Crisis averted, or just postponed? Blues take back control of their narrative – for now

6 hours ago 4

Disaster averted. Or postponed, depending on your levels of optimism.

The measure of this Carlton win is found in the alternative. The reaction had Carlton lost to Richmond after last week’s Sydney belting requires no imagination. So, while Carlton didn’t kick a goal for 54 minutes and would have lost had Tom Lynch been able to convert even one more of his 10 shots at goal (he kicked 2.7 and one out of bounds), that all means nothing against the fact that this week they won.

A relieved Michael Voss hugs it out with Blues young gun Harry Dean.

They might also question, as Michael Voss did afterwards, whether the free kick for Lynch’s second goal, which brought the Tigers back to less than a kick down with under two minutes to play, was really there. It was. Lewis Young took his eyes off the ball and positioned himself to screen Jacob Weitering and block Lynch.

Last week Carlton lost, and the familiar manner of it set the narrative of the days to follow. This week they won and despite there being a similarity about the second half fadeout, in victory, 10.15 (75) to 9.17 (71), they regain control of their narrative for the week.

Richmond might be a callow side that a more-seasoned Carlton should beat, but Voss feels that undersells the rare significance of playing bitter historic rivals on the MCG in front of big crowds (there were 74,313 people at the MCG on Thursday night). Ladder positions in these blockbuster games become irrelevant.

Richmond coach Adem Yze felt his side probably didn’t deserve to win last year when they came from behind and upset Carlton. He didn’t think that on Thursday night when, this time, he felt his was the better side and deserved the win.

Maybe. Certainly in field play they were the better team for more of the game, but it’s hard to argue you are deserving of more when you are also the architect of your own loss when your full-forward kicks so badly for goal.

A more granular but more interesting storyline of the night was Jagga Smith. The young draftee playing only his second game had 16 touches in the first quarter. Sixteen, in his fifth ever quarter of AFL football! He got more opposition attention after quarter-time and finished the game with 32 touches – the equal most on the ground with two-time Brownlow medallist Patrick Cripps.

Stats are valuable when they are useful for a story, and even more valuable when they are useful on the field. Smith’s were useful stats on the field, and build a story of a genuine superstar arriving in the game with the urgency of someone who missed a year of football.

His impact on the game was as significant as any more senior player on the night, given Carlton’s win was built in that first term.

Carlton reacted to last week by switching players around. Mitch McGovern moved forward and booted two goals in the first term, but still spent periods behind the ball when the Blues were under siege.

Zac Williams was pushed back behind the ball to give them more run and better ball use but when in desperation, needing someone – anyone – to kick a goal, Voss swung him forward again. After 54 minutes without a Carlton goal, Williams finally kicked one – the only one of the Blues’ second half. But it was enough.

“Was it really that long between goals? I didn’t even realise that. Oh wow,” Williams said.

“I feel like, over the last few years, I have done a number of roles, so I am always prepared to have my magnet flicked around to do whatever the team needs in terms of role.

“It was a bit of a surreal moment, kicking the goal – I didn’t think it was going through there for a second and I celebrated early and had to pull myself back because I thought it was going to hit the post, but I am just stoked we got the win after last week when we really let ourselves down in the second half.

Tigers young gun Sam Lalor stands his ground against Blues star Jacob Weitering.

“We really wanted to finish out the game strong, and credit to our backline boys who stood up strong in big moments.

“I think we have to go back and keep it simple in our role. Sometimes we deviate from it, but we need to get back to task quickly.

“I think in that third quarter last week, and for patches in the second half [tonight], we went back to playing long down the line and the coach has gone really hard on our ball movement, and our game plan and the way we want to play, so we will look at that.”

Williams, who has not had a great injury history, looked to have suffered a bad injury when he was run down from behind in a tackle by Maurice Rioli jnr and had his foot caught under him. Despite hobbling off with what appeared to be an ankle injury, he returned soon after having escaped serious trouble.

The moment was telling in the game because it was the second, fast rundown tackle Rioli had laid in minutes, and reflected the Tigers’ lift in pressure.

Zac Williams wills his shot on goal through.

They felt they should have won the game and their wastefulness, and the silliness from Tom Lynch and Noah Balta in giving away frees, will say there is an argument for that. But they also know the signs there were strong, and some of the other errors in rushed ball movement they made were the product of inexperience, not a lack of talent.

By Monday morning, all Tigers fans will be reflecting on is the pickpocket goal of Sam Lalor and the daring of debutant Sam Grlj. Still a teenager, Grilj was so mature and calm with the ball, he was taking the kick-ins in the first quarter of his first game, and backing himself with brave, searching runs. He lacks for nothing, except maybe a vowel.