Did it all go according to script?
The visiting Lions didn’t put the Blues to the sword, but they stretched their margin over the first three quarters to enable the final stanza to become little more than a dead rubber. In fact, you could argue that by halfway through the third quarter, this game was done and dusted.
The margin exceeded forty points, the Lions were hurting the Blues on transition, they were tackling them into oblivion, and they had too many winners in too many important roles.
Most of all, however, they were up for the hunt.
The Lions stalked Carlton whenever the Blues were able to win the footy in the back half. Even those who were having ordinary days seemed to grow in stature when they were asked to start defending.
Kai Lohmman?
Poor day, but when it came to laying tackles inside 50, he was on.
Cal Ah-Chee?
Same thing.
It was an obvious team focus to attack the inexperienced Carlton defence at every opportunity, and it worked a treat.
The Lions laid 20 tackles inside 50, as they pounced on any Carlton player who hesitated, even for a moment, to move the ball quickly. And when they moved the footy quickly, they pressured up the field and caused turnovers anyway.
As for the Blues, it was a dirty day. They seemed close, but never close enough. They were hard at it, yet made crucial errors with the footy. And they struggled, time and time again, to finish plays where just one more effective disposal would have worked them free.
Was it lack of skill, or was it pressure?
Maybe a combination of both.
Plenty to get through in this one, as we work through The Mongrel’s Talking Points
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