The Truman Show ruined everything.
So, for this review, this armchair critic will be taking to his keyboard with a light hearted attitude to this game, awakening the spirits of commentators past like Rex Hunt, Harry Beitzel and his little mate Tony in the dressing room, Lou Richards, Jack Dyer, Peter Landy./ I’ll even go as far back to one of the greatest calls of all time by Mike Williamson and Butch Gale in the 1966 Grand Final, imploring the St Kilda players to hit the boundary line as the Saints lead by one-point with only seconds left on the clock. They were absolute legends who broadcasted with a real sense of occasion, humour and always with a devilish charm.
Carlton’s Having Fun
Since halftime a few rounds back against the Lions, the Baggers have played with a devil may care attitude, and in the process, they have now won two games on the trot.
It is crazy how much a team improves midseason after a coach resigns (is axed) and all the shackles are removed.
Harry is smiling, Cripper is smiling, Walsh is smiling, even big Jacob down back is sporting a grin from ear to ear, all because they now have the freedom to express themselves.
The exciting brand of football Carlton have played over their last ten quarters of football is not something new as they displayed a similar style in the Opening Round first half against the Swans, and again in their second half comeback against the Lions.
The ability has always been there, but for reasons better left unanswered, the in-between times have been woeful, truly woeful.
I have done the maths, and with twelve home and away games left, the Blues are capable of reaching at least the Wildcard Weekend this season, but they would have to win at least nine games from hereon in. Mathematically, the Wildcard Weekend is possible for Carlton, however, the excitement of new coach will fade at some point, which will bring them back to reality, but eh, run with the energy as long as you can.
Are Geelong’s systems comparable to the famous Harry Redknapp’s Westham Kindergarten?
Year after year, the demise of Geelong is forecast, and year after year egg is left on the faces of the majority of the overpaid talking heads.
Geelong just don’t go away, but how do they remain so relevant?
A lot of praise should go to Frank Costa (dec 2021) who was the President of the Geelong Football Club from 1998 to 2010. In his time, he reinvented the fragile Cats of the 1990’s to being one of the greatest sporting organisations in Australia in the new millennium.
The Geelong chokers of the 1990’s who ran with the moniker, the handbag kids, was thrown to waste bin of history as Frank and his team reinvented the Cats from the top down and/or from the bottom up.
As the Cats rose up the ladder in the 2000’s, the first real test of Costa’s new Geelong was in 2006 after they had a very disappointing year. It was considered only a matter of time before coach Mark Thompson would be shown the door, or so it looked.
In one of the greatest decisions by any board in VFL or AFL history (possible SANFL and WAFL as well), not only did Frank Costa and his team back Bomber Thompson, but they also built a team around him to guarantee success.
On the day the Cats tore the Power to pieces by a record margin in the 2007 Grand Final, the modern-day dynasty of the Geelong Football Club was born.
Part of Geelong’s success since the crisis of 2006 has been the ability of the club to sell an idyllic lifestyle to potential top shelf recruits on the Surf Coast, far away from the rattle and hum of the big smoke, and it has worked.
Further, Costa and his team were wise enough to realise that for sustained success all new draftees and recruits who came to the club would have to earn their place in the team.
Year after year since 2007 Geelong have regularly set lose some new wonder kid or three with hardened bodies and a hunger for the game who have been hidden within the Geelong system for two or three years learning their craft. There are no free games at the Cattery, thus every debutant who gets selected is meant to fulfill their role in the team from their first game.
The culture at Geelong is the last six players picked each week are just as valuable as the first picked six stars. No one player is more important than the team that takes to the field.
To answer the question about whether Geelong is comparable to Harry Redknapp’s famous 1990’s learning centre at Westham, I would say Geelong have surpassed it, as not many players want to leave GMHBA Stadium.
I will write a full article about Frank Costa one day soon, as I see him as one of the true pioneers who has carried the game forward from the amateur tropes of the 1990’s to the age of professionalism.
