Round 22, 2010

Carlton 4.2 26 6.2 38 7.6 48 13.9 87 Fremantle 3.4 22 8.6 54 11.11 77 13.15 93
Venue:	Subiaco Oval
Date:	6.40 pm, Friday, 27 August, 2010
Result:	Lost by 6 points
Crowd:	39,376
Goalkickers:	J. Garlett (3) L. Henderson, K. Simpson, J. Waite (2) E. Betts, D. Ellard, M. Murphy, H. Scotland (1)
Reports:	Nil
Umpires:	R. Chamberlain, S. McBurney, S. Ryan
Injuries:	A. Carrazzo (hamstring strain)
Ladder:	8th

Game Review

If the Blues needed any more motivation than usual the chance of a final in Melbourne for the first time in many years was surely enough. That was the potential prize for a victory over the embarrassed, but well rested, Dockers in Perth. The game had all the symptoms of a final, plenty of intensity, lots of pressure and stoppages galore. For the most part the two sides were evenly matched and a tight, hard-fought contest ensued, but in the wash up it was probably Freo’s victory at the stoppages and their second quarter dominance that was the difference.

Reading over the selection table fall out is normally a brief task which might generate a bit of water-cooler chit-chat on Friday morning. This week’s task proved to be more the style deserving of a nice cup of tea and a comfortable chair. Fremantle’s ins and outs read like War and Peace with 11 changes to the team pumped by the Hawks in Tassie last week. For their part the Blues played a pretty straight bat with their three changes paling in comparison. Richard Hadley, Andrew Walker and Sam Jacobs all made way as the recovered ankles of Shaun Hampson, Andrew Joseph and Chris Yarran allowed them to return.

A fast start was always going to be crucial to Carlton’s chances of claiming victory in this one and with Jarrad Waite and Kade Simpson both on the scoreboard in the first few minutes it was exactly what Dr. Ratten ordered. Fremantle looked slow and rusty in those early minutes and with Carlton’s tackling pressure and intensity switched on Freo were looking rushed and fumbly when they had the ball. The Dockers began to scrape off the rust and worked their way into the game, largely on the back of Aaron Sandilands, a giant in more ways than one. Freo got the ascendency through the middle part of the term and the Carlton defence was under constant pressure for a sustained period, really struggling to find a way out of the Freo forward 50. Only poor kicking kept the Blues close until Simpson and Waite both goaled again in quick session to edge the Blues 10 points clear. A goal to Fremantle as the quarter time siren sounded hurt Carlton and they went to the huddle a little disappointed with their four point lead. Andrew Carrazzo looked more disappointed than most and with good reason. Hamstring tightness had ruled him out of the remainder of the game and the Blues were one man down.

Fremantle started the quarter where their first left off. Two more goals in the opening moments had the purple crowd buzzing. They were silenced briefly when Lachie Henderson responded with a fine mark and goal after receiving a beautifully directed kick from Marc Murphy. Freo then piled on three more to stretch their lead to 22 points before Jeff Garlett kicked a desperately needed response late in the term. Freo’s dominance at stoppages was the crucial difference, Sandilands giving his midfield first use time and again. The Blues were on the ropes 16 point adrift at half time.

The third term had a very similar feel to that of last week’s clash with Geelong. Carlton had more than their share of possession and plenty of opportunities but simply could not make it count on the scoreboard. The Blues eventually kicked the opener for the term, through Henderson’s second, but it took 11 minutes of grind and slog. All that effort for so little reward and then Freo came again. They booted the next three with the Blues unable to respond and suddenly their lead was out to five goals late in the quarter.

