Elimination Final, 2024

Carlton 0.0 0 2.1 13 5.2 32 11.5 71 Brisbane 5.5 35 9.7 61 10.12 72 14.15 99
Venue:	Gabba, QLD.
Date:	Saturday 7th September, 2024 (7.30 pm).
Result:	Lost by 28 points.
Crowd:	35,660
Goalkickers:	H. McKay 3.1, M. Pittonet 2.0, E. Hollands 1.1, G. Hewett 1.0, O. Fantasia 1.0, S. Docherty 1.0, P. Cripps 1.0, B. Acres 1.0, L. Young 0.1, J. Motlop 0.1, B. Kemp 0.1.
Reports:	N. Newman - engaging in a melee/wrestle (fourth offence), fixed financial sanction of $5000, reduced to $3125 with an early plea. L. Young - engaging in a melee/wrestle (first offence), fixed financial sanction of $1875, reduced to $1250 with an early plea. P. Cripps - striking Jarrod Berry (first offence), fixed financial sanction of $1875, reduced to $1250 with an early plea. N. Newman - striking Lachie Neale (second offence), intentional contact, low impact, body contact, sanction of $6250, reduced to $3750 with an early plea. L. Morris - engaging in a melee/wrestle (first offence), fixed financial sanction of $1875, reduced to $1250 with an early plea. W. Ashcroft - engaging in a melee/wrestle (second offence), fixed financial sanction of $3125, reduced to $1875 with an early plea.
Umpires:	Nathan Williamson, Robert Findlay, Andre Gianfagna, Cameron Dore.
Injuries:	Nil.

Game Review

Blues’ year comes to a close

Carlton's season ended with a 28-point loss to Brisbane. - By Cristian Filippo, Carlton Media.

Carlton's 2024 story came to an end with a 28-point defeat to Brisbane. The Blues had no answers early, trailing the Lions by 10 goals in the second quarter before two attempts at a second-half comeback fell short in the 14.15 (99) to 11.5 (71) defeat. It was Brisbane who had the lion’s share of the play early, forcing the Blues to defend deep on the back of repeat forward entries (9-3 in the opening 15 minutes). They recorded the opening five goals while taking double the amount of marks than the Blues. The Blues were held scoreless for the first term, being dominated in inside 50s (18-8), centre clearances (4-0), marks (36-16) and uncontested possessions (57-44) to trail by 35 points at the opening change. Despite getting more of their hands on the ball and better territory to start the second term, there wasn’t a lot of relief from a scoreboard perspective, with Brisbane jumping out to a 60-point lead before Carlton had registered a score. Jacob Weitering and Lewis Young battled manfully down back in a very busy half for the Blues defence, with Weitering taking more marks than any Blue in the first half. The breakthrough finally came from the boot of Patrick Cripps late in the second term, with Orazio Fantasia following suit with a clever snap minutes later.

A 48-point half-time deficit was pegged back quickly by the Blues in the term, as unanswered goals to George Hewett, Elijah Hollands and Harry McKay got the Blues within 30 points — as close as they had been since the opening term. There were a few positional changes for the Blues, starting with Tom De Koning - who started his return as sub - coming into the game for Matthew Kennedy in the second term. Zac Williams returned to half-back, while Ollie Hollands did particularly well in the third quarter in a run-with role against Dayne Zorko, after the All Australian put the Blues to the sword in the first half. As the Blues threatened to get back in the contest on the scoreboard, the home side rallied, with a Callum Ah Chee goal giving the Lions a 40-point lead at the last change.

Similar to the third term, the Blues burst out of the blocks in the fourth to give themselves any chance, rolling the dice at every opportunity and pushing forward aggressively to get on the scoreboard through McKay and Blake Acres. Following a similar pattern to the third term, the Lions rallied to keep the Blues - who left themselves far too much to do - at an arm’s length. The moment of the game from a Carlton perspective came in the final term, when Sam Docherty - 183 days after an ACL injury at the same ground - pushed forward to kick a goal which generated an all-in reaction from his teammates. It was one of six final-quarter goals for the Blues, but a case of too little too late, ending their season at the Gabba for the second straight year.