In Short
I hope I am right, but this should be a fun game to watch as the Baggers are still playing on a high since the departure of Voss, throwing caution to the wind, while the Cats are always entertaining, well except for when they are dour.
This is a strange game in the context that, sooner or later the Cats are due for a loss that won’t necessarily damage their season, while the Blues know if they keep winning, they might just end up somewhere that seemed way out of reach a couple of wins ago.
Let’s play!
In Cripps they Trust
What a Game
All men are equal, but some men are more equal than others, and at the moment when the entire emotional rollercoaster the Blues had been on all night was either going to be a jarring come down after threatening all night, or a moment of ecstasy celebrating one the finest wins for the Baggers this century, it all rested on the boot of Patrick Cripps.
Even as a supporter with no skin in this game, I was on the edge of my seat having seen a few other senior Blues miss what should have been easy goals all night, and now it all rested on the broad shoulders of the Cripper.
With one minute and ten seconds left on the clock, the Blues hit the front again thanks to their heroic captain Patrick Cripps holding his bottle and kicking truly.
For the next minute there was almost stunned silence in the MCG as the Baggers closed out the game without allowing the Cats another chance to wrestle back the lead.
When the final siren sounded the MCG erupted, as did a few of the locals near where I live, beeping their horns in delight.
It would have been a hot night of celebrations down Lygon Street.
So, lets break it down and see how the Blues pulled off a miracle win.
This review is written with some of my diehard Carlton tragic friends in mind, especially Les, Trish, Deano, Rob T, Chrissy,Sandro, Mum Williams, Phil J, and so many others.
A Game for the Ages
In the first quarter, it looked like the Cats were in for a relatively easy night as they jumped the Blues by 21-points, but that was just an appetiser for what would follow.
It was Shaun Mannagh and Bailey Smith who were on fire early, while Jack Henry and Connor O’Sullivan were clunking marks at will at both ends of the ground. And of course, Ollie Dempsey played his part with two goals, and Jeremy Cameron was prominent as well with a goal.
Technically, the Cats should have been further in front (especially given the howler by David Rodan), however, the erratic Blues, especially with ball in hand, just kept on ploughing on despite of all the mistakes they were making.
As said in the intro, the Carlton players can play the rest of the season play with a freedom not normally afforded any team, and in this game they certainly did.
Mistakes, the Blues made plenty, but they were mistakes the whole team was willing to work through, utilising the philosophy, three good possessions for every two bad possessions is progress.
The Momentum Shift in the Second Quarter
Led by Flynn Young, Jack Ison and Billy Wilson (I hear you say who?), Carlton’s future put together a quarter of magical football that willed their more experienced players to follow their lead.
Most pundits will look solely at the second half and rightly heap praise on players like Will Hayward, Patrick Cripps, Sam Walsh, Jacob Weitering, Nic Newman and others, but it was the new kids who straightened the Blues up in the second stanza .
Shaun Mannagh, who had feasted in the first quarter, was well held in the second quarter, predominantly by Billy Wilson. Billy not only shutdown the Cat star, but he also gathered a massive nine possessions on the rebound for the quarter. I expect a few will point out in the comments that other Carlton players helped quieten the number one rated player in the competition (as we were repeatedly told all night by the Fox Commentators) and you would be right, but it was Wilson who turned defence into attack, leaving Mannagh at sixes and sevens for the quarter.
While the Cats midfielders were kept quiet for the term, Patrick Cripps, Sam Walsh, Blake Acres and Adam Cerra worked their way into the game, however, the Blues weren’t hurting the Cats on the scoreboard as several very senior players missed some very easy shots at the big sticks.
Sam Walsh, Blake Acres, Franky Evans and Harry McKay all missed the easiest of shots, while Mitch McGovern couldn’t hit the side of a barn during the term.
