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| Venue: | MCG. | ||||||||||||||||||
| Date: | Friday Night, September 8, 2023 (7.50pm) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Result: | Won by 6 points | ||||||||||||||||||
| Crowd: | 92,026 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Goalkickers: | M. Cottrell 2.1, J. Martin 2.0, B. Acres 1.1, P. Cripps 1.1, D. Cuningham 1.1, S. Docherty 1.1, A. Cerra 1.0, C. Curnow, 1.0, M. Owies 1.0, H. McKay 0.2, Rushed 0.1. | ||||||||||||||||||
| Reports: | Jack Martin was reported for striking Nick Blakey, he was initially given a 2 week suspension, but on appeal this was downgraded to a one-week suspension. | ||||||||||||||||||
| Umpires: | 20 - Jamie Broadbent, 23 - Robert Findlay, 32 - Jacob Mollison, 15 - Mathew Nicholls | ||||||||||||||||||
| Injuries: | N. Newman (nose), H. McKay (concussion), B. Acres (collarbone) | ||||||||||||||||||
Game Review
Blues onwards to semis after thrilling MCG finish
Carlton produced an emotional one-goal win over Sydney in the first elimination final. - By Cristian Filippo, Carlton MediaA winning return to September. Carlton has outlasted a rampaging Sydney to come home with a six-point win in the first elimination final. In front of 92,036 people at the home of football, the Blues produced a rampaging second quarter to open up a five-goal lead, but were forced to hold on with all their might against a surging Swans. Triumphant by a solitary goal come the final siren, it sets up a return to the MCG against Melbourne next week in a semi final.
Quarter one
So often in finals, it’s about who can settle the quickest: there could hardly have been a more popular man to ease the nerves. Receiving a handball from Harry McKay, Sam Docherty - playing in his first final after arriving at Carlton a decade ago - kickstart proceedings in front of a sea of Navy Blue in the Great Southern Stand. It wasn’t long after that where McKay turned provider once again, flicking one over to Charlie Curnow for the Coleman Medallist to open his account in September action. From there, it was a much more even affair, with Carlton on top at the centre bounce but Sydney winning the ball back and counter attacking as it does so well. Errol Gulden pounced on a Carlton turnover to see the Swans hit the scoreboard, as the visitors peppered the goals to no avail there on in. Tom De Koning signalled Carlton’s intent with an early chasedown tackle, while the rest of the term turned largely into a scrap as the pressure was red hot. Just as the quarter looked to be petering out to a first break which would see the Blues take a one-goal lead, some combative forward pressure and an opportunistic finish from Matthew Cottrell (six first-quarter disposals) gave the Blues some breathing room.
Quarter two
Second quarters have been the strength of both sides in 2023, so there was plenty of intrigue how this one would play out given how tense the opening term was. From the outset, Caleb Marchbank set the tone, taking a courageous mark back with the flight of the ball to get the Blues going. There was a heart-in-mouth moment at the Blues’ attacking end when Matthew Owies nearly fluffed his lines being too unselfish, but he managed to sneak one home to open his account. Playing an inspired first half of football, Cottrell was once again involved, winning a ground ball and snapping truly to become the first multiple goal-kicker on the night. Carlton’s prime movers in the middle did brilliantly to get the ball going the team’s way, and nobody was more influential in the second term than Sam Walsh, accumulating nine disposals, five inside 50s and three clearances — the most of any player on the ground in all three categories. The Blues kept the Swans scoreless for a large portion of the term on the back of territorial dominance (16-8 inside 50s), but Joel Amartey’s long-range major brought the Swans back as the rain arrived at the home of football. However, in the dying stages, a courageous mark and classy finish from David Cuningham meant the Blues went into the main break with a 29-point buffer.
