Answerth after the match.Credit: Getty Images

The small mercy for Carlton was they won the last quarter. Where they are at right now that is not nothing even if Brisbane had by that stage geared down to a training run.

The outcome of this match was not really in doubt before the game given Carlton’s run of form ad their second placed opponent. By half-time, it was not in doubt at all by which time they trailed by five goals.

The crowd of 32,898 was not especially bad but nor was it good. It reflected the Blues’ run of form and the popularity of attending games on a Thursday night, especially a cold windy Melbourne winter’s night. There were plenty of empty seats on the lower levels.

The Blues booted the first three goals of the quarter and remarkably Brisbane who had dominated the first three quarters managed only four behinds for the last term. The Lions had done enough to safeguard their second place on the ladder without playing near their best for most of the night.

Robert Walls lends his name to a medal struck for best on ground in these encounters. The first of the medals was won this night by Josh Dunkley.

And there’s the final siren. Full credit to the Carlton fans who stuck fat and stayed here at Marvel Stadium until the finish. Tough going.

FINAL: Brisbane Lions 15.13 (103) d. Carlton 9.12 (64)

This match is dribbling to a lacklustre conclusion. Sorry, it’s hard to find a better description. A largely meaningless quarter being played here ....

Mitch McGovern grabs one. That’s three goals this term to Carlton, and ZERO for Brisbane. After eight minutes, the Blues have eaten into Brisbane’s lead.

Q4, 8.15: Brisbane Lions 15.9 (109) lead Carlton 9.10 (64)