It was Carlton’s senior players who were letting their team down in front of goal, but in one of the best ten minutes of football I have seen in quiet some time, enter Carlton’s 2025 midseason recruit Flynn Young and Carlton’s 2026 NGA recruit, Jack Ison who shone.
Flynn Young, playing on Tom Stewart, which on paper looked like as big a mismatch as there could be, broke free kicking two beautiful front and centre crumbing goals, separated by a magnificent running tackle by Jack Ison on Tom Stewart to which he was awarded free, and he converted accurately from 40m out.
Oh, and before I forget, youngster Jagga Smith lived up to all the hype as he run amok in the second quarter, with the Cats midfield brigade showing him little to no respect. Oisin Mullins went to him for the majority of the second half, but the horse had already bolted.
I give full credit to the Blues youngsters in the second quarter as they put their hands up when it was their turn, and to be honest, they were a lot calmer under the heat of Friday night lights than some of their more highly rated teammates.
The rest of the team followed suit in the second half, but credit to the newbies for their second quarter burst.
While the Blues chipped away the Cats lead, it always looked like they could go up a gear at any stage and put the Baggers away. Max Holmes, Lawson Humphries, Bailey Smith and Gryan Miers led from the front, however, some of the Cats other key players looked a little off their tucker during second term, and for all the Cats midfield pressure, they could only manage two goals and four behinds for the quarter.
Credit must be given to Jagga Smith (18 first half possessions) and Billy Wilson (15 first half possessions) who really busted a gut in the first half, and as halftime approached, Blake Acres, Patrick Cripps, Sam Walsh and Adam Cerra, had worked their way back into the game on the back of Smith and Wilson who were leading the charge, but also as recipients of some brilliant ruck work by Marc Pittonett.
A lot was made of TDK’s defection to the Saints, but the older Marc Pittonett gets the better his ruck craft, and at the age of 28, turning 29 next Wednesday, he may well play his best football in his 30s.
Happy Birthday Big Man.
Carlton Channelled their inner Ron Barassi
In the greatest ever VFL Grand Final comeback of all time, the Barassi-coached Carlton trailed the Pies by a margin north of 40 points at the main break and they looked cooked, however, unlike the Sydney Swans, Barassi didn’t give up, and he instructed his players to handball, handball, and to just keep the ball moving, with handballs.
In 1970 the concept a team could win purely by handballs was unheard off, but by following the great man’s instructions to the letter, the Blues got up and beat a bemused Magpies team with a second half avalanche of handballs.
In the second quarter of this match, Josh Fraser showed he is more than an interim coach, as he instructed his team to handball at all costs, to keep the ball on the ground, to create havoc, and to exploit the big Cats by bringing the ball to ground at all costs.
It worked.
Cripps, Walsh, Jagga Smith, Hewett and Cerra
V
Bailey Smith, Holmes, Miers, Mannagh and Dempsey
The battle for ascendancy in the midfield in the second half was intriguing, and then some.
In a free-flowing game where goals were being scored directly from centre stoppages, it was a true treat for the optics to see both teams breaking free at the stoppages, streaming forward and creating goals.
One of the most beautiful sights in any match is the purity of great players going head-to-head in the centre knowing the winner of the battle for control will be rewarded with a goal.
The combination of Cripps, Walsh, Jagga Smith and Hewett, for a ten-minute period the third quarter reminded me of the Demons third quarter onslaught in the third quarter of the 2021 Grand Final, with Petracca, Oliver and Viney streaming forward from the centre stoppages to set up goals.
It would be unfair to Geelong not to mention Bailey Smith, Max Holmes, Gryan Miers and others who were replicating the Blues at centre breaks in much the same manner when they won control of the pill through the guts.
It was case of anything you can do; we can do better. No you can’t, yes we can, no you can’t, yes we can,,,,,,,
Kudos to Marc Pittonett who dominated the ruck in the third quarter, giving exquisite service to his team. Pittonett’s ruck exploits in the third stanza was the difference maker between the two teams.