Blue murder: Lions destroy Carlton with blistering start

A 60-point-to-zip opening proved too much for Carlton to chase down as Brisbane sets to face GWS. - By Michael Whiting at the Gabba

For a brief moment it looked like lightning could strike twice at the Gabba, but Brisbane halted a Carlton comeback to storm to a 28-point elimination final win on Saturday night. The Lions swarmed their opponents in the first half, booting the game's first nine goals to set up the 14.15 (99) to 11.5 (71) victory. They will now head south to play Greater Western Sydney in a semi-final for the right to face Geelong the following week in a preliminary final. The win could come at a cost though, with key defender Jack Payne subbed off at half-time with a knee injury that will be scanned in coming days. Like its Opening Round loss to Carlton – where it surrendered a 46-point lead – Brisbane had some nervy second-half moments. The start of the match was an emphatic statement by the Lions as they kept the Blues scoreless through the first term, the first side since North Melbourne in 1974 to have 0.0 next to its name at quarter-time in a final. Brisbane led by a remarkable 60-0 late in the second quarter, before Carlton banged home five successive goals either side of the main break to reduce the deficit to 31.

The bumper home crowd was audibly nervous. Brisbane steadied however, and despite some wayward kicking around goal, was never genuinely threatened. The patched-up Blues were no match early on as the Lions won at stoppages, were clean at ground level and moved the ball with speed and precision, led by the fearless kicking of evergreen Dayne Zorko. The recently named All-Australian finished with 29 disposals and was the catalyst for victory, taking brave kicks into the corridor and making swift decisions to spark the early onslaught. Lachie Neale (27), Hugh McCluggage (24) and Will Ashcroft (20) were all influential. Victory was bankrolled with an exhilarating first-half performance. Cam Rayner set the tone with a strong overhead mark before wheeling around and drilling a goal from 55m. Ashcroft, playing in his first final, looked right at home and was instrumental in setting up the next goal for Joe Daniher. They led by 35 points at the first change, 48 at the half and unlike the corresponding match six months ago, there was no turning it around for the Blues despite their best efforts. Neale won everything in tight, Zorko, McCluggage, Ashcroft and Darcy Wilmot used it well on the outside and the dynamic forward line all cashed in, with six multiple goalkickers, led by Rayner's three. Nothing went right for the Blues in the first half, but they didn't help their own cause. Harry McKay missed everything from 50m and, when Eric Hipwood took a mark 40m from goal, Carlton was more interested in remonstrating and didn't notice Daniher leading into an open goal. They fought back in the second half, with sub Tom De Koning making a huge impact when he was inserted during the second quarter. Cripps and Blake Acres tried hard, but there was too much left to too few.

Docherty's successful return
Six months after rupturing his ACL on the very same ground, Sam Docherty completed his remarkable return. He took a chest mark on the wing early in the first quarter to settle the nerves and was far, far from Carlton's worst. Docherty finished with 16 disposals and capped his game with a lovely goal on the run from just inside 50m in the final quarter.

Best: P. Cripps, G. Hewett, B. Acres, N. Newman, T. De Koning, J. Weitering

How Blues rolled the dice and lost at the selection table

Carlton made six changes ahead of its elimination final, but were they the right ones? - By Nathan Schmook

Carlton was meant to be going all in when it made six changes for Saturday night's elimination final, but the decision to pull back at the last moment and select Tom De Koning as the substitute ultimately cost them a winning hand. The Blues were embarrassed in the first half of Saturday night's elimination final, conceding the first nine goals of the game and falling 60-points behind before they had even registered a score. It shaped as the type of September loss that could scar a group, and De Koning was sitting on the bench waiting for his chance to make an impact until he was told to warm up early in the second quarter. Injected into the game 11 minutes in, the 25-year-old was the reason Carlton was able to launch a mini-comeback either side of half-time, with the Blues kicking five unanswered goals and winning the second half by 20 points. But a nightmare first quarter meant Michael Voss's plan A of replacing Marc Pittonet late in the game for De Koning had to be thrown out the window and midfielder Matt Kennedy was instead benched for the big man 11 minutes into the second quarter. Through a quarter-and-a-half on the ground, De Koning had 10 influential possessions (seven contested) and was an immediately more effective and attacking option in the ruck. He had as many clearances as any teammate at the last change and was a crucial aerial presence down the line.