Quarter three
Opportunities going forward went begging for the Blues in the opening minutes of the third term, and it was a crucial flashpoint in the game. Three goals in a rush for the Swans brought the margin back to 11 points, the smallest gap in the game since the quarter-time break after a long spell of Blues domination. The Swans started to get their offensive game going in the premiership quarter after just two goals to half time, with the Blues backline struggling to limit a wave of opposition pressure. A moment of respite came courtesy of Jack Martin’s second goal from long range, before Carlton’s ever-trusty midfielders got involved: first, it was Adam Cerra with a typically classy finish that had Carlton fans in raptures, before Patrick Cripps marked his finals debut with a holding-the-ball tackle and goal to reinstate a handy buffer. Blake Acres began to get busy on the wing with eight third-quarter disposals and some crucial one-on-one wins, and his team needed it, with the Swans starting to rise once more. Back-to-back goals made it a 15-point ball game, as an injured McKay came from the field in the hands of trainers and didn’t return. Just as it looked like Sydney would have one last attack to solidify their momentum, the brilliant Cottrell ran down Gulden in the middle of the ground to ensure the Blues still had a bit of breathing room.
Quarter four
McKay was subbed out of the game at three-quarter time, replaced by small forward Jesse Motlop: it meant the Blues were a forward target short when under serious Swans pressure. An error in the defensive goal square allowed Luke Parker to pounce, bringing it back to a single-digit margin for the first time since quarter one. Close September action meant the game was played completely on edge for all players, coaches and the 92,036 in attendance at the MCG. Adam Saad was crucial as Carlton was camped on its last line for large portions of the term, putting in their experience of closing out wins against Collingwood, Melbourne and Gold Coast late in the season to good effect. When the game needed a hero, Blake Acres - from the same goal line as Jeff Garlett 10 years ago to the day - stood up, belying his injury from a fortnight ago to ram home a crucial major. As they had all night, the Swans didn’t go away, with a goal at the 30-second mark making for some nervy moments. However, the blissful siren sounded around the MCG with the Blues a goal to the good, ensuring their return to September action was a winning one.
Best: S. Walsh, M. Cottrell, B. Acres, A. Cerra, A. Saad, G. Hewett.
"We won on heart", says proud Voss
AFL Senior Coach Michael Voss analyses the elimination final win over Sydney. - By Carlton MediaSpoken from the heart. Michael Voss lauded the fight of his playing group in Carlton’s six-point elimination final win over Sydney: the Blues’ first in September in a decade. Setting the game up in the first half, the Blues were forced to hold on against a rampant Swans, with Voss conceding that there was plenty of room for improvement in the final two terms. However, at the end of the day, he believed it was a result typified by a will to win — and that made for one proud coach. This is what he had to say.
On the nerves:
“The last minute and a bit was interesting, wasn’t it. It had everything! It had big moments, it had plenty of mistakes, but somehow we found a way to hang on. “That’s what finals footy is all about: you never know when the moment is going to turn up, but you’ve got to be ready for it. We had a couple of really big efforts late to help us get over the line.”
On what shone through:
“There’s a defensive resilience to us now. We’ve spoken about that all year, and it had to be a characteristic we needed to build within the team. We won on defence at the end of the game. “We didn’t have momentum at all, it was completely against us — and we certainly weren’t winning it through ball use. We’d like to have a few moments back going inside 50, changing angles a few more times rather than letting them intercept and get fast off of it. We’ll go to work on that. “But in behind that was a desperate team with a will to win, and probably in the end, we won on heart. That’s something we’re pleased with.”
On setting the win up:
“We played some really strong footy early. Not only did we have some of the things we wanted in the game, we were able to restrict Sydney and their ability to put speed on the game. That flipped in the game, so that’s something we’re going to have to go to work on: we were poor at times with being able to defend that. “To their credit, Sydney is a very resilient team, the runners-up from last year. They know their own moments, they’ve got some finals experience within that team. To be able to get the lead as we did and then hold on in the end was a special effort.”
On Harry McKay:
“Harry will be in concussion protocols, he won’t be right for next week. It makes him unavailable for next week so we’ll have to look at what our forward mix looks like.”
On role players once again standing up:
“In the past as a footy club, we might have been accused of waiting for our stars to do the job to get us over the line. That hasn’t been a characteristic of this football team this year. “I understand there’s a lot of focus on players that haven’t played finals football and how long it’s actually been, but what we’ve done on the back of it is play really significant roles and the players have really embraced that. They’ve gone after it hard, and they’ve built trust amongst each other within the team. That’s where our difference maker has been. “Externally the brilliance may get spoken about, but internally we value the roles that our players have played. Having Cuningham come in, Fogarty, Owies, Cottrell, Acres being able to do his job — we’re winning off everyone being able to take their turn. That’s been pretty special.”