For the record, the Baggers kicked four goals from centre break stoppages, out of their seven goals overall from stoppages.
Well played Cripps, Walsh, Hewett, Jagga Smith, Cerra and others for winning the contest for control of the ball from stoppages, especially in the second half. Also, well battled Bailey Smith, Holmes, Miers, Mannagh (he had a dirty night, but he still put himself where the ball was), Dempsey and others who fought the good fight.
This game was always going to be decided by the team who controlled the stoppages, and in a close game, it was fitting it was the best on ground Patrick Cripps was the hero. Having said that, if the Cats had won, Bailey Smith would have received the same kudos.
Saving the best to last, if Cripps versus Bailey Smith was the main event that lived up to the billing, then they support act of Walsh versus Holmes was surely just as intriguing and entertaining.
Jeremy Cameron
Like his mate, old man Gunston at Hawthorn, Jeremy Cameron just keeps on keeping on, seemingly getting better the older he gets.
Out of all the forwards in the Geelong team, Jeremy Cameron was the only one who threatened to be the difference between the two teams. He ended up with four goals and three behinds, and if he had kicked straighter, then who knows?
Some blokes just handle pressure better than others, and Cameron is one of the few players in the AFL who looks exactly the same if his team is leading by ten goals, or if the game is going down to the wire.
The calmness and poise of Jezza almost got the Cats over the line.
Will Hayward
When Will Hayward was recruited by the Blues, a few tragic Carlton supporters I know questioned his acquisition, and I told them there is more upside about Hayward than negative.
Like Wilbur did at Sydney, when he is in the right mood he could turn a game on his own boot, and that is exactly what he did in the second half at the ‘G against the Cats.
It wasn’t just his goals that helped turn this match, it was his attack on the contest, and his ability to deliver the ball with precision, well except for late in the third quarter when he turned the ball over to Bailey Smith who found Jezza who goaled. Once upon a time, in a sad and dreary state, Hayward’s mistake would have normally seen him drop his head and fade, but in this game, he ignored the mistake and he got on with business.
There was some real heat between Bailey Smith and Wilbur in this game, and it would have been great to have had one of them mic’ed up just to hear what they were saying.
Hayward at his best is a real bonus for the Blues.
Jacob Weitering, Nic Newman and their band of merry Defenders
In the dying minutes of this game, poor old Franky Evans was caught between a rock and a hard place when he was left one out on the goal line competing for the ball between Jeremy Cameron and Mark Blicavs, but his brave act of willing himself to win the competition against all odds was brilliant, and it was possibly even game-saving in terms of when it occurred.
Evans’ effort was symbolic of the resolve of the Blues defence all night, led by Jacob Weitering and Nic Newman, with a special mention to Ollie Florent who got the better of Patrick Dangerfield.
Further to what was said in the intro about Jacob Weitering, he has looked like he has carried the weight of the world on his shoulders for a couple of years now, so it was great to see him enjoying his football again.
Weitering was huge up back, clunking 11marks, gathering 19 possessions with a disposal efficiency of 95 percent, and as a cherry on top, he was attributed with three score involvements.
Putting his stats aside, Weitering’s leadership up back was exemplary, and I don’t think it was accidental that young Harry Dean played possibly his best game since his debut this year. Jacob worked closely with young Harry, encouraging him throughout the match, reinforcing that he belongs in the big league. With each successful defensive act Harry Dean’s confidence grew, and maybe this was his breakout game.
If Weitering was the Sherriff, then Nic Newman was brilliant as his deputy.
Newman is another player who keeps getting better with age. His game was par excellence, and without him being in the faces of his fellow backs, he saliently delivered his message by his actions rather words, and they followed.
At an age when most footballers are long into retirement, Newman had 25 quality possessions, including six contested possessions and five intercepts. As good as Newman’s stats read, it was his leadership, and his ability to dish out of handballs to start attacking waves which stood out the most.
