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Game Review

The less said about this game from Carlton's perspective the better - history may show that something good came of it, but nothing even half positive for the Blues would emanate from our biggest loss since the horror days of 2003, and our 6th 10 goal smashing for the year. The Blues were smashed, cracked and thwacked across the field, with the hard running Lions dominant and Lion key forward Jonathan Brown kicking 10 goals to break his, and the Bears/Lions, goal kicking record.

Gary Fila umpired his 3rd game of AFL football and in the last 4 weeks he has been at all of Carlton games (he was the emergency field umpire in Sydney last week). His first League games was Round 13 at Subiaco when one of his first decisions was the double 50 metres infringement against Fevola.

In the immediate wash-up the the game, Coach Denis Pagan was sacked as Coach of the Carlton Football Club.

Team

B:	17 Setanta Ó hAilpín	32 Bret Thornton	34 Simon Wiggins
HB:	29 Heath Scotland	30 Jarrad Waite	6 Kade Simpson (a/c)
C:	2 Jordan Russell	31 Jordon Bannister	1 Andrew Walker
HF:	44 Andrew Carrazzo	14 Brad Fisher	7 Adam Bentick
F:	33 Ryan Houlihan	25 Brendan Fevola	4 Bryce Gibbs
Ruck:	11 Cain Ackland	43 Anthony Koutoufides	3 Marc Murphy
Interchange:	5 Josh Kennedy	12 Matthew Lappin	13 Luke Blackwell
	18 Paul Bower
Coach:	Denis Pagan
Emg:	9 Jason Saddington, 19 Eddie Betts, 41 Ross Young,
In:	Cain Ackland, Luke Blackwell, Jordan Russell,
Out:	Adam Hartlett (hamstring), Eddie Betts, Ross Young (all omitted)

Milestones

50 Games: Adam Bentick
Stand-in Skipper: Kade Simpson continued in the role of skipper for this game
Last game (Coach): Denis Pagan
Interesting fact: This was only one of two matches all year in which Carlton were the older team
Interesting Fact: This would be the last time for almost almost 10 years where an opposing key forward would kick 10 goals

Brownlow Votes

3. Jonathan Brown, Brisbane
2. Nigel Lappin, Brisbane
1. Robert Copeland, Brisbane

Best and Fairest Votes

Ryan Houlihan 25, Josh Kennedy 13, Paul Bower 10, Andrew Walker 8, Heath Scotland 7, Bret Thornton, Brad Fisher 4, Andrew Carrazzo, Jarrad Waite 2

The Ghost

Save the Last Dance for Me

From: https://web.archive.org/web/20070914153019/http://carltonfc.com.au/Season2007/News/NewsArticle/tabid/4311/Default.aspx?newsId=48278

So Denis has gone and another era ends at this great club. For all his faults, for all the lack of success, Denis must be congratulated for working hard during some of the bleakest hours in this club’s great history. In many respects he is a victim of his own appointment. I think many of us expected too much when he was named coach. We saw the North Melbourne record and thought that was all we needed - a two-time premiership coach.

We thought this Bluebagger ship would turn around like a well-drilled schooner not the rusted, rotten, empty tanker that, in truth, it had become. It was not just the lack of draft picks, not just the ever-changing presidents that hurt Denis but also he also had to deal with something unheard of for many years with this club. Denis has to deal with a lack of funds.

If we accept that a reason this club has been so successful is that we had the money to get what we needed, then it must equally be true that without that money (and we had none until this year) we should not have expected much more than what we got – the results of a poorly funded, poorly listed club.

What the new coach bring, however, is hope. It was obvious at the Gabba on Sunday that the players had little hope left. They had been to the well over the past few seasons and the well was dry. A new coach buys them time. All of us were tired of the losses, of the beltings, of the lack of development in key areas. A new coach gives us back our hope and gives the club time to get these key areas right.

Firstly, defence. It must be fixed. No team can claim development is taking place when copping 10 goal hidings more often than a politician’s back flip. We must put some steel back into the back line. I think there are two ways to accomplish this. We must try the kids and let them play in their right positions, not drag them for mistakes but support them and honour their endeavour and their successes and maybe we should give Teaguey a game or two; we know his deficiencies, and we also know what we’ll get – courage and commitment. The sight of that in contest after contest can’t hurt the kids around him

Secondly, the ruck – this, in many respects, was Denis’s Achilles heel. We went for the quick fix so often we should have had Selley’s as sponsor of the club. In the last draft we picked up two lads. Neither of them are ready, we all know that, but can’t we at least have a look at them? Can’t we give them a taste of the big time and let them see what lies ahead? And who knows, one of them may stand up, may take the baton and run. We need a ruckman at this club.

If nothing else happens this year but the beginning of a settled back six and the glimpse of a future ruckman or two, I’ll be happy. Mind you, listening to Ratten’s first interview as coach (and at this point I would like to thank Ratt’s son for setting him straight, ah the wisdom of kids), I am happy already. I felt the old Bluebagger blood bubble again. I remember his efforts in our beloved jumper - if he can instil a tenth of that desire into our kids that his number seven delivered week after week, then look out world here come the Blues!

Fix the defence, lets get our finger out of the dyke and rebuild the whole damn thing and let’s find a ruckman, manage those two things and this old tanker might yet find her closing speed.

Finally I hope we rediscover our pride. Pride in the jumper, pride in our efforts no matter the results, pride individually and collectively. The pride of doing the little things well. The pride in showing off our skills, our courage and our will to compete. The pride of a Bluebagger gladiator, of a matador before the rampaging bull, the pride each and every supporter expects of every single player who dons our beloved navy blue because when the player runs out in our jumper he carries a bit of every single Bluebagger supporter with him; that part of us that dreamt the dream, that wants to have a single moment in that glorious sun we call the AFL.

If the players can rediscover that pride then this season will not have been a waste, but the moment true momentum was restored. If we see pride again in the games ahead then you’ll know the supporters will come in droves not just for the games remaining this season but for the years ahead also.

For Denis, my heartfelt thanks; it was the toughest of gigs. Two pre-season cups brought all of us some joy and relief and your development of Setanta, Carrots, Tex, Fish and so on should never be forgotten. For you, this was the fairy tale, the local boy rejected as a player returns triumphant in the club’s hour of need and restores our Bluebagger pride. Sad fact is fairy tales are for books, life is never so fair.

Good luck with whatever unfolds in the years ahead and when we return to that winner’s podium in September I’ll remember you as one of the people who played their part in our resurgence.

Thank you Denis Pagan

Good luck Ratts

and Go Blues!