Game Review

Harry the hero as Blues pip Saints in a thriller
Carlton has given new senior coach David Teague a win in his first match officially in charge, defeating St Kilda by 10 points at the MCG. It was a see-sawing match full of errors but highly entertaining, which saw the Blues end the Saints' faint finals hopes with a 11.12 (78) to 10.8 (68) victory. The lead changed three times in a tense final term with the winning twist coming after the seemingly ageless Kade Simpson outpointed Jack Lonie on the half-back flank. The 35-year-old hit the ground running, travelling the length of the centre square before pin-pointing mid-season recruit Josh Deluca, who duly (if wobbly) converted. St Kilda caretaker coach Brett Ratten was coming up against the club he both played for and coached, while Teague was carrying the senior coach reins for the first time after being appointed on Thursday. The usual suspects in Marc Murphy (27 disposals and a stunning banana from his favourite MCG pocket) and Patrick Cripps (22 and five clearances after shaking clear a tough Jack Steele tag) led the way for the Blues, while Levi Casboult (20 and 10 marks) owned the air in defence with confidence. Casboult's form was such Jake Carlisle was swung forward in the last term to try to hold him accountable. Tim Membrey enjoyed coming up against a Carlton defence missing Liam Jones (fractured larynx) and Jacob Weitering (a late withdrawal with a groin injury), kicking three, while Nick Hind was lively on the forward flank. After a ho-hum opening quarter, St Kilda began to kick clear in the second term, using outside run from Hind and Seb Ross (29 touches) and making smart decisions inside 50.

The visitors kicked six straight goals, but the young Blues didn't drop their heads, responding with three of their own, including a low Ed Curnow dribble from a stoppage that managed to bounce under a lunging Carlisle. There were several intriguing match-ups in the game, none more so than the battle of the big men in Matthew Kreuzer and Rowan Marshall. Whoever was dominating at the time often dictated the fortunes of their team, with Kreuzer wearing down the young Saint as the game progressed. There were passages of play that would please both sets of fans, with promising signs for the future after relatively poor seasons. But there were also plenty of moments that drew audible groans from the raucous 51,786-strong crowd – teammates spoiling each other, poor disposal under no pressure and shallow inside-50 entries that were easily picked off. The spring-like sun was also an unexpected foe for both sides, with players often losing the ball completely in the air to comedic effect. Dale Thomas, who announced his retirement this week after being informed Carlton would not offer him a contract for 2020, was met with warm applause with nearly every touch. Dan Hannebery showed why the Saints invested so much time into "rebuilding" his body after a run of soft-tissue injuries, adding class to the line-up. There was confusion at three-quarter time when the controlling umpire payed a mark in front of goal to Jack Silvagni seemingly after the siren had gone, only for a non-officiating umpire to overrule. Will Setterfield received work on his right knee early but played out the match unencumbered. Michael Gibbons was forced to the rooms halfway through the third after hurting his left shoulder in a tackle but returned in the last quarter. Next week Carlton finishes off its season with a daunting trip to Geelong to take on the Cats in the Saturday twilight slot. - Sarah Black.

Best Players, M. Kreuzer, L. Casboult, M. Murphy, K. Simpson, N. Newman, M. McGovern, D. Thomas

Team

B:	39 Dale Thomas	20 Lachie Plowman	6 Kade Simpson
HB:	5 Sam Petrevski-Seton	41 Levi Casboult	24 Nic Newman
C:	3 Marc Murphy	9 Patrick Cripps (c)	4 Lochie O'Brien
HF:	25 Zac Fisher	11 Mitch McGovern	16 Darcy Lang
F:	10 Harry McKay	1 Jack Silvagni	7 Matthew Kennedy
Ruck:	8 Matthew Kreuzer	18 Sam Walsh	35 Ed Curnow
Interchange:	2 Paddy Dow	40 Michael Gibbons	43 Will Setterfield
	47 Josh Deluca
Coach:	David Teague
Emg:	23 Jacob Weitering, 32 Alex Fasolo, 34 Andrew D Phillips, 45 Hugh Goddard,

In: Paddy Dow, Matthew Kennedy
Out: Hugh Liam Jones (larynx), (Jacob Weitering (groin).

Milestones

100 Games: Patrick Cripps
100 Games (Carlton): Dale Thomas
50 Games (AFL): Nic Newman

AFLCA Votes

10 - Levi Casboult (CARL)
7 - Marc Murphy (CARL)
4 - Kade Simpson (CARL)
3 - Jack Steele (STK)
2 - Matthew Kreuzer (CARL)
2 - Mitch McGovern (CARL)
1 - Ed Curnow (CARL)
1 - Jack Billings (STK)

Brownlow Votes

3. Marc Murphy
2. Sebastian Ross (St. Kilda)
1. Matthew Kreuzer

Best & Fairest Votes

Levi Casboult 16, Kade Simpson 12 Ed Curnow 11, Marc Murphy 10, Lochie O'Brien 10, Mitch McGovern 9, Matthew Kreuzer 8, Dale Thomas 8, Paddy Dow 7, Harry McKay 6, Michael Gibbons 5, Nic Newman 5, Sam Petrevski-Seton 5, Josh Deluca 4, Matt Kennedy 4, Darcy Lang 4, Jack Silvagni 4, Patrick Cripps 3, Dale Thomas 4, Will Setterfield 2, Lachie Plowman 1, Sam Walsh 1.