It feels like Lachlan Cowan has been in the system for many years longer than he actually has. It is a credit to the 21-year-old that he has established himself as a serious defender at such a young age, and while he doesn’t necessarily star each week, he is reliable and consistent and tries to the best of his ability to fulfill the role he is assigned, as he did in this game.
I could be wrong, but I believe young Lachie plays his 50th game next, and if that is so, then congratulations.
Nick Haynes is a player who has teased and frustrated fans for years now, as he looks like he is coasting most of the time, but after all these years, maybe that is just his demeanour. Haynes is probably in his last year in the AFL, and before the season ends, he will have played over 250 games, which is credit to his persistence.
Haynes is a pivotal player for the Blues in defence for the rest of the season as a mentor for the younger players coming through the system. Harry Dean, Lachlan Cowan and Billy Wilson all play like they are hungry for greater success, and it is important players like Haynes teach them how to control their emotions while continuing to assist in their development.
Ollie Florent is back to his best at his new club following a couple of ordinary years after the 2022 and 2024 grand finals at the Swans, where I believe he might have become a bit of a whipping boy for John Longmire. Florent won’t be listed in the Blues best for this game, but his game of nullifying Patrick Dangerfield and some of the other Cat smalls would be highly rated internally within the club.
Did Tom Stewart have a dirty night? Are the Cats Top Heavy?
Statistically Tom Stewart had a good night, but did the Josh Fraser figure out a way to quell his normal dominance?
Fraser’s move of starting Flynn Young on Tom Stewart looked wrong for a number of reasons before the game, but there was method in Fraser’s thinking. Young was never going to match Stewart in an aerial battle, but he could expose him by being front and centre when he flew for marks, and for ten minutes in the second quarter Young played his role to perfection, kicking two goals. Stewart’s tardy ten minutes on Young was made to look much worse when Jack Ison pinged him in a tackle and won a free leading to another goal.
Stewart is a smart footballer, and not for the first time in his career he adapted within the game to ensure he was still an asset for his team.
Stewart had a dirty night, but such is his presence and esteem within the game, a dirty night does not mean he didn’t contribute to his team.
In the first quarter, Connor O’Sullivan and Jack Henry took contested marks at will, but after quarter time, the Blues employed a tactic and not trying to out mark the Cats tall timber, but attempting rather to spoil them and to bring the ball to ground.
Jeremy Cameron aside, the Cats were exposed when their aerial dominance across the whole ground was nullified and the ball was brought to ground. Normally reliable big men like Sam De Koning, Jake Kolodjashnij, Jack Henry, Shannon Neale, and Mark Blicavs all had quiet nights, while the 206cm youngster Mitchell Edwards who tried in the ruck was outpointed by Marc Pittonett.
While I am talking about Mitchell Edwards, it should be noted he has impressed this year being thrown in at the deep end after missing out on most the 2024 and 2025 seasons due to back and pelvis complaints. Ruck men take time to mature, and to his credit Edwards has held his own against some of the best in the competition, and all while he is still learning on the job.
Patrick Dangerfield
Patrick Dangerfield’s brilliant career is on the home straight, and the race is on at Geelong to have him as well prepared as possible come September.
I did state earlier Geelong don’t carry players, nor do they select players who don’t deserve it, however, getting Dangerfield to his peak ready for his last tilt at success in September is more important to the team than his performance form week to week in late May.
By Dangerfield standards he had a quiet game against the Baggers, but he certainly wasn’t Robinson Crusoe and when the cracks were whipping in the last minute or so he willed himself to be part of the contest.
Danger is the ace up Chris Scott’s sleave, and Scott would be more than aware the emotional value of him playing his last game in a Grand Final would be worth about five goals, reminiscent of 2022 and Joel Selwood.
The gladiatorial competitor in Danger will never cease to be, and the Cats must do all that is necessary to get him to the end of the season, whether that means resting him occasionally, or managing his game time to the exact second.