On Blake Acres proving his fitness:
“I thought off the back of the game two weeks ago, I didn’t think he was much of a chance until the doc called me and told me he’d be a good chance to get up. “He did the fitness test yesterday and I thought he’d come in quite sore, but he actually didn’t at all: he went in, did all the tackling he needed to do and had no limit in his movement whatsoever. He passed it with his flying colours, and it seems he’s come out of it okay.”
On what it means to lead Carlton to a finals win:
“I’ve been taken by the energy, I probably underestimated that energy as well. It’s been 10 years playing in finals, and walking into this week, it felt like a celebration that we’ve made finals. “It was really important to acknowledge that we’ve made that important milestone as a club, but we’ve still got more in us. It wasn’t based off anything other than there was capacity in this team to do more, and we’d be settling for less to do otherwise. “We also have to acknowledge that it’s been a fair journey for our supporters, it’s been a long wait. We’re just really pleased to look across fences and see smiles on faces. “I love seeing our past players and how proud they are of our team now, the way that we play. I love that we can connect in and they’re really proud of how tough we play football. I hope they walk away with a few other things tonight. “We play in close ones and we were able to get the job done tonight again. We’ve been accused of not getting those jobs done in the past, but we’ve gone to work on ourselves. We’re thriving in those moments . . . I don’t know if thrive is the word I’d use today! But we certainly got through it.”
On the parallels with the Round 22 win over Melbourne:
“I think it’ll help, but I think this one was more important because all that energy, we feel. The players have felt that energy of being able to play - in some instances - their first final. We have been limited in that experience, but we’re not now. “The environment is actually quite familiar to us: we had 92,000 people here tonight, that’s familiar to us. Maybe finals isn’t, but we will be able to take some things out of that game and learn a lot. Add a bit more composure in our game in critical moments, and we’ll get that in our favour a bit more than what we did.”
On Matthew Owies’ eventual goal and subsequent reaction:
“I did say before the game to embrace mistakes and errors. My first reaction wasn’t that! Once I sat with it for a little while, I thought ‘oh well, there you go’, because you can’t preach something and not follow through on it. I’d like him to take his moment there from one metre out, if he doesn’t mind. “Fortunately the guys were able to keep moving on, because we were imperfect in that second half. We made so many errors and there’s a lot of things we’d love to have back. I just think we won on heart. We won with defensive resilience and we won on heart.”
On Carlton’s appetite for the contest:
“I think we’re undersold in the transition part of the game. Our best that we’ve produced throughout this year, a lot will talk about our contest game and how we set up our game. Every team sets up their game from contest: there isn’t a team that doesn’t want effort and intensity around the ball, there isn’t a team that doesn’t want an outnumber where the ball is going. “That’s a strength of ours, but what we’ve been able to add into our team is how we defend it. We want to be better at maximising our opportunities, but the thing we’ve improved is when the opposition has the ball, we get to work. We put that 18-man, connected system into place and it helped us tonight. “It wasn’t perfect, but it helped us.”
On what momentum could bring:
“That we can’t quantify. That’s an intangible. You can’t grow confidence or belief without having a body of work. You need your body of work and important flags in the ground to reference back to, and we’ve used plenty of those.”
On Jack Martin’s last quarter:
“He had some great moments at the end where he stood up. Externally, we talk about moments in finals, but you only ever talk about them in retrospect. You never know it at the time, but he had a couple of those tonight. “He had a few deeds that he had to step up in and the team needed to step up in, and he’s done that for us. He’s been a really important addition to us. That group of people I just spoke about before, they’ve come in and done their jobs. He’s come in and provided a third marking target. “He’s tough and hard at the ball — not many talk about him like that, but he is. He adds a bit of leadership out there for us at the same time. He’s been an important addition.”
On what a finals win means to the group:
“There’s one thing to experience it, but it’s another thing to thrive in it. We were able to do that. To get a win under different circumstances was really impressive: you’ve only got to see the reaction in the rooms. Everyone is ecstatic with the result. “It’s not really a time to debrief about what we did well and what we didn’t do well. We’ve said all along that we want to stay completely present to what’s in front of us. “We’ll look at this in two days, put it to the side and then we’ll fixate on Melbourne. We’ve played them recently, so we’ve got an idea of how they’ll structure up. It’ll be another big we’re looking forward, and I’d say another 92,000 sitting in the stands.”