Every aspect of the Blues' selection, including De Koning as the substitute and Kennedy as the unfortunate player who made way, will now be dissected at length given the Blues' season has come to a close after one final. Sam Docherty's return six months after an ACL injury was an incredible individual feat, and his selection would have been lauded if it had paid off. He finished with 16 disposals and a goal, but was not a major factor in the match. The club's six changes also highlighted what was missing from the team after run-with player Alex Cincotta was omitted to make way, allowing Lions half-back Dayne Zorko to dominate the first half and demoralise the Blues. The game was ultimately won in the first 40 minutes as Zorko ran riot. The veteran had 19 disposals in the first half and cut through the Blues to set up entry after entry from his team's defensive half. Halfway through the second quarter, he launched the play that typified the first half when he powered away from George Hewett and kicked long to Kai Lohmann on the wing. Lohmann then found impressive young forward Logan Morris inside 50, who placed the ball for Cam Rayner to take the mark of the match on top of Cerra. Rayner's goal from the resulting set shot was the hammer blow, leaving the Blues' 53 points down halfway through the second quarter and giving the home team a buffer that would see them through to a semi-final against Greater Western Sydney. The Blues were able to slow Zorko's influence in the second half with a more accountable approach, but they'll ask themselves what difference Cincotta might have made if they put time into the Lions' All-Australian from the first bounce. Ultimately, the Blues had to try something. Their 2-6 run to close the home-and-away season meant rolling into September in the same shape would have delivered the same results. The Blues were bold and rolled the dice. They should have gone all in when it came to De Koning.

Blues slammed for ‘horrible’ selection decisions amid finals disaster

The Blues went bold at the selection table ahead of their elimination final clash against the Lions, but it didn’t pay off. - Dylan Bolch.

The Blues went bold at the selection table ahead of their elimination final clash against the Brisbane Lions, but it ultimately failed spectacularly. Michael Voss and his coaching staff made six changes from the round 24 loss to St Kilda, bringing in a host of big-name players in a bid to claim victory in their do-or-die elimination final. But with the scoreboard reading 60-0 the Lions way late in the second quarter, it was glaringly obvious that Voss’ bold call had backfired. “Coming into this selection wise, they rolled the dice,” Melbourne champion Garry Lyon began on Fox Footy’s coverage. “Not all of them worked – in fact none of it worked when it mattered most. It’s 60-zip. “All of those selections were horrible. As the game wore on, they got themselves back into it.” Zac Williams, Mitch McGovern and Adam Cerra all returned from hamstring injuries, to varying success. Cerra got busy early but was ultimately run off his feet by the match-hardened Lions on-ball brigade, while Williams began the night in the forward half before being moved into defence. McGovern was down on his usual output, recording just 14 disposals and six intercepts.

Star ruck Tom De Koning was also recalled despite dealing with a foot injury but was bizarrely named as the substitute for the match due to a lack of match conditioning. Gun forward Harry McKay also came back into the line-up as did defender Sam Docherty. “Williams didn’t look like he could go at all, De Koning starts as a sub and (Alex) Cincotta doesn’t play at all,” Lyon said. “Cerra was the funny one. For Cerra to come in with soft tissue injuries against Lachie Neale, one of the hardest runners in the game, that really surprised me,” Brisbane Lions champion Jonathan Brown added. Cincotta would have been incredibly valuable to the Blues given his lockdown capabilities, especially when Lions veteran and All-Australian halfback Dayne Zorko got off the leash. Zorko wreaked havoc in defence, recording 29 disposals, eight score involvements and 611 metres gained. It was he who instigated plenty of drive for the Lions out of their back half, breaking the lines with his pace and penetrating kick. Richmond champion Jack Riewoldt was bemused by the decisions around De Koning’s role. “I’m completely miffed by the De Koning one. He changed the game in the centre of the ground for Carlton when he came on,” Riewoldt told Fox Footy’s coverage. “(Tom) is a competitive beast. He’s high in clearances, contested possessions. He just gives them energy around the ball and Marc Pittonet is not that type of player. "He’s more of a lumbering type of ruckman who gets around the ground, I thought it was a misstep.” The Blues activated their substitute 12 minutes into the second quarter, with De Koning introduced into the match at the expense of the versatile Matthew Kennedy. “I’ve got no problem with rolling the dice, I just don’t think Tom De Koning is the right sub. He’s your number one ruck. Mid-year this year he was discussed as an All-Australian ruckman, or a prospect of an All-Australian ruckman. Get him in the middle,” Riewoldt exclaimed.