With the Blues looking almost gone they somehow found something early in the last. Murphy (Carlton’s best on the night) goaled within seconds of the opening bounce and with goals to Heath Scotland and Garlett soon after, the Blues were off the canvas. Back within 11 points and plenty of time on their side it was all to play for. Freo dug in and fought back and after two more goals looked to have the game back under control with their lead out to 23 points. To Carlton’s credit they didn’t roll over. David Ellard put through a nice goal in traffic to halt Freo’s run and they knuckled down again. Garlett’s third reduced the margin to 13 points at the 24 minute mark and an unlikely victory still looked possible. Eddie Betts had a chance to reduce the defecit further a minute later but missed a very gettable shot. He atoned in the 29th minute with a mark and goal after receiving from Bryce Gibbs to make it a nail-biting one straight kick the difference. Sadly that’s where the fairy tale ended. A rushed behind to Freo made it seven points and virtually out of reach very late in proceedings. When Waite marked on an angle a short distance out the siren was about to sound. His resulting behind made the final margin six points and the Blues were left to ponder one that got away.

All was not lost. The Blues lived to fight another day, finishing with 11 wins and the last spot in the final eight, but with the knowledge that this defeat had condemned them to a cut-throat interstate Elimination Final.

Team

B:	18 Paul Bower	40 Michael Jamison	45 Aaron Joseph
HB:	2 Jordan Russell	4 Bryce Gibbs	31 Marcus Davies
C:	3 Marc Murphy	5 Chris Judd (c)	29 Heath Scotland
HF:	6 Kade Simpson	30 Jarrad Waite	19 Eddie Betts
F:	12 Mitch Robinson	23 Lachlan Henderson	22 Shaun Hampson
Ruck:	11 Robert Warnock	16 Shaun Grigg	44 Andrew Carrazzo
Interchange:	13 Chris Yarran	27 Dennis Armfield	38 Jeff Garlett
	46 David Ellard /tr>
Coach:	Brett Ratten
Emg:	1 Andrew Walker, 9 Chris Johnson, 26 Joe Anderson

Milestones

150 Goals : Jarrad Waite
Last Game (Carlton) : Shaun Grigg
Goals Records : David Ellard surpassed Mark Porter as Carlton's leading goalkicker in guernsey 46 with his goal in this game.

Brownlow Votes

3. Aaron Sandilands, Fremantle
2. Bryce Gibbs, Carlton
1. Chris Judd, Carlton

Best & Fairest Votes

41 Bryce Gibbs, Marc Murphy, 30 Kade Simpson, 28 Chris Judd, 26 Jeffery Garlett, 21 Aaron Joseph, 3 Shaun Grigg

Ladder

.	.	P	W	D	L	For	Agn	%	Pts
1	Collingwood	22	17	1	4	2349	1658	141.68	70
2	Geelong	22	17	0	5	2518	1702	147.94	68
3	St Kilda	22	15	1	6	1935	1591	121.62	62
4	Western Bulldogs	22	14	0	8	2174	1734	125.37	56
5	Sydney	22	13	0	9	2017	1863	108.27	52
6	Fremantle	22	13	0	9	2168	2087	103.88	52
7	Hawthorn	22	12	1	9	2044	1847	110.67	50
8	Carlton	22	11	0	11	2143	1983	108.07	44
9	North Melbourne	22	11	0	11	1930	2208	87.41	44
10	Port Adelaide	22	10	0	12	1749	2123	82.38	40
11	Adelaide	22	9	0	13	1763	1870	94.28	36
12	Melbourne	22	8	1	13	1863	1971	94.52	34
13	Brisbane Lions	22	7	0	15	1775	2158	82.25	28
14	Essendon	22	7	0	15	1930	2402	80.35	28
15	Richmond	22	6	0	16	1714	2348	73.00	24
16	West Coast	22	4	0	18	1773	2300	77.09	16

Game	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11
Posn	3	8	10	7	6	9	7	5	6	6	5
%	187.5	122	106.39	120.25	125.96	108.82	117.81	119.18	110.44	112.81	116.328
Game	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22
Posn	6	6	6	.6	.8	7	7	6	6	8	8
%	112.03	110.24	114.24	107.8	104.51	.105.97	102.64	106.99	111.76	108.78	108.07

---

Round 21 | Elimination Final