On his personal path to being back coaching finals wins:
“It’s been a journey. It’s been a journey for all of us. I don’t individualise it: this thing’s absolutely nothing to do about me. “It’s got to do with our people, our Club and that’s what I’m really proud of. It’s an important Club moment. It’s taken a lot of effort and a lot of decisions to be able to get back to his point in time, and right now we get to embrace that. That’s all I’m concerned about.”
Swans’ season ends in heartbreak as Blues hold on in MCG thriller. - Catherine Healey from Fox Sports
Carlton has survived a thrilling Swans comeback to stay alive in the finals race with a six-point win at the MCG. Hayden McLean brought the Swans within just six points with 25 seconds to go – after Sydney were almost staring down a 35-point deficit in the third term when Harry McKay sprayed his second horror shot. But the Blues did enough to hang on, as Blues skipper Patrick Cripps sunk to the turf with the 11.8 (74) to 9.14 (68) win on Friday night.
Blake Acres proved the hero for his side, with his two fingernail touches on the goal line denying the Swans two big goals on review. The win has come at a cost with Harry McKay unlikely to be fit for next week’s semi final against Melbourne after leaving the field dazed late in the third term. The Swans’ inaccuracy cost them dearly as their terrible MCG record rolled on – not having won a game at the venue since their brutal grand final defeat against Geelong. The loss ensures Sydney are yet to beat Carlton at the MCG since 1918 in a shock 105-year drought.
Quarter 1
There was no late change to either side with Jesse Motlop (Carlton) and Robbie Fox (Sydney) named as the subs. It wasn’t a great start by the Swans pre-game with their banner falling apart in the windy conditions. And it didn’t get much better from the opening bounce as Sam Docherty got the Blues off to a hot start, and his teammates quickly got around him. Moments later, Charlie Curnow dribbled through his side’s second as the big MCG crowd erupted. “The Swans just need to take a breath – they are under siege in this early stage,” former Swan Jude Bolton said. “They couldn’t have started better, Carlton,” commentator Matthew Richardson added. The Swans suffered a big blow midway through the opening term when defender Nick Blakey was forced from the field. He copped what appeared to be a stray hit from Blue Jack Martin across the face and was sent straight down to the rooms. Errol Gulden finally steadied for the Swans after it was Carlton with all the run. The Swans blew their chances down one end and when Harry McKay got out the back, he absolutely butchered his kick from the goalsquare. “Oh no! He has missed from point blank range!” commentator James Brayshaw said. “Gee he needed that for his confidence,” Brian Taylor added. Matt Cottrell snapped brilliantly in the dying stages of the first term to ensure it was Carlton with a 20-11 lead at the first change.
Quarter 2
Blakey was able to return for the second term in a big boost for the Swans, but again the Sydney backline was under pressure. Carlton owned the opening minutes before Matt Owies did everything he could to blow a golden opportunity in near-disastrous scenes. Owies was caught in two minds as he went to handball to Curnow in the goalsquare and then decided against it. “What is he thinking? Just kick the goal!” Brayshaw said. “He can’t believe it Matty Owies.” A score review was needed to determine Owies still managed to kick the goal – in a moment that could only leave coach Michael Voss asking: “What was that?”. “He tried to be too selfless there Owies,” Taylor added. When Sydney finally managed to get some repeat entries inside 50, Justin McInerney allowed the Blues to walk out when he didn’t clear the protected area and was marched 50m. Martin was taken high when Carlton went forward and suddenly the margin was out to 30 points. “This is getting to a tipping point,” Taylor said. “If the Swans allow the next one or two, they are in awful trouble.” Will Hayward had a chance to get Sydney’s second goal but missed with his snap in the now driving rain. Joel Amartey – in his first final – got one back for the Swans, but they still trailed 47-18 at the main break.
