West Coast and Carlton played a classic final on Saturday night. The intensity lifted as the match progressed, inspiring the players to find that extra inch of ground between hanging back and forcing a collision. The occasion didn’t deter the nerves or create doubt, rather, the players thrived on relentless pressure and refused to yield or give up.
Carlton led by 16 points at quarter time. The Eagles kicked eight straight in the second term to lead by 11 points at half time. By three quarter time the margin was nine points. The final term was long, almost 36 minutes. West Coast didn’t relinquish the lead, holding on by three points.
A classic…
Josh Kennedy, the left side of his face swollen, was almost subbed off after a clash with Mitch Robinson in the first term. Kennedy came back on in the second term and finished with three goals from ten possessions. Kennedy is tough and courageous. Arguably, he made the difference.
Andrew Embley had 28 disposals while Daniel Kerr and Matt Priddis collected 27. On the wide expanse of Subiaco, the match possession count was low, 322 to 303 in favour of the Eagles. For the Blues, Mitch Robinson gathered 27 disposals while Marc Murphy had 23.
Carlton won three quarters, the first by 16, the third by a point and the last by a goal and still lost. The lapse in the second quarter, conceding eight goals, cost them the game, but one incident stands out as the turning point.
Following a goal to Mark Nicoski, Carlton’s Marcus Davies remonstrated with Jack Darling inside the goal square then slung him by the jumper to the turf, in front of the umpire. A free kick for holding was paid before the ball made it back to the centre. Darling scored West Coast’s second goal inside 30 seconds. Davies will be horrified, his anger lacking reason and accountability.
Midway through the last term the Eagles led by 21 points. The Blues took risks, played on, kicking long inside 50 to a contest. Surging forward, Jeff Garlett grabbed the crumbs for a goal then Andrew Walker goaled from a set shot on the boundary. In the final frantic moments, with the siren imminent, the Blues did all they could to eke out another goal, one more straight kick to give them the lead.
The siren, though, rendered mute any hope or belief the Blues had, wracking their emotions raw. The siren sounded out with the ball in Quinten Lynch’s hands at centre-half-back. As the players, elated or devastated, mingled in loose groups, fantasy had sprung, mad desire for the rest of the finals to be as tough and uncompromising as the twilight game at Subiaco.
Before the game, many believed Carlton was in for a long, tough night. West Coast was clear favourites but the line bet, +14.5 indicated the match would be close. The line seemed generous but bookies don’t make money by being silly.
The win, as narrow as it was, proved a good big player is just as valuable as a good short player. Back in round 14 at Docklands, West Coast’s talls, players more than 190 centimetres, contributed six goals which turned out to be the difference. Carlton’s talls contributed naught, all their goals coming from midfielders or small forwards.
At the weekend, West Coast’s talls kicked eight goals. Dean Cox and Lynch got one apiece while Jack Darling and Kennedy kicked three.
To win, Carlton had to restrict Lynch, Nick Naitanui, Kennedy, Cox and Darling to four goals or less.
For the Blues, four of their goals were kicked by talls, one to Brett Thornton and three to Andrew Walker, who doesn’t play as a tall forward. Significantly, Thornton knocked himself out just before half time in a marking contest, getting bundled into an ambulance and taken to hospital with concussion. His absence robbed Carlton of versatility and introduced their sub a quarter early.
Setanta OhAilpin was solid but missed his only shot on goal. Eddie Betts was quiet, just one goal, while Garlett, Marc Murphy and David Ellard kicked two goals. Blues captain Chris Judd played ordinary football again, as he has for the past month. In the second term, a clearing kick from deep in the back pocket led to a goal by Shannon Hurn. Judd lacked power, pace and penetration with his kicking, unable to exert sustained influence on the game.
Clearly Judd has been carrying an injury for the past month.
Carlton was undermanned against the Eagles, Jarred Waite, Bryce Gibbs and Matthew Kruezer missing through injury. All are goal kickers. All might’ve played next week.
It’ll be six months now…
In the past three seasons Carlton has played four finals, losing three by seven, five and three points. They’re a club on the cusp needing desperately to find another goal, a marking target, when it’s needed most. They’ve been described as gallant, but losers often are.
West Coast weren’t exactly lucky but they almost blew a 21-point lead twenty minutes into the last term. As costly as Carlton’s lapse was, West Coast’s would’ve been worse. Coach John Worsfold would be satisfied but he’d know a better effort will be needed to defeat Geelong next weekend at the MCG.
Hawthorn, not exactly fresh from their win over Sydney, face a daunting game against Collingwood on Friday night. The Magpies will win. In the aftermath, the Hawks will be described as gallant.
Sydney proved, again, they can’t win at the MCG. The Swans had one shot at goal in the first term and trailed by 40 points at half time. They didn’t deserve to win. Despite reducing the margin to three goals at three quarter time, Hawthorn rode out the pressure and eased to victory.
Buddy Franklin, who wasn’t supposed to play, kicked four goals in a subdued performance, but he still gathered 17 possessions and took six marks.
David Hale played his best game for years, 17 possessions, two goals and 28 hit outs. Last season Hale was languishing in North Melbourne’s VFL side. Next week he goes up against Darren Jolly. A criticism of Hale is his penchant to play well one week and ordinarily for the next month. The preliminary final provides opportunity to string together consecutive matches of importance.
Sydney tried to play direct, attacking football but too often they kicked long to packs in the pocket or on the flank. Hawthorn’s Josh Gibson picked off the ball with ease, 21 spoils, with 16 to Hawthorn’s advantage.
Sydney’s tall forwards, Jesse White, Sam Reid and Matt Spangher didn’t get enough of the ball to worry Hawthorn, contributing just two goals. In a pack situation, they weren’t big enough to out-muscle Hawthorn’s defenders and none could keep Gibson accountable.
Against Collingwood, Gibson will come up against Travis Cloke, Chris Dawes or Leigh Brown. He’ll need to be much more accountable, because Hawthorn does not have enough depth in their tall defenders to allow Gibson to drift off his opponent.
The 2011 final series has shown a vast difference between the top five teams and the rest. As the competition moves into the penultimate round, the top four will play off in the preliminary finals, which is as it should be.
At the weekend, Carlton and West Coast played a final to be remembered, true grit and courage. As the result was digested in the winners and losers rooms, mistakes were remembered, mentioned and analysed.
An incident, not a mistake, was mentioned as crucial, an alleged hold by Darren Glass on Andrew Walker in the goal square. Vision of the incident is unimpeded and clear. Glass had his arm around Walker but didn’t have hold of the jumper and didn’t seem to restrict movement. Walker’s arms were free, raised above his head.
As Saturday night became Sunday morning, Blues fans suggested it was a free kick. Expert panels consisting of journalists and current and former players said it wasn’t a free kick. The AFL was forced to defend the non decision.
And no one need mention it again, ever.
Carlton lost, simply, because they were gallant, but they weren’t good enough.
Ump lover
