CARLTON fell narrowly short of Grand Finalists Collingwood in a captivating contest at the MCG.

Given the chance to respond to the disappointment of last week, the Blues brought fight and passion in abundance to stay with the old enemy all day.

In front of 69,289 people, the Blues led the Pies late in the final term, before a late Collingwood flurry saw the visitors come away with a 19-point win.

Patrick Cripps once again led from the front, coming away with the Richard Pratt Medal for a best-on-ground performance.

The Breakdown

Q1 Breakdown:

Collingwood opened its account off the boot of Jaidyn Stephenson after an inaccurate start from the Blues. Although it was the Pies who hit the scoreboard early, it was Carlton who led possession midway through the quarter. The Blues matched the Pies for inside 50s but missed their opportunities until clever shark and dribble from Charlie Curnow put them on the board. After a low-scoring first term, the Blues trailed by three points at quarter time.

Q2 Breakdown:

Collingwood hit the ground running with a goal from Brodie Grundy, but a new-look Blues’ defence did well to stem the Pies momentum. Harry McKay gave the Blues the lift they needed with a a crafty goal to keep them right in the contest. From then on it was all Navy Blues, with handy goals from Michael Gibbons, Jack Silvagni and Mitch McGovern putting the Blues ahead for the first time. The old rivals responded in form to level the scores and keep Blues fans on the edge of their seats going into halftime. Cripps was at his rollicking best, notching 12 disposals in the second quarter alone.

Q3 Breakdown:

The Pies again broke away early with a goal from Brody Mihocek, but there was no letting up from the Blues with a response off the boot of Mitch McGovern. From then on it was a good old-fashioned arm wrestle between the two adversaries. The Blues hit the front in clearance count, and it wasn’t long before they converted that midfield dominance into attack with three quick goals to push the lead out to 11 points. But the Pies responded once more, and the margin was narrowed to five points at three-quarter time.

Q4 Breakdown:

As was the case all day, the Pies started the quarter with the momentum with two quick goals. The Blues battled along to no avail, until the dependable skipper took matters into his own hands with a goal to put the victory within reach. It sparked the Blues, and with 10 minutes remaining Cuningham got his second from a 50-metre penalty. Another goal from McGovern and Blues fans could dare to dream of their four points. But the Pies would not give up without a fight, and the final five goals of the game saw Collingwood confine Carlton to an agonising defeat.

Moment of the match:

It was a moment that had Bluebaggers daring to dream. The Pies had stormed out the gates after three-quarter time, piling on two goals to widen the margin to eight points. Wrestling back and forth, the clock looked the Blues’ enemy until Patrick Cripps stepped in. The MCG roared as he gathered, sidestepped and sailed one through to give the Blues the momentum once more.

Three things we learned:

  1. With injury woes poking holes in the Blues’ backline over the last two rounds, someone had to rise to the occasion. Enter Caleb Marchbank. The tireless defender was huge with nine rebound 50s and 11 intercept possessions.
  2. Brendon Bolton implored his Blues to take a “steely resolve” into the old-fashioned grudge match. When pride was on the line, the Blues’ efforts could not be questioned.
  3. If there were concerns about the Blues tall forward line, they sure were silenced today. The McKay-McGovern-Curnow combination proved fruitful, finishing with seven goals between them, while Jack Silvagni was once again valuable in attack.

Match summary:

Carlton           1.4   5.6   10.8   13.9 (87)
Collingwood   2.1   5.6   9.9   16.10 (106)

Goals:

Carlton: McGovern 3, Cuningham 2, C.Curnow 2, McKay 2, Cripps, Gibbons, Murphy, Silvagni

Best:

Carlton: Cripps, Kreuzer, Marchbank, Thomas, Fisher, Cuningham, Murphy