Quarter 3
Harry McKay’s horror show rolled on in the third term when he missed another shot on goal – this time a set shot from just 20m out on a slight angle. “I think he got too close to the mark as well,” Richardson said. And Gulden made the Blues pay down the other end with a brilliant snap. When Logan McDonald nailed two quick goals – first from a mark inside 50 and his second from a snap, the margin was just 11 points – instead of the 35 they would have been if McKay slotted his easy goal. Martin steadied the ship for the Blues with his precision set shot before Adam Cerra stepped up and nailed a ripper snap to bring the crowd to their feet. “That is a superb finish,” Brayshaw praised. Only a Blake Acres fingernail denied Braeden Campbell the goal Sydney desperately needed. Blues skipper Patrick Cripps then stood tall down the other end to slot a huge goal for his side. But the Swans would not be denied with Tom Papley getting a team-lifter before Luke Parker brought his side within just 15 points. With the Blues under all sorts of pressure, they lost big McKay after he collided with Swan Tom McCartin. McKay was left dazed before being assisted from the ground in a blow to Carlton’s front half set up. By three quarter time, the Blues were still holding a 66-51 lead.
Quarter 4
The final quarter belonged to the Swans but they just couldn’t find the radar, registering 2.5 in the last term. Papley had the chance to close the gap to single digits but couldn’t convert, just as Cripps did the same down the other end. When Brodie Kemp decided against walking across the line, he coughed up the footy in a horror blunder – and Parker punished him on the scoreboard. With the margin now just nine points, Carlton looked to be really struggling under the Swans’ pressure. Isaac Heeney tested Cripps’ sore ribs with a crunching tackle in the middle of the ground that left the Blues skipper wincing in pain. Again it was Acres by a millimetre who saved Carlton when he was deemed to have touched Gulden’s shot on goal after a lengthy review. Only some gut running from Sam Walsh to get the spoil deep in defence denied Sydney another shot on goal. The Blues were butchering their entries inside 50 in the final term, as Sydney continued to run the footy out with ease. When Tom de Koning beat two defenders and roved his own footy, it created an overlap for the Blues that allowed Blake Acres to stream into goal. “Well done to de Koning – he was the one that got it there,” Richardson praised. Hayden McLean set up a thrilling finish when he snapped a goal with just 25 seconds to go to bring Sydney within six points. But it was Nic Newman who took the match-saving mark with six seconds remaining to ensure Carlton held on to stay alive in 2023. Swans big man Tom Hickey fought back tears as he made his way from the ground one last time, after announcing his retirement last month.
Team
| B: | 23 Jacob Weitering | 17 Brodie Kemp | 24 Nic Newman |
| HB: | 11 Mitch McGovern | 22 Caleb Marchbank | 42 Adam Saad |
| C: | 15 Sam Docherty | 9 Patrick Cripps (c) | 13 Blake Acres |
| HF: | 8 Lachie Fogarty | 28 David Cuningham | 46 Matt Cottrell |
| F: | 10 Harry McKay | 30 Charlie Curnow | 21 Jack Martin |
| Ruck: | 12 Tom De Koning | 5 Adam Cerra | 18 Sam Walsh |
| Interchange: | 27 Marc Pittonet | 29 George Hewett | 39 Alex Cincotta |
| 44 Matt Owies | |||
| Substitute: | 3 Jesse Motlop | ||
| Coach: | Michael Voss | ||
| Emergencies: | 2 Paddy Dow | 14 Oliver Hollands | 25 Zac Fisher |
In: Patrick Cripps, Sam Docherty, Jesse Motlop, Marc Pittonet
Out: Paddy Dow, Corey Durdin, Zac Fisher, Ollie Hollands (all omitted)
Substitute: Jesse Motlop (replaced Harry McKay at 3/4 time).
Milestones
50th Game (Carlton) : Jack Martin & Marc PittonetGary Ayres Award Votes (AFLCA Best Finals Player)
9 - Blake Acres (CARL)8 - Sam Walsh (CARL)
5 - Tom McCartin (SYD)
4 - Matt Cottrell (CARL)
2 - Errol Gulden (SYD)
1 - Adam Cerra (CARL)
1 - Adam Saad (CARL)
Interesting Facts
1.Most games for Carlton before playing in a final were Patrick Cripps 181, Jacob Weitering 156, and Sam Docherty 151. Previous to this it was Bret Thornton (149 games), and Jarrad Waite (131 games).2. Sydney Swans have not beaten Carlton at the MCG since the 1918 Semi Final, this drought has been for 105 years.
3.This was the same score as Round 7, 1950
Video
Round 24 | The Semi...