The Blues looked destined to challenge for the premiership at varying stages throughout the season, but a raft of untimely injuries in the second half of their campaign ultimately cruelled their quest for their first piece of silverware since 1995. “The fact is their form wasn’t good enough going in,” Brown said. “Carlton hasn’t been in form. They’ve beaten North Melbourne and West Coast in the last eight weeks – that’s it.” Collingwood legend Nathan Buckley said that despite the injuries and selection dilemmas, the Blues simply weren’t good enough when it mattered. “You can look at the selections … and be critical of them in some shape or form,” he began. “The last two months of footy that Carlton put together, whether they had personnel or didn’t, just wasn’t good enough. They were trying to flick a switch.” The Blues scraped into the top eight thanks to a trip up from Fremantle in the final match of the home and away season, but they were unable to make the most of their golden opportunity.

Carlton’s season over as Lions roar into Giants clash

By Andrew Stafford

A year gone begging for the Blues
For Carlton, it all fell apart in the first half. But really, things began to fall apart much earlier, with a well-documented string of injuries, a resultant loss of continuity in personnel, and an inability to settle on what their best team looked like when they had the availability. It caught up with them tonight. For talent, we know they’re a better team than a beaten elimination finalist, particularly in a year as even as this one. But they lacked the luck that every premiership side needs, and have newly appointed high-performance manager Rob Inness, formerly with the Swans joining for the new campaign. Their window hasn’t closed yet.

Don’t let Zorko run free
Dayne Zorko has been many things in his football career – a magician, an antagonist, a leader, and a pest. One thing that’s never changed, however, is that he’s a beautiful user of the ball, and a brilliant decision-maker. So you don’t want to give him too much space. Zorko tore the Blues apart in the first half, always putting his teammates in a better position, starting scoring chains, playing a captain’s game without the title. Ollie Hollands went to him in the second half and was able to curtail him, but the damage was done. It was one of the best finals of the 35-year-old’s career.

Team

B:	33 Lewis Young	23 Jacob Weitering	42 Adam Saad
HB:	15 Sam Docherty	11 Mitch McGovern	24 Nic Newman
C:	4 Oliver Hollands	9 Patrick Cripps (c)	13 Blake Acres
HF:	20 Elijah Hollands	17 Brodie Kemp	6 Zac Williams
F:	19 Corey Durdin	10 Harry McKay	3 Jesse Motlop
Ruck:	27 Marc Pittonet	18 Sam Walsh	29 George Hewett
Interchange:	2 Lachlan Cowan	5 Adam Cerra	14 Orazio Fantasia
	7 Matt Kennedy
Substitute:	12 Tom De Koning
Coach:	Michael Voss
Emergencies:	16 Jack Carroll	39 Alex Cincotta	43 Ashton Moir

Substitute: Matt Kennedy was subbed out for Tom De Koning during the second quarter.

In; Sam Docherty, Mitch McGovern, Harry McKay, Zac Williams, Tom De Koning, Adam Cerra
Out: Alex Cincotta (Omitted), Matthew Owies (Suspension), Jack Carroll (Omitted), Ashton Moir (Omitted), Jaxon Binns (Omitted), Cooper Lord (Omitted)

Milestones

First Final: Lachlan Cowan, Corey Durdin, Elijah Hollands
First Final (Carlton): Orazio Fantasia, Zac Williams, Lewis Young
250 Goals: Harry McKay
150 Goals (AFL): Orazio Fantasia

Interesting Facts

1. The Hollands brothers became just the sixth set of Carlton brothers to play alongside one another in a final — and the first duo in 65 years, after John and Don Nicholls.
2. Sam Docherty last three games have all been against the Brisbane Lions at the Gabba.
3. Carlton was held scoreless in the first quarter of this this finals match, the last team do suffer this was North Melbourne in the 1974 Semi Final.
4. Carlton has continued its poor interstate finals form, it has yet to win a finals on the road (they have lost all nine interstate finals).
5. This is the 5th interstate finals match that the Blues have lost to Brisbane (also have lost two each to both the Sydney Swans and West Coast Eagles).

Free Kicks

Carlton 14
Brisbane Lions 15

Front Runners

Sam Walsh 15.5km
Elijah Hollands 14.4km

Gary Ayres Award Votes (AFLCA Best Finals Player)

10 - Dayne Zorko (BL)
8 - Hugh McCluggage (BL)
6 - Cameron Rayner (BL)
4 - Lachie Neale (BL)
1 - Darcy Wilmot (BL)
1 - Brandon Starcevich (BL)

Best and Fairest Votes

Video

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Round 24 | 2024