I strongly believe if the Cats can get him to the line he will do the rest.
Tidbits
In the opening seconds of the game, goal umpire David Rodan adjudged what seemed like a goal as a behind, even though Ollie Dempsey was strongly suggesting the ball came of his shin. It was a howler, and I always thought after the Ben Keays howler a couple of years ago the ball could be recalled, the decision changed with the time clock being reset.
Apparently, I was wrong, as were many others. So, putting a philosophical question out there, can a goal umpire mistake in the opening minutes of a game be blamed if the final result is under a goal?
Argue about it in the comments.
Josh Fraser has been a revelation as an interim coach, and it might be because he has nothing to lose, but he totally outcoached Chris Scott in this game.
While it is still mathematically possible the Blues make the Wild Card weekend, it should not be the overriding goal this season. It is more important serious game time, and experience is given to the up-and-coming younger brigade, especially with it being anticipated the Blues will lose at least 600, probably more, of games experience if, as expected Newman, Haynes and a couple of others hang their boots up at years end.
Ben Ainsworth could take his game to the next level if he could clean up his disposals. Like Florent and Hayward, Ainsworth has fitted in nicely at his new club, but it would greatly assist his new team if he didn’t turn the ball over so often.
Finally, it would be remiss of me not to mention young Carlton tyro Talor Byrne, who when it was his moment to shine in the third quarter, he stood up with a much needed and timely goal to maintain momentum for the Baggers.
Well played Talor.
Nothing too Serious
Circling back to the opening and the call out to the commentatoirs, that made watching the game fun, everything in the AFL has got so goddamn serious lately. With coaches being sacked, after the siren goals being disputed, the umpires under a microscope, serious injuries to players, and concussion protocols questioned just to name a few. Further, each game is being dissected to pieces in the pregame, during the game, and right through to the post-game coverage, to such an extent the competition is suffering from analysis paralysis.
King, Kane, Hodge, Garry, Gerard, Jack, Nick and others, take a chill pill and start enjoying the game again, purely just for the love of the sport.
Like many, I watched the Hawks dismantle the Saints on Thursday night, and again I sat through the Jack and Kingy show, where every little error was dissected with deadpan serious voices as if life itself was on the line.
It actually gets to the point of being boring.
Riewoldt of the Jack variety, who really cares if there is a lineball decision as to whether or not a ball was tapped out deliberately or not when a team is 50 plus points in front, and your casual observation does not need to be mentioned again ten times over the next couple of minutes – we heard you the first time.
As stated, the Saints were over 50-points behind when Jack picked up on this errant lineball decision. See, it is annoying when something is mentioned more than once.
Seriously, what is wrong with just saying the player got one over the ump this time, with a bit of glee in your voice.
Hats off to Mark Howard for finding humour in this game with his running Blue Smurf comment.
Champagne commentary Mr Howard.
In days or yore, whining and whinging was frowned upon, and as it is in sport as it is in life generally, there was once a sense of the mischievous admiration if someone got one over.
Fin
This really was a fun game to watch, and a great game to review, and it is to be hoped I have done the game credit.
For Carlton this is a monumental win, while for the Cats it will be forgotten by the end of the weekend. I am probably being a bit flippant, as the Blues exposed a few weaknesses in the Cats game plan, and I am sure Chris Scott, and his team of assistants will be studying the tape of the game to pinpoint how, why and where his team was exposed.
Next week the Cats travel to the City of Churches on Thursday night in what is now a mouth-watering matchup against the Crows in a must win game for both teams.
At the other end of the Round 13, Carlton front-up to tackle the Bombers at the MCG on a rare Sunday night game in Melbourne, in The Battle of the Coach Killers.
Finally, buy HB Meyers a coffee, he reviews four games every weekend, and he ensures at least a couple of articles are published each day.
Fearless Leader is a bloody ripper.
Stay bold and